Emma Makes Way for the Ducklings | Boston Bucket List

As our time in the Boston area is coming to a close, we are checking off the last "to-do's" before we say "ta-ta."  In my daydreaming head I always thought Emma and I would make our way into Boston every now and again to spend the day shopping in the Beacon Hill boutiques and stroll in the Public Garden. 

Like most well-intentioned daydreams, it seemed to never come to fruition.  How is it that it always seems like the days are too short, but at the same time can sometimes be way too long?  Instead of surrendering to the same ole' outings to target and story time, yesterday Emma and I finally made it "into town."  We made plans!

We started with some shopping, then strolling through the park, a visit with a friend, then dinner with more friends and their baby.

Left : Emma and I at the "Make Way for the Ducklings" bronze duckling sculptures in the Boston Public Gardens.  As it was just Emma and I spending some mommy and me time, I had an onlooking grandma that was taking photos of her own grandson take this pic of Emma and I with my phone.

Emma and the Ducklings

About the Ducklings :

The "Make Way for Ducklings" book was published in 1941 and tells the story of a pair of mallard ducks who decide to raise their family on an island in the Boston Public Garden lagoon.  It won the 1942 Caldecott Metal and is the official children's book of Massachusetts. 

The ducklings draw quite a crowd in the garden, to say the least.

The bronze ducklings are in the background as Emma is more fascinated with the grass.  I highly recommend introducing your children to grass at an early age... every time we try to take photos outside, she is more into the grass than smiling at the camera.  

And her dress.  She loved her dress.  I love that she loved her dress.  And I loved the dress.

And I love her baby eyelashes.  Perfect.

Sweet girl.



Adventurous girl!

Back in the grass and happy!

Did I mention she started crawling this week?   Let the fun begin...

After the park we met up with her Daddy at a friend's home in Back Bay.

Emma was thrilled with crawling for about 12 hours, and is now only satisfied when she's standing.  Especially in her crib... which nearly scared me to death when I went in her room the other morning to find her smiling at me over the rail like a big girl.

After a visit at our friends, we headed to dinner in Beacon Hill to meet some more friends visiting from back home.  Emma, meet Lucca.  

Fast friends.   I planned her parents' wedding 4 years ago.  I'll share photos of it someday.  It was really something (if I may say so myself!).

Okay, here is just one, because I can't resist!

Ok, one more!

Back to the babies...



Fast asleep, conveniently right when we hurried out of the restaurant and took another stroll through the park. 

I asked Mike if he thought Emma was comfortable enough in her stroller.  He laughed.

Since the girls had decided to hit the hay, we decided to go for a night cap of our own...

At the Four Seasons.  Funny how a couple of years ago a night cap would have been cocktails until 2am.  Now, it is Prosecco (to celebrate that the babies are sleeping) and a giant piece of chocolate cake.

Heirloom Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread Pizza

Our local produce market, Verrill Farm, has a baskets and baskets of heirlooms.  I think I've purchased about 3 pounds of them every other day.  There is nothing like an heirloom tomato. 

 

 A really good tomato needs nothing - no salt, no fresh cracked pepper, not balsamic vinegar.  A really good tomato has so much flavor - a sweetness and subtle taste of salt all on its own. 

When I'm cooking with these gems, I try to keep them fresh to preserve their naturally perfect flavor and texture.  After 5 nights in a row of simple sliced heirloom tomatoes as side with our dinner (and the main course for my lunch), I decided to experiment a little.   This flatbread pizza is the perfect way to enjoy them - a little dressed up, but not at all overshadowed. 

Heirloom Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella
Flat Bread Pizza


1 pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 pounds of heirloom tomatoes
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella
fresh chives
fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Stretch and pull the dough to be the size of a baking sheet.  Drizzle the baking sheet with half of the olive oil, then place the dough on the sheet and drizzle the remaining olive oil on the dough.  Scatter the sliced clove of garlic and red pepper over the dough. 

Bake the dough for 15 minutes until it bubbles and slightly browns on the edges.  Remove from the oven.

Slice the tomatoes and spread them over the cooked dough.  Slice the mozzarella and distribute it over the tomatoes.  Place in the oven under a hot broiler for 1-2 minutes, just until the mozzarella melts ever so slightly.   Remove it from the oven.  Garnish with snipped chives and fresh basil.

Here is the dough baking - see how it bubbles in a really hot 450 degrees oven.  

Remove the dough from the oven just as it begins to brown.  It should be cooked all the way through.

Lovely tomatoes go right on top.  I love that they are still a little cool and the crust is hot.  Such a great combination - still fresh, but satisfying.

Emma's Packing Our Dishes | Moving Tips | Wedding China

Emma has been a busy girl.  She took on the task of packing up our wedding china today.  You might be thinking... weren't you worried that a 7-month-old infant wouldn't pack your dishes properly so they wouldn't break during the move?  I'll admit, at first I was a skeptical, but when I saw her technique, I knew our wedding gifts would make it safely all the way back to Kansas City.

 

Place felt round on top of plate. 

Put each plate in a bubble wrap sleeve.

 Smile.  Packing is fun!  Bang your wooden spoon with enthusiasm.

When you've packed 4 plates in bubble sleeves, stack them and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap.  This is a tip I Emma learned from rental companies.  When you receive rental china it all comes tightly wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it from clanging together.  


Next, wrap the plastic wrapped bundles with foam to protect the edges. 

Powder Blue Gold Rimmed Anna Wheatherly plates are done...

Now she's moving on to the Spode Woodlands collection.

She ran out of individual bubble sleeves, so she zig-zagged the foam sheeting between the plates, then wrapped in plastic and more foam.

She especially loved the little birdies on the salad plates. 

Whew.

Next the stacks got packed into boxes.  The bottom is filled with crumpled unprinted newsprint - you can by reams of newsprint very inexpensively at packing stores.  

In go the wrapped dishes, separated by layers of crumpled paper. 

The top is topped off with extra paper to make sure it is packed tight and snug inside to prohibit the dishes from moving.  

Top with the top and label.  

 These are from Rasa Orchards - the orchard of a family friend.  These apple boxes are perfect for moving - they are strong enough to hold a big load of apples!

Salad for Supper | Chicken, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Red Peppers & Greens

Salad for Supper | Chicken, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Red Peppers & Greens

When I ask Mike what he'd like for dinner he usually says something "fresh & healthy" (if not steak and baked potatoes).  Humf.  Then, I explain to him that the blog readers don't want "fresh and healthy."  And honestly, neither do I!  Well, I guess that is not true... maybe you and I just need something that is fresh and healthy AND crave-able.  Because, if you're anything like me (and I'm guessing you are...) you're going to head to the cookie jar (or carton of ice cream) minutes after dinner if it didn't have enough oomph to be satisfying.   Oh, and the side of cheese bread helps, too.

This salad fits the "fresh and healthy" but still really flavorful bill for me.  It is somewhat like a cob salad - if I would've had bacon, I would've added it!  The avocado makes any dressing really creamy, the chicken makes it 'supper' worthy, and the crunchy sweet corn and red peppers are so perfect together. 

On another note, the packing has started (as you can see in the photo above, we're eating amongst packing paper at our table)!  I'm going to be purging the excess from our life and I can not wait.  It always feels so good to get down to what you really need and love - all other possessions will be outta here.  Easier said than done... wish me luck.  I'll be sharing my purging and packing journey over the next two weeks.

2 Very Large 
Supper Salads
Chicken, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Red Peppers & Greens

2 Chicken Breasts*
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt & pepper
.......
1 head of lettuce*
1 Avocado, large dice
2 Ears of Corn, cut off of the cob
3 Green Onions, sliced
1 Red Pepper, diced
Cheese (I used parmesan, but cheddar would've been great, too)
Creamy Dressing (Green Goddess or Ranch)

*You could use a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own.
*I used a combination of bibb lettuce, radicchio and romaine.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet.  Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Cut lettuce into 1/2 inch pieces, then rinse twice and spin dry.  In a large bowl, combine avocado, sweet corn, green onions and red pepper.  With a fork, mash 1/2 of the avocado slightly to help it incorporate into the dressing.  Add cheese, lettuce and dressing.  Toss well.  Add chicken and toss a little bit more.