Mmmmm . . . yum.  That’s all I can say about these.

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Our kids were playing make believe one evening.  Our five-year-old said to our two-year-old, “Let’s play Narnia.  I’ll be a knight.”  She thought a moment and responded, “Okay, I’ll be a fork!”

This post will get lost in the archives eventually, but before I do this blog for too long, I want to say that I named it “sophistimom” more in hopes that it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy than a reflection of characteristics I believe I possess.  I would love to be some sort of domestic goddess, have my home just so, with children who excel in social situations and have a commanding knowledge of Latin and Shakespeare.  I would love to be one of those girls with a magnetic presence who always looks fabulous but is incredibly kind and genuine.  But alas, I spend more time wishing I had a maid than actually doing housework; my kids are more inclined to play Rock Band, memorizing the lyrics to Wave of Mutilation than they are memorizing sonnets; and, I would make the girl on What Not to Wear hyperventilate in her three inch heels if she ever saw my wardrobe.

But I’ll keep writing the positive things that I’m learning.  Rest assured you have no IDEA how much I edit my so-less-than-perfect life.

When I figured out the recipe for these, I was ecstatic. They have no refined sugar (plenty of fat, though — sorry), and are smooth and full of flavor. The other great thing is, the mixture is made entirely in the blender, and comes out the same consistency as ice cream — which means you don’t need an ice cream maker to make them. And you can skip putting it in the molds all together. Just freeze the mixture for an hour or two, and then scoop it out to have a fantastic bowl of ice cream.

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I have long maintained the feeling that I should raise my kids to be polite.  But since I started the blog, I have found a lot of media out there that says teaching your kids to say please and thank you is an unnecessary hoop to make them jump through just so that adults feel better.  What a load of rubbish!  We raise our children to be polite so that they can learn to look outward instead of constantly toward themselves — so they can put off their natural tendencies to be selfish for part of the day.  This is a blog, so I won’t bore you with any rantings and ravings — that would be impolite.  But, if you do believe in teaching your kids manners, Emily Post has a list of downloadable printouts for teaching them.  Right before a nice dinner, I like to sit down with the kids and review the one entitled “Top Table Manners for Kids.”  That way, during the meal, I don’t have to keep nagging –elbows off the table! stop chewing with your mouth open! Instead, I can simply raise my eyebrows at them, and they get the picture.

This lasagna is a bit time consuming, especially if you make everything on the same day.  The bolognese sauce can freeze, so it’s perfect if you want to make it ahead of time.

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Stuart started learning to eat the European way — holding the knife in his right hand, and eating with the fork in his left — this week.  I guess he never really learned the American way, what with switching hands, and so forth, as this was really the first time he’s used a knife at the table.  The food fell off his fork until he learned he didn’t have to twist it, and I showed him the best way to hold his hands.   I thought he manged pretty well, and noticed him practicing on leftovers tonight.

You will begin to notice, after following my blog a bit, that I am quite obsessed with all things England.  I wonder if my interest began when I was a child.  I used to tape episodes of Wonderworks, the collection of films on PBS.  (They once showed Kevin Sullivan’s productions of Anne of Green Gables, which was, of course, a favorite), but they also aired a perfect rendition of A Little Princess – Wonderworks Family Movie (good luck with the link — you can only buy it on VHS, and through independent sellers, but I thought you’d be interested to know which edition it was, anyway).  I watched it again and again — so much that eventually I was Anglicized enough to enjoy the desaturated, rainy-day color characteristic of many British films.

When I had watched the tape enough times to run my VCR ragged, I read the book.  Hands down, it was my favorite book of my childhood.  It was the first time I was sad when I only had ten pages left to read, and after it was finished, I carried it around the house for days, not wanting the story to end.

These muffins are a healthy start to any morning, yet decadent enough to serve at a nice brunch.

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Well, it’s rainy and chilly outside (YEA!!!!), and  I can’t think of a better recipe for a day like today than clam chowder.  I’m from New England, which means that any other kind — Manhattan, Long Island, etc. — just won’t do.

This recipe uses canned clams because I can’t get fresh ones in the Rocky Mountains.  If you live near a great fish monger, then by all means, have him shuck a pound of clams for you, and you can use those instead.

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