Meow. Hit. You.

My little Sophie, like many one-year-olds, loves animals. Imagine the thrill it would be for her, then, upon arriving at my parents' house to discover that not only does she get to spend time with Nannie and Opa, but she gets to enjoy the company of two cats to boot. And so, while we were home, Sophie enjoyed many afternoons of searching for the cats (Twinkie and Oreo), laughing at the cats, attempting to pet the cats, and talking about the cats.

On one particular afternoon, Sophie and I were alone in the house. She had just woken up from her nap with the request and demand, "Meow." Which, interpreted, means "let's find the cats." So we began our search and were soon pestering poor Twinkie who was enjoying one of her many naps in the afternoon sunlight. I must also add that of the two kitties, Twinkie is highly suspicious of children; she becomes skittish and agitated very quickly. Whenever possible, we would steer Sophie towards Oreo - ever the more tolerant and wise one. And so, I kept a close eye on Sophie and Twinkie - but apparently not close enough. In the moment that I turned my back (why must I always turn my back, will I never learn?) something happened which caused Sophie to startle Twinkie, who, in trademark feline fashion, hissed violently and batted at Sophie. My poor sweet, sensitive Sophie was even more startled and though she didn't cry, she whimpered as if she had been betrayed by her best friend. Her big blue eyes were pools of confusion, her brow was wrinkled in bewilderment, her voice wavered, and she said with great sadness and conviction, "Meow. Hit. You." (She hasn't quite mastered her pronouns yet. "You" in this case meant "me.") She repeated again, "Meow. Hit. You," and then added, "Nigh-night."

Sophie is not typically a screamer. When she is out of sorts, she asks to go to bed and she pouts. So I took her to the comforts of her bed, sat on a chair beside her per her instructions, "Mommy - SIT," and listened as she recounted her tale of woe over and over again. "Meow. Hit. You. Meow. Hit. You. Meow. Hit. You." It became her mantra - although instead of enterering into a peaceful, meditative state, she become more and more disturbed as she relived how the cat had lashed out at her.

Finally, I lured her out of her bed, with the promise that we would tell Nannie what that cat did. And so her story was repeated to Nannie. Again and again. If only you could hear the tremor of her voice and see her sad eyes.

A few weeks later, I was telling Matt the whole story, and Sophie chimed right in, "Meow. Hit. You," with the passionate addition of, "Don't. Do-dat, Meow. Don't. Do-dat, Meow."

How we love our girl, and how we love seeing how she makes sense of her world.

Favorite Pics of the Week

This afternoon we went for a stroll through Gamble Gardens. I love how children find joy in simple things. They loved seeing the flowers, finding butterflies, and exploring a new place.

Graeter's: The Best Ice Cream

If you ever go to Cincinnati - make sure to eat ice cream at Graeter's. I took it for granted when I was young, but now that I am so old and wise, I realize how truly special this ice cream is.

Best of Summer, 2009

You all know by now that I love the summer. One big reason that I love summer is because of the wonderful food. I love that berries and melons and corn and zucchini and tomatoes, YES tomatoes, are in their prime. Everything tastes fresh and flavorful and healthy. Ice cream is never quite as satisfying as it is on a hot day.

As I was pondering the foods of summer this afternoon while I was preparing our Sunday dinner, I realized that every year, I find a new recipe that sort of defines the essence of summer for me. This past week, my mom and I were flipping through a Williams-Sonoma catalog and we came across the following recipe. We tried it out and loved it. And so, "Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini, and Basil" has become a new favorite - one that I will be sure to look forward to next year around harvest time. I'll include the recipe at the end of this blog.

But before I sign-off, I realize you may be wondering what foods made the grade in past years. Here's the list, as well as I can remember it:

Summer 2001 - Strawberry Ice (a childhood favorite come back to life)
Summer 2002 - Rusty's Lemon Ice Cream; Caramel popcorn (okay - not necessarily a summer food - but I discovered it this year and Matt and I ate it ALL of the time, ALL summer long. This stuff is highly addicting).
Summer 2003 - Bruschetta; Grilled Marinated Flank Steak (Both from Mom)
Summer 2004 - Ina's Flag Cake - we also planted basil and tomatoes in pots on our balcony and ate tons and tons of bruschetta that year - Bowties with Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Cherry Tomatoes
Summer 2005 - Suzi's Bread Salad - she made this for me when Emmy was born and it was the perfect summer meal
Summer 2006 - Ina's Pasta Salad with Sun-dried tomatoes and Lemon Chiffon Pie
Summer 2007 - Catherine's Summer Fruit Crisp
Summer 2008 - Strawberry Shortcake (America's Test Kitchen); Frozen Lemonade Pie (Real Simple); Panko-fried Zucchini (Mom); Ina's Old-Fashioned Raspberry Ice Cream Sodas
Summer 2009 - Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini and Basil and Martha Stewart's Red, White and Blue Sundaes

So there it is - almost a decade of summer memories. But before I go, I must also give an honorable mention to root beer floats - a summertime treat that I have loved my entire life. Some of my earliest food memories are of sitting at the table at night with Adam, "stirring and stirring our brew." Another year, my family stayed at a beach house in Kiawah, South Carolina. I was 10, Chris wasn't even 1 yet. Every evening, we'd sit at the screened porch, play games, and sip rootbeer floats. The chairs, I remember especially, were made out of old barrels and they swiveled around. What can be any better than rootbeer floats, the sound of crickets chirping, the roar of the ocean distantly behind you, the people you love the most surrounding you, and the contentedness of being a child - happy and in the moment - too immersed in the present to even realize how precious it is. I think root beer floats will always mean summer to me.

The recipe:

Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini and Basil

Enriched with two kinds of cheeses, this baked pasta showcases favorite summer vegetables at their seasonal best, including sweet corn, zucchini and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:

Kosher salt, to taste

1/2 lb. penne

6 Tbs. olive oil, plus more as needed

Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 zucchini, about 2 lb. total, cut into half-moons

1/2 yellow onion, diced

4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 Tbs. sliced garlic

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbs. tomato paste

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

6 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

In a 12-inch nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 3 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and warm the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Working in batches, add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the corn. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, 1 tsp. salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more.

Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer to the fry pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 8.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

The Players, The Tying Game

The Last Night - Clash of the Titans

Well, it is here. My last night in Cincinnati for awhile. And, in keeping with tradition, my brother Stephen and I are playing one of our epic battles of Scrabble to determine who will be the victor until our next meeting. As always, I take advantage of his long turns by doing laundry and making mental notes of everything I need to do for the voyage home. Now, his turn is lasting so long, that I have decided to blog. I think his strategy is to take so long that I will be too tired and impatient to do what it takes to win the game. As I've mentioned before, my brain powers significantly diminish after ten o'clock. By midnight, I'm toast.

So here we are: Stephen has 225 points. I have 200 points. The word of the game is "kiva" (mine) at 64 points. Stephen's "shingles" earned him 62 points, since he used all 7 letters. I'll keep you updated if anything really exciting happens.

We have been Scrabble rivals for probably 15 years now. Doesn't that make me seem old? I used to consider my dad as my biggest rival, but I didn't realize that Stephen was behind the scenes, taking everything in, the fires of competition blazing within him. He was a tough competitor from the start. Even when I was 15 and he was 10. Over the years, he has continued to push himself to be the reigning champion. He took up online Scrabble. He memorized all of the two letter words in the dictionary. He devised a scheme that guarantees that he draws the "x" every single time and subsequently manages to score at least 50 points when he uses that "x."

Our games are always close, competitive, and very drawn-out. Our most legendary face-off occurred almost three years ago. We played until almost two in the morning. A challenge was issued and won on a technicality. One of us drove all around town searching for a store that would be open and also selling a Scrabble Player's Dictionary. I will not name names here. All I will say, is that 2:30AM search for the dictionary was a success and provided that needed evidence to prove a point.

Alas! A true blog about scrabble would be fruitless if the ever so resiliant competitor didn't add a few words. Yes, it is I, Stephen. There is no coincidence that both my name and scrabble begin with S, and so does the word success, which is what this game will be for me.

So he says, and so he may be right . . . for now. After all, things are looking bright for him at this point. I've been holding on to the "Q" the entire game - not because I haven't had words, but because I have been unable to place the "Q" on a double or triple letter or word score. What is the joy of the "Q" without the added pointage?

Anyway, its after midnight, the game is still going strong (after almost 2 hours!) and the outlook is grim.

12:37 am and despite all odds, I did find a triple letter score for my "Q" - I did manage to pick the "X" (an unprecedented move)- and I did find a way use a triple word score and score 24 points on my final turn. These last three moves placed me in the lead - but now I am in the tiresome position of waiting for Stephen as he exhausts every single possibility on the board. He needs 20 points to win and the boy does not give up easily.

1:00 am VERDICT IN: The first tie in de Jong Scrabble Player's History - 315 points on both sides - what an earth-shattering, red-eye inducing, and somehow satisfying game.

A clasic clash of the titans, a battle of the ages with both opponents brutal to the last 'mo.' The highly anticipated showdown proved to be all this rivalry is cracked up to be. An epic struggle ended in an inconcievable tie, leaving Stephen with an 'arrow' in his heart and Katie sorely 'vex'(d). Leave nothing wanted. Hold nothing back. In the end these summertime brawls signify much more than pieces on a board. We are not playing against each other, but against time and aging. When the game comes out both past and present collide into one jumble. It's as if we've always been playing, sometimes one winning, sometimes another, yet the games string into one long game against time itself, and tonight, for the first time, we did not lose, we tied, and now it is late, and we must retire to our 'kiva'(s). Goodnight.

My Baby Sister is Married

Ashley and my Dad, dancing to "Lullabye"


Sophie spontaneously hugging Emmy!





Emmy was fascinated by Jared and Ashley cutting the cake. What a thrill!

Adam and Emmy enjoying the dance


I love this pic of the family - just a candid shot of us having fun together!

The happy couple