Cod in Coconut Milk & Ginger with Vegetables.....ChowDown

This recipe is very simple to prepare and is bursting with flavors. Feel free to make it your own by adding or substituting vegetables or spices to fit your particular taste.

1 pound fresh cod
2 16 oz cans of coconut milk (I use lite coconut milk)
3 tbsp of fresh chopped ginger
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large head of broccoli 
1 large leek (white parts only)
2 cups of mushrooms
1 medium yellow pepper
1 medium orange pepper
1/4 cup of green curry paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

In a medium saucepan, boil 2 quarts of water with 1/8 tbsp salt (if desired). Peel sweet potatoes and cut into cube-size pieces. Once water is boiling, add sweet potatoes. Continue to boil until sweet potatoes are done, but firm. Remove from heat and drain.

Chop all vegetables (broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, & peppers) in bite-size pieces. Combine all in large mixing bowl and toss with olive oil and salt & pepper, until lightly covered. Add vegetables to a large heated pan and grill until cooked but still crisp. 

While grilling vegetables, combine coconut milk, ginger & green curry paste in a large pot until slow boil, stirring frequently. Add sweet potatoes and grilled vegetables and keep on very low heat.

Salt & pepper cod generously and place on grill pan. Grill until cod is flaky and light.

Remove vegetable mixture from heat and place into a large serving bowl. Top mixture with cod and add salt & pepper to taste.

Can be served with grain (brown rice, barley, orzo, etc) or eaten alone. Whatever you decide, enjoy and ChowDown.

Serves 4 (with plenty for leftovers)

Father & Son

I know how fortunate I am to have children and I never take it for granted, but some days it really hits me smack in the face that I am a Dad. As I lie here in bed with Cyrus, alternating between reading, talking, snuggling, and being on our computers,  I couldn't be more happy. Our family does plenty of things as a foursome, which we always enjoy, but these one-on-one times are some of my faves.

We are a tightly-knit family and value this bond, but the bond that each of us have with one another is even more special. Cyrus and I have a bond that is deep and multi-layered. We have the most special walks in the country where we go deep. Nothing is off limits. I feel so blessed to have Cyrus in my life and from what he tells me, he feels the same. Love this boy. xx..Dad

Hummus Recipe….ChowDown

Hummus is a healthy alternative to other dips because it provides you with protein and a number of essential vitamin and minerals. While it can be high in fat, it is mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fat. On top of all of that it is very easy to make. 

1 16 oz. can of chickpeas drained (save liquid for reserve)

1/2 cup of tahini

3 tablespoons of olive oil (can use more or less, as desired)

2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. 

Add liquid reserve, if needed, for a smoother consistency. 

Add-Ins (if desired) -

Roasted Red Peppers

Pine Nuts

Sundries Tomatoes

Chopped Spinach

ChowDown #twodadstwokidschowdown

Grady Gram

Happy Saturday Everyone! Today I went on a walk with my brother Cyrus, my uncle Emil, and my dad Calvin. It was a nice walk also because it was warm out. I am sore from that walk today, but thank god I got to eat a cookie my dad made today!

Making progress and seeing success

Today was a great day in our family. Grady got her middle school acceptance letter. And she was accepted by her 1st choice. 

This may not mean much to anyone who lives outside of NYC, but as a resident of our great city, the public school middle school process is on par with the college application process. It is long, arduous and full of highs & lows. 

Grady has always been hardworking, determined and goal-orientated, but she's always struggled in school. She had a private tutor since 3rd grade, after-school homework help, test prep and tons of online help and still struggled. No matter how hard she worked, she always fell short on something. It was so frustrating to see your child work so hard and then be disappointed by the results. This is a kid who has NEVER been late for school and only missed 1 day since kindergarten, so it wasn't as if she wasn't turning up and ready to work.

After exhausting every resource possible, we had Grady tested to determine if she had any learning difficulties. The test was administered at the Cornell Child Development Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital. After testing her cognitive and developmental skills, Grady was diagnosed with a learning difference. While some parents may not welcome this news, we were so happy to finally have a name to what she was experiencing and excited by what we could do to help her learn in a way that benefited her most. We proceeded to get Grady an IEP, an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

An IEP defines the individualized objectives of a child who has been found with a disability, as defined by federal regulations. The IEP is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. In all cases the IEP must be tailored to the individual student's needs as identified by the IEP evaluation process, and must especially help teachers and related service providers understand the student's disability and how the disability affects the learning process. The IEP describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. Developing an IEP requires assessing students in all areas related to the known disabilities, simultaneously considering ability to access the general curriculum, considering how the disability affects the student’s learning, forming goals and objectives that correspond to the needs of the student, and choosing a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student.

In 4th grade, Grady began her IEP, in a general education, mainstream classes with two teachers. One teacher handles the general education while another teacher gives specialized assistance when needed. Otherwise, Grady interacts and participate in the class activities with everyone else. Grady gets extra test time, can have the questions read to her and can test in a separate room, with others who need a more specialized plan. As she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Grady also began take Concerta, which is a prescription product, approved for the treatment of (ADD) as part of a total treatment program that may include counseling or other therapies. Concerta, coupled with the IEP and the two-teacher classroom, made such a difference in her learning that it was shocking. We always knew that she was smart; we just had to help her find a way to tap into that smartness. 4th grade was a huge success for her. 

She continued her success in 5th grade, working with her strengths and improving on her weaknesses. She participates in group discussions, something she never felt comfortable enough to do, had loads of friends (sometimes too many), and is even a mediator in her school. A mediator is an elected position, in which 5th graders help others in the class navigate their disputes or disagreements. She has made strides to last a lifetime.

I tip my hat off to Grady and wish her continued success, strength in her struggles and much love. May 6th grade continue to nurture her love of learning.

The Cy Report from New York - The Funny One

Hi. My name is Cyrus. I like people named Bob. My grandpa was named Bob. I am 9 (and a half) years old and live in NYC. I am the best kid in the world. I love cereal. I love my sister Grady. I have a corn snake named Bolt who is on Instagram @boltthenycsnake. I like to make people laugh. Here is an old video of me being silly.

Grady Gram- Hobbies

Good Morning Everyone! Here is a list of things I like to do in my free time. 1. Mostly everyday I have play dates with Estelle. We play outside. Outside we play Taps and we play soccer. 2. I like to go to hockey games during winter break with my family. My dads don't go to the hockey games. 3. I like to play soccer with my cousin Sara. 4. I like to play with my friends at recess. We play four square. Four square is a really fun game to play. 5. I like to watch tv and play my iPad even though that's not really a hobby. But to others which can be me to think of it as a hobby.Well, that's it for today!

We're back......and ready to do this

Morning. Wanted to say hi to everyone out there. We have really been away from this for way too long and we're back....and ready to do this. 

When this blog was started in 2009, the idea was to create something that would live forever and take on the voice of the Wilson-Cuevas Family now and in the future. We wanted to start something that our kids, Grady & Cyrus, could be a part of and eventually make it their own. An online legacy of sorts.

The kids are going to begin posting things themselves. It's a free-for-all with those two, so I can't promise what you'll see. I'm excited about whatever they choose to post.

Tim (Papi) is going to start posting things in Spanish, in tribute to his Puerto Rican heritage. Maybe I'll learn a bit of Spanish myself.

Here is a recent picture of our family to see how much we've grown. The kids have grown vertically while we Dads have grown horizontally. 

Looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, too.

x.....Calvin

Grady Gram- Introduction

Hi everyone! I'm a 10 year old girl named Grady Luella Wilson-Cuevas. I have two dads and one brother. I live in a wonderful world with lots of friends and family. My friends and family look out for me and I look out for them. My dads names are Calvin Wilson and Timmy Cuevas and my brother's name is Cyrus Roy Wilson-Cuevas. My dads are funny and so is Cyrus. I go to a great school called P.S. 40. My teachers are nice but serious about what they teach us. My best friends names are Estelle, Amanda, Lilly, and Devon. By the way Devon is a girl. My friends cheer me up when I'm sad and I cheer them up when they are not having a great day. They are great friends to have around. 

Celebrating Differences

Life teaches us lessons everyday and today I had to teach one at the kid's school. Not only did I educate a child, I soon realized that this kid educated me.

Today, we had a publishing party for Grady's class, at which time stories that each of the students have wrote are read and the parents and classmates make positive statements about the writing. It is a nice way to celebrate the writing process and takes the fear out of it for many of the kids.

After the stories were read, the class along with the parents meander to the cafeteria for a little breakfast.  The kids have a great time and it is also nice for the parents to catch up on things going on with their kids and one another.

Both Tim and I went to the party today, which is very rare as one of us is always at work at this hour. Tim was off from work as he is starting a new job tomorrow and I had jury duty, so we were both able to attend. Regardless of our schedule, we always make sure to have at least one of us in attendance, so today was a special day that we were able to both take part.

After the kids and parents got their food, everyone sits around talking to one another. I stayed for awhile but had to get to jury duty, so I got my coat and bag and gave Tim a kiss goodbye, just as we do everyday. Nothing out of the norm. We kiss, said goodbye and I head for the door but sensed something whereupon I turned around to notice one of Grady's classmates snickering to a group of girls about us kissing. She had a look of disgust and disbelief that two men would kiss one another.

Never one to bite my tongue and figuring we were in school, I thought this was the perfect place to educate this young girl on her behavior. When I turned around and headed back, the girl realized that I had caught wind of her antics and literally froze. It was as if she thought if she stayed still enough, that I wouldn't school her, no pun intended. Little does she know me.

I approached the girl and her friends (who hadn't said anything about the kiss themselves) and sat down at the table with them. Grady was sitting within earshot of them at another table, but didn't hear any of this, which was a blessing. I told the ringleader that I heard what she said and didn't think it was very nice nor did I appreciate her speaking of our family as if we gross just because we were different than most. I was more upset that she was gathering the charges which in my eyes is a typical gang-like mentality.

I asked her where her parents were as I wanted to address the issue with them and see what they had to say. As the parents weren't there, I went in on this kid not to embarrass her or make her feel bad about herself, but rather to educate her. If I'm being completely honest, I didn't care whether or not she was embarrassed as I was embarrassed for her but I really wanted to make a point. As she and Grady were in the same class last year, she knew we had a non-traditional family, so I knew that the snickers were coming from a negative place rather than one that was just matter-of-fact.

I asked her and the rest of the girls about their families. She had a mom and dad at home as did most of the kids, another girl had a single mom (was actually a "test-tube" baby..how cool) and then there was our two dad family. I asked her if she felt her family was any better than ours and she replied "No." What about the single parent family, I asked? "No". I gave examples of other types of families and told her that all families are different and they each need to be celebrated. She was still in shock that I was schooling her, but better me than someone else who she may have pointed out and got a different response, i.e. a slap in the face, a name called, etc.

After speaking to the girl, I asked her is this something that I needed to share with her parents or had she understood what I was saying. She said no. I also told her that this type of behavior would not be tolerated and that she owed me, my partner, my children and the other kids that she tried to influence an apology. By this point, she was out of the deer stuck in headlights phase and realized that I meant business and I felt sincerely apologized to all of us.

Grady has no idea any of this went on but I understand one day she may be fighting these battles herself. Not just for her but for anyone who is made to feel bad about being different. We teach our children to be nonjudgmental and accept others as they are. If you don't teach your kids that we are all individuals and need to be celebrated not for our similarities but more importantly for our differences then you are doing them a disservice.  I want to let any parent out there know that if I notice that type of behavior in my presence from any child, they will be schooled, as I would want someone to school my own kids on such injustice.

I told the teacher about the incident and suggested that I come in a read a book to the class that my Mom and Dad gave to the kids when they were younger called And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell based on a true story of two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who essentially raised a baby penguin (Tango) as their own. It is simple for kids to understand and tells a great story about differences being celebrated. I haven't heard back from the teacher yet if I can come in to read the book, but I have faith that he will think it is a good idea.