A Flash In The Pan

Hello. Have you met my son? His name is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Weekend.

From Monday through Friday, you will never meet a nicer kid. He transitions from one activity to the next in a blink of his big baby blues. He laughs, he plays, he says the cutest things. We get a little grief when it comes to getting him dressed. (No s-irt! No pant! Mine! Mine! OW! OOOOWWWW!) (I assure you we are gentle and his clothes don't hurt. This is pure toddler drama.) But other than that, no problems at all from our smiley, active little boy.


Then comes the weekend.

He asks for things he knows he can't have then throws Code Red tantrums. If we try to distract him, sometimes it works, sometimes he gets angrier. Same goes for ignoring him and walking away. Toys are thrown. Tiny fists are furled. It takes two of us to get on one sock, then he pulls it off. He's demanding, agitated, prickly.

We figured there are a few reasons behind this behavior.

1. During the week, he has a pretty structured routine. While the weekend isn't excessively different, it's different enough to throw him off the beam.

2. During the week he's usually just with one of us, usually Fred. So he gets the undivided attention of one parent. But when both of us are around, he has to share attention with the other parent. And a 2-year-old and sharing? Not a winning combo.

3. He's TWO. It's what they do.

When I was pregnant my friend Shelly told me to get used to saying, "it's just a phase." So here we are. I'm sure with time and maturity he'll outgrow it and we'll find the right combination of giving him attention/ignoring bad behavior. And if that doesn't work, there's always my favorite parenting tool, Skittles.

There's also this Pan Baked Lemon Almond Tart recipe from Mark Bittman. Lemony sweet, billowy with a light crunch, its loveliness helps dull the piercing whines of 2-year-old who isn't allowed to pour his milk over our laptop.

Yes, it's that easy. Unlike parenting.

If you're looking for an Atkins friendly treat, here you go. Though I don't think I'd like it for anything other than a breakfast pastry. It's quite eggy, for one. And it doesn't hold it shape very well, which is fine first thing in the morning, but I want my deserts to work a little harder.

Pull yourself together, man! (OK, I should've let it cool longer. Still!)

Speaking of work, there is very little to do here. The most strenuous part for me was pulling my mini Cuisinart down from the cupboard to grind the almonds. Other than that, this is eyes-closed, one-arm-behind-the-back easy.

Ta-da!

It goes great with a black, roasty coffee cut with a splash of milk. It was the only thing on our dish, but a nice sage sausage or perhaps some glazed bacon would've rounded out the meal nicely.

Best of all, it's quick. So you can enjoy a warm, filling breakfast before rushing your little one outside, where distractions keep eruptions at bay. At least until nap time.

Mark Bittman's Pan-Baked Lemon-Almond Tart
The New York Times, October 7, 2009

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds, more for garnish

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons butter

Powdered sugar, for garnish.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, ground almonds, cream, sliced almonds, lemon zest and juice.

2. Melt butter in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet over low heat; when foam has subsided, add almond mixture to pan, tilting pan to distribute batter evenly. Continue to cook tart on stovetop until edges just begin to set, then put pan in oven and finish cooking, about 10 to 15 minutes more.

3. When tart is done, put it in broiler for about a minute or until just golden on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings.