TGIF!  This week I’m especially thankful it’s almost Friday because tomorrow afternoon I hop a train to NYC and for 24 blessed hours I do not have to cut anyone’s meat (but my own) or wipe anyone’s snot (but my own) and I get to pretend to be a grown up and wear clothes without any stains on them (except my own) and maybe even some cute shoes.  And even better than all that, I get to hang out with her and her and her and her and her and her.  I. can’t. wait.

Speaking of cute shoes, this morning I was getting ready for the day and putting on my sneakers in hopes that I would find the motivation to run later, and my 4-year-old said to me, “I don’t like those shoes.  They aren’t cute.  But you only wear cute shoes when you’re going to New York, right?”

Sadly, that pretty much sums it up.

But before I go pack, let’s talk summer sandals.  It’s been so nice here in Philly this week that I actually had to climb up into the attic one morning and pull down some warm weather clothes and shoes, and that is when I realized that my sandal/flip flop wardrobe is sorely lacking.  Everything I have is, well, OLD.  And worn looking.  Fortunately for me, Dansko reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if I’d like to try a pair of shoes from their new spring 2010 line.

Well, twist my arm, why don’t ya.

After perusing the site and considering the likes of these (the Mila)

and these (the Serena),

I decided on these — the Carmen Capri in sangria.

I wore them all day today, and I can honestly say, this is THE most comfortable flip flop I’ve ever worn.  The foot bed is AMAZING.  It has a contoured PU bottom and an EVA insert, which is the magic that makes them so incredibly comfy and supportive.  And the adjustable fore-strap keeps them from sliding or flopping too much.

Aesthetically, I think I’d like them better without that strap, but from a comfort POV, it’s perfect.  I have kind of flat, slim feet or something, and while I wear flip flops almost exclusively during the warmer months, they do tend to, well, flop a lot on my foot.  I mean, I know they’re supposed to flip and flop.  But these?  They stay put.

I’m not surprised how comfortable and supportive these are, as I was a Dansko fan before I received these sandals (in fact, that’s why they reached out to me, so keep writing about brands you love!  You never know when you might get a fun surprise like this in your inbox.)  But I really didn’t know a flip flop could have this much support.  If you’re on your feet a lot but don’t want a clunky shoe, Dansko is your brand.

WIN IT! Yes!!!  I get to give a pair away!  To enter to win, all you have to do is comment on this post with your favorite new Dansko style (please include color and size.)  You can earn one extra entry by sharing about this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.  Just leave a second comment so you get your second entry.  I will randomly select a winner next Friday, March 26.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an overnight bag to pack.  WOOT!

Disclosure: Dansko provided me with a pair of shoes to facilitate my review and will provide a pair of the winner’s choice as a giveaway.

Yes, I know this is my second recipe this week, but y’all.  These pancakes are to die for, and I couldn’t wait till next week to tell you about them.

Dawn left the link to the recipe in on my post about soaking grains, and I tried them the very next day.  Most of us like the Soaked Pancakes from Kelly, but my son isn’t a fan. I really didn’t want to go back to making pancakes with refined flour so I tried these.  Even my husband, who detests oatmeal, loved them.  They have the flavor of a pancake made with white flour, but a little bit of texture which makes them a little bit more special than a traditional pancake.  I altered the recipe JUST a bit, so here’s my version:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry oatmeal
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

The night before, combine the oatmeal, flour and buttermilk in a large bowl.  Stir well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  It will look like this:

The next morning, take the bowl out of the refrigerator.  Add the eggs, oil, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Stir together.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk till it’s a good pancake consistency.  Mix until just combined.

Fry the pancakes on a hot, buttered griddle.  They’re ready to turn when the top side is bubbly and puffed up and looks cooked around the edges, like this:

Brown the second side and transfer to a plate.  Continue until all of the batter is used up.

Serve with lots of real butter and maple syrup.

This recipe serves about six.

It’s that time again!  The Idol results show is on and I’m tuning in late once again.  Evidently Paige and Tim are in the bottom three, and one more must join them.  I’m betting on Katie.  BUT.  As it turns out, she is safe.  And she really looks gorgeous in that saffron yellow.

It looks like it’s down to Lacey and Casey.  Awww, how cute.  But WHAT is that growth on Lacey’s head?

Lacey’s in the bottom three with Paige and Tim, but I’m hoping she will soon be sent back to safety.

Oh good grief, they’re doing that ridiculous Judge’s Save thing again this season.  And of course Ryan puts Ellen on the spot and asks her if anyone is worth saving from the bottom 3.  She stumbles and stutters until Simon breaks in and says with confidence, “One.”

Whatever.  They’re not saving any of these guys.  Sorry.  They’re just not.

Before the commercial break, Tim is sent back to safety, so it’s between the two girls.

Um.  Blah Blah Blah?  WHAT is THIS?

This does it.  I am officially old.  I sound like my mother and furthermore I don’t care.  She was right.  Kids today don’t know good music from, well, blah blah blah.

Good GRIEF.

So um.  Can we get back to the results please?

Oh no.  Lacey is leaving.  Dangit, I liked her.  I don’t think she was a contender to win it, but I would have sent home 2 or 3 others before her.

Now the judges are all huddled together, pretending to discuss whether or not they are going to “save” her.  Sure, with 11 contestants left, they are going to use the save tonight?  I seriously doubt it.

And they don’t.  But that was a great choice of song for her to go out on.  She sounded great, I think we’ll be seeing more of her.

And that’s it for tonight!

Don’t forget to tune in to The Fly Lady radio show around 11 AM EST tomorrow.  I’ll be on her show talking about balance and organization along with four of my other Verizon Palm Pre Plus team members.  I’ll even shine my sink and get dressed right down to my shoes and socks for the occasion.  (Those are the only two things I remember from my Fly Lady days.  Shhhh.  Don’t tell her I’m a flunkie.)

Guess WHAT?  Tonight there is one more chance to win a Palm Pre Plus.  Along with the rest of TheMotherhood.com’s Verizon Palm Pre Plus mom blogger team, I will be hosting a Smart Mom/Smart Phone Twitter party tonight, Wednesday, March 17, from 9 to 10 PM EST.

In preparation for our guest appearance on The Fly Lady radio show tomorrow (YES!  I’m going to be on the Fly Lady’s radio show tomorrow; I hope you’ll tune in), we’ll be talking about balancing our busy lives and our best Palm Pre Plus tips and tricks.  At the end of the party, one lucky winner will receive  a Verizon Palm Pre Plus.

Here are the deets:

Participate and follow our Twitter party with our custom tweet grid at 9PM EST tonight — St. Patty’s Day!  Shamrock shakes optional.

The hashtag for the party will be #VerizonPalmPrePlus.

In order to win the Verizon Palm Pre Plus (you must have your own Verizon  contract with a data plan in order to use the phone), simply post your Twitter ID in Mister Linky below and participate with at least one tweet during the party.  When you add your link on my site it automatically gets added to the other bloggers that are participating in the Twitter party.

Kristen has another question!

She writes: I’ve never been much of a water drinker. I get so tired of plain water. So I was drinking a lot of Crystal Light. But I know that’s not good for you so I stopped and am trying to drink more water, but am getting sick of it and not getting enough to drink now. What do you suggest for a Crystal Light alternative? Are any of those flavored waters ok or are they all crap?

My reply: I’m afraid I’m not a whole lot of help with drinks.  Even before I discovered Michael Pollan and Nina Planck last summer and started moving our family to more whole foods, I was a health snob about those flavored waters.  Anything with fake sugar or artificial color in it has always been a huge red flag to me.  I’m an all or nothing kind of girl.  I love my Coke Classic, but if I can’t (or shouldn’t) have it, I’d rather drink water.  So I never sought out an alternative.

A few suggestions:  can you try squeezing fresh orange or lemon or lime into your water to make it more palatable?  There are probably other clever ideas, perhaps my readers can help.

The bigtime Real Foodies talk about drinking Water Kefir — a drink that is carbonated by fermentation.  (I think?)  Read this post at Kitchen Stewardship, Is Water Kefir as Good as Soda Pop? It’s an entertaining read, and it also might answer your question about a healthy alternative to flavored water drinks.  I haven’t tried it, but I’ve been wanting to try making raw milk kefir for the probiotic and digestive benefits.

Your Turn! Do you have any recommendations for Katie?

Finally we’re down to the Top Twelve and it’s Rolling Stones night.  The Rolling Stones are probably my favorite rock and roll band, and next to Springsteen, I’m sure they comprise the most songs on my iPod so it goes without saying that I am looking forward to tonight.

I’m blogging the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper.  You see, I left the power cord to my Macbook in Nashville, and my husband and I have been sharing his ever since.  Tonight his podcast trumped my live blogging so I’m sitting here with a pen and paper, hoping that I can transcribe my chicken scratch later on tonight.

(So far it is successful.)

First up: Michael Lynche singing I Wanna Kiss You.  The falsetto is cool.  He’s a showman for sure.  I like it; I don’t love it, but it’s a solid performance.

Next Didi sings Playing With Fire and even 2 hours later, as I type this up, I’d say this is one of the most memorable performances of the night.  There wasn’t a lot of range but the emotion was there.  Good song choice.  Simon calls it a solid but not brilliant performance.  I guess that kind of sums it up.

Casey James sings It’s All Over Now. Another solid but not wow performance.  There just isn’t a lot of range, and this week was kind of a gimme for him anyway. OMG, I love Ellen.  Hilarious.  I’ll agree with Simon again — it was nothing special.  I was kind of looking for something more.

Lacey is up, and how cute is her dad  She sings Ruby Tuesday, a favorite of mine.  I think it was a good song choice for her, but I was really hoping for more.  Maybe I know the original too well, but I wasn’t crazy about this.  I’m still hoping she makes it back next week though.

Andrew Garcia’s parent interview is interesting.  It’s supposed to focus on his mom, but she is like a zombie and his dad does all the talking.  Finally this week Andrew is back. I love the passion and intensity.  Randy says it’s pitchy, but I’m with Ellen — I say this is his best performance yet.

Katie Stevens sings Wild Horses.  She’s a sweetie, but she never manages to get past the cruise ship performances.  I can’t help but wish Lilly was here instead.

Tim Urban is from a family of 10.  WOW.  He sings Under my Thumb.  It’s good, not great.  I mean, he’s on pitch and all.  He’s getting more confident.  I dunno; I’m just not excited yet.

Siobhan Magnus is singing Paint It Black, and I instantly know I’m going to love it.  But I didn’t know I was going to love it this much.  LOVE HER.  If Crystal has any competition this season, it’s Siobhan.

Lee DeWyze is singing Beast of Burden.  My first impression when I heard he was singing this song was that it’s too safe.  But he started singing and I was hooked.  I just love the tone of his voice, and he changed up the melody just enough to make it his own.  Simon tells him he doesn’t shine, but I remember him saying something similar to David Cook, and look at him now.  I think Lee is well on his way to being a recording artist in his own right.

Paige sings Honky Tonk Woman.  At first I think she’s finally going to have her Moment this week, but I’m just not getting the country vibe.  It’s better than her last few performances, but I’m not quite getting the star quality from her.

Aaron Kelly sings Angie, possibly my least favorite Rolling Stone tune of all time.  It’s a respectable performance, but I hereby proclaim that the minimum age on American Idol should be 18, not 16.  I think he will be great in another two to five years.

Crystal is acting more like herself this week, but I find it interesting that while all the other contestants speak about their moms, her dad is the only one to speak for her.  I don’t know her background story, but I’m willing to bet she had a rough childhood.  She sings You Can’t Always Get What You Want, and she doesn’t disappoint.  If it weren’t for Siobhan, I’d say we should just give Crystal the title of American Idol and send the rest of them home.  She’s clearly the front runner, but I am excited to see what she does next week, and the week after that.  And I’m excited to see what Siobhan brings next week, as well as Lee and Casey.

My predictions:

Best of the night?  Siobhan.

Going home?  Katie.

What say you?

Check out Boomama’s Blog for more Idol recaps!

One day last week I stopped by Wegmans for some fish and came home with 3 large fillets of wild caught Haddock.  We love fish and chips, but I don’t make it often because it temporarily turns my kitchen into Long John Silver’s.  But I had a hankering, what can I say?

So I dug out Paula Deen’s recipe for Beer Battered Fish and Chips and went to town.  Unfortunately I have no pictures to document the event because I was elbow-deep in lard most of the evening, but it came out looking and tasting JUST like Long John Silver’s except healthier because I fried the fish in the aforementioned lard from local pastured pigs.  (Ha!  I used aforementioned in a sentence.)

If you are utterly perplexed by my suggestion than lard could be healthy, or if you just want a refresher, please read Embrace the Fat.  Warning: it is LONG.  But it’s full of great info.

I did the potatoes in the oven, but they weren’t nearly as good as the fish.  Next time I think I need to suck it up and deep fry ‘em.

Here’s my version, in case you’re interested in trying it.

Beer Batter:

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• pinch black pepper
• pinch garlic powder
• 1 cup lard from pastured pork
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, skinned with bones removed, and fish cut diagonally into 1-inch-wide strips (5 to 6-inches long)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

For the batter, pour the bottle of beer into a medium-sized bowl.  Then sift 1-1/2 cups of the flour along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder into the bowl, whisking gently to combine.

Then set your lard to heating on the stove top.  I used a cast iron skillet, but you can also use a Dutch oven.  Heat the oil to 375 degrees F.  (I don’t have a candy thermometer so I just wing it.)

Wash and pat the fish dry, and season on both sides with salt and pepper.  (Don’t skimp on that step!  I wish I’d salted mine more; it was rather bland.)

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a pie plate.  Dredge a piece of fish in the 1/2 cup of flour, and then coat it in the beer batter.  Slide it into the oil carefully.  Repeat until the pan is full but not stuffed. You will have to do this in batches.

Fry the fish, turning over frequently, until deep golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and then pop ‘em in that 225-degree oven to keep warm.  Fry the remaining fish in batches.

Serve fish with French fries and a salad.  Or a veggie.  Or some thing that isn’t fried.  (Although hush puppies are next on my list of things to learn to make.  Mmmm…)

This post is linked up with the Tasty Tuesday blog carnival over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

photo credit: foodnetwork.com

This week has been a DOOZIE.  Evidently Firefox doesn’t like the word doozie.  Let’s try doozey.  Doozy?  Nope.  Got that sassy red underline every time.  I guess doozie isn’t an official word.  Well, I think it should be.  So there.

This week I learned that when I haven’t been sick in over a year, my body will invariably decide to concede at the most inopportune time, such as when my husband has a coworker over for dinner and I am supposed to have a lovely dinner prepared, and THEN goes out of town the very next day and leaves me on my own to die a slow miserable death while simultaneously trying to keep the house running and three kids clothed and fed.  And yes, that was one sentence, what do you want to make of it?

So I’m finally on the mend.  Sorta.  This is one of those full-on 10-day colds, evidently.  It’s going to run it’s course to the bitter end.

It hasn’t helped that the weather has been beyond miserable — rainy and cold for days on end.  One day the wind actually had the rain blowing sideways, and I was wet from head to toe, just from walking from the house to the car.  Yeah, good times.

Those of you who have been around here for the long haul are probably thinking, Here we go again…

Word of warning to the newbies: I spend the entire months of March and April complaining about the weather and lamenting the fact that spring does not exist north of the Mason Dixon line.  And yet somehow I, the girl who LIVES for summer, ended up spending the majority of her adult life in the arctic tundra of Pennsylvania, all because I had to go and fall in love with a Philly boy.  (FYI: Philly boys never leave.)

Oh well, at least they have cheesesteaks and hoagies.  Yes, Firefox, HOAGIE IS SO A WORD.

UPDATED Tuesday morning: I also learned that once sun finally decides to show its pretty face and I am finally feeling better and I can finally go outside and run after a 10-day suspension, one of the little people will invariably get sick.  Yes, you guessed it.  My 4-year-old is coughing up a lung.  So much for my plans for today.  I know, I know.  There are people with real problems.  I just needed to vent.

What did YOU learn this week? You know the drill.  (Please link directly to your WILTW post, not to your main blog page, and don’t forget to link back here to the WILTW headquarters. Thank you kindly!)

A decision has been reached, regarding the boyfriend jeans.  I’m sure you were unable to think of anything else all weekend so I’m here to put you out of your misery.

I am afraid it comes down to the dreaded two words — “age appropriate.”  If I were 30, I’d snatch them right up.  I really like the look.  I suppose they appeal to my inner rock star, suppressed though she may be.

Five years ago, I could have pulled it off.  But with the big 4-0 looming ominously, I think it’s time to come to terms with the fact that rips and tears have no place on my apparel.

The white jeans, on the other hand, are a go.  I’m not sure if I’m going to get the ones I had on in the photo on Friday.  I might; I really like them, and they would be nice for dressier occasions and nights out.

However, I did find another pair of white jeans on Saturday.  I stopped in the Gap because they were offering 35% off all denim purchases if you brought in old denim to recycle.  I was actually looking for a boyfriend jean without holes in them, but instead I came across a pair of white cropped skinny jeans that fit really well.

First, imagine them WITHOUT the booties.  What IS that?

Second, I didn’t try them on rolled up.  On me they are more of an ankle length, which I think will be really cute with sandals and flip flops in the summer months.  Best of all, with 35% off, they were less than $40.  SCORE!

Kristen writes: My husband and I are trying to steer the family into a more real foods lifestyle. We’ve been cutting out HCFS, no more fruit snacks, I’ve started making our bread, etc etc. I’ve always been big into baking and am trying to take that into a “healthier” route as well (although there aren’t many ways to make a chocolate chip cookie healthy!) So when I’m baking, be it cookies or bread or whatever, what should I be using for flour? I’ve been using unbleached all purpose flour for my sweets and I’m trying to get the kids to eat bread made from whole wheat flour, although sometimes I mix the two so that they’ll eat it.

My reply: Yay you!  Cutting out HFCS and fruit snacks is a great first step.  And making bread is quite a commitment.  I have compromised with my bread, and I use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.  If I have spelt flour, I will use that for some of the white.  I am happy enough knowing that it is freshly homemade and doesn’t contain preservatives and HFCS.  I haven’t yet banned white flour from our house, and I doubt I ever will.

When I make cookies, I usually use unbleached all purpose flour and white sugar.  I often buy organic sugar, but I’m not sure how important that is.  I usually do half sucanat, and no one seems to complain.  Sometimes I will substitute 1/3 whole wheat pastry flour, and no one usually notices.  I can’t get away with 1/2. Again, using refined flour and sugar is a compromise, but it beats industrially processed cookies any day.

I could go totally extreme with all of this, and I’m sure some thing I already have!  But I really do try to keep everything in perspective.  I go back and forth on how much I try to avoid the refined carbs and sugars; I know they are really bad for us, but I also don’t want my kids feeling so deprived that they go hog wild when they have the chance to make a choice for themselves.  It’s all about balance, you know?

By the way, for muffins and things, whole wheat pastry flour works really well, especially if you go to the trouble of soaking the night before.  I know, it’s more work, but much better for digestion, and it gives them a lighter taste.