Meeting new mom friends is a lot like dating. The setting is a little different, a kiddie park instead of a party or a bar but the attitude is the same. You make eye contact with a nice attractive looking mom by the swings, you brush the cracker crumbs from your shirt in a move you hope was stealth, you adjust your little ones outfit and quickly wipe that shmear of god knows what off his face and you walk over with a smile and with the hope that she is friendly. you pray she does not realize that your jeans are from way before you had your kid, but you lost that baby weight so hurrah!!! and your top is fashionably mom chic, which means machine washable, who has time to go to the dry cleaners when target beckons. And maybe, just maybe, you two can exchange numbers and make an "official play-date," but only if it doesn't coincide with nap time. Because nap time is sacred.
In this new realm of mommy dating, you and your new mom friend embark on a courtship, similar to that of dating between spouses or partners but the bases are a little different.
First base would be sharing your latte with your new mom friend because she ran out of coffee and forgot to buy some more when she went on a target run for more diapers. But its ok because its your fourth cup of the day and its only 11 am but she doesn’t need to know that because your mom-ship is still very new and you want to show her all your best sides and qualities. Sharing your precious caffeine fix being one of them.
You’ve reached second base when you no longer have any shame about whipping your boob in front of your new mom friend to breastfeed your child. She takes it a step further by offering to show you her brand new best ever nursing tank top that she swears makes you lose 10 pounds instantly and you can for sure wear it out and pretend it’s a real shirt. She then shows you the secret flap and you guys are now bosom buddies for life. Because you showed her yours and she showed hers. Nothing like true female friendship bonding until you’ve seen each other breastfeed, it’s the new sisterhood. You then offer to show her how the pump works and help adjust her settings and show her the proper latch technique. Nitty gritty here girls. Nothing brings you closer together than that, of course after the awkward “gah I just saw her boobs!!! moment passes. Its all for the children.
And finally third base would be allowing the baby of your new mom friend, (or NMF for short) to climb and slobber all over you. What’s yours is hers, and what’s hers is yours. you find yourself swapping nursing covers and baby toys, feeding spoons and bibs. You have a package of diapers in your house in the size her baby wears and you have the wipes you know she likes. you find her baby stuff at your house and you let your kid suck and drool on it because they spend so much time together they are practically just like siblings. The two of you begin texting late at night or early in the morning and you know her routine by heart, at this point in time a MOM-ship has begun.
So when you finally do venture on past that very first “get to know one another play date,” why not make your NMF something special? A perfect cup of iced coffee and a maybe something a little extravagant like chocolate truffle cake, because after all a mom does need a little indulgence once in a while. Put those babies down to nap, kick up your feet and enjoy!
The Perfect Cup of Iced Coffee
Follow the directions for your drip coffee maker. I use the 14 cup Cuisinart model. This is best done a day before to allow the coffee to be completely chilled.
· Heaping half cup of ground coffee ( your choice on the brand, im particular to starbucks espresso roast but I really love illy coffee the most. But we are on a budget here so its starbucks on sale and with a coupon.
· 10 cups cold water
· allow the coffee to brew and pour the hot coffee into a heat safe drink pitcher. Allow the coffee to cool, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
To serve:
Fill a tall glass with lots of cubed ice, pour in the coffee, add in your desired amount of milk, cream or half and half ( im a whole milk kinda gal, its easy because there is plenty of that around here these days)
Add in sweetener, if you like, stir with a long tall spoon, add a straw and take a sip.
Ahhhhh!
Chocolate Truffle Cake
INGREDIENTS
· 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped.
· 7 ounces (two sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted margarine or butter
· 5 extra large eggs (at room temp)
· 1 cup sugar
· 2 tsp good vanilla
PREPARATION
· Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
· Grease a 9 inch round tin cake pan, set aside.
· Set a large heatproof bowl (glass or metal) over a pan of water, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer to create a double boiler.
· Cut the margarine or butter and chocolate into small pieces and put them in the bowl to melt, whisking occasionally. Place the margarine/butter on the bottom because that will melt faster and help melt the chocolate as well. When melted set aside to cool.
· Whisk together the eggs and sugar in another bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the cooled melted chocolate to the egg mixture. Add in the vanilla. The batter will be nice and thick.
· Pour the chocolate batter into the cake pan and cover tightly with foil. Place the covered cake pan in a larger baking pan, a pan big enough to roast a turkey or any large piece of meat will do, and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake appears to have set and when you touch the center, your finger comes away clean. If the cake seems mostly set and little bit wet, that’s ok, take off the foil and allow the cake to bake for another 5 minutes uncovered, this will set the top.
· Remove the cake from the water bath and cool completely on a rack, wrap up the entire cake in the pan and refrigerate overnight.
· To unmold, simply peel back the tin cake pan. I find it best to freeze the cake over night in the pan and it really peels back with ease. I also love serving it frozen, because it doesn’t quite freeze and nothing is as good as frozen chocolate. Dust with powdered sugar, plate with fresh berries and serve!
· The cake can be made and refrigerated 3 to 4 days in advance, and freezes well too!
· Serves 12 -14.
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