Big Oyster, Little Pearl

Mulberry Trees

theoneingredient — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:18:00 -0400

Pearl, Daddy, and I are planning to order some silk worm eggs so that we can observe their life cycle. It turns out that silk worm pupae will eat only mulberry tree leaves — and they apparently eat A LOT of them. I almost abandoned the project until I read that there are Mulberry trees in our local park. So, looked for them the last time I was there, but I couldn’t tell which were which. But, today on our way home from breakfast at a diner, we walked under a tree that had a lot of smashed fruit on the ground under it. After taking a sample and berry from the ground and comparing it to our nature book, we concluded that yes, it is a mulberry tree. That excited us! If Mulberry trees are fruiting, then it would be easier to find them at the park. So Pearl and I went over and found several ruiting trees. We now know where they are and even after the fruit is gone, we will be able to identify them. Enough leaves fall to the ground that could surely fill up the most voracious pupae appetites! It was a fun experiment.

We found our first sample on the way home from breakfast at a diner. Some Mulberry leaves have three lobes, some have two, and other have just one. The trunk of the tree on which we found these grows in a vacant lot, but the branches hang out. Daddy says he’ll go and get branches of leaves at night, but we prefer to a) not break the law (if that constitutes stealing), and b) not kill a tree (if breaking off branches will kill a tree).

The mulberry trees at our park are quite beautiful.

The trees at our park have only one lobe.

The mulberry trees at the park are covered with berries. We were surprised there weren’t more birds and other animals in the trees having a feast. Maybe the berries aren’t quite as ripe as the ones in the vacant lot.

After the tree hunting experience, we went to our favorite bakery this side of the subway. We each had a red velvet cupcake, and Pearl drank a sea salt lemonade, and I drank a mint iced tea:)

Museum of Tibetan Art on Staten Island

theoneingredient — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:20:00 -0400

After Pearl’s piano recital today in Brooklyn, we made use of our rental car by heading out to Staten Island to visit the Jaques Marchais Museum of Tibeten Art http://www.tibetanmuseum.org/. I had never driven through Staten Island in the spring, so I didn’t know how lush it is. Lots of rolling hills, too — reminds me of Austin. The museum is very small — a small gallery inside displays, among many other beautiful artifacts, a sand mandala made by monks who visited the museum a few years ago (not allowed to photograph it). The other part of the museum is the garden which is designed to resemble a Tibeten monastary. Pearl knows something about Tibet because we visited the Silk Road exhibit at the Natural History Museum a year or so ago, and then we read (many, many times over) the wonderful picture book Riding In a Caravan, by Laurie Kriegs. And, we also visited the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan. In any case, the museum had some meaning to Pearl, but she mostly loved running around on this beautiful day.

The Horseshoe Crab Count

theoneingredient — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:43:58 -0400

After three years of trying, we finally made it out to volunteer with the NYS of Environmental Conservation for the horseshoe crab count in Long Island. It was facinating. We’ve never seen horseshoe crabs in the wild — only in touch pools. And we counted almost 100 in about a quarter-mile walk. They come out of sea to spawn, so the NYSDEC takes the opportunity to count and tag them. What a blast. Pearl fell in love with them. Thankfully, she was wearing water shoes so she was able to wade in the shallow pools of ocean marsh.

This guy is looking for love.

The crabs come to spawn in the shallow pools of this ocean marsh.

A happy couple. The female is the larger one on the bottom. The male is smaller and, this one, has a lovely tuft of seaweed growing on his back.

We got to help the coordinators here tag the crabs. I tried drilling the tag hole in an exoskeleton, but I was terrified I’d hurt it, so our guide had to help.

What a lovely day!

Bunellos

theoneingredient — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:36:01 -0400

Had a craving for bunellos, the dessert I used to help my grandma make when I was a kid. Lots of nostalgia as Pearl took my old jobs — mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, making dough balls, and rolling out the dough balls. I took on my grandmother’s old job — frying them up (yuck!). Then Pearl and I covered them in a sugar/cinnamon mixture. They brought back a lot of memories for me, and now Pearl is a big fan.

Frying in vegetable oil.

Cooked and coated with sugar and cinnamon.

Luna's Sea

theoneingredient — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:28:00 -0400

A wonderful production at the American Museum of Natural History — “Luna’s Sea.” Incorporated all of Pearl’s favorite things — bioluminescence, angler fish, dancing, ocean life, the museum. She got to meet the performers afterwards and touch the puppets (many of which were made with recycled materials). She also got to make a jellyfish puppet of her own.

Angler fish puppet with handler.

The octupus that required five handlers.

Bake Sale

theoneingredient — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:26:29 -0400

Insect cupcakes for the bake sale at Pearl’s school.

Pearl’s beautiful contribution.

More Tracks

theoneingredient — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:25:39 -0400

On our way home from the supermarket, my arms were about to break from carrying a gazillion heavy bags, but Pearl was so impressed with these bird tracks preserved in the sidewalk cement…we just HAD to stop and take a picture.

Texas in New York

theoneingredient — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:13:00 -0400

While on the the third floor of the Natural History Museum last week, we noticed that one of the exhibits, about dinosaur tracks, mentioned the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, TX. Pearl was so excited because Grandma and Grandpa have taken her to the Paluxy River twice and she crossed the river with Aunt Janet to see the fossilized tracks. Very cool connection.

The replica of the tracks at the museum

Reptiles

theoneingredient — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:34:44 -0400

Our friend told us about the reptile guy who would appear at our local library. Pearl and I walked over on an unsually cold afternoon. We meet several scaly critters. One peed on the floor, two ate dead mice. It was creepy. It was great fun. Erik Callender is the reptile guy. http://www.edventureshow.com/

Pac Man

Twinkie

Wally

Pink Suede Shoes

theoneingredient — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:22:19 -0400

After seeing her friend’s new summer sandals, Pearl had to have some of her own. So, while shopping for her cousin’s belated birthday gifts today, she found a pair of fuschia sandals and fell instantly in love. When we got home, she hadn’t taken her coat off before stripping off her sneakers and socks and begging to try on her new suede shoes. While looking in the mirror, she said, “Mommy, these are shoes to wear in Hawaii.” I don’t know how she knows about HI, but she’s correct. Aloha to that!

Dandy

theoneingredient — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:30:00 -0400

Another warm afternoon. Pearl played with her friends at the park after school and had a rainbow-sprinkled vanilla ice cream cone from the annoyingly prompt ice cream truck that pulls up in front of the park just as we’re leaving — EVERY TIME. On the way home, Pearl found a dandelion poking through the fence of a condemned property (well, it should be condemned if it’s not already). She pulled it out and said she would blow the seeds out while making a wish. Her “wish” was: “I love my mommy.” Things like that add fuel to my engine. Yes, I’ll keep her.

*This picture is not mine. From Microsoft Office Clipart. But dandelions are dandelions…My picture would have looked the same, but with more trash in the background.

Chicken on Chicken

theoneingredient — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:25:00 -0400

I don’t like handling raw meat as it is, and I’ve never cooked a whole chicken because it creeps me out. But lately, I was curious about roasting a chicken. We always buy cooked roast chickens from places like Costco, and I do trust that Costco cooks them cleanly, but I wanted to try it myself from scratch so that I know for sure what’s in it. A mom friend of mine said it is easy to do, so I thought that perhaps, even on the cusp of my 41st birthday, even I could learn something new.

So, I tried it. I used a recipe from the Costco cookbook that we got for free once when were there on a Saturday morning. The TV cook Jamie Oliver contributed the recipe. It’s very simple. It turned out to be such a wonderful, succulent chicken! All my plans for using the leftovers for other meals this week were dashed because the three of us devoured almost all of the 4-pound bird at dinner tonight. I made a side of mashed sweet potatoes to go with it, the recipe of which I found on the internet (happens to be from Racheal Ray). Pearl ate tons of both — that’s true success.

I coped with my squeamishness. When I had to coat the bird in olive oil, I did feel like I was massaging baby oil over a small baby. But, one step at a time.

Of course, while I worked in the kitchen, Pearl “accidentally” attached her chewed bubblegum all over the bathroom doorknob. Then, she had another bubblegum “accident” with Wonder Woman Barbie’s hair. But, as always the food got cooked, the bubblegum got scraped off the door knob, and Wonder Woman got an unscheduled trim.

The bird is lathered in olive oil, salt and pepper, and stuffed (rather undignified) with a whole lemon and thyme.

The bed of vegetables on which the bird cooked.

The finished bird.

A Day at a Favorite Place

theoneingredient — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:28:59 -0400

Today, after Pearl’s five-year well visit, two vaccinations and a cup of sympathy ice-cream, I asked her what she thought of Dr. B’s medical student helper, “Tom.” She said, “He’s handsome.” And so it begins.

Later, we took a field trip to our favorite place, The American Museum of Natural History. It’s our spring break and, even though every public place is full of NYC kids and tourist kids, we decided to brave the masses. We stopped by the big clam (the inspiration for the title of this blog), and we noticed the sign that ..

The Squid and the Whale that both scares Pearl and intrigues her. It’s always the first the exhibit Pearl wants to see. Today she asked if the squid was “leaving a scar” on the whale.

While in the Hall of Ocean Life, we passed by to see my favorite guy — the manatee. Seeing him reminded me that I want to write a story about mangrove trees.

We went Rocks and Minerals to find Pearl’s favorite gem, the “the rock that looks like it’s made of jelly,” the giant topaz.

We went to a special exhibition — the Butterfly Conservatory — where we met a docent who was holding an orange being eaten by a large speciman. I asked Pearl what she thought the big spot on the wing was and she said, “It looks like an owl eye.” She knows her bird eyes — the butterfly is called and Owl Eye Butterfly:)

I’m getting sad about Pearl going to kindergarten next year. She’ll be going to school full-time and so our field trips to the city’s wonderful treasures will be limited to weekends. I’ve always loved our weekday mornings in empty-ish places like the AMNH, then having lunch together. I want her to grow up, but I want her to stay little, too. I will miss sympathy ice-cream and owl-eyed butterflies.

Celebrating Birthdays

theoneingredient — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:51:30 -0400

Pearl wanted “bunny” cupcakes for her classroom birthday celebration. So we made some, inspired by the instructions at http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/easter-bunny-cupcakes-685427/.

We had to make a special trip to Manhattan to get the pink sugar for the ears.

We had Pearl’s big party for her friends at her dance school. Since there are literally twice as many boys in her class than girls, we found a neutral theme — super heroes. We have wonderful pictures of the kids doing things like twirling “lassos” like Wonder Woman and flying like Superman — but I’m squeamish about showing kids’ pics online. So, here are the party bags :)

Girls.

Boys

Community Garden

theoneingredient — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:18:00 -0400

After Pearl and I attended a piano concert at LaGuardia Community College, we went out back to the Community Garden. We brought some snacks from the college vending machines. We had only about 20 minutes before we had to head off to her ballet class, but we had lot of fun. We were the only people there, except for a quiet woman who read a book in a corner. Pearl pretended that we had a garden tea party. We’re planning to go back and bring our lunch or real tea during the spring.

The entrance to the garden. We were surprised to see that everything is already green and blooming.

A patch of daffodils.

I don’t know what this plant is called, but it smelled heavenly. The bees haven’t caught up to spring — they weren’t any around this sweet plant.

Wind chimes that we thought looked like an owl.

Container garden in the back. What a little oasis in the midst of a concrete jungle.

Drinking our Vegetables

theoneingredient — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:50:00 -0400

Growing up, I ate a lot of Campbell’s soup. As a kid, my grandma turned me on to cream of chicken, which I ate in a bowl, although I’m not sure if it was intended to be eaten that way (isn’t like a glue for casseroles?) In college, I consumed gallons of Campbell’s tomato soup. When I moved to NYC in my early 20s, I graduated to deli soup. But, I discoverd that if I put deli away for a couple of hours and returned to it, I needed a knife to cut it — deli soup often contains a lot of fat and it conjeals in the most disturbing way.

But I didn’t give up on soup. It’s a great way to drink our vegetables — good for growing bodies (5-year-old bodies and 40-somethings, too). It’s also hearty — I feel like I’ve eaten something substantial and tasty. I make a lot of soups for my daughter.

Today, I found a new recipe in Parade magazine. Yes, it comes in the NY Post, and yes, Idobuy the Sunday Post (not to worry — I read the NY Times online). The recipe today was Minestrone soup from Mark Bittman (a NY Times columnist). This was the first soup I’ve made that didn’t rerquire chicken broth — it was all vegetables. Pearl and went to our local produce market and picked up all of our ingredients.

Then, she helped me chop them. I felt like I’d done something right with this kid when I saw her eating pieces of raw zucchini. She also ate half of the carrots. That’s all good as far as I’m concerned. But then, she pulled a fast one. I made chamomile tea for Pearl during the soup-making process. She took advantage of the situation by giving herself seconds and thirds of honey when I turned to stir the soup.

The soup was delicious.

We went to get Daddy’s Superman T-Shirt for Pearl’s...

theoneingredient — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:26:00 -0400

We went to get Daddy’s Superman T-Shirt for Pearl’s upcoming super hero dance birthday party, and Pearl saw these thin, green gloves at the store. She just had to have them. They cost $1, perfect for Daddy’s budget. She’s been wearing them everywhere. They aren’t warm — and that’s fine because it’s about 70-degrees outside. She just thinks they’re cool. I like her style (and her price line).

Piano and Perfect Attendance

theoneingredient — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:01:25 -0400

Last semester, Pearl had perfect attendance at her piano lessons. She never wants to miss a lesson, be it swimming, dance, or piano. But, she asked for a break today. I didn’t mind missing the 1.5 commute. Instead, we went to church. We’re in the midst of Lent, and it was spiritually refreshing to go…to see all the purple, to hear about renewal. Pearl has matured. She sat and listened with nary a fuss or whine. Afterwards she said she prayed for her Great-Grandpa and her little cousin, both of whom celebrate their birthdays today. We’ll return to piano next week, with lots of enthusiasm.

Lost Gloves

theoneingredient — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:18:00 -0400

We stopped at one of our favorite bakeries this morning on our way to piano lessons. The bakery didn’t have the twists that Pearl wanted — they had just gone into the oven. So, she settled for a sticky cinnamon roll instead. I bought a glazed donut (but the glaze wasn’t sticky, it was rock hard. After gobbling up a few bites, we headed for the subway, but Pearl realized she didn’t have her gloves. We went back to the bakery, but they weren’t there. We unpacked our music bag, and they weren’t there. We triple checked our pockets, and (come on, join me) they weren’t there. We took off our winter accessories and guess what was stuffed into Pearl’s hat? We had apparently put the gloves in the hat when sitting at the bakery. We got a good laugh out of it, and still made it on time for piano lessons.

Fancy Fingernails. Pearl is five and she likes to decorate...

theoneingredient — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:43:00 -0500

Fancy Fingernails. Pearl is five and she likes to decorate herself. Here she wears nail stickers that Grandma gave her.