Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. In California we don’t get all four seasons but this year it’s been a bit cooler, there’s a misty fog that’s been seeping in with the rain, and many of the leaves are turning gorgeous shades of orange and red. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg permeates the air at the local bakery, pumpkin lattes magically appear on coffee shop menus, the excitement of Halloween is everywhere, and for me it’s the time where I start making warm comforting soups.

At my favorite local vegetable market there have been dozens and dozens of colorful heirloom tomatoes on display. They are delicious on their own but if you do something as simple as roast them it brings out a sweetness and flavor that is hard to resist. I found a recipe for tomato soup in a new cookbook called “Cravings” by Chrissy Teigen. Surprisingly it’s not a cookbook on losing weight or counting carbs but instead on comfort food full of flavor. Exactly what I look for in fall and winter. The “Roasted Tomato Soup” recipe is a definite keeper. It entails roasting tomatoes in the oven (I recommend heirloom if they’re available). I simply added them to some sautéed onions and garlic in a cooking pot along with a few sprigs of rosemary and broth. It was delicious!

After a long week my husband and I were in the mood to stay in on a recent Friday night and have a Scrabble match. There was a steady drizzle outside and it was slightly chilly. I brought out the roasted tomato soup alongside slices of walnut bread and we played for the next two hours. It was the perfect accompaniment that evening; sweet, warm, flavorful, and great for dunking!   It will be making regular appearances on future cool and rainy nights.

Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe (From “Cravings” by Chrissy Teigen)

Ingredients

• 4 pounds ripe tomatoes
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ( I used less)
• 1 tbsp salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
• 3 herb sprigs (whatever you like- I used Rosemary)
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth

Roast the Tomatoes – Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Core and halve the tomatoes (or quarter if they’re big). Arrange the tomatoes, cut-side up, on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast until softened and the edges are charred. 35 to 40 minutes.

Make the Soup – Tie the herbs with a piece of twine into a herb bundle.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Ad the roasted tomatoes to the pan and break them up with a spoon. Add the broth and herb bundle and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

Discard the herbs. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until almost smooth but a few chunks remain ( I used a hand blender directly in the pot). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Figs are in season and I couldn’t be more excited. I love their rich plum color, their slightly soft texture, and above all their sweet nectary taste. When I lived in San Francisco figs would only be in the store for about a week before they disappeared until the following year. This didn’t give me much of a chance to experiment with them in my cooking. It’s been a real treat to find them in abundance at Monterey market for the past few weeks and I’ve discovered figs can be really diverse ingredients in many cuisines.

Summer in the bay area arrives in September. We’ve recently bought some garden furniture and have been spending a lot of time outside. One of our favorite outdoor lunches or snacks is fig and goat cheese bruschetta. I love the contrast of the creamy tangy goat cheese with the sweet figs and the crunch from the baguette when I bite into it. I like to drizzle a little maple syrup on top and garnish it with mint to bring out the flavor.

Last night I decided to take the plunge and incorporate figs into our dinner. We’ve started to have family dinners outside every Sunday which entails some sort of grilling. My rosemary roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes and grilled figs was inspired by Giada de Laurentis, one of my favorite Italian chefs, who recently shot a series in Tuscany where she cooks dishes inspired by the region. In her last episode she invited her family over to a beautiful Tuscan villa and ate a variety of dishes including one delectable one with chicken and figs. I could almost taste the freshness of the Tuscan ingredients through the TV screen but I think the produce in Berkeley could definitely compete.

I marinated the chicken legs with orange juice, a decent amount of salt, olive oil, and fresh rosemary for a few hours. I drizzled the fingerling potatoes with salt, olive oil, and some rosemary and wrapped them in foil and then put the figs in another pocket of foil with a bit of olive oil. Nadir put the chicken directly on the grill and the foil covered potatoes and figs under the heat as well. Within half an hour we had delicious meal; moist roasted chicken with potatoes and the figs were almost like candy as the heat had brought all the sugary sweetness to the surface. I quickly whipped up a yogurt horseradish sauce and we had a terrific meal. My one year old couldn’t get enough of it thanks to the sweet figs!

Recipe for Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

 Ingredients

• Figs
• Goat Cheese
• Maple Syrup
• Mint
• Baguette

Directions

• Slice and toast the baguette
• Use your hands to crumble goat cheese on top of the bread
• Slice figs and lay them on top of the goat cheese.
• Sprinkle a bit of maple syrup and garnish with mint (optional)

 Recipe for Rosemary Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes and Roasted Figs

 Ingredients

• Four large chicken legs
• Fingerling potatoes
• Figs (about one pound)
• Fresh Rosemary
• Juice from two Oranges
• Salt
• Olive Oil

Ingredients Horseradish Sauce

• Greek yogurt
• Ground horseradish (1.5 tsp)
• Squeeze of citrus juice (either orange or lemon)
• Salt
• Chives

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 F.
• Put the chicken legs in a large gallon ziplock bag.
• Mix 4 tbsp of olive oil, orange juice, fresh rosemary, and a generous amount of salt in a bowl.
• Add the marinade to the bag, seal it, and shake it so that all the chicken pieces are covered with the mixture. Leave for at least 3 hours, preferably longer.
• For the figs and fingerling potatoes drizzle them with olive oil and rosemary and put them in the same tray.
• Put everything in the oven for about half an hour.
• While food is in the oven take out some greek yogurt, mix with 1-2 tsp of ground horseradish (you can find this in the supermarket). Add salt and a squeeze of lemon or orange juice and add chives (optional).
• Once the chicken is done take it out and serve with potatoes, figs, and horseradish sauce.
• You can also grill the chicken on the barbeque and wrap the potatoes and figs in foil.
• A side of green beans or salad is a good complement to this delicious dish!

Having young children means that I’m constantly on the go. Either dropping them off to preschool, picking them up, changing diapers, cooking, swim lessons, the list goes on. In between I worry about picking the right preschool, feeding them the right things, addressing the stutter my son developed for a week, hoping my 1 year old will grow out of the 4 am wake up routine he’s developed in the past few days.

There’s always something to keep me on my toes. For the most part I figure things out but some days it can become quite stressful and tiring especially when there are a few tantrums thrown in to shake things up.

Last week, I was having one of those days. I mock collapsed on the sofa when my husband arrived at 6:30. Half an hour later the kids were both fast asleep and I started mindlessly browsing through my Facebook when I saw a video of a suspected chlorine attack in Aleppo where the majority of victims were not Syrian rebels but women and children.

I can safely say that it is one of the most horrific things that I’ve ever watched. Children shaking from the effects of the gas trying to get their oxygen masks on, young boys being stripped and hosed down with water, a baby being brought in hooked to an oxygen mask while the doctors try to figure out why he is all alone. Many of the children were under five years old and have never known a life without conflict.

I used to cover the Middle East and North Africa as an economist and still follow the events in the region with interest. I realize that the Syrian problem is complex and has become increasingly so as the years drag on. The international community which did far too little at the beginning of the conflict is now partially involved in their own capacities, but with their own conflicting agendas, its hard to see how without a united front, progress can be made.   This isn’t the first time the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons against it’s own people and I predict that it unfortunately won’t be the last. The Syrian people have little faith in the international community because they haven’t given them much reason to as evidenced by the recent ceasefire already breaking down.

Politics aside, as a parent, I couldn’t get those images out of my head.  Many of us get caught up in the little things in our lives; shuttling kids to activities, dealing with tantrums, etc that we forget the big picture. Our children are safe, they eat well, they’re happy for the most part, and are getting an education. It sometimes takes an event like this to jolt me out of it, appreciate what I have, and really put things in perspective.

Watching children suffering in any capacity really impacts me but this really took the cake. I did the only thing that I could think to do which is donate towards humanitarian emergency relief in Syria (through the Islamic Relief organization). I encourage you to donate (or continue to donate) to any organization that is helping victims, especially children, in the region. It won’t help end the conflict but at least it may help get medical supplies to innocent victims.

When Zain and Adil woke up the following morning I hugged them a little tighter than usual. I’m going to try not to sweat the small stuff because it’s the big picture that really counts in the end.

When I had my first child Zain I found myself constantly apologizing for everything. “I’m sorry he’s dropping the cutlery at the restaurant.”   “I’m sorry he’s blocking your way in the grocery store.” “I’m sorry he’s crying on the sixteen hour plane ride.” “I’m sorry you have to lower the bus lift for the stroller.” I felt constantly flustered, not about managing my own child, but about how his behavior was affecting those around me. I found that adults that were over sixty and those with young children of their own were the most sympathetic but many in their twenties and thirties would show great annoyance at the “inconvenience” caused by a young child.

At some point I realized that there was absolutely no reason to apologize so I stopped doing it. After all, I’ve never seen a parent with a wailing baby or toddler just sit there and say “just scream the restaurant down.” Usually they’re bopping the baby up and down, distracting them with toys, or sometimes one of them actually goes outside to try and appease the baby and not disturb the diners.

When I lived in San Francisco, the bus drivers were the worst culprits. When I only had one child I didn’t mind hiking up the three hills to Zain’s preschool but once I had Adil I started to use the bus on a more regular basis because it was just not manageable anymore. Dealing with a baby and a toddler on the bus is no walk in the park.  The bus drivers would often tell me to wait for another bus or expect me to lift the stroller myself because it was too inconvenient to wait for me to get on! I resorted to telling them there was a law (which there is) that required they lower the lift for the stroller and kicked up a fuss whenever they refused. Unfortunately, I saw many mothers go through the same thing, looking harassed, and apologizing profusely to the drivers as they boarded.

I also see parents apologizing all the time on airplanes when they’re doing their best to keep their baby or toddler quiet. They really shouldn’t feel the need to.   My friend, who has a daughter of her own, recounted an incident on her flight to Italy a few years ago. There was a woman traveling alone with two young children who were being noisy, which was inevitable, as it was a ten hour journey from San Francisco. The air steward came and asked her to try and keep the noise down as it was disturbing the other passengers. She apologized but couldn’t get them to stay quiet. He came back three other times to say the same thing and she kept apologizing looking more and more harassed each time he came. Finally, the stranger sitting beside her got upset and told the steward that she was doing her best, that he should be helping her, and that if he came by one more time to complain the man would have to deal with him. The air steward stayed towards the front of the plane for the rest of the flight!

There are certain places where the etiquette is to leave your children at home; I wouldn’t take them to a fancy restaurant or an adult party, that’s just common sense. I know, however, that many mothers overly apologize for things that they really shouldn’t be sorry for in situations where they have to bring their children. When Adil or Zain act up in public I’m no longer concerned about what other people think and don’t feel the urge to say I’m sorry. I just focus on helping them calm down and feel better, ignore any annoyed stares, and continue on my way.