By February. Ida is seventeen months and she has approximately forty-seven words. I know this because I have been keeping a list. Tyler said I did not need to keep a list. I said keeping a list is how I know things. He said he knew. He did not suggest I stop keeping the list.
The daycare children are in that February energy where spring is still weeks away and the inside time is starting to feel like a container that does not quite fit anymore. I know this feeling from the other side. I know what it is to sit in a small space and feel yourself getting larger. You make the space work until the season changes. That is all you can do.
Made a Valentine dinner, second Valentine as parents, first one where Ida was part of it. She sat in her high chair and ate small pieces of pasta while Tyler and I ate the full version and talked about her in the third person because she does not understand third person yet and this window will close soon. We said things about her to each other over her head while she ate pasta and she looked between us with her cataloguing expression. We are being studied. We are the primary data of her education. We are trying to be worth studying.
The small Bright Beginnings Daycare in the small downtown Prattville is the small workplace. The small toddler-room teacher role (ages 18-36 months). The small daycare-worker-salary plus the small fiancé-Cole’s small carpenter-paycheck is the small two-income engaged-couple budget. The small wedding-saving has been the small two-year-project.
Tyler Clarke (the small fiancé, 29, diesel-mechanic-from-Millbrook) works at a small trucking-company. The small wedding is planned for October 2026 with Gloria walking Savannah down the aisle. The small marriage will be the small first-stable-adult-relationship Savannah has had. The small foster-care upbringing means the small family-of-origin had been the small unstable-shape.
The small foster-care-history: Savannah went into the small Alabama-foster-care system at age six after the small mother’s incarceration and the small father’s absence. The small seven-foster-placements between infancy and age sixteen. The small last placement (Gloria and James Martin in Prattville, who became the small forever-parents) since age fourteen. The small Martin-foster-parents continued to be the small only-parents until James died in 2024 at 77 from a heart-attack mowing the lawn.
The small self-taught-Southern-cooking is the small kitchen-identity. The small no-grandmother-recipes-passed-down meant the small YouTube-and-cookbook-self-teaching from age sixteen onward. The small fried chicken, the small biscuits, the small mac-and-cheese, the small banana pudding, the small sweet tea are the small staples.
The small Gloria-Martin kitchen-mentorship (Gloria is the small foster-mom-now-mom) has been the small adult-cooking-development since the small fourteen-year-old. The small Gloria-Sunday-dinners-with-Savannah-cooking-now are the small weekly-rhythm since James passed. The small Gloria-recipes (Black-Southern-comfort-food the small chain of Gloria’s mother and grandmother) are the small heritage-by-adoption.
The small Prattville-small-town-community is the small social-context. The small First Baptist Church congregation is the small church-family. The small daycare-coworkers are the small adjacent-friend-network. The small Martin-family (Gloria, James who passed in 2024, plus the small current-foster-child Destiny age 6 in Gloria’s care) is the small chosen-family. The small Tyler’s-family-in-Millbrook (Debbie, Roy, and four-brothers) is the small in-law-family.
The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.
The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.
The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.
The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.
The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.
The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.
The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time.
The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual.
After we got Ida down and the pasta dishes were rinsed and Tyler was on the couch and the kitchen was quiet, I put out the truffles I’d made the day before and we ate them slowly and didn’t talk very much, which is its own kind of conversation. Mocha truffles are the right Valentine’s dessert when you have become parents together and you are still figuring out how to also be yourselves together — they are small and rich and they ask nothing of you except that you sit still for a moment and eat one.
Mocha Truffles
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling) | Servings: 24 truffles
Ingredients
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (for rolling)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (for rolling, optional)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly until completely smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the pinch of salt and mix to combine.
- Combine. Pour the melted chocolate into the cream cheese and add the brewed coffee and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated and glossy, about 1–2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll.
- Roll the truffles. Scoop heaping teaspoon-sized portions of the mixture and roll quickly between your palms into balls. Work fast — the warmth of your hands will soften them.
- Coat. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or a mix of both. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Set and store. Return the finished truffles to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 105 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 10g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 35mg