My children have very expressive faces, or so I’m told. The boys especially, I think. When they’re smiling, they light up the room (like their papa), and when they’re angry, it’s plain as day—and you better watch out.

The other day The Baby Nickel came up to me while I was sitting on the sofa. In the handful of seconds it took me to snap these photos, he covered the following expressions.

I’m soon going to have to drop “The Baby” part of his name and simply call him “Nickel” (he is four years old, after all) … but not just yet. He’s still my baby, now and forevermore.

And now, for three Baby Nickel Vignettes.

Vignette Number One
He still, believe it or not, asks to nurse, but only every once in an eon. He flat out refuses to believe me when I tell him there’s no milk left. He thinks I’m pulling his leg, and he throws back his head and laughs uproariously. And then he attempts to prove me wrong: “You drink milk, and then if you don’t pee it out, it will stay inside you. See? You still have milk, Mama!”

Vignette Number Two
Back when Sweetsie turned six, I recounted the story of her birth for the edification of the whole family. It’s one of our birthday traditions and the kids love it. I was telling them about how Sweetsie got stuck when she was coming out and I had to push and push and push— when suddenly the baby Nickel interrupted me. “I helped you, Mama! I was pushing with my feet!”

I stared at him blankly, not comprehending. And then I got it! He believes he was in my body all along, just hanging out there waiting for his turn to be pushed out! And in his free time, he gave me a hand … or a foot.

“Thanks a lot, kiddo,” I said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Vignette Number Three
The other day the Baby Nickel was nuzzling my neck, smooshing his face up against it and breathing in my scent in huge gulps. So I asked him, “What does my neck smell like, huh?” He thought for a second and then said, “Coffee.”

About one year ago: A word about marriage. “Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us together today. Wove, twue wove…” Sorry.

When I made smoky fried chickpeas, I didn’t even come close to using the entire bag, so I followed Deb’s suggestion and cooked up some spinach to go with them. It was a smart idea.

Here’s my advice to you:

Do you still have some lumps of spinach taking up space in your freezer? Haul it out right this very minute and set it on the counter to thaw!

No spinach on the premises? Buy some spinach seeds and plant them ASAP!

No space for a garden? Head to your local farmer’s market and buy yourself a hefty sack of green!

And here’s some more advice, un-spinach related and free of charge to boot:

Kids whining when you give them work? Give them more work!

Tired of washing clothes? Don’t wear any!

Sick of seeing your progeny planted in front of the TV for hours on end? Haul the box out to the back yard, hand them some baseball bats, and let them show you what kind of damage they can do!

Your electric bill is too high? Don’t turn on the lights!

Husband left his dirty clothes on the floor by the bed? Toss them out the window!

Any other problems, vegetal (ha! no pun initially intended) or familial? Send them my way and I’ll solve them for you. I’m going through a logical phase.

Back to the spinach and chickpeas. Make this dish, okay? It’s nourishing and satisfying, not to mention tasty as all get out.

My mother ate hers with a dollop of yogurt on top, and I’ve been eating it that way ever since.

It’s the logical thing to do.

Chickpeas with Spinach
Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen

This dish can be eaten many different ways: atop buttered toast, as a side dish with a scoop of plain yogurt, or, when topped with a runny fried egg (don’t turn up your nose! it’s good!), as a main dish.

6 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup bread crumbs (or one thick slice of bread, crumbled)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, drained (or one pound fresh, rinsed)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ pound dried chickpeas, cooked and drained (or two 15-ounce cans)
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup tomato sauce
½ cup oven-roasted tomatoes, chopped, optional
dash of smoked salt
½ – 1 teaspoon salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
lemon wedges

Saute the bread crumbs in three tablespoons of olive oil. Once the bread starts to brown, add the garlic and cumin and continue to saute till the garlic is brown. Transfer the garlicky crumbs to the blender, add the vinegar, and briefly whirl.

Put the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and saute the spinach. After the spinach has wilted (or just heated through, if using frozen), add the remaining ingredients (including the toasted bread crumbs), except for the lemon. Heat through, adding more tomato sauce (or some water) if you’d like it to be a little less thick. Taste to correct seasonings (you may want to let it sit for a couple hours to give the flavors time to meld), and serve hot, with lemon wedges.

About one year ago: Spinach-Cheese Crepes.