Say peas...and thank you...

At the beginning of this past school year, I was standing near Carly's locker helping her juggle a pile of shelves and books and magnets and mirrors and noticed an unfamiliar face nearby. I heard that a new boy was joining her class and thought "This must be him...I'll say hi and hook him up with a couple of classmates.." Turns out, he was actually a returning student from another class and I had just never met him...but here's the weird thing...

Instead of giving me a bewildered "Who are you and why are you talking to me" look like most awkward thirteen-year-olds would, he smiled right back at me, put out his hand, reached for mine, gave it a firm shake, looked me in the eye and politely introduced himself...to me...an adult, no less!

Don't ask me why (and to tell you the truth, I don't even remember this kid's name) but I was completely floored. Big deal...a kid shook my hand...why was I so blown away? Then, it occurred to me...in the words of Ward and June Cleaver, "kids these days!"

Manners...where have they gone? I'm not asking for the moon and stars here, really I'm not. I'm just talking about the basics: please, thank you, hello, good-bye, have-a-nice-day-kind-of-stuff. And God, forbid...how about giving your seat to an elderly person or opening the door for a lady...or how about a little eye contact and a sincere smile now and then? Where has it gone?

Don't get me wrong...I do believe this behavior still exists...every now and then and, for the most part, at family funerals under the watchful eye of Aunt Gladys. But, here's what I'm looking for: quite simply I want our kids to feel, and enjoy, and cherish and be accountable for their personal connections.

No cell phones here...this is connecting!

It feels that we have somehow silently slipped into a virtual reality where we condone the sad fact that our kids are forming their social skills in a world devoid of touch and tone; where cousins sit at the family table texting their friends while they should be interacting with each other, teasing the "baby in the brood" and bonding through the mutual mockery of Grandpa's ear hair...like we did.

The only things bigger than baby Michael's diaper and the bow in my hair were Grandpa Henry's ears.

Guess who I blame...us!

If our kids can teach us to program our Bluetooths or use canvas bags at the grocery, don't we owe it to them to share the good stuff that used to be expected of us? And, you know how we're gonna do it...by doing it ourselves!

Dads...when's the last time you pulled out the chair for your wife and nudged your son to do the same for Sister? Moms...when's the last time you closed your cell phone before you reached the grocery checkout so you could be sure to give your clerk a proper "have a nice day?"

Remember this little guy...I think it's time to bring him back.

OK...so here's my plan...here are the three things we're gonna work on this summer to unplug our over-amped connections.

1.) Say please and thank you...sincerely. Until I really made an effort to actually take note, I was shocked how many times my kids just took the Popsicle and ran. It's up to us to grab them by the ear, yank them back to the scene of the crime and give them the gift of stopping for a second to feel and express gratitude.

2.) As my cousin from Texas used to say in her southern drawl, "drive friendly now." I'm going to slow down, get off the phone, talk to my kids in the car, not my automated bank teller, let the other guy into traffic and smile at him when he let's me in...or one better, even when he doesn't.

3.) Simply put...be nice...especially to old folks. Let's face it...I practically am one! I figure if I teach my kids to show good old-fashioned respect for their elders, it just might rub off onto the way they treat each other.

Carly still remembers her weekly visits with Great Grandma Finy (and the cold 7-up Grandma Liz let her buy from the vending machine).

We're going to spend more time with grandmas and grandpas and I'm going to give the kids a nudge to note when Grandpa Don holds Grandma Liz tight around the waist leading her when they dance or when Grandma Alice puts her napkin on her lap at the dinner table and places her fork correctly on her plate when she is finished.

20 years ago at our wedding...and Mom and Dad are still dancing.

Looking back at this manifesto, it's hard to believe I started this post with the intention of sharing a great recipe using "peas.". Guess I had something I wanted to get off my chest! Phew, I feel better now. Let's make some ravioli..

So, the peas in my garden are going crazy right now and are so fun to watch as they grow and change from day to day. Last week, we picked the young shoots right off the vine and ate them whole.

This week, they're plump and tender so we're grabbing them by the handfuls, unzipping their snappy little jackets and tossing the little buggers almost raw into salads and pastas...yum! The heat's officially here though so soon they'll get too fat and starchy to enjoy.

So, I thought I'd find a way to use a heap of them at once. After searching my cookbooks and the Internet for inspiration, I decided on a pea ravioli. I did the mad scientist thing with ingredients I had on hand and, if I don't say so myself, the results were awesome! Here's what I did...

Since I didn't have enough ripe ones ready last week when I was experimenting, I used bagged frozen petite peas...worked great! The dregs of my fridge also produced goat cheese, ricotta, shallot, garlic, and bread crumbs...this should do.

After sauteing the shallots and garlic, I tossed everything into a food processor and mashed it up until it looked like guacamole...

We tasted it and decided that something was missing.... lemon zest! Carly nailed it.

Next, I blobbed a heaping teaspoonful of the concoction onto squares of pasta (OK, I made mine from scratch because I didn't have won ton wrappers but, unless you're into it, go for the convenience and buy the wrappers at any market...you should find them in the fridge section near the tofu).

Place a bowl of water next to your work area and lightly wet the edges of the dough using your finger then fold them like this, pushing out extra air as you go and pressing the edges to seal. Charlie thinks they look like little houses. But, then again, given his line of work, he would.

1.

2.

3.

Carly pulled some fresh chives, oregano and thyme from the garden. I chopped them fine then floated them with some fresh peas in a chicken broth I infused with lemon and garlic.

Next, we gently boiled the ravioli for a few minutes, drained them then slipped them into the broth...light, aromatic, sweet and tangy...it was crazy good! Charlie liked it too but called the broth "too fast!" Huh? Too fast? "Yah," he said, "It was frustrating trying to chase the ravioli around the bowl as they slipped around in the thin broth!" Give me a break...

He asked for his next plateful to be plain with just butter and cheese. "OK," I said, "as long as you say peas..."

Spring Pea Ravioli in Fast Broth

Saute:

• 1 small shallot
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

Pulse in a food processor with:

• 1 cup of thawed frozen peas or fresh that have been blanched
• 3 heaping Tbs. goat cheese
• 2 heaping Tbs. ricotta cheese
• 1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbs. bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest or to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of a won ton wrapper and fold. Boil gently in water for a few minutes until al dente and serve about 5-6 per person with "fast broth"* or butter and cheese.

Garnish with

• fresh peas
• chopped herbs

*1 quart of chicken stock with just a touch of lemon zest and garlic to taste.

Serves about 6 as a first course or light lunch

He may not be a snappy dresser...

...but he sure knows what to say to make a girl swoon.

Although you may not know it by the Spiderman underwear he's wearing on his head in this vintage photo...my boy is wicked smart.

You see, the other day I received a love note from him and I've gotta tell you, he could have asked for anything after I read it...a trip to Disneyland, the inappropriately expensive Star Wars Death Star Lego set he covets, a personal audience with George Lucas himself...I would have found a way to get it for him. Here's the note:

This kid knows how to play to his audience. Did he think I would want to hear, "Mommy you're so pretty," or, "Mama, you give me the best hugs"...well...yes, I guess! But when you think about it, what would be the ultimate compliment my child could bestow on me; the one guaranteed to drop me to my knees..."You give me the right food at the right time!" My boy knows what feeds Mamma's soul! He gets me.

I think the fact that it was so unexpected was what made it that much more of a gift. As I sat at my desk, banging on the computer keys posting yet another bill into Quickbooks, Will puttered around at my feet building something with the Lincoln Logs I keep close by in an attempt to temporarily stave off his ritual zombie-like communion with Sponge Bob or one of his fellow mind-mutating cartoon minions.

With my back to him, I couldn't see that he had put aside his three story wooden masterpiece, sneaking a sheet of discarded paper from the recycling bin and a pencil off the floor to go to work on a his spontaneous prose. Yah, Will is funny...he's cute...and the kid can dance but "Mr. Sensitivity" he is not (as opposed to Carly, my love bug, who at 14 still crawls into my lap and won't sleep until I tuck her in). So you can imagine, when I take priority over a play date, a Wii session or a bean and cheese burrito, I feel like I've won the lottery. Happy belated Mother's Day to me...I must be doing something right!

So, for all of you who want a way to give your kids "the right food at the right time" too, here's one of my favorite make-ahead snack solutions...one alternative to the industrial-sized packages of Costco chicken nuggets and petrified potstickers we all keep in our freezers to keep the hungry tribe at bay.


Try these mini pizza's with a wholewheat crust (trust me, they won't even know it's healthy). Or, if you're chicken, I'll give you my standard white flour pizza dough recipe as you ease yourself in to the wonderful world of whole grains.

Willy is a cheese and olive fan...check out those big boy teeth!

Start with warm water in a measuring cup with a spout, add the yeast and a squirt of honey to feed the little yeasty beasties.

While the yeast is doing it's thing, pulse the flours and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade until it is mixed and fluffy.

Add the olive oil into the measuring cup with the bubbling yeast mixture and pour it through the feed tube with the motor running until the dough comes together. Note: if your yeast is not showing signs of life (bubbly and foamy) toss it and start again. Your poor little fermented friends have gone on to the big bakery in the sky (the yeast may have been bad or maybe your water was too hot).

Here is some overachiever yeast but yours should be good and bubbly too.

Time to knead...

Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead until it is relatively smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

Enjoy the process. Get into it. Use your body weight, rocking back and forth into the dough versus pumping with your arms. Hard to believe this is coming out of my mouth but...take your time! I'm all for instant gratification, but making homemade yeast dough is one process that just can't be rushed (as simple as it is)! Give yourself this ten minutes, knead, think nice thoughts and breath in the smell the wonderful warm yeasty aroma wafting up from your dough as it transforms. Can you tell? I think bread (and especially making it with your own hands) is magical!

Shape the dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, put in a warm place and let rise until it is doubled in bulk. If it's a cold day, I turn on the oven for a minute, just until it clicks on, then turn it off and place the bowl inside the toasty space...like a perfect warm day, not hot.

Punch down the dough and separate it into about 12 little balls. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, pat the dough balls into mini rounds or use an awesome muffin top pan. It makes perfect little deep dish pizzas. I don't remember where I got mine but I did a quick search and saw that they are available at Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Sur la Table...all over the place. Buy one...they're fun to have.

Spoon on some sauce and your favorite toppings. I like fresh basil, garlic and tomato...

Here's a "mean" trick...dice up some zucchini or julienne some spinach and hide it under the cheese. The kids won't know it's there and you'll be sneaking in some additional goodness...

But...the kids do like to make their own. Willy's is the one in the middle with the pepperoni and cheese. Check out Carly's...

I've made a ton of these with the kids' friends too. It's a great rainy day play date thing...

I make a bunch of 'em, stack 'em and freeze 'em. They're the best after school snacks. I tend to microwave them because I'm always hungry NOW but I must admit that they do turn out pretty chewy. I recommend using a toaster oven...if you can wait!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Dissolve together in a 2+ cup glass measure:

• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 1/4 cup very warm (not hot) water
• 1/4 ounce packet of active dry yeast

After it is bubbly, add:

• 2 Tbs.olive oil (plus extra for greasing bowl)

Pulse together in a food processor fitted with a dough blade:

• 1 1/4 cup white flour (plus extra for kneading)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. salt

With the motor running, slowly add the wet mixture to the dry through the feed tube of the food processor until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place for about an hour until it is doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough, shape, top and bake at 450 degrees for 9-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough. If you make them free form (without the pan), preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the cookie sheet in the oven. Shape your pizzas on a cutting board, piece of cardboard or pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal so they don't stick. Carefully slide your pizzas onto the super hot sheet (BE CAREFUL!!!). This is the trick to a crispy crust if you don't have a pizza stone (like me). Bake for about 10 minutes but watch them to make sure they don't burn.

Makes 12+ mini-muffin top pizzas depending on how thick you like the dough.

White Pizza Dough

Follow directions for whole wheat dough using these ingredients.

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 ounce packet of active dry yeast
• 3 cups white flour (plus extra for kneading)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. oil (plus extra for greasing bowl)

Sticky Situations...

April was full of 'em!

So...I'm sorry I haven't had even a minute lately to stay in touch.

I've missed you so!

I promise to post a real post really, really soon but, in the meantime, I wanted to draw your attention to the right hand side of this page* where I have added a new feature: "Recipes You've Requested." From hasty shouts across supermarket checkout isles to in-depth conversations over margaritas and bean dip, it's easy for me to lose track of the many oh-so-wonderful recipe requests I receive at random times throughout the week.

Soooo, until I figure out a better way to do it (which I will need to do), as soon as I get your request, I'll try to hop on my computer and slap the recipe up on the site, no fuss, no muss. There probably won't be any photos and there's a chance you'll get a scanned copy of crumpled piece of stained paper out of my files ... but at least you'll have it before next Christmas!

Today I'm adding recipes for the Black-Eyed-Pea Salsa and the Cinco(!) Leches Cake I served on Cinco de Mayo. For a "school night", it turned out to be a pretty fun fiesta (note evidence below). Thanks to our amigos who joined us!

I hope you also enjoy the other recipes I've added throughout the past month including a killer, no fail, recipe for Milk and Honey Whole Wheat Bread...it's the one I make every year with our school's second graders as part of their Lenten tradition.

Together, those 60 sticky little hands produce 36 loaves of beautiful brown bread in one chaotic but memorable morning. I cherish this day every year and revel in the gift I receive by sharing this tradition with them.

So, please enjoy the few recipes I've shared to the right* and stay tuned for more Mudpies really soon.

*Note: if you receive Makemudpies via a feed (i.e. if it comes to you by email) you probably can't see the columns on the right including "Recipes You've Requested," my Twitter feed, blog archive etc... Simply access the blog via http://www.makemudpies.com/ to see the entire blog in all it's glory!

One day Joseph laid an egg…

I don't really remember how we came to own a do-it-yourself countertop chicken incubator but I do remember the day Joseph was born, I mean hatched. You see, Joseph thought she was people. And, we thought she was a he...until he, I mean she, laid an egg.

I do know that it was a fall morning in 1973. I remember because that was the year that my brother Greg was in eighth grade…the year he received his Sacrament of Confirmation. Who would have known that on that special morning the Holy Spirit would descend upon him in the form of a baby Rhode Island Red. Wasn’t it supposed to be a ball of fire and a dove or something? A red chicken? Close enough.

Anyway, rewind a few weeks earlier when we approached Villia, the Peruvian lady up the street, to part with three fertilized chicken eggs so we could conduct our home hatchery experiment. Her daughter Susan was in my class and we knew that she’d probably have a randy rooster or two willing to donate to the cause as their house was this wild wacky menagerie perched high atop the Fairfax hills. In fact, Mom, still a city girl at heart, was convinced that if she actually piloted our wood paneled Country Squire up the windy ascent that she’d never be able to turn it around and navigate back down. I remember many a birthday party at that house (carpooled by a friend’s mom of course) playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey surrounded by real live chickens, goats, ferrets a pony or two and I think a couple of monkeys until the Feds put 'em in cuffs and hauled them away.

So, the precious eggs made their way down the hill and into the heated plastic dome that sat on our counter until one morning…crack…Josephine, the sole survivor of our in vitro trio, made her entrance. At our request, Villia promptly bombed down the hill in her red 1964 Rambler station wagon to show us how to properly tend to a newborn baby chick. With her bright red comb and feisty demeanor, we were certain that we had hatched a rooster and promptly named our baby bird Joseph, in honor of the name my brother would take at confirmation that afternoon. What did we know, we were city folk after all?

Check out those sideburns (on my Dad...not Josephine). That's her in my Dad's arms.

Joseph thrived as the newest member of our brood and was the happiest free range rooster a family ever had. We held her, pet her, fed her table scraps, and soon she became fast friends with our German Shepherd named Brian Patrick (no wonder he had issues). They were the two coolest dudes ever to cruise a suburban backyard, despite their severe identity crises. Here they are both ready to be let in for the night. Yes, Josephine slept inside.

Until one day… Joseph laid an egg (in my toy box, thank you very much).

From that day forward, Joseph became known as Josephine and each day she rewarded our family with one luscious, speckled brown egg which she carefully deposited atop my baby doll’s former blankie. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to fully enjoy the runny, pale-yoked excuses for eggs that I resort to purchasing in 18 packs at my local market. Until today…

You see, my neighbor Laura told me that my other neighbor Natalie had taken to raising chickens in her backyard and was willing to share the love. Now, in some of my weaker wanna-be-Martha moments, I toyed with the idea of building a coop myself, but just didn't have the time, energy, know-how, money…everything…to do it. Get fresh eggs delivered on demand from the neighbor instead? Heck ya!

So, today I received my first delivery, and to celebrate, I decided to make a creamy, custardy whacked-out ice cream recipe that I concocted a couple of months ago during a fleeting whim to enter a Häagen-Dazs create-a-flavor contest...which apparently no longer exists. Oh well...another plan foiled. But I must admit, the French Toast Ice Cream that I cooked up was worthy. Here's what I did...

Start by making the "french toast" by cubing a few slices of nice firm white bread.

I melted some butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and drizzled it over the bread, then toasted them up in the oven.

While the french toast was toasting, I concocted some maple caramel sauce to swirl into the ice cream. Here's the brown sugar and maple syrup ready to melt down.

The experiment worked! I poured it into a gravy boat to chill while I made the custard for the ice cream. This makes more than you will need. Save the extra to pour over store-bought ice cream or to eat by the spoonful while standing in front of the fridge.

Custard can be a little tricky. William helped me separate the six, yes six, eggs...

...then I tempered the yummy yokes with hot milk, put the mix back in the pot, whisked and watched the temp till it reached 170 degrees. Don't scramble those eggs!

Strain out any little scramblies then chill it up before freezing it in your ice cream maker.

Uh huh...

French Toast Ice Cream

For the "toast"

Slice into 1/4" cubes:

• 4 slices of firm white bread (you will probably only use three but will want to snack on the extras)

Whisk together:

• 4 Tbs melted butter
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Drizzle butter mixture over cubes, toss to coat and toast in a single layer on a baking sheet at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes until they are crispy and golden.

For the maple caramel sauce

Melt in a saucepan until dissolved:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup REAL maple syrup

Add and bring to a boil:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Gently boil until sauce is reduced by about 1/3, about 20 minutes. Chill.

For the ice cream custard

Whisk:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Bring to a gentle boil:

• 2 cups of whole milk

Add half of the hot milk in a stream to the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. Then, add the egg mixture back into the pot and. cook over low heat , stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and the temperature is about 170 degrees. Slower is better and don't leave the pot to put the laundry in the dryer. The eggs will scramble in a blink if they get too hot!

Stir in:

• 1 cup heavy cream

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and stir in:

• 3 Tbs. REAL maple syrup

Transfer to a stainless steel bowl and chill in the fridge or set over ice if you are in a hurry to get it into the ice cream maker (like me).

When the custard is nice and chilly, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker* according to the directions. When it's ready, fold in the crunchy "french toast" cubes. Drizzle in the caramel sauce to taste and swirl it around without mixing it in entirely. Place in a tub then into the freezer to harden. Give it at least 2 or 3 hours (or just eat it soft with a spoon right out of the ice cream maker). May I recommend doing both...

Makes a little over a quart.

*Having an ice cream maker at home is fun! You can get one for as little as $25 or so at Target which is the model I used for a million years. Kids love it and it's very "cool" to be able to serve home made ice cream to guests. Last year, Mom bought me the freezer attachment for my Kitchenaid standing mixer...so easy. As long as I keep the canister in my freezer and heavy cream in my fridge, I can make ice cream on the fly any time.