Up, up and away!

I think Max has recently passed another developmental milestone...he's now climbing ladders at the playground. Yay! And also, Eek! An afternoon visit to the playground this afternoon (and may I just say how nice it is to have sun on the weekend for a change) was spent mostly climbing up the ladder, going down the stairs on the other side, and running around to do it again.

It's Bike To Work Week!

So it turns out that this week is Bike Week! There are a variety of events in the metro area, including breakfasts throughout the week in Cambridge. If you've thought about commuting by bicycle, now's a great time to give it a try! There are a number of online guides available to help you get started.

If you're getting tired of the high costs of gasoline, car insurance, and car maintenance, you may want to consider selling your car. The Boston metro area is surprisingly friendly to the car-free lifestyle, and services like ZipCar mean that you can get a car if you really need one. It sounds scary at first, but it's surprisingly easy. You'd be surprised at how many groceries you can carry with your bicycle!

Alix and I have been car free for something like seven years or more, and even with the addition of Max to our family we're lovin' it.

Babka

This is a recipe for Babka, a buttery breakfast bread stuffed with meringue, raisins, and nuts. The batter needs to chill overnight, so you have to plan ahead, but this also means that you can serve it for brunch because prep the next morning is reasonably easy.

This recipe comes to us from Alix's paternal grandmother.

Ingredients

1/2 C milk
2 pkg yeast
1/2 lb butter
1 C sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C raisins
1/4 C chopped nuts
9 oz crushed pineapple, drained

Directions

In the evening...

1. Heat milk until film shines over the surface (i.e., scald it). Cool to lukewarm (105 - 115 deg).
   
2. Sprinkle in yeast and let stand several minutes.
3. Cream butter. Gradually add 3 Tbsp sugar and work until creamy.
4. Separate eggs. Beet yolks into creamed mixture.
5. Stir in flour alternately with milk/yeast mixture. Cover and chill overnight in refrigerator. There will be little or no rising.

On the next day...

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
   
2. Lightly grease a 9"-10" tube pan.
3. Beat room temperature egg whites until foamy. Add 2/3 C sugar gradually and continue beating until the meringue holds precise points.
4. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a rectangle about 8"x12".
5. Spread meringue up to 1" from edge.
   
6. Sprinkle both rectangles with remaining sugar (about 1 Tbsp), cinnamon, raisins, nuts, and drained crushed pineapple.
7. Roll each rectangle as you would a jelly roll; transfer to tube pan, overlapping the rolls slightly and pinching ends together.
8. Bake for 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Max meets a Duck

Max spotted a "duck boat" the other day as we were leaving the Museum of Science. He was fascinated by the obvious amphibious nature of the vehicle: "Boat auto! Boat auto! Boat auto!"

A very useful phrase

Alix was dressing Max this morning and put on a pair of pants that have grown a little bit too small. I could hear a tiny wail from down the hall: "Toooooo tight!". Max was so excited about his new phrase he used it all morning long.

Max's first story

I think Max made up his first story recently.

For his birthday, Max received a little car-racing game from Conny. The cars are very small and easily lost, especially since Max will occasionally wander around the house with them and put them inside things. I was playing with Max the other day and realized that one of the cars was no longer on the track:

Lars: Max, where did the other car go?
Max: (thinking a bit) Cat...eat...that?