magical.

food can be the most magical thing...especially when you let your 3 year old peel carrots...and then he peels the ENTIRE thing! here is a typical renaissance mama moment: babysitter is out sick & i have to work. it's torential rain pour & ocean is tired of playing with his fire truck by himself... he asks me if he can help me in the kitchen. i take a huge leap & give him a task that involves something i really do need: some prep work...sometimes i have him clean rocks outside & then he lays them one by one on a paint tray to dry but this time i set up his art table in the kitchen with a bowl for the peels and showed him how to hold the stem of the carrot and peel away from his sweet little hands... after about one second...i looked over and saw he was peeling every single inch of the carrot...not just the first layer.. but the 2nd, 3rd, 4th... i think i started with 'oh no, ocean...' and ended with 'these are so beautiful... let's see what they will do in the pan with some olive oil'.... they really are so pretty and SO incredibly good... something happens with the peel when the oil and heat hit it... it turns into candy.... i was thrilled that i could keep him busy peeling the layers away as i peeled a few of mine too... i opened up to the possibility of something magical happening....who would have thought magic in mid-winter, in the kitchen, with ocean creating a new dish....still figuring out what to pare it with... possibly citrus...let me know if you have any suggestions....see you in the kitchenxxx