Still No House + Seitan

What our hair looks like after hanging out with Papa

The little bug woke up at 6:30 today. I don’t know if he’s going through a sleep regression or something, because yesterday night he had a really hard time going to sleep - he hasn’t had a night like that in ages. Apparently, an 8-9 month sleep regression is pretty common, so we may be in for a few rough nights ahead. Combined with the uncertainty of having heard nothing back from the house we bid on, it was a rough night for everyone.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Arthur fell asleep during his first breakfast on the boob. This time, however, he stayed awake during his second breakfast, and throughout his first walk in the sling with Mama and his second in the stroller with Papa. Luckily he got a nap in during his 1:00 nursing session - he needed it.

Miklós and I will hopefully sleep better tonight as well - we finally heard back from the real estate agents around midday with the confirmation that we had suspected: our offer was declined. It’s a bummer; we were originally so optimistic about winning this bid and had begun to plan how we’d navigate the process. But after two days of hearing nothing, the longest period of silence we’ve ever had after bidding on a home, we were pretty much hopeless. Ah well, it’s probably for the best; Miklós wasn’t crazy about the place when he saw it, it was quite small with a kitchen that would need to be redone, and it would be tricky to do all the paperwork with our trip to the states looming. I wonder if that’s why our offer was declined; I did mention it in our proposal. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Again, ah well.

Anyways, back to Arthur. After his midday nap, it was time for some solids! We had some firm tofu in the fridge, so I cut some into long strips that he could pick up with his fingers, and left them on his high chair tray. He did a great job picking them up and eating them, to be honest! Because I’ve read it’s best to pair iron-rich foods like tofu with a vitamin C source, I served him some mango purée in between pieces of tofu.

Arthur was equally enthusiastic about the mango and the tofu - that is to say, very. I think it helped that he had spent the last nursing session mostly sleeping rather than getting much milk in. You know what they say about hunger being the best seasoning. In fact, when some crumbles spilled onto his tray, he tried really hard to suck them up with his mouth like a vacuum cleaner, bending over the tray to do so. Unfortunately, he wasn’t terribly successful, but he did do a pretty good job at drinking out of the cup afterwards!

Luckily, Arthur got a bit of a nap in during his 5:00 nursing session - I didn’t want a repeat of the previous night, so I really tried to get him to sleep before then. He was pretty restless and interactive at the beginning of the feeding, but I ignored him, and eventually he fell asleep. It did take him so long to fall asleep that I wasn’t able to let him rest for a terribly long time, as I was getting thirsty and hungry, and had to pee. But he did get almost half an hour in, so it wasn’t too bad! And meant that he got three naps in today (during his 8:00, 1:00, and 5:00 nursing sessions), which I think he needed after a 6:30 wakeup.

For Arthur’s dinner, I gave him some of the split peas I had cooked up the previous day. I cooked them in quite a bit of curry powder, but he seemed to like the taste! Then again, he likes most foods that aren’t tahini. I did give him a second serving mixed with peanut butter, and he liked that version at least as much!

So, on Friday, Arthur ate:

• tofu

• mango purée

• split peas (new food!)

• curry powder (new food!)

• peanut butter

The grown-ups had takeout for dinner, which was a nice end to a stressful week. However, I did want to post the recipe for the seitan I made on Wednesday. This recipe has always been my go-to, with barely any modifications. Since vital wheat gluten isn’t readily available here for some reason, it had been a while since I’d made it, but I brought back a bag from Hungary, and it was nice to enjoy it again. And it’s still as good as I remembered! Here’s how I make it:

---

Everyday Seitan (serves 3)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups broth - from 1 cube bouillon + 2.5 cups boiling water

  
  

• Dough:

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten

  • ¼ cup soy sauce

  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 ½ tsp minced garlic

  • ½ cup broth from above

  • optional seasonings: MSG, 1 tsp marmite or a sprinkle of Trader Joe’s umami mushroom seasoning, other spices of choice

  
  

• Marinade:

  • 2 cups water

  • 2 cups broth from above

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

    
    

Instructions

1. Make the broth by combining bouillon with water and stirring until dissolved. Alternately, you could use a ready-made broth of choice.

2. Mix all of the ingredients for the dough together in a large bowl, kneading until it has a rubbery texture.

3. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and shape into patties that are the size and shape that you like.

4. Combine the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, water, and soy sauce in a large pot and bring to a boil.

5. Carefully lower patties into the broth, and return to a boil.

6. Set the lid slightly askew to vent steam and reduce heat to low.

7. Continue simmering, turning occasionally, until patties are firm, about 1 hour.

8. Remove from the heat and uncover the pot. Allow patties to cool in broth for 15 minutes before serving.

9. You can eat them as is, but I find them best air-fried for 15 minutes or so afterwards!