Living La Lupe

Surprised by Turnips

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Turnips (Brassica rapa)

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Turnips would probably not appear on the all-time favorite veggie list but for some reason I love them.  I’m not sure why I like them.  They’re kinda bitter and aren’t the prettiest girl at the party but I love to use them in anything I can.  I have slipped them into soups, chili, quiche, and casseroles.  I think I like them because they are the underdog of the root family.  Knowing this, I have decided to make sure Olivia likes them, too.  So far the foods that she has eaten have been rice cereal, carrots, and peas.  Today I gave her pureed turnips.  I was super surprised how good turnips taste pureed.  The bitterness is gone and they taste very fresh and light.  The texture is interesting too because it feels like you’re eating pureed pears but there is no sweetness at all.  So, if you’re hesitant to try turnips, perhaps you should start like O and try them first pureed.  I bet if you add a little butter and salt and pepper they are closer to tasting like mashed potatoes than mashed cauliflower which seems to be a popular substitute.  Oh, and by the way, O really liked them.  Thank God because I went a bit overboard and made a ton.

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Comedy of Errors

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Today was just one of those ridiculous days where nothing comes out right.  We had a lot on our plate today: Mass, a baptism and reception to attend, and a Super Bowl party (Kraft’s account of party).  In order for all of this to go to plan, we had to go to the 9am Mass at St. John Neumann.  I set my alarm for 7am, it went off just fine and I woke Brandon up to take a shower and from here on out was Miscommunication Central.  Brandon says he tried to wake me up several times and that I even hit him and told him to leave me alone, but I don’t remember this (communication error #1).  All I know is I woke up at 8:15 freaking out because we needed to be out the door in 15 minutes.  I yell at Brandon for a second, throw O’s outfit for the day on the bed and race around getting ready.  

We are driving to St. John Neumann and we’re not sure where it is.  Brandon is trying to hurry since we are running late but as we approach where we think it is I tell Brandon to slow down but instead he floors it.  I yell and point to the entrance as I spot it and Brandon slams on the brakes and whips into the parking lot.  He heard me say speed up to make the light instead of slow down because it’s coming up (communication error #2).  
We finally make it to Mass and I’d have to say, I was surprised at how the church is very non-family friendly in architecture.  Mass was celebrated in the Family Center and there were a lot of kids at that Mass.  Aisles are very thin and the place was packed, no real place to go if a baby is crying except outside in the cold.  Bathroom does have a changing table but no seat to breastfeed.  I digress.  We make it through Mass without much fanfare and the baptism is right afterwards.  As the baptism starts Olivia melts down and is starving.  I wander around trying to figure out where to feed her since the car is a half-mile away.  The sacristy is open and I honestly consider it for a second and then think of the surprised face of anyone walking in there.  So I go to the bathroom and am able to figure out how to feed her in a bathroom stall standing up.  Seriously, I should get a medal for pulling this off.  
We get back to the main church and the baptism is over.  We missed it.  Bummer, OK, off to the reception.  Brandon has gotten directions, check.  Driving, following directions, get lost, can’t find it, drive around same block for 15 mins(miscommunication #3).  Finally find the place, get there, no more seats.  At this point we’re so tired, we don’t put up much of a fight but they do get some more seats and tables out to seat us and other guests.  We actually end up sitting with this really funny group of people that keep us laughing the whole time.  We really have a wonderful time.  The day started to turn around at this point.
It’s weird how days like this, rather than drive me crazy, make me love Kraft even more.  You can’t really do anything but laugh and make the best of it.  Thank God for days like this.

Why, hello there.

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I was recently talking to a friend about our mutual love for reading memoirs.  I love to read anecdotes about people’s lives and I also love to read stories that I wrote down about my own life but have since forgotten.  Since about 3rd grade I’ve had random journals and notebooks that I fill with quotes I’ve heard, ideas that I’ve had (Cinnamon Altoids – yeah, thought of that way before they came out – that’s really the only good product idea I’ve had that has come to fruition), and things that happen to me.  Especially now that we have the little squeaker, I really want to have a place where I can write stuff down so that I can look back and remember and have an outlet for all these things that run through my head, and hey, if you get a few laughs out of it, even better.  So, here goes nothing…