Posts from — January 2007

We are taking a break from Elmo at our house. I like Sesame Street. What’s not to like about the old songs such as “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” and “Captain Vegetable.” I like Super Grover, Bert and Ernie, and The Count. My girls like Elmo. Even before they turned two, one of them would occasionally pick up the “mope” (AKA remote), point it at the TV, and start saying, “Elmo. Elmo.”

Thanks to the miracle of TiVo, we can, in fact, watch Sesame Street whenever we want to. So we’ve been watching Sesame Street, usually not more than once a day, usually while I make dinner. It keeps the girls happy while I try to get something done. However, they don’t really want to watch Sesame Street. They want to watch the last twenty minutes of Sesame Street: Elmo’s World. And when Elmo goes off the screen, replaced by Mr. Noodle or whoever else, they start chanting “Elmo, Elmo,” until he comes back.

How did the Elmo-love begin?

I blame the diapers. I have no idea why, but we used only Huggies diapers for a long time. But then one day I bought Pampers, and naturally, I tried to make the diaper-changing experience as fun as possible by pointing out which character was on the next diaper. “Oooh. Big Bird. Big Bird is on your diaper this time. ”

Before long, Emily and Erica were making requests. They wanted the Elmo diapers all the time. But after a while they started asking for Zoe and Ernie. Joel and I got pretty good at sneaking on the unrequested Grover and Big Bird diapers. But then the girls started to check. So now I’ve gotten pretty good at convincing them to wear whatever diaper I grab first, but it can be a tough sell.

So, we need a break from Elmo. He talks in third person all the time. “Elmo wants to sing a song. Can you sing a song with Elmo? Elmo wants to ride in a fire truck. Elmo wants to use the potty.” How are our kids going to learn to speak correctly if they are listening to this everyday?

And then there was the episode about fish. Elmo counted fish like this. . . “one fish, two fishes, three fishes, four fishes, five fishes. . . eleven fishes.” Then he sang “The Fishes Song.” Am I missing something here? Did someone go change the rules, and forget to tell us? Didn’t we all grow up reading “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish?” What’s going on here, people??!!!

So, we are taking a break from Elmo.

My girls like to eat this. My husband likes to eat this. I like to eat this. Who wouldn’t like to eat this?

The sauce is what makes it oh so good.

The Crust
1 1/3 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one envelope)

I make the dough in my bread machine. Put the water and oil in first. Then the salt and flour. The yeast goes on top, very carefully kept away from the water. The dough cycle on my machine takes two hours. Of course you could also mix everything together the traditional way, knead, and allow the dough to rise. It’s enough to make two 15-inch pizzas. One time I did make three pizzas, but it took a lot more work to roll it out thin enough. But, hey, we got to eat more pizza. I use a pizza stone dusted with corn meal. After you roll out the dough, let it sit for about ten minutes. Lightly brush on some olive oil. Now it’s ready for the sauce, mozzarella, and toppings. Bake at 425 degrees, on the lowest rack in the oven, for ten to fifteen minutes.

The Sauce
a medium-size onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
28 oz. can whole Italian peeled tomatoes, packed in puree (if packed in juice, add 2 tbsp tomato paste)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
sprinkle red pepper flakes to taste

In a saucepan, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Chop the tomatoes, then add the tomatoes and the puree to the sauteed onions. Add the garlic and seasonings and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before using.

This is not normal weather for January. It is so good to have all the windows open.

This is a conversation that I’ve been having with my daughter Erica this week. She is two years old. Her twin sister is Emily. They are identical. She is smiling the whole time, almost giggling, so somehow she knows that it’s funny.

Me: What’s your name?
Erica: I’m Emily and that’s Erica. [as she points to Emily]
Me: You’re Erica.
Erica: Noooo! I’m Emily and that’s Erica.
Me: You’re Erica.
Erica: Noooo! I’m Emily and that’s Erica.

So, I’ve gone and started a blog.