EEE -- ELL -- KAY.

Some friends of the family brought my brother some elk meat.

My sister in law made stew with it on Monday.

And Rosemary ate it. Happily.

But one thing concerns me: she called the meat "chicken."

Let that process for a minute.

Elk is reminiscent of beef or lamb in texture, definitely closer to beef or bison in flavor. Lean. And absolutely nothing poultry like at all.

But she ate it. Happily. 

Maybe watching Master Chef Junior was a good thing after all, even if she did get upset that Dara didn't win. "At least the kid with my last name for his first name won! But he can't soft boil eggs, Mommie."

I'm so excited she has a reinvigorated interest in cooking. And when we move, I'm going to let her make dinner once a week. It may be PB&J but she can still own it. And that is only a small part of being a good cook.

Back to bento

I want to get back to bento goodness for lunch. I realized last week that I was packing too much food and with the school's efforts to encourage a family style lunch hour, someone's conversation trumps noshing.

Pondering a j-list order get some stylin tools, but I'm not sure how I feel about cutting a hot dog to look like an octopus when cooked. Also. Hello kitty shaped boiled eggs and onigiri are still uncharted territory.

But. I made one box lunch today that is a step in the right direction! Seared chicken tenders, grapes, roasted asparagus:

Just right!

Oh dear...

"I look cool, Mommie! Like a lady in a bar waiting for her drink!"

...says Rosemary. Age 5. 6:45 am. Monday, November 4, 2013.

Please stop growing up so fast, Stringbean. 

halloween!

As holidays go, this is my favorite. It was Jeremy"s favorite (perhaps why we got on so well?) and it's turning out that Ro is kind of fond of it as well. 

What stinks is that we never got to go trick or treating, the three of us. So, now that we are of age to do such things, I make it a point to celebrate the two of us enjoying Halloween together.

Needless to say, i'm not a fan of the candy aspect. But I'll take any chance to sport a costume...

This year, we've got three. Yes, THREE. One for dance class (Wonder Woman), one for school, (Doc Mcstuffins) and one for the real deal halloween night stuff (Weeping Angel).

I will be the Phone Box. you know. THE ANGELS HAVE THE PHONE BOX!?? 

yeah, this could help explain that..

So. Aside from sharing pictures, and that lunch has been cheese pizza and pb&j because hey! i know what she'll eat? this entry is Rosemary & My way of wishing you a brilliant, spooky, fun filled halloween. Enjoy!

what's the buzz?

The start of "real" school means that sooner or later, Ro will have homework. I know that it's one of those things that kids are supposed to hate doing, but i cannot and will not allow her to buy into disliking something that hasn't even started yet. 

We read books, we practice writing, we discuss what went on in school (as much as she recalls, or i can pry out of her. ugh.)

This weekend, however, there was a little bit of school that she was super excited to take home: her classroom mascot, Busy the Bee.

Now, i can guess what you're thinking... not quite flat stanley, and not quite the egg parenting thing either, this sweet little stuffed toy got a weekend pass to come home w/ Rosemary because her name got pulled out of the cup. they started this a few weeks ago and she said earlier in the month "oh, i can't wait til its my chance to take Busy home!" and i had NO IDEA what she was on about.

now i know...

We spent a fun weeknd with her fuzzy guest. Ro made him a Halloween costume, brought him to see our house under renovation, and he came with us to the movies on Sunday. I know he has to have a visit with all the other Bee families, but it'll be cool to see what else he has been up to if he gets to visit again!

Maybe far away, or maybe real nearby...

I mentioned earlier about going somewhere for Ro's birthday. as tempting as L.A. is, and as much of a disney dork as i am, i just can't do it. nor do i want to spend comparable funds on short trip across an ocean. makes no sense - if you're gonna travel such a distance, you need to stay for at least a week, maybe two or three!

i loved the suggestion of belize, but i don't want to work that hard. i will be working an event a couple of weeks prior, and would very much like to enjoy this as a vacation for me as well as for Ro. also, foreign countries require me to brush up on my other language skills, which are pretty shabby to begin with. throw a newly minted six-year-old in the mix and i'm gonna be miserable.

so. with the obvious choice of "stay-cation" lurking... my number one idea is NYC.  nice hotel, ice skating at rockefeller plaza, central park, zoo, museums, maybe a musical or two? still spendy... but... the flights are cheaper, and i might even be able to recruit dad or mom (OR LYN?!) to join us and hang out.

it's a thought. what to eat will be a challenge, but pizza is everywhere, and as Ro gets more adventurous, so can our list of places to dine.

i wonder if the stage deli is still around? katz's deli and bubby's could work for us. pok pok too! see if sesame street has studio tours! a long weekend in NYC could be pretty cool for us. just a thought now - still need to get thanksgiving and MOVING in order.. egads, what if that's when we're moving? oy. vey. if it takes that long, i'll NEED a vacay before festy time.

just bouncing it around. of course, it's going to be hella cold, so maybe its not the ideal time to bring her there? but i don't quite know where else would be of interest and temperate and not-so-spendy...

don't give me cricket noises kids.. let me know what you'd do in my shoes?

jeremy said she'd be my sous chef one day

i took yesterday off. from blogging, i mean. the weekend was long and straining, but in the end, the festival was awesome and i'm so proud of the entire event.

last night, however, was catch up for Ro & my new favorite tv show: Master Chef JUNIOR.

at first i was all WHAT THE WHAT?! because sharp knives and hot stoves and ovens and small kids shouldn't mix, but 8 -13 year olds with experience and impressive palates AND skills have been truly entertaining and promising as far as the future of culinary arts goes (no foam yet, thank g-d!)

i didn't think she'd get this into it. But she has had the same three favorites from the first episode: Dara, Sara, and Alexander.

I'm kind of amused by who she has chosen to cheer for...

Sara is the youngest of the contenders now. She's a saucy little blonde kid who has a great skill set and has clearly won over Gordon Ramsay with her cuteness.

Dara made an amazing chocolate cake last night, has been paired with Sara on a challenge, and also has a lot of talent. Sadly, I think Ro likes her because she wears a big hello kitty-esque bow. like, all the time. it's her thing.

Lastly, there's Alexander. He's 13. Eldest of the competitors. Blows all the judges out of the water consistently. Reminds me of Pugsley Addams (that's a compliment, really!) and is probably the favorite to win based on his serious technique and palate. This kid is light years ahead of himself. Most impressive. Rosemary has admitted that she only likes him because his first name is her last name. HA.

Its been fun to watch, and talk about the ingredients and methods and outcome with her. She cheers, she watches the clock, she asks me if i could make some of that stuff. i don't know if she wants to eat it, but she has asked if i can teach her how to do some of it - icing a layer cake, baking souffle, rolling pasta, flipping a saute pan without it's contents spilling all over.

it makes me feel really good that she's taken an interest in real cooking and creative food again. I don't watch Top Chef, or anything much on Food Network (i watched some of my vendors on Chopped, and i love Original Iron Chef), but i am a total sucker for Gordon Ramsay. Maybe it's the accent, or the yelling... but he isn't yelling much on this incarnation. He's been constructive and patient and very much the mentor that you would want to have nurturing these diminutive chefs with aggressive and adventurous passion for the kitchen. 

one kid walks away from the experience with a load of scholarship money and fancy trophy. but really, these kids are all winners. they are getting a chance to see if this is what they want to pursue, if their hobby is something they want to build a career out of, make friends with similar interests who may become lifelong buddies, and maybe, just maybe, absorb some wisdom from the guys who are the faces of the show, and who judge their dishes each episode. getting to be a part of this is a reward.

i'm just thrilled that my crumbsnatcher is enjoying watching it, asking questions, and is suddenly eager to emulate the "cool kids" on the show.  

not going to say who i'm cheering for...but here's a hint: it's not a boy.