Russian Season

I’m so excited to finally tell you our very main news – our little daughter Ivanka is here! She is already 10 days old and very pretty :) And she inherited a good appetite from us :) We went home three days after her birth, and the first couple of days were as chaotic as any first-time parents’ first days probably are. I was afraid to accidentally hurt her, I didn’t know where to begin in the morning and how to survive at night time when the baby wouldn’t sleep properly (I guess she’s still mixing day and night). Gradually new activities were added, such as bathing and walking outside, and hey, seems like I learned to juggle all that! Unfortunately, what suffers the most is cooking – I haven’t cooked a decent dinner ever since she was born, but at least I’ve had some free time in the mornings when she was still sleeping so I could have my oats or rice in peace and quiet. Today the weather was so rainy and moody that we decided we’d just sleep by the open window instead of going outside, so I had the time to toast some rolled oats in a pan and make a parfait with some tart and juicy autumn fruit, simmered and cooled, and some plain yogurt. I’ve been told no raw fruit or vegetables, no raw (pasteurized) milk, no beans or cabbages etc, so I guess I’ll have to specialize in breastfeeding-safe recipes for a while.

I didn’t have any special cravings while I was pregnant, but now I have two strong ones – for oats and yogurt. I just can’t live without a bowl of plain yogurt with toasted rolled oats and plum jam in the morning – or just oatmeal with jam or butter… who would have thought I’d ever have oatmeal every other morning of my own free will?? The only annoying thing is that my pregnancy - now breastfeeding - was the reason why I had to start eating meat :( I know that a lot of vegetarians carry on with their diet also during pregnancy, but I was scared that the baby wouldn’t get all the essential proteins, so I had to start eating chicken or meat at least once a week. But, I’ll certainly return to my semi-vegetarian diet when I no longer breastfeed.

Life with a newborn is quite busy, but I’ll try to post some simple recipes every now and then. And now I’ve got to go because I hear her squeak quietly in her crib – just like a nestling or a mouse, so funny :)

Autumn Fruit and Oats Parfait

Ingredients

2 small apples
1 pear
½ cup wild cranberries, rinsed
2 ½ tbsp sugar
1tsp butter
100ml water

3 tbsp butter
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp sugar

300g plain yogurt

Serves 3

In a frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, add rolled oats and sugar, and toast on a medium heat while stirring, until golden-brown. Set aside to cool.

Peel, core, and halve apples and pear. Put one teaspoon butter into a small saucepan, add apples and pears, top them with cranberries, add sugar and water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes until the water starts boiling, then simmer on a small heat for 15 minutes until the fruit are tender. Set aside to cool.

Spoon simmered fruit, toasted oats, and yogurt into tall glasses. Sprinkle with some more toasted oats and cinnamon. Serve chilled.