The Great Outdoors

Mark and Ben just returned from their first camp out with the Boy Scouts. They camped Friday night on the Virginia Creeper Trail, biked 27 MILES on Saturday, camped again on Saturday night, and came home this morning. If you aren't familiar with the Creeper Trail, it is a former railroad, which means is it flatter than most hiking/biking trails in the area. They biked on the flattest part of the trail - it gets steeper right past Damascus, VA, where they camped - but it was still quite an undertaking. I am very proud of Ben for sticking with it - it was his first time camping and biking a trail like that. Mark said he was quite the trooper (and I imagine Mark was quite the trooper as well!)


I am attaching a few of the pics they took of the campsite, and one aerial shot that I got from the Creeper Trail website - they started in Damascus and biked 13.5 miles to Abingdon, VA (shown on the map - the start of the trail), then 13.5 miles back to their camp.

What I'm Reading Now

Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell. It began as a blog, then became a novel, and will soon be a major motion picture. The concept: a wacky New Yorker attempts to cook everything in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In one year. In a small New York apartment kitchen.

I was really pumped about this book, because I was really pumped about Mastering the Art of French Cooking, after being really pumped about the Julia Child memoir. So far, I've been rather disappointed. The book is more about the author's personal angst, and the cooking so far is only mentioned here and there - it certainly isn't the focus. I'm OK with angst, but it's difficult to sympathize with the author because she really isn't all that likeable. She uses lots of profanity, and is frankly rather vulgar. I might not stick with this one.

You Know What I Hate?

VRUs.

Why is it that when a person asks you your name, you can say "Belinda Manfredchensen" with no problem, but when a machine asks you your name, you feel like a complete moron when you answer? And when a person asks what you need, you can say "I need to make a payment," but when it's a machine asking, you just get SO MAD!?!?!?!

I work with a guy who doesn't say the word "wash" like the rest of the human race. He says "worsh". He had to call Sears one time because his dishwasher was on the fritz. He got a VRU. Imagine the hilarity that ensued.

Lion King Seats

Hadn't planned on getting them this early, but when I found front row mezzanine seats, how could I pass?

I Found My Thrill

I have been reading a lot about the health effects of blueberries. We have a program at work called "The Healthy Heart Campaign", and it goes on and on and on about blueberries and how great they are. My biggest issue with the blueberry is the cost - $3.99 for a half a pint. That's a lot of money and not a lot of berry. But this same Healthy Heart Campaign reminded me that I would gladly spend $4 on a cup of coffee, why not fresh fruit? Touche, Mr. Mackey. Touche.

So I have begun investigating ways to bring this uber-berry into our diets. The first coup I found was the frozen berry option. Sure, it's not "fresh fruit", but you can get almost four times the berry for the same cost, and with very little nutritional sacrifice. Sweet! And the frozen berries I've found are much bigger and healthier looking than their fresh produce counterparts.

Now that I have a supplier, I have begun looking for blueberry recipes. The first is a no-brainer: the blueberry muffin. A breakfast classic. The Barefoot Contessa has a great recipe that I have been using - go to foodnetwork.com and search for "Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins", or, if you are fortunate enough to own her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook, see page 174. The only change I make is using white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. I can tell a difference in texture, but I actually like it better. I included a photo - I tore the muffin in half so you could see the huge purple-ness of the berries. (The muffins actually bake bigger and taller than the one pictured - it was the runt of the litter and the only one left.)

In addition to the muffins, I have been making a mean blueberry banana smoothie. Ben loves them, and he and I have split one for breakfast every day for a week. You will need:

1/2 to 3/4 cup blueberries
One whole banana, sliced
1/2 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
One tablespoon honey
3/4 to one cup milk (depending on how smooth you like your smoothie)

Mix thusly:

Look at that awesome color!

This makes enough for two, unless you're just really hungry.

Easter

Let the children sing
A song of liberation
The God of our salvation
Set us free

Death where is thy sting
The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open
Come and see…

- Travis Cottrell

Zuppa!

Ever since the early dating days, Mark and I have loved to go to Olive Garden for the Pasta E Fagioli soup. We've always wanted to try to recreate the soup at home. Our newsletter at work runs a recipe each month, and last month's was a recipe for Pasta E Fagioli in the crock pot. We gave it a try, and it rocked! It was a little thicker than the OG version, but just as good.

You will need:
2 lbs ground beef (I actually cut it back to one pound to make it more soupy)
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 oz) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 (20 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

Brown the ground beef, drain, and add to the crock pot with everything but the pasta. Cook all day on low. Boil the pasta for 10 minutes or so, drain, and add to the soup. Enjoy!

Warning: this makes an insane amount of soup. We have a rather large crock pot, and it fills it to the rim. But oh....is it good. We add a little red pepper to it as well, for that extra kick.

Spring Has Sprung

Today really felt like spring for the first time. We're having awesome weather here, the boys are finishing up their spring break, and Mark and I took off work. But what to do? It's sunny and warm, no work to be done, three out of four of us are male: of course! The driving range!

Dude.

Afterwards, we got pizza, then zipped home to watch the Vols advance in the tourney. Ahhhhh......the rites of spring.

Good Friday

Maundy Thursday

Old Broadway

There was a series of posts on a series of blogs some months ago listing "Concerts I have seen". I did not participate, mostly because I didn't have a blog at the time, but also because I haven't seen that many memorable concerts.

But in that vein, I'd like to share Broadway musicals that I love, and have seen or experienced, one way or another. There is something amazing about the experience of a live Broadway musical. The talent, the costumes, the stage effects - like nothing else you'll ever see. CGI doesn't hold a candle to it, in my mind.

So here goes:

Shows I have actually seen on Broadway: Annie, Miss Saigon, Mamma Mia, Aida

Shows I have seen on tour: Les Miserables (twice!), The Phantom of the Opera

Shows that I have seen memorable local productions of: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Gypsy, My Fair Lady

Shows that I have only seen the movie adaptation of: Grease, The Music Man, Chicago, A Chorus Line

Shows that I have never seen staged in any way, but know the music well: Cats, Chess

Shows that my mom taped on PBS and sent me a copy (also known as Shows not elsewhere classified): Into the Woods

And finally, shows that I plan to see in the near future:

Cheesy Movies

I get in bed the other night, and start with the channel surfing. To my great joy and surprise, I find Two of a Kind, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. If you don't remember this cinematic classic, the basic plot goes something like this: God wants to wipe out the planet and start over, some of his angels say "no, no - there's good in the world - we can prove it" and somehow the fate of the world rests in the hands of two losers (John Travolta and ONJ). I didn't get too far into it - the nyquil kicked in, and Mark wanted to know why we had to watch some turkey of a movie when there was a perfectly good game on. So I turned it off right about the time John Travolta was robbing the bank with the blond wig and the fake mustache.

This made me think: this was a bad movie, no doubt about it. I see that now. But when I was a kid, this move ROCKED. ROCKED! Somehow, when you're a kid, certain movies grab you. Bad, bad movies with poor plots and worse acting. But you love them, and watch them over, and over, and over again. Invariably, you can quote them almost verbatim.

These are some of my other favorite cheesy movies from childhood:

So, we were big Olivia Newton-John fans at my house, apparently. Xanadu was the bad movie with the really kickin' soundtrack. All ONJ on side A, ELO on side B. By laying out the album that way, they pretty much guaranteed that anyone who bought it wore out one side or the other, but never both.

Grease 2. The sequel that soooo didn't need to be made. I met a girl from England once and somehow this movie came up in conversation. She had seen it a million times as well. We sang all the songs - it was a small world moment. "I need a C-O-O-L, R-I-D-E-R..."

Flash Gordon. Next time you see my brother, say this: "Klytus, I'm bored." He will begin to quote the rest of this movie from memory. Seriously. The Queen soundtrack gave this one that extra edge. "No! Not the Bore Worms!"

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. OK, so technically, this is a promotional poster for the TV series. But there was a movie that came first. It was the bomb-diggity.

And finally, Piranha. I don't remember all the details about this, I basically just remember thinking I would be eaten alive if I got anywhere near a body of water. This instilled greater fear in me than the killer bee threat, and that was HUGE.

UPDATE: My much-better-memoried brother has advised that the movie we watched was in fact Killer Fish, starring the dashing Lee Majors. We may have seen Piranha at one time, but not in the excessive fashion that we watched the Lee Majors knock-off. I also think the fish pictured above appeared in both films.

Ahhh. They just don't make movies like these anymore. Thank goodness.

Trip Planning

I spent most of my weekend trying not to catch the soul-sucking cold that Mark has. (As of today, I've failed.) So I stayed on the couch, surfed the net, and planned our vacation. We're taking the boys to the Big Apple this summer.

Our first objective was to obtain Yankee tickets. Check. Good seats, day game, favorable chance of a Yankee win, life is good.

Our next objective was to find a hotel. Not as easy as you might think, in a city the size of New York. First off, I've been there three times before, and each time, stayed somewhere with local flavor; e.g., a dump. The only one of the three I would consider returning to was the Hotel Edison, but it was booked. So this time I tried some chains - names I knew and trusted. Lots of "no availability" places. Made me a little nervous. So I finally found a Holiday Inn on 57th street, about a half a mile from Central Park. Not a bad rate either. I mean, a bad rate, but comparatively speaking, not a bad rate, if you follow me.

Now that we know where we're staying, the serious trip planning starts to happen. A Broadway show this night, dinner at Mickey Mantle's restaurant this night, Statue of Liberty that morning, museums, museums, etc, etc. We're within walking distance of Times Square (we'll be sweaty and winded when we get there, but we can walk), the Carnegie Deli, and a number of Ray's Pizzas - all places we really want to go. See, I'm an itinerary person. Going to a place as big as New York, I don't want to leave the fun to chance. I want it all planned. We eat here. We walk there. We stay exactly this long. That way, we're guaranteed to get it all in.

But in the back of my mind, I know that the most fun I've ever had in life I've had when it was totally unexpected. The birthday party you plan for weeks is no where near as fun as the day in the back yard that you just fell into. As John Lennon said "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." I think fun also happens on the way from here to there.

So I'm planning our trip. But I'm also leaving a little space for walks in the park, jumps in puddles, exploring neighborhoods, and sitting on benches. That's when the good times really roll.

What I'm Reading Now

Heat, by Bill Buford. Mr. Buford signs on to be an "extern" at Babbo, one of Mario Batali's three star restaurants in NYC, and has written a book about his experience. He is not a professional chef, did not attend any culinary school, and, from what I can tell, is only doing this for the experience of it (which is not a bad reason to do something, I suppose.) "Externs" get paid nothing, and are little more than kitchen slaves.

So far, I've gotten a closer look at life in a restaurant kitchen, which is not attractive, and a closer look at Mario Batali himself, which is REALLY not attractive. He eats excessively, drinks excessively, and he loves NASCAR.

In addition to his Iron Chef status, Batali at one time had a show called Molto Mario. He worked in a L-shaped studio kitchen, always had three random people sitting at the bar, and would focus on one micro-region of Italy on each show. I never imagined I would cook any of the things he cooked, but the show could be very interesting when he talked about small-town Italian culture. He always started the show the same way - "I'm Mario Batali, and these are my good friends Billy, Tommy, and Susie, and this is Molto Mario." On one show, his friends were "Somebody, Somebody else, and Michael." Over the course of the show, I realized that Michael was none other than Michael Stipe of REM fame. Go figure.

My SPOT Award

We have this thing at work called a SPOT award. You do something that someone else finds particularly impressive, and they give you an award, right on the spot. (Get it, SPOT award?) Anyway, after one year back at the old grind, I finally got a SPOT Award. Said award also comes with a $25 gift check. Sweet.

So my quandry was: what to buy myself? I could just put the money in the bank, but what fun would that be? So I decided that what I really, REALLY wanted was a new roasting pan.

My roasting pan is about 13 years old. It has served me well, but it has two key flaws. The first, I can't comfortably roast two chickens together. I mean, I'm perfectly comfortable, but the chickens are crammed in there, wings all tangled up - it's just not pretty. Not good for heat circulation either. The second flaw is that I have no idea what it's made of. Frankly, it seems pretty cheap. I got it from a grocery store redemption program, so I know it's not top quality, but just how low quality it is, I can't say. I'd like to be able to pop it on the stove post-roast and make some sauce out of the deliciousness that sticks to the bottom of the pan. But not knowing what it's made of, I don't feel real comfortable doing that. A cheap pan is better than no pan at all, you know.

So I took my gift check, my BBBY discount card, and my need for a roasting pan and went shopping. Found the perfect pan. Oneida. Non-stick, sturdy, big enough for two chickens and a right large turkey (not all together, of course). Safe for use on the stove-top. It even looked pretty - big silver handles. I loved it! It was a tad more than the $25 I had to spend, but with the $10 rebate it came with and the discount card, it came to $25.03. Life is good.

I brought it home and it didn't fit in my oven. Blasted wall-mounted ovens.

So I took it back and got an emersion blender. And I've had smoothies everyday this week for breakfast, and milkshakes every night for dessert. Life is still good.

In other culinary news, the Julia Child memoir was GREAT! It made me want to travel, it made me want to try cooking some new things, it made me really hungry, and it made me want to read Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Too bad I spent my $25 on the blender.

Gettin' Lost in Lost

With our kids staying at Nana's for spring break, Mark and I are doing what any married couple would do with a week's worth of free evenings: re-watching the first season of Lost.

We didn't watch Lost when it first came out. We wanted to, but it came on at 8:00, which is pretty much a death-knell for people with young kids and no DVR. Then it switched to a much more agreeable 9:00 time slot, but we had missed the first season, and had no clue what was going on. So we opted to watch the first two seasons on DVD, and were all caught up for season three. (Watching episode after episode on DVD is a vastly different viewing experience than being forced to live with a weekly fix - it was a difficult transition.)

But now here were are, deep in the throws of season four every Thursday night, and season one every night this week. Some things that we've noticed this second time around:

• The guy who played the pilot in the pilot now plays Partman on Heroes. Who knew?
• Sawyer is seen sitting on the beach reading that letter in the very first episode.
• Kate and Jack have a witty banter going about Jack's tattoo.
• The bodies they find in the cave have a bag with one black and one white stone inside.

Funny how when you don't know what's going on, you don't notice things. Like the first time through, I thought Locke was just a creepy old man. Now I know what he was trying to make sense of. And remember when you thought Sun didn't know what anyone was saying? What great show.

If I ever survive a plane crash and get stranded somewhere, I'd want Locke and Sayid in charge.

I have a friend at work who reads up on all the theories about what's going on. The leading contender now is that they are actually on the inside of the earth, in some "mirror moon" world. And the smoke monster appears whenever someone in the real world does something to invade the inside of the earth, like digging a whole or, well, digging a whole. I like hearing the theories, but am content to wonder "What the heck was that about" every week, just knowing that when it all wraps up, it'll all make sense. Or at least it better. I'll be severely chapped if it doesn't.

He Likes to Move It, Move It

Daniel is definitely getting older. Back in the days of Spiderman and Spiderman 2, he liked to recreate all the action sequences. But with Spiderman 3, he has moved on to learning Peter Parker's dance moves:

Movies, Movies, Movies!

I am really torqued about some upcoming summer movie releases. I haven't been excited about a movie in a while, but this summer looks to be a real burner. Take this week's poll and let me know which one you're most excited about. (If your favorite one isn't listed, sorry! I did my best to get all of the big ones up there!)

I was also very excited to learn today that The Time Traveler's Wife has been made into a movie, to be released in November. If you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor. It was fantastic. It tells the story of a couple who meet, fall in love, get married and live their life. Very normal, except that the husband, Henry, has a genetic problem that causes him to spontaneously travel through time. When he meets his wife for the first time, she's known him for about twelve years. (Chew on that one for a while.) It sounds science fictiony, but it really isn't. It's a great story, and absolutely the best time travel story I've ever read/seen.

According to IMDB, Rachel McAdams is playing Clare, and Eric Bana is playing Henry in the movie. Her I can see; him, not so much. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

What's For Dinner?

Tonight, it’s things that start with the letters ‘CH’. (Actually, that was just a coincidence.)

We begin with Chicken Chili. I know, I know, chili is a beef dish. I think it may be illegal in parts of Texas to cook it any other way. However, it’s really quite good, and quite a bit better for you.

I use two or three bone-in, skin-on, salted and peppered chicken breasts drizzled with olive oil. I roast them in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 425, let them rest, remove the skin, and shred the meat off the bone.

While the chickens rests, get the pot ready. I use my standard chili recipe - a big can of crushed tomatoes, a normal can of hot chili beans, goodly amounts of chili powder and cumin, and moderate to goodly amounts of red pepper and chipotle chile pepper. I start this simmering in a dutch oven while I shred the chicken. Add the chicken to the simmering pot of goodness, simmer until you absolutely can’t wait any more, and enjoy. Serve with cheese, sour cream and crackers (to completely counter the healthy effects of the chicken).


For dessert, Chocolate Chip pie. It’s really easy. (A little TOO easy, if you know what I mean.)

You will need:

One stick of butter at room temp
One cup of sugar
Two eggs
One teaspoon vanilla
One cup of flour
One 12-oz bag of chocolate chips
One 10-inch pie shell, or one 9-inch deep dish pie shell

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, add in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed, and add the flour. When all of that is good and combined, add the chips. Pour into the pie shell and bake on a cookie sheet at 325 for 50-60 minutes (it’s done when it’s set across the top and turning brown).

Let cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream, and live the dream.

This pie always reminds me of Jennifer K. She gave me the recipe way back in the day when she was my boss. I think her sister found it in some church cookbook. We both went nuts over this pie. It was during the ‘96 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Most of my memories of those games involve the pie. Mohammed Ali lit the torch while I ate pie. Kerri Strug vaulted through the pain while I ate pie. I think I just sat down with a big bowl of the batter during some of the swimming events. I made it like four times during those games. Everyone I’ve ever shared it with since says the same thing – “I made it all the time for about a month!” Then it just drops back into the regular dessert rotation. Good stuff.

What I'm Reading Now

My Life in France, by Julia Child and Alex Prudhomme.

Shortly before her death at age 92, Julia Child sat down with her great nephew Alex and began to record a memoir of her time in France. Her husband worked for the US government and was sent to Paris in the late 1940s. When they arrived, Julia couldn't cook, and didn't speak french. I think you know the rest of the story.

Julia Child has never been a favorite personality of mine, but some of the foodies I love are huge fans of hers. She inspired them to cook or some such. So I thought I'd see what all the hub-bub was about.

Good book so far - she has just arrived in Paris and is in love the with food and culture. She humorously details her pronunciation of french words, and her alarm at the amount of wine that is consumed mid-day.

FYI for anyone interested in my last book posting Run - not very good. No where near the caliber of Patchett's previous books. If I hadn't read her other books, I would likely not have even finished Run.

Birthday Surprise

Even though we "observed" Daniel's birthday yesterday, we still had one surprise left in the tank for today. We met Uncle Paul, Aunt Natalie, and Sam in Asheville for lunch at Fuddrucker's and a walk around the Grove Park Inn. Great weather. Good times.

ROCK!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

DP's 9th birthday is tomorrow. But today is his birthday observed.

We spent the morning at Fun Expedition, courtesy of Nana. (Thanks Nana!)

Shootin' hoops.

A couple of ring-tailed lemurs in their natural habitat.

Putt-puttin'.

Pizza buffet.

Bumper cars.

Good times in the arcade.

We got there early enough to have the laser tag room all to ourselves. Blue team rules!

We even won cool prizes.

On the docket for the rest of the day: a four-man game of Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, followed by dinner at Chili's.

Happy Birthday, Daniel. Hope you're having a great day!