Waiting in our Hearts: Our open adoption search begins!

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Kendra Lee under Adoption, Family

Dear Friends,

As many of you know Chris and I are growing our family through open adoption. We have finally completed our state approved home study and can now actively search for a birth mom in any US State.

Check out our online profile at http://www.iheartadoption.org/users/chrisandkendra.

Here’s a quick run down of what is going to happen next:
We are working with a nationwide nonprofit adoption agency specializing in open adoption, Independent Adoption Center. To learn more about the IAC, visit their website at http://www.adoptionhelp.org. Their toll free number 1.800.877.6736 is available to call 24 hours a day for expectant women in search of options and they can speak with an intake counselor who can answer their questions and provide free counseling. We also have an adoptive parent counselor who acts to facilitate our communication and meetings with a birth mom once a match is made. A birth mom may be in any term of her pregnancy when she makes her plan for adoption and when she matches with us. She may pick us for any number of reasons but it is by her choice, not the agency or anyone else who makes the match. It is then akin to dating and after getting to know each other we must both choose each other to finalize the adoption once the baby is born. There will be a period of time, varying by state, after the child is born and the paperwork is signed to wait. This is called the reclaim period. In North Carolina it is 7 days and in Florida it is 30 days for example. During this time the birth mom could reclaim the baby and void our match. If the baby is out of state we must wait in that state until this period has passed. Once that time is over we would be the legal parents of the child permanently.

The beautiful thing about open adoption is that we would make a plan with the birth mother, based on both of our wishes to continue a relationship with the birth mom. She may not wish to remain in contact but she has the options to receive letters, emails, phone calls and in person visits. All of which we are open to for the benefit of the child. There are no secrets in open adoption and our child will know they are loved by everyone and that every decision made was one made out of love. This is why we chose open adoption because it is the highest good for the birth mother, for us and most importantly our child.

We need your help to find women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy to let them know about open adoption and to know about us.
You may not think you can be of any help, but a surprising number of adoptions take place through networking: about 50%!!! You may not think you know of anyone experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, but it could be that a friend of a friend, someone through work or distant relative you may come in contact with someone who is considering adoption. Many women do not announce what they are going through but they need to know about their options. They need to have the information that there are people who will love their child like their own and provide what they are not able to in the present time.

Help us spread the word. If you are inclined, here are 4 easy ways:

(1) Send Emails To Your Contact List
Tell everyone you know, in case they hear of someone considering adoption, that you know an awesome couple ready to adopt a baby. Email specifically people who may work with young women considering adoption for an unplanned pregnancy. Email generally everyone you know and ask them to do the same. At the bottom of this email I have provided some paragraphs you can copy and paste into an email to send to your contacts.

(2) “Like” our Facebook page and share the link on your facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisandKendraAdopt . Share this note. Encourage others to Share.

(3) Distribute our printed brochure and/or business cards
I have attached our PDF of our Dear Birth Mother Letter. You can print this and distribute (we had it professionally printed on glossy folding brochure paper) or Email me and I will get copies to you. Take them to places where young women might receive health care or health care education, to people who may work with young women considering adoption for an unplanned pregnancy. For instance,
- Your doctor, or doctors’ offices near you
- Hospitals and community health centers
- Your church, bible study, or friends churches. Churches have large outreach and support groups.
- College campuses, especially college health centers
- Pregnancy crisis centers and Planned Parenthood. Sometimes they will keep Birth Mother letters on hand.

(4) Pray and actively talk to others about open adoption
We believe in the power of prayer and the law of attraction. This process could take a few months or a few years. There is plenty of time to help spread the word and to support our intent with prayer or blessing. The more positivity we can surround ourselves with the better!

We are excited about open adoption because we can become parents together, and we can know the birthmom (dad, other family members) and form relationships that serve her, us, and most importantly our child.

We are endlessly grateful to you all. Whether or not you choose to act on this invitation we very much appreciate your support throughout this journey.

Thank you and warm wishes!

Chris and Kendra

=== PARAGRAPHS TO PASTE INTO AN EMAIL TO YOUR CONTACTS ===

Dear Family and Friends,
My friends Chris and Kendra are seeking to adopt a baby and have asked me for help networking. If you are inclined, take a moment to read their message below and then help spread it by passing it on to your network. Your help may bring them one step closer to the contact they need to realize their dream of starting a family.

** Message from Chris & Kendra **
We are creating our family through open adoption. This means a pregnant woman making an adoption plan will choose us to be the parents to her child and maintain a relationship after birth if she chooses. Check out our online profile at http://www.iheartadoption.org/users/chrisandkendra. We need you to get the word out to everyone you know because we want women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy to know about open adoption and to know about us.
You may be wondering why we asked our family and friends to forward this message to you. After all, you probably don’t think you know of anyone making an adoption plan. However, you would be surprised to learn how many adoptions come about from networking with family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. You might know a friend who knows a friend who knows someone who is looking to make an adoption plan. This is why we have asked all of our family and friends for help.
We would be so grateful if you could pass on our information. To learn more about our family, see our adoption profile http://www.iheartadoption.org/users/chrisandkendra.
You can email us at LarsenAdoption@gmail.com or call toll-free 1-800-951-2996. We are happy to answer questions and provide more information.

With much gratitude,

Kendra and Chris Larsen

Quote

Dear Mom of a…

Dear Mom of an Adopted Child,
I met you in adoption education class. I met you at the agency. I met you at my son’s school. I met you online. I met you on purpose. I met you by accident.
It doesn’t matter. The thing is, I knew you right away. I recognize the fierce determination. The grit. The fight. Because everything about what you have was a decision, and nothing about what you have was easy. You are the kind of woman who Makes.Things.Happen. After all, you made this happen, this family you have.
Maybe you prayed for it. Maybe you had to convince a partner it was the right thing. Maybe you did it alone. Maybe people told you to just be happy with what you had before. Maybe someone told you it simply wasn’t in God’s plans for you to have a child, this child whose hair you now brush lightly from his face. Maybe someone warned you about what happened to their cousin’s neighbor’s friend. Maybe you ignored them.
Maybe you planned for it for years. Maybe an opportunity dropped into your lap. Maybe you depleted your life-savings for it. Maybe it was not your first choice. But maybe it was.
Regardless, I know you. And I see how you hold on so tight. Sometimes too tight. Because that’s what we do, isn’t it?
I know about all those books you read back then. The ones everyone reads about sleep patterns and cloth versus disposable, yes, but the extra ones, too. About dealing with attachment disorders, breast milk banks, babies born addicted to alcohol, cocaine, meth. About cognitive delays, language deficiencies. About counseling support services, tax and insurance issues, open adoption pros and cons, legal rights.
I know about the fingerprinting, the background checks, the credit reports, the interviews, the references. I know about the classes, so many classes. I know the frustration of the never-ending paperwork. The hours of going over finances, of having garage sales and bake sales and whatever-it-takes sales to raise money to afford it all.
I know how you never lost sight of what you wanted.
I know about the match call, the soaring of everything inside you to cloud-height, even higher. And then the tucking of that away because, well, these things fall through, you know.
Maybe you told your mother, a few close friends. Maybe you shouted it to the world. Maybe you allowed yourself to decorate a baby’s room, buy a car seat. Maybe you bought a soft blanket, just that one blanket, and held it to your cheek every night.
I know about your home visits. I know about your knuckles, cracked and bleeding, from cleaning every square inch of your home the night before. I know about you burning the coffee cake and trying to fix your mascara before the social worker rang the doorbell.
And I know about the followup visits, when you hadn’t slept in three weeks because the baby had colic. I know how you wanted so badly to show that you had it all together, even though you were back to working more-than-full-time, maybe without maternity leave, without the family and casseroles and welcome-home balloons and plants.
And I’ve seen you in foreign countries, strange lands, staying in dirty hotels, taking weeks away from work, struggling to understand what’s being promised and what’s not. Struggling to offer your love to a little one who is unsettled and afraid. Waiting, wishing, greeting, loving, flying, nesting, coming home.
I’ve seen you down the street at the hospital when a baby was born, trying to figure out where you belong in the scene that’s emerging. I’ve seen your face as you hear a nurse whisper to the birthmother that she doesn’t have to go through with this. I’ve seen you trying so hard to give this birthmother all of your respect and patience and compassion in those moments—while you bite your lip and close your eyes, not knowing if she will change her mind, if this has all been a dream coming to an abrupt end in a sterile environment. Not knowing if this is your time. Not knowing so much.
I’ve seen you look down into a newborn infant’s eyes, wondering if he’s really yours, wondering if you can quiet your mind and good sense long enough to give yourself over completely.
And then, to have the child in your arms, at home, that first night. His little fingers curled around yours. His warm heart beating against yours.
I know that bliss. The perfect, guarded, hopeful bliss.
I also know about you on adoption day. The nerves that morning, the judge, the formality, the relief, the joy. The letting out of a breath maybe you didn’t even know you were holding for months. Months.
I’ve seen you meet your child’s birthparents and grandparents weeks or years down the road. I’ve seen you share your child with strangers who have his nose, his smile … people who love him because he’s one of them. I’ve seen you hold him in the evenings after those visits, when he’s shaken and confused and really just wants a stuffed animal and to rest his head on your shoulder.
I’ve seen you worry when your child brings home a family tree project from school. Or a request to bring in photos of him and his dad, so that the class can compare traits that are passed down, like blue eyes or square chins. I know you worry, because you can protect your child from a lot of things — but you can’t protect him from being different in a world so intent on celebrating sameness.
I’ve seen you at the doctor’s office, filling out medical histories, leaving blanks, question marks, hoping the little blanks don’t turn into big problems later on.
I’ve seen you answer all of the tough questions, the questions that have to do with why, and love, and how much, and where, and who, and how come, mama? How come?
I’ve seen you wonder how you’ll react the first time you hear the dreaded, “You’re not my real mom.” And I’ve seen you smile softly in the face of that question, remaining calm and loving, until you lock yourself in the bathroom and muffle your soft cries with the sound of the shower.
I’ve seen you cringe just a little when someone says your child is lucky to have you. Because you know with all your being it is the other way around.
But most of all, I want you to know that I’ve seen you look into your child’s eyes. And while you will never see a reflection of your own eyes there, you see something that’s just as powerful: A reflection of your complete and unstoppable love for this person who grew in the midst of your tears and laughter, and who, if torn from you, would be like losing yourself.
-Kathy Lynn Harris

A friend of mine who has gone through open adoption sent me those words to my facebook page. I thought it was so beautiful and captures so much. It captures many things we have already gone through and so much we have yet to experience. It gives me a picture to hold onto of what life will be like on the other side of the waiting.

I have not posted much relating to our adoption on this blog. You could say we are still early in this process of navigating ourselves through this mapless journey. We are six months into the waiting to wait…6 months of gathering reports, getting physicals, taking tests, having background checks, having home inspections, thinking about our expectations, writing about our life story, reading about other people’s experiences, doing photo sessions, more reading, more writing, some crying, some impatience and anxiety, a lot of questions…6 months into the active waiting to wait and we are moments away from the “official waiting” when we get approval from our agency and go into what is called circulation. We now have a facebook page for our adoption, a letter to potential birth moms about us a couple (basically a brochure of how awesome we are), a website we will be featured on and a 1-800 # for birthmoms to contact us. As soon as we are “live” I will be posting all this wonderful information to this blog.

We can use all the support we can get. I hope you stick with us as everything unfolds!

Making Time Stand Still

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Kendra Lee under California, Family, humor

Let’s talk family. My family is pretty awesome with a good sprinkling of crazy for added interest. I would encourage you to celebrate the crazy in your life in all it’s glory. Take a deep breathe in and say “Thank you God for the people you have blessed with me with however different, silly, loud, eclectic, batty, nutty, off-color..without them life would be so dull. Without mine I wouldn’t have this amazing post. Thank you family for being so uniquely you!
Yes, I’ve been absent from this blog for another month but that’s because I’ve been busy living it up, going on trips and visiting family! After my last post from Cincy I almost immediately left for California for a couple weeks. My sister flew back home with me and brought little MacDizzle with her and they stayed for a fun-filled 8 days. The last week or so I’ve been finishing up adoption documents but that is all for another post.

Let’s just focus on my first few hours after I stepped off the plane from SFO in this post. I arrived around noon and my Sis picked me up so we decided to FINALLY go visit my Grandpa Lee at his house in San Mateo. I probably hadn’t seen him in a couple of years and he had never even met little Macaroni girl! He always has an excuse for us not to come but we were determined and so we did. This post is all about the mausoleum which is his home. My dear Gramma Lillian, whom he called ‘Doll’, died when I was nine. The house is almost exactly the same as the day she passed away and there is a gold mine of conversation pieces my friends. I truly feel like this house was and is well loved. It’s contents are authentic to the people who inhabit it. They were not pretentious or buttoned up tidy people. They were an animated couple who loved to eat and drink and have their good friends over to do both all the time. Politically correct was not a term they were familiar with and swearing was as comfortable as the full length night gown my gramma lived in.

The very first photo with Mac and her Great Grandpa upon their first meeting!

When we first arrived she was looking around so confused and somewhat terrified. I don’t blame the kid…you’ll see why when you scroll down. I wish I would have taken a better photo so you could see the giant tapestry hanging above my sister with a life size California bear.

These photos have been above my grandpa’s fireplace since 2000 when I graduated high school. All things considered, relative to the rest of the house, these are still very new. Don’t know what’s up with the coat of arms

Ok, so here’s a good one! These scary wall-mounted heads are located by the full bar set up in the family room. They spit at you when you walk by…yes that’s right, they spit. There’s a string you can pull and it makes the eyes roll back even more creepily and it laughs at you.

I’m not sure which one is worse? I call them Hanzel and Gretel. They are so awful I kinda love them and I grew up with these bad boys so they are sentimental eye rolling, spitting mounted heads. I think they are from the 70′s.

There are, shall we say, very eclectic signs posted all around the bar area and family room. I think of my 8-year-old self reading these signs like it ain’t no big thang.

Martini time is the Hughes and Hankins family honored tradition. When my brother, sister and I were small we called it “olive and onion time”. Skewering all the cocktail garnishes was a fun game and thus cementing my love for all things pickled and garnished. I still snack on those damn onions.

My grandpa must have been playboy of the year in the 30′s? Haha. Parents today would probably not let their children set foot in this house filled with phallic things and foul language. Those were the days.

The “Oh Shit” cat has always been one of my favorites.

Look closely…didn’t think this blog was X-rated did you?

Their yard is quite the departure from the inside. It’s lush with fruit trees like these oranges. He also has a really cool cherry tree that we would get sick off of eating so many.

We picked an orange for Mac but she wasn’t a fan. I think she is too used to canned mandarins.

What I think I’m really fond of at their house is the humor. Everything is an opportunity for a joke, especially the bathroom!

This is a photo of my great grandmother who was a Zigfield Folly girl. That’s about all I know about her. I just let my mind run wild of all the Great Gatsby stories she must have had.

And here’s my Gramma Lil. She was a woman who did what she wanted and loved what she did until the end. Smoking and drinking I’m sure were the direct cause of her young departure from this earth but it made her happy. At least I can thank her for being the reason today I neither smoke or drink. She would definitely call me a party pooper.

My mom is the naked baby in this photo. What a happy family!

Some how she got away with wearing kimonos and night gowns as legitimate day time wear.

Everyone needs this kind of bathroom accessory don’t you think?

Gramma loved everything Asian. All these figurines are still on display in the dining and living room.

Moving on to the kitchen area: My grandpa said I could take all the cookbooks I wanted! I was so happy at this offer I practically started to cry. I’m obsessed with cookbooks as you know but doubly obsessed with my grandma’s cookbooks and anything that has old notes in them. I shipped a huge box of them back home and it cost a pretty penny but so worth it. I even shipped boxed sets of recipe cards that I’m pretty sure were subscription based. There are tons of them but I need to come up with a creative way to put them to use.

Well, hello there random thing hangin on the door which has no purpose at all…are you a pot holder? Stop staring at me!

And hello there Mr. Chicken hanging upside down above the sink.

Everyone should have such a potholder collection! A good mix of cute and inappropriate brings balance in life.

Hmmm, the better to eat you with my dear? This is sitting underneath his coffee maker and it scares me, a lot.

This scares me too….I think my mom made this in the 80′s. Can’t be too sure. It could have also been one of her fabulous garage sale finds.

You know I want all of this stuff for my house because it’s all so awesome and weird. Some of these Asian pieces are probably worth quite a bit.

Yes! An elephant flower pot!

These zebra, snakeskin or whatever chairs are the bees knees.

Ceramic cat, bowl of plastic fruit and a floral sofa. Genius.

Jonathan Adler has nothing on this lamp.

My grandpa still sleeps in this bed. The ruffles make it.

These hanging fake plant things must have been all the rage because they are in every room!

Hey look, that’s me. Aren’t I cute? I was 4 in that picture.

Another hangy thing. What is this? It’s made of shells and in the spare room/office.

Oh look what time it is! Olive and onion time! Actually I’m just holding my dad’s martini for the photo op. Wa wa wa.

My Uncle Ronnie, yes he is wearing a shirt with Mickey Mouse on it. Ronnie still lives with Grandpa and will until the end of days. I have extra prayers for Ronnie.

Ronnie killed this fox (I think he said it was a fox) which is lovingly adorning my grandpa’s vintage slot machine. Those two things totally go together.

Oh, too much sharing? Sorry.

Mac is afraid to venture down the hallway…

so we went outside for a quick roll down the hill out front. That hill always entertained me as well!

While the men of the house enjoyed some more martinis. Cheers!

Then we got hungry and there was only one place to go: Fernando’s! This is a Mexican restaurant that my grandparents went every Wednesday to drink with friends at the bar and eat chile rellenos. My grandma loved them, my mom loves them and I also completely love chile rellenos. It must be hereditary.

When we were little and picky eaters we always got tortillas with butter on them and rolled them up into little cigars.

This is the free happy hour plate….they gave us three of these!!! I almost couldn’t fit in my chile relleno.

Then for dessert I went into this place which as been there a very long time but I never went to before. Their cannoli’s were the best I have ever had and I got a a whole box to take back to Monterey with us and ate one for breakfast over the next 3 days with my morning coffee.

How’s that for a walk down memory lane? I hope you were entertained by my quirky family. That was only Day 1 of my trip, there’s so much good stuff to write about that I can hardly write anything at all! Check back in soon!

My family to yours,

Kendra

Starting a Recipe Club & The Joy of Sharing Food

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Kendra Lee under Entertaining, food, recipes

Last night was just noodles of fun! I had a dozen people over to my house who all brought prepared dishes representing their fondest food memories and the corresponding printed recipe to share. I’ll tell you how this came about:
A few weeks ago I had the crazy idea of getting a recipe club started. Without knowing if anyone else would be into it I got to work brain storming how it would happen. What I did know was that I love to eat and cook but I always struggle to decide what to make, I wanted to use my growing collection of cookbooks more and I wanted other people to share their favorite go-to recipes and experiment right along with me.

I managed to get a few people interested and started talking about making it a monthly event with alternating hosts and having each host choose a theme for the recipe exchange. Since I hosted first I chose the theme “Best Food Memories” to sort of break the ice and talk about what we made by sharing the inspiration of our own personal experiences. After we got everything set up and the dishes labeled ( Diana made the darling little cards) then I put everyone on the spot and had them go around in a circle and tell us about their dish and why they chose that recipe. What resulted was a really fun diverse sampling of what food memories can mean. Some people thought of food they ate growing up, some reminded them of a specific place they used to live, some by vacations to Italy and experiences at restaurants and for some it was food that gave them comfort or just plain made them happy.

My neighbor made noodle kugal and says this is the only recipe she could “remember” how to make. It is creamy sweet and so unexpected to have noodles for dessert.
It’s a package of wide egg noodles blended with 16 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 6 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 2 cups sugar, 2 TBS vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt. You boil the noodles according to the package and drain. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well. Bake in a 9×13 dish at 350 for 1 hour.

My husband as you know is from Cincinnati so he has a long-standing love affair with Skyline Chili. He was so excited to find the chili in the freezer section here in Charlotte. The recipe for the dip is on the box: 1 package cream cheese, 1/4 cup diced onions and 12 oz (or more if you’re Chris) of shredded cheddar cheese.Everything is layered in that order and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or you could nuke it in the micro for 2 minutes.

I made these dolmas. It was my first go at them but I have very fold memories of these and various other Lebanese dishes from one of my favorite restaurants in Monterey. These are stuffed with Egyptian rice I found at an Arabic market, pine nuts, golden raisins, tomato paste, dill and lemon wrapped in California brined grape leaves.

Dan is a coworker of my husbands. He and his wife both relocated here from Cincinnati as well. They said these are their go to "Indroductions" recipe for parties and meeting new people. I love just about anything curry and these were no exception.

Dan is a coworker of my husbands. He and his wife both relocated here from Cincinnati as well. They said these are their go to “introductions” recipe for parties and meeting new people. I love just about anything curry and these were no exception.

It’s not a party without candied bacon. Brandon brought the party!

I have eaten this at numerous restaurants and just love the flavors, the crunchiness and the conformity of all the chopped vegetables. Fattoush is a “bread salad” and most recipes call to fry pita bread but I bought baked pita chips (Stacy’s brand) which were perfect.
Vegetables chopped:
1 cup vine tomatoes
1 cup cucumber
1/2 head red cabbage
2 heads romaine hearts
1/2 cup radishes
1/2 cup fresh mint
Dressing:
Juice of 2 lemons freshly squeezed
3-4 cloves garlic mashed with 1 tsp sea salt
1 TBS Sumac Spice (can be found in specialty market)

My friend’s grandmothers recipe which was never written down and took years to recreate.

My dog Kyro is such a ham. The minute someone sat down on the couch he was in their lap nudging their arm with his head. Glad everyone was ok with dogs because mine were in the middle of the action all night! With all the wonderful food smells coming from the kitchen I can hardly blame them.

Everyone mingling before we ate!

The third seating area I made a little fancier for those who wanted to make it a little more special. The way it turned out though was that this was the table set up closest to the t.v. and given that it was March Madness all the guys sat in there together to watch the game. It was the man date table, haha. I really just enjoyed the opportunity to put out dishes that just don’t get used. I feel like people get stuff for their weddings and they are afraid to use it. If you own it and it takes up valuable cabinet space, USE IT!! I was hoping it didn’t seem too over-the-top but I’m glad it just got a little love.

At every party possible I use my glass decanter. I just adore the thing. This time I filled it with water and added some sliced lemons. Had a little bucket for ice. Chrissy brought a very nice Prosecco and Diana brought some sodas as well. I had my coffee all set up as well but we were all so busy eating no one went for coffee. Since it was Easter I had my coffee mugs inside the Easter basket.

This table seating area inside the kitchen was a casual country french feel. I got to use my floral hankie collection as napkins. All my dishes on this table are from Anthropologie. The cake plate is from Home Goods and I just love that you can take the ribbon out and interchange the colors to match your decor.

The one dish not pictured was probably the most impressive so it is really too bad you don’t get to see it. It was Diana’s chocolate souffles (She made 14 of them in individual ramekins) Diana and Jon learned how to make these in a cooking class while on vacation in Florence. *SWOON* It’s sort of a dream of mine to go on a culinary vacation to Italy, actually there is one in Sicily that looks amazing…but I digress. We had the souffles in the freezer until they were ready to go in the oven while we ate our main courses. We preheated the oven to 400 and they baked for about 15 minutes. Some needed longer to set up. Ultimately they were just like little molten melty chocolatey decadence and the perfect way to end the meal! I am so looking forward to the next recipe club meeting. Katie is hosting and will be picking the theme.

I plan on photographing all the recipes and compiling them to make a yearly cookbook if we keep it going and I really really hope we do! We are currently thinking about a good name for our recipe club. So far I’ve thought of things like:

Sweet & Savory

Good Grub

Meet and Eat

Chow and Chat

Food with Friends

Recipes Relived

Fat Asses…as suggested by my adorable husband

Any other Ideas???

We shall put it to a vote the next meeting

Queen City Eats: Jungle Jim’s, Half Day Cafe and Taste of Belgium

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Kendra Lee under Family, restaurants, travel

Hey guys! I have a SUPER long post for you today. I spent 4 days visiting the in-laws in Cincinnati last week. We had to use our Ultimate Air tix before they expired. Let me tell you that is the way to travel my friends. It’s an executive jet company that only flies Charlotte, Cincinnati, Chicago and New York so if you are in those cities you need to check it out. There is no security to go through, you can show up 10 minutes before your flight, they pour you coffee, they give you freshly baked delicious cookies, there are no middle seats, you get free cocktails and an on board meal or snack. Absolutely easiest and most enjoyable travel experience I’ve ever had and that’s coming from a daughter of a 747 captain

I’ll be honest and say my experiences with the Cincinnati food scene in the last 5 or so years I’ve visited have been, shall we say, lack-luster. Since I am not a fan of their staples La Rosa’s pizza, Buffalo Wings and Rings, the bastardized sausage concoctions they call goetta or strange chili (although I have caught myself having evil cravings for Skyline chili). This last trip I did begin to appreciate some more of their unique contributions and can see a little bit of culinary expansion in what Banana Man’s cop friends call hipster food. I don’t qualify myself as a hipster by any stretch but I was so happy to see previously run down areas turning into a foodie hubs…areas like the OTR, Over-The-Rhine district which I’ll tell you about a little later in the post.

Our first morning there was a Friday and since all our friends and family were working Banana Man and I had the day to explore and eat! It was hilarious when I picked a breakfast place called the Half Day Cafe in the town of Wyoming and he had no clue where it was. Banana Man was born and raised in Cincinnati and he had never been to this place or any other place in this area which is only 20 minutes from where he grew up. They say West siders never leave the west side and it is so true. He is so lucky he got away and moved to California to meet me! Haha! He needed me to expand his horizons in his own city. His brother happened to be driving behind us when we thought we were almost there. He called us and asked us where we were headed. We gave him the address and he said “good luck, hope you have a gun to protect yourself!” It was pretty shady looking. We were looking for 1 Wyoming St which turns out there were actually 2 streets named Wyoming and the GPS decided to take us to the wrong one…well at least we wouldn’t be needing the gun. Win.

After a few extra minutes of driving we found our way to a charming historic looking area with beautiful Victorian and Craftman style houses lining the streets. I can not wait to go back to the Half Day Cafe as soon as we return to Cincy. I fell in love with this place and everything from their menu, to the people, to the beautiful big windows and most importantly the heavenly breakfast that we savored. First I ordered the broiled grapefruit which had a gorgeous carmelized ginger topping. It wasn’t easy to dig out with my spoon but the flavors did a little dance in my mouth. I have never seen such a thing on a restaurant menu before and I’m totally going to make it at home!

Chris had this mango rum butter French Toast and it was like finding the pot of gold under the rainbow. He practically licked his plate clean.

I ordered the sweet potato pancakes with a side of bacon and rosemary potatoes. I love that their menu is a la carte so you can pick and choose everything to your exact liking of combinations. The pancakes were amazing, somewhat thick but so silky. My dreams are made of these pancakes.

It really was a true Mom and Pop and I was so charmed by Pop coming over and talking with us for a good while. We talked about the Cincinnati food scene and how it is “really growing up”. He told us about some of his favorites which gave me ideas for the next trip, primarily located in that OTR area I was telling you about.

Happily taking our coffee to go we headed out to a bonified foodie mecca: Jungle Jim’s. It is the Disneyland of all things edible. It’s a magical production of culinary delights and a smorgasbord of of worldly treasures. This is not like any other grocery store or farmers market you have ever been. It is a colossal mega market spanning 300,000 sq ft of deliciousness. It is eclectic and down right bizarre. Watch this history channel documentary of the store to get a better feel for it:

And here’s Banana Man himself posing with his beloved Chiquita banana outside of Jungle Jim’s. The only good bananas are Chiquita ya know! Their offices were based there in Cincinnati for a quarter of a century before realizing they really belonged in the rightfully crowned Queen City of Charlotte last year. (I am probably pissing off a lot of people by saying that) From one Queen City to another.

I took scores of pictures inside and I just couldn’t decide which to post so here they are all to overwhelm you as I was. A feast for the senses. An appetite on overdrive. From enormous ostrich eggs, to whole pig heads, kangaroo meat, unidentifiable fruits and veggies, butter bar, bakery, fishery, cooking school, cigar bar, hot sauce haven, wine and beer a plenty and yes of course the award winning bathrooms:

I picked up this trio of salami’s infused with wine. Going to serve them at the recipe club meeting tomorrow!

Award winning Bathrooms, yes and here they are. You walk through what looks like a single port-a-potty and into what is actually a full amenity facility. It’s still a bathroom though just hilarious they make such a point of it.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Taste of Belgium in the Over The Rhine area. After talking to Banana Man’s friends I was afraid I would be held at gun point or see some drug deals going down from the sounds of it. We made it out safe and sound, unscathed and very full.

We sat at the counter and watched the magic happening with the waffle irons and crepe skillets. Every table was packed and a long waiting list was forming. The counter though was the best seat in the house in my opinion. I was so entertained.

I got chicken and waffles which has long been a comfort food favorite of mine. This was epic chicken and waffles. It was a sweet Belgium style waffle with a fried chicken cutlet smothered in hot sauce and syrup. This is probably not replicable in my kitchen and makes dining out all the more wonderful.

This odd looking dish is a Cincinnati special. You know how I said earlier that I thought their sausage concoction of “goetta” was really gross. Well Taste of Belgiums version is really really GOOD! Basically what goetta is: sage sausage, pinhead or steel cut oats and seasoning. That’s it. So in this version the goetta is plated on top of Belgium frites (fancy fries) and sauteed peppers. Then a fried egg tops the whole thing. I freaking loved it, go figure! I have promised Banana Man to attempt making goetta at home. It’s going to happen and when it does I will make it like this.

The trip was great, quality family time and discovering new amazing quality restaurants and no kinks in the travel plans. I wish every trip could be so successful! I’m leaving again, this time without Banana Man to fly back to Monterey to see my family. I get to see baby Mac who is almost 2 now!!! My mom is re-opening her new boutique in Carmel and I’m celebrating my dad’s birthday. Amongst numerous other events the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival will be going on and I’m hoping to somehow get myself in there at least one day. It’s a world class event at a world class place. I’m just dying to go. I’ll keep you posted!

Friday Favorites: No Cooking Just Eating

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Kendra Lee under baking, Dessert, Family

Have I told you about my Trader Joe’s obsession? No, well you will soon become familiar. I just wanted to share some of my favorites and maybe they are some of yours too? I always pick up a few new things I haven’t tried to see what I’m missing out on as well. Last week was Banana Man’s long week of the month at work. He’s in accounting so when it comes to month close we don’t really see each other and I take a cooking siesta. Trader Joe’s makes it so easy to be a lazy cook and I mean that in a good way. Sometimes the last thing you want to do after a long day is cook some laborious meal just to scarf it down in 5 minutes. Yeah, I admit it…I have a lot of those days. I love to cook but sometimes I love to NOT cook and there lies the balance of domesticated life. I will never be a pretentious home cook who has to make everything from scratch or balks at people who microwave frozen meals. Sometimes frozen meals are true life savers but you have to smart about it. Banana man used to live on Stouffers and DiGiorrno…umm no, just no. I guess I am balking at those frozen meals.

One thing I always get at Trader Joe’s is their yogurt. It’s rich and creamy and absolutely the best yogurt I’ve tasted. This one is full fat and sweetened with honey which is obviously not the healthiest yogurt. I eat it for dessert with banana’s and dark chocolate chips or with granola. I’m sure you have plenty of ways you like your yogurt but if you haven’t tried this one give it a go. The only other yogurt I buy is Fage, original plain.

I think this would be great frozen into yogurt pops

Definitely not fat free

These microwave in just 1 minute. That’s dangerously convenient. They are all warm gooey on the inside and rich choclate cake on the outside. It’s not dry at all and the perfect portion size.

I thought there was no way these could be good but took a chance. You let them sit out over night to rise and bake them 20 minutes in the morning. They are buttery, flakey and not too sweet. Chris ate 2 1/2 in one sitting.

I added powdered sugar after they cooled a bit

Then there are the Trader Joe’s Apple Blossoms. Oh how I love love love these. I always keep some of these on hand. Again they are perfect individual serving sizes and would please any discerning apple pie lover.

Tonight Chris and I are excited to see the musical American Idiot based on Green Day’s music! It’s at the Belk Theater in Uptown Charlotte. We are going to dine at Blue Restaurant for the first time and doing their pre-fixe dinner they offer for show goers. I’ve heard all good things so hopefully it’s fabulous to celebrate my darling husband’s 35th birthday. I’m off to go get glammed up for the show! Have a great weekend!

Lucky Corned Beef and Cabbage Braised in Beer and Apple Juice (and some words on our adoption)

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Kendra Lee under cooking, food, Recipe

Oh meaty meaty goodness. If you are looking for a meal to impress a man this is it! There is nothing more satiating than a hearty serving of corned beef and cabbage and doubly so when the weather is as cold and dreary as it is right now. I made this the other night and have had it for breakfast lunch and dinner. I’m not one for repeat meals but I just can’t get enough. Yes I did say I ate it for breakfast, I will take it over cereal any day! Call me weird, we can still be friends I hope. My vegan and vegetarian friends may want to overt their eyes on this post and to you I apologize. I do try to do days on end of meatless eating but it’s hard for me to go more than a week. I’m a hopeless carnivore.

Apparently St Patrick’s Day is around the corner and maybe that fact is what subconsciously made me want this. Hopefully by starting the celebrations early I will be extra lucky this coming month. March is going to be a big month for us. I’ll tell you why if you have a moment. If not then you might as well just scroll on down to the recipe to get started on dinner but I think you have time because you can literally chop of some vegetables in 5 minutes and be done… so March is awesome because of course it’s the last month of this cold and yuckiness and then we have SPRING! I can hardly contain myself to see some green on the trees and have nice grass for my dogs to roll around in! That will make everyone happy right?

For the Larsen residence specifically March will be the month when we will be approved by our agency to adopt a baby. Yeah it’s kind of a big deal. Our last meeting with our social worker is this coming Saturday and she will be examining our house, making sure I’m not a hoarder, have guns laying around the house or any meth labs in our garage…at least I suppose these are things she will check on. Luckily I called my drug lord contacts to remove these items from my premises, haha. I’m really not all that worried especially after meeting and talking to her for several hours about my pinterest page and favorite shopping destinations. Yes, my social worker is a real person. She likes nail polish and good bargains and has annoying roommates. We ate pizza and talked about “home life”, what my childhood was like, what my relationship with my parents and siblings are, and if I have any mental issues…hmm jury is out on that one. When I think about our life on paper we are so white bread. We are middle class, stable with two dogs in a nice house in a charming neighborhood. I think it sounds lovely, it is lovely. I hope it stands out though to a woman who will love and trust us enough to give their child to us.

We have a photo shoot scheduled March 10th for our adoption website and Dear Birth Mother letter. I’m really excited and nervous since these photos will speak a thousand words to potential mothers about who we are. With these photos they will be able to imagine themselves and their child in our family. I found a lovely photography company here in Charlotte (actually a friend on facebook is personal friends with them and messaged me after I assumed they would be too expensive, I took it as a sign!) www.loveshutter.com

Corned Beef and Cabbage braised in Beer and Apple Juice

Ingredients:

Packaged corned beef with spice packet (2-3lbs)

4 Whole Carrots

1 Green Cabbage

1 Onion

4-5 Red Potatoes

4 Cups Apple Juice

1 Bottle Beer (preferably Irish- I actually used NewCastle)

Directions:

Chop your carrots into even sliced rounds. Quarter your onion and potatoes, core and quarter cabbage or into eighths so it will fit into your slow cooker. Put all the vegetables at the bottom of your slow cooker except some cabbage. Rub the spices in the provided packet into your beef and lay over vegetables. Pour in your beer and then apple juice until almost covered and top the remaining corned beef with the cabbage.

Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

It’s that easy. I was done in 5 minutes of preparation! The results are an extremely tender, melt in your mouth corned beef with really flavorful and slightly sweet vegetables. The corned beef is so amazing for leftovers making corned beef sandwiches, add a little swiss cheese, some kraut and mustard on rye bread and you have another wonderful and simple meal the next day. Like me if you want to eat it for breakfast then make it into corned beef hash! That doesn’t sound bad at all does it?

Just for giggles I wanted y’all to see how patient all my children are waiting for dinner. Kyro is such a ham, all he wants is to lay in someones lap and be loved on and eat whatever falls on the floor when I am cooking. Full on wars erupt over a rogue carrot slice between these two gluttonous dogs. I trip over them constantly when I’m scurrying from one counter to another. I was ready to give Kyro a good lashing when I saw he had completely scratched up several of my beautiful cabinets while trying to garner cheese from the counter…But look at those faces! Who can stay mad at those dopey eyes?

Sunday Morning Scones: Blackberry Ricotta Whole Wheat Scones from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Kendra Lee under baking, Recipe

I got some blackberries on sale this week and was thinking about ways to use them in baking. I immediately thought of scones although I have never before made them myself. I turned to one of my favorite bloggers recipes and adapted it for blackberries instead of rasberries.

I was so delighted at how easy and fast it is to throw scones together. With just a couple of steadfast rules to adhere to I’m already thinking of all the possibilities.

Rule 1. Use very very cold butter to cut into flour. Many recipes recommend cutting butter into small cubes and putting it into freezer for 10-15 minutes
Rule 2. Do NOT overwork

I topped mine with Sweet Treat, a cinnamon sugar mixture I got from my last trip to New Orleans

They turned out nice and crisp on the outside and light at fluffy, not too dense on the inside.

They are best served warm after resting 10 minutes or so. I think I might have to go eat another one now! Happy Sunday scone eating my friends!

The original recipe was made with raspberries and heavy cream, I substituted with blackberries and buttermilk with great results.

You can buy the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook on Amazon, I’ve had it on my wishlist since before it was published.

Given that this my first ever attempt at making scones I would give her recipe an A+!!! I think it is also helpful to watch a little video on making scones in general so here is one I liked. Laura’s video is on making rum raisin scones which of course is a totally different recipe but with the same basic rules: Cold butter, and do not overwork…

Do you have a favorite scone recipe? Have you made any recipes out of the Smitten Kitchen Cook Book? I’d love to hear what’s the next thing I should try.

Modern Vintage Circus Nursery

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Kendra Lee under Family

For the last 2 months of being MIA on this blog we have been consumed by all things relating to The Adoption. It has been stressful and scary at times in the process but more importantly very exciting and fun! I am so happy to say how accomplished I feel at the amount of progress we have made in two short months. We have completed all our paperwork and are half way through our home study! Next Saturday our home study will be complete and by the end of March we anticipate “going live” which is adoption speak for officially approved and out there in the world to adopt a baby.

You may have read my previous post on the adoption questionnaire we were each required to answer. It was interesting to read the differences between my husband and I in our responses. He was short and to the point, I was ummmm…the opposite. I was skeptical and frustrated if you couldn’t tell but that is all behind us and once I got past being overwhelmed I was able to enjoy the process.

I have been dying to post all the pictures of the nursery/kids guest room so far. I wanted to have a room all of my little nieces and nephews could stay in when they visit and have the necessary nursery things just in case the baby comes sooner rather than later (I just want to be prepared!)

My 18-month-old niece MacKenzie will be coming with my sister in April so she will get to be the first to break the room in, I’m very excited for their visit. The room isn’t quite done yet. I need to frame a couple of the prints and put cute children’s books on the shelves instead of the ugly baby tutorial books.

The room is intended to be gender neutral and we wanted color in the room without having to paint the walls. Maybe when we actually find out if we are getting a boy or girl we will paint the walls too.

Without further ado, here are the pics. Let me know what your favorite parts are! What else do you think it needs? Other than an actual baby to go in it, haha!

I found the twin beds and night stands at the Metrolina last month. The beds were $100 a piece and the pair of nighstands was $125. The night stands were upcycled from an old armoire and the skinny size is perfect for my small space and they have two drawers for storage. The turquise quilts and tangerine pillow covers are both from Home Goods. Think I spend about $70 total on the bedding

I found the twin beds and night stands at the Metrolina last month. The beds were $100 a piece and the pair of nightstands were $125. The night stands were upcycled from an old armoire and the skinny size is perfect for my small space and they have two drawers for storage. The turquoise quilts and tangerine pillow covers are both from Home Goods. Think I spend about $70 total on the bedding

I ordered this velour changing pad cover on Amazon for $13. It’s really soft and goes with the lamp perfectly!

The rods ($17), curtains ($20/panel), tangerine ottoman ($50) and rug ($69) are all from Target.

I got the tangerine lamp bases and Ikat shades from Target, mix and match. The giraffe was a vintage find and I love his mid century modern look. He is porcelain so he will be put away when baby starts walking.

So a lot of people have clown phobias and think they are creepy and in general I think they are creepy too but this a circus room and it needed a clown. I found him for $10

Mirror mirror on the wall…you are the awesomest of them all! This is my very favorite thing in the whole room. I stumbled upon it while antiquing at Gibson Mill. It is an upcycled find for $75!

I found this antique upcycled dresser at the Metrolina for $100. I think dedicated changing tables are dumb and ugly to be honest..so I just put the changing pad right on top of it you can easily secure to the dresser for safety.

I was so ecstatic when I found this lamp at Home Goods, it was only $25!!!

I got the 4 piece crib bedding set on Amazon for $136. It included the fitted sheet, the dust ruffle, the comforter and bumpers which I have not attached since it’s not recommended for infants (SIDS risk). The crib mattress we got at Target which is American made and green certified on sale for $60, extra firm. I did a lot of research on off gasing.

I got these two shelves at Home Goods for $29 a piece. They are actually different colors which I like.

I wanted a crib that was pretty minimalist and I loved the grey color that went with all my antique furniture. The crib was $120 and the canopy was $20!!!! Most cribs I looked at started around $500 so I am very happy with both the look and the price.

I loved this vintage find. I love the little boys polka dot pajamas and top hat. It’s just the kind of whimsy I wanted in the room.

This bag I ordered at the last 31 party I went to from the Spring 2013 line. It’s $50 so it was one of the pricer things but I figure I will be using it every day and it is extremely functional with a zipper closure and lots of outside pockets for easy access.

I have no idea what I will store in this tin, maybe little memorabilia but it was a $8 find so I don’t really care what I use it for!

I ordered this hippo chair on Amazon for $36! It was the very first thing I bought for the room. Chris and I are totally obsessed with hippos

I got this two sided hamper from a 31 party. The center divider is removable and completely folds up. This will be so nice to carry downstairs to the laundry room. It also matches my diaper bag

Who doesn’t love his classic children’s books?

Turquoise frame from Target and vintage finds. The carousel is musical and I had it from my childhood!

Christmas in Ardrey

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Kendra Lee under Uncategorized

Merry Christmas and Happy Almost NEW YEAR everyone! It’s been a busy one! Today though I spent the entire day in my pajamas just because I could and it was awesome…. after a very long week of family time in very cold Ohio and then a very awful mystery illness that went away as quickly as it came on. Let me just say that even though my doc said it was not food poisoning I will not be eating tuna from Subway ever again, ever. At least not from a Subway in a very shady, middle of nowhere town in a desolate parking lot next to a gas station whose employees have no teeth. On the up side I am several pounds lighter and I’ll take it, especially considering how many of Aunt Dianne’s raspberry bars I consumed at Christmas!

Before our 9 hour drive to Cincy I walked around our block and took some pictures one drizzly evening. I wanted to share with everyone how lovely our neighborhood looked for our first year. This is my first house to decorate the outside and we had ZERO decorations, ouch another expense we didn’t count on in moving. Oh well, we got some pretty great stuff to start and my first pic below is the garland I did around the front door.

Chris hung all of the lights himself and several days after he complained of suffering from “Griswald legs” a condition of extremely sore legs brought on by crouching down on the roof hanging lights.

The big LED snowflake in our picture window is from Costco that we got for $2o. I’m hoping to expand the winter wonderland/snowflake theme over the next few years and add more lights. Decorations really add up fast. I hit Target for the after clearance sale but made the mistake of bringing my husband with me. I wanted two 4 foot potted, pre lit trees which were half off. I wanted these for the front porch to flank the door. He said he thought it was clutter…this is coming from a guy who sings Christmas carols year round!

As you can see the bushes to the left need lights and that little space in the icicle lights drives me nuts (but I didn’t tell Chris that since he worked so hard, Griswald legs and all). Our next door neighbors really went all out and I was really impressed until I learned that they hired people to hang their lights for them! I mean I’m still impressed how pretty it is but more proud of us for our own efforts which makes the imperfections more acceptable.

My favorite house on the block is the green one. That is my friend Cindy’s house who is a professional decorated. They just painted their house a couple months ago and I love it. Our neighborhood is meant to be very colorful and the green they chose is just so cheerful it makes me smile every time I walk past it on the way to the dog park.

The rest of the pics are some of my decorations in the house. My favorite thing is the framed Christmas tree made of vintage jewelry. My mom has a matching one and so I will always think of her every year when I hang it in my house.

The little colored tree is dedicated to Chris’ love of all Cincinnati related sports: Reds, Bengals, Bearcats, Xavier…I didn’t want all his sports crap on the main tree. I should note that I don’t think I owned a single Christmas ornament before I met him, I inherited ornaments in our marriage. I think they were part of the contract.

I didn’t have my stockings hung when I took the pictures and I’m too lazy to post them now, haha. I ordered new ones this year with our actual names embroidered on them: Chris, myself, Kryo and Baby (our dogs). They are pretty darn cute!

Our home owners association throws a couple of parties every year. We missed the adult party while we were out in Raleigh at our adoption seminar, signing our contract to adopt a baby! I think it was worth missing it. Then the neighborhood threw a kid’s party where there was cookies and milk with Santa in the club house then horse and buggy rides around the block. It was so sweet watching them go by in front of house and hearing the bells in tandem with the clippity clop of horse hooves…all from the comfort of my front porch

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? And what have you done new this year?

Over The Spoon

Tales Tips Treats And Adventures In Eats

Waiting in our Hearts: Our open adoption search begins!

Dear Mom of a…

Making Time Stand Still

Starting a Recipe Club & The Joy of Sharing Food

Queen City Eats: Jungle Jim’s, Half Day Cafe and Taste of Belgium

Friday Favorites: No Cooking Just Eating

Lucky Corned Beef and Cabbage Braised in Beer and Apple Juice (and some words on our adoption)

Sunday Morning Scones: Blackberry Ricotta Whole Wheat Scones from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Modern Vintage Circus Nursery

Christmas in Ardrey

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