Basement sleeping, Plenty
/Folks, I want to tell you how grateful I am for one more thing: our basement. We had no idea the guest room bed and pull-out sofa would be used soooo often. It makes me thrilled that we invested in the pricier pull-out which is, as promised, actually very comfortable. Why, you might ask, is our bottom floor getting so much traffic when everyone has a bed and room upstairs? One word: Oliver. That kid is a sleeping underachiever. I mean, he is one of the most charming children I know, and boy do I love him to pieces, but he is an abject failure re: his morning wake-up time(s), especially since he is, for the love, 2 freaking years old.
So, back to the basement…Jack, who generally sleeps so soundly that a) I’m not sure how we’ll ever get him potty-trained at night and b) you can literally pick him up, shake him, talk to him, offer him ice cream and he WILL NOT even budge. Incredible. Yet, Oliver is even penetrating his dormancy-style sleeping. Wow! As such, Jack has really cottoned to sleeping in the guest room on a somewhat regular basis because now that he’s not using sleep as a means of rebellion, he recognizes how awesome it is to get sleep, feel rested, and not be awakened by a young’un yelling for milk, the moon, mommy and muffins. Why all the “m” words? This works well for everyone because if Jack is rested, he’s a doll; if not, there are some Jeckyll and Hyde moments that I’d rather avoid.
I have taken Jack’s cue recently and either slept in the basement on some of his off-nights (lucky Tom can really sleep like a log once he’s asleep) or actually pulled out the old couch and slept with Percy (you know this must be a last resort people). And thank goodness I can because I was starting to feel pretty hostile about the invitations to visit anywhere from 3:15a-5:40a; I don’t go back to sleep real easily. Last night, I decided that enough was enough. Unless Oliver is sick as a dog or has a nightmare, I am never going in again before 6a. You can hold me to it, friends. Done and done!
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On to pluckier subjects: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the fabulous cookbooks my dear friend, Christine, gave me for me olde bday. It is beyond gorgeous, vegetarian(!) and just so mouth-wateringly inspiring. I had it in mind at the farmers market yesterday and took it with me on a breakfast date with O this morning. We picked 4 recipes to try this week and then did the rest of the shopping. Here’s what’s on tap:
Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad (made with those gorgeous young carrots I found at the farmers market yesterday; see photo on previous post)
Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche
Lemon and Goat Cheese Ravioli (if I can find “00” pasta flour; Whole Foods, you let me down)
and, OMG!!!!!!!!
Caramelized Endive with Gruyere (does that not sound insane?! I think you could candy some walnuts to throw on top of this and NOT go wrong.
So, two of those are on tap for tonight, and I’ll keep you posted. Good news- I just found out that my carrots are coming up. Garden success this year, people! And all organically done- pesticides=bad!!!!