Sunday

The morning of our last day of Thanksgiving Break, Cesar and I had hoped to sleep in.  I think the kids took pity on us and didn't rise till eight!  Vovo spoiled us with more of her waffles and she made a delicious Portuguese soup for lunch.  Hugo wouldn't touch it.  He didn't even try it.  Well, I tried it, and three bowls later was singing, "there's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!"  The soup is called Caldo Verde and reminded me a lot of a dish which my family calls Fish Soup.  There is no fish in our soup, you simply have to "fish" for pieces of ham amongst the potatoes and onion slices.  Caldo Verde is a simple potato, chourico (Portuguese sausage) and kale soup.  Delicious. 

Happiness

Hugo could not wait to get out of bed today, we had a playdate scheduled with his favorite Miss Thing 3. He was not interested in preschool. Did not want to go. Wanted me to drive him straight to Thing 3's house. Like now. Somehow or other, I convinced him to leave the house with Ms Ruth Ann and go to school. The girls and I tidied up the house, packed lunch items, dressed, nursed, got tucked into car seats and out the door we went to retrieve Master Hugo from school. Have I mentioned that I carry the two girls, in their car seats, up the stairs into the church where preschool is held, and then down the stairs to where the classrooms are, to fetch the dear little one? I was the last mom to pick up today so I took advantage of free time with Mrs Newton to ask how Hugo has been doing. She exhaled a deep sigh, then described him as a little ant. Into everything at all the wrong times. Sounded about right. I thanked her for her time and we headed back up the stairs and down the stairs to our awaiting van and playdate rendezvous.

We need a trampoline. That's all I'm saying.

Thing 3 finally convinced Hugo to come indoors and watch a dinosaur movie with her. Hugo loves all things dinosaur, so not much convincing was needed. He would not look at me while the movie played. Fine, I was busy anyway learning how to make caramels. I was also busy juggling girls who were supposed to be sleeping but were not. Shaka helped by holding and bouncing one wiggly girl or the other. We traded off whoever was the crabbiest. Finally they passed out and we were able to eat our lunch and finish up the caramels.

When it was time to leave, meltdown city occurred. Shaka offered to keep Hugo a few hours more. I was temped, but not sure... Then we spied Thing #4 climbing into Hugo's car seat in the back of our van and realized the situation had been decided for us. We swapped kids for the late afternoon/dinner hour and it was fun! It felt like old times when Hugo was small and wanted to never leave the Thing's van. Good times. When Hugo returned home tonight, I was upstairs preparing the girls for bed. Cheyenne opened the door for him and as Hugo crossed the threshold he hollered, "Hey MoOOOooommm! I'm hoooome!" I loved it.

Blue Skies & Spider Webs

We have sunny blue skies and a lazy cool wind freshening the house this afternoon. The windows have been thrown open inviting fall within. I feel like one of the chipmunks outside who are busily raiding my garden for seeds. I feel a need to hoard firewood. To fill the cupboards. Lists are stacking up of recipes calling for sweet potatoes, beef roasts, soups, Parker House rolls and cinnamon buns.
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More hand written lists remind me of the cleaning and sorting tasks which need to be done in preparation for the fall and approaching winter. I sorted Hugo's clothing at the end of last week. Check! I made stacks of items for Goodwill, stacks of things he has outgrown which will be packed away into the attic, and stacks of saved summer clothes which with fingers crossed, will fit him next year. I made a new list of items he will need for the chilly months ahead. Snow boots, jeans, knitted vests and sweaters, mittens (heaps & heaps of mittens!), and a few church and Holiday outfits. I now need to empty out my closets (yes, there is an "s" at the end of the word closet) and begin fresh.

Also on my Winter preparation list: wash windows - all 30 of them!, empty out pantry, organize coat closet, finish craft room, paint the hall, plant bulbs, sort linen closet, quilt, knit, write cards, rake, prune trees and shrubs, clean flower beds, divide plants and pull weeds and weeds and weeds.

Anyone else feeling the need to prepare for winter's hibernation coma?


P.S. - Ms Jessica posted some of my Queen Anne's Lace photos on her beautiful design blog!
thank you!

The End Result

I guess I should have posted this first to be at the end of the post below. Now it will have to serve as a teaser for what has already been written. Feeling hungry? I've got plenty in the freezer.

The Making of Portuguese Risois

Cesar and I have been married for ten years. For ten years I have been enjoying my mother-in-laws risois. She has offered to teach me countless times. Sometimes Cesar and I were rushing out the door to run errands. Sometimes I wanted to sleep in. Sometimes I always assumed that there would always be another sometime. I must admit that I never missed an opportunity to fill my belly with as many of the risois as I possibly could. They are truly a marvelous food because they are delicious piping hot out of the pot, warm as strays on the serving platter, and even yummy all forgotten and cold. There have been times when I took her up on her offer to teach me. I'd stand back and watch over her shoulder. I have learned that true Portuguese cooks don't use cookbooks. Nothing is written down. Nothing is measured. All dishes are a little bit of this and some of that. A big help in becoming a Portuguese cook is to be taught that nearly all dishes begin with a little olive oil in the pot followed by garlic and onion. Risois also begin this way. This past Thanksgiving I made up my mind that I would finally learn to make risois. Now, I should admit here to attempting to make risois round about six years ago. I was confident of the simple instructions, I had taken the most careful notes. I was so sure of myself that I invited friends over. It was a disaster. Well, I suppose I may be exaggerating somewhat. They were edible but they were not risois. It was disappointing. So the day after Thanksgiving I told my mother-in-law that I was ready, and to please, please teach me. She did. I have discovered that besides loving to eat risois I now love to make risois.