My (Sort Of) Brush With Fame

Followers of this blog are more than aware by now that most of my on-line time is being spent on Facebook, and not blogging. To those disappointed by my lack of dedication to my blog, all I can say is, friend me. Friend me because cool things happen to me on Facebook.

So, I'm a big fan of the Food Network show Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. Most nutritionists are all "Food is bad, bad, bad. Don't eat this, don't eat that. Bad. BAD!" But Ellie Krieger LOVES food - she has a very healthy attitude about food and eating. And so, I love her show.

And because I love her show, I joined the Facebook group "Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger." And this week, all the members got an email telling us that Ellie had her own Facebook account and encouraged us all to friend her. And so I did. And she accepted my friend request.

(Now let me interject right here that I'm fairly certain that it's not REALLY Ellie Krieger managing this account. More than likely, it's an assistance or intern of some kind on her team. But a girl can dream. Let me get back to my story.)

So after she accepts my friend request, I put a post on her wall telling her how I really got into her superfood show, so much so that I made a New Year's resolution to eat more superfood. And she replied!! She said it was a great way to start the year, and she was happy to have been a part of my "motivation".

So yes, I chatted up my favorite nutritionist on Facebook. I'm still giddy. Giddy! Next thing you know, we'll be going out for soy milk lattes and hitting the farmer's market!!

More Soup For You!

Despite the best laid plans, I sometimes find myself with more food than I have days to cook it. Such was my quandary this morning when I realized that I had way more veggies in the crisper than I could possibly cook before they started going bad. I hate throwing food away, and I especially hate throwing food away that never even got out of the gate.

Over the weekend, I watched an episode of Barefoot Contessa where Ina made a roasted vegetable soup out of leftover roasted veggies. Veggies I got.

I chopped up a bundle of asparagus, one zucchini, one yellow squash, two parsnips, two carrots, two red peppers, and one yellow pepper. I tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes at 425.

Here they are going in:


And here they are coming out:



Meanwhile, I sauteed an onion and two cloves of garlic in my big blue pot (with my back truss.) I added about 4 cups of chicken stock, all the veggies, a little basil and chili flake, and salt and pepper. I let that simmer for 30 minutes. Then I pureed it, and topped it with chopped parsley.

Here it is with a side of wheat toast with Parmesan cheese (a little burned on the edges, but what can you do):

Pretty good stuff on a cold and (rumored) snowy April night.

Wide World of Sports - Spring Edition

Today was the first day for both boys in their chosen sport - Daniel is playing in a spring soccer recreational league (which means it's non-competitive, but we parents know better) and Ben is playing Little League Baseball (which doesn't even pretend to be non-competitive.) Both teams won their opening game, and it looks like both boys will have good seasons. And it was a great day to be outside!!

Play Ball!

Our Week In Soup

We started the week with soup on Monday night. I had a Cooking Light recipe for black bean soup made in the crock pot that I wanted to try. (Crock pot meals work really well for us on Mondays - Ben has Scouts at 7:00, so we have to eat beforehand, but that doesn't leave much time for cooking.)

I soaked one pound of black beans overnight. The next morning, I put the beans, 4 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of water, 3 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili flake, 1 chopped medium onion, and some salt and pepper in the crock pot. I set it to low for 10 hours.

Right before serving, I removed the bay leaves and added the juice of one lime. I served it with chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. It was awesome! Really, really good.




On Friday night, we got home late. It was cold, and we wanted something hot to eat. I had some shredded chicken in the fridge, so I went to my go-to speedy soup recipe: Chicken Tortilla. I got the recipe from a cookbook called Desperation Dinners that Mom got me many years ago. It's one of Mark's favorites, and really easy to make.

Saute some chicken, onions, and garlic in olive oil. (I used already-cooked chicken, but usually I make it with raw chicken - cook it until the chicken is done. If you use already-cooked chicken, just cook it until the onions are soft.) Add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and the juice of one lime. Then add 2 cans (14 oz) of chicken stock and 1 cup of salsa. Bring to a boil and let simmer until you're ready to eat. The longer it simmers the better.

Serve it with Monterrey jack cheese and tortilla chips. I like to crumble the chips into the soup, but Mark is a dip man. Either way, it's some good soup.

Did I mention that I really love soup?

What's for Dinner?

I tried out some new recipes from two of my favorite Food Network shows:

Balsamic Strawberry Salad. (OK, this isn't new, we have this a lot. This was a special request from Ben. Usually it has goat cheese on it. I tried to find the link to the recipe, but the server died before I could find it. It's an Ellie Kreiger recipe.)

Penne with Four Cheeses - Really, really good.

And for dessert, Peach Crumble - it calls for frozen peaches. Should have waited a few months and used fresh.


All in all, a solid meal. No one complained.

Day at the Barter Theater

Daniel is on spring break this week, and for a special treat, I took him out to lunch and to a matinee performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon.

I offered to take him to lunch anywhere he wanted to go. "Pizza Hut." Anywhere you want to go. Any old place. "Pizza Hut." Sky's the limit. Olive Garden? Ruby Tuesday's? Chili's? "Pizza Hut." Ok, fine.

The show started at 2:00. We got there early, thinking we could walk around Abingdon some, but it was cold and drizzly when we got there. It actually sleeted some. So we just hung out in the lobby. I pointed out the picture of Newman (one of the alumni players). DP found this intriguing.

The show was really good. I have seen it twice before, and it amazes me how differently such a show can be staged for very different effects. The lead was really good, although he looked a lot like Alannis Morrisette, and he was shirtless for most of the show, which I found strangely disturbing. The East TN Children's Choir was part of the show, and much to our surprise, two girls we know from school were in the choir!

Daniel enjoyed the show - especially Pharoah's performance (he was really, really good.) One thing freaked him out, though (in addition to Joseph's shirtlessness). The brothers were all dressed very oddly. White coveralls, with solid shirts underneath (at least, solid colors on one sleeve) and matching hoods (think Oompa Loompas in the scene in the TV room). They also wore really weird face make-up - Joseph/Alannis wore blue lines across his eyes, one guy had green lines all over his face, one had polka dots. Just really weird looking, especially if you aren't used to it. Well, before the show started, people are just milling around talking, and then we started noticing these guys are wandering around the audience. Climbing over chairs, miming, sitting in people's seats. Really creepy stuff, until you realize it's part of the show. (Imagine the scene from the first Batman movie when the mimes start wandering through the crowd - it was creepy like that.)

None of them spoke - they just wandered around in their crazy face-painted costumes and slapped palms, mimed, and generally creeped everyone out. The lights didn't dim - it didn't feel like part of the show at all - it just felt like a bunch a weirdos had shown up to watch a play. One guy gave DP a knuckle tap. They were back for the beginning of the second act as well.

When it was over, Daniel said "Let's get out of here before those guys come back."

Good times.

Guess What I Did Today?

Yep. Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread. Think I'll have some while it's still warm....

Superkid

I have to do a little bragging on the Benster. We all have busy weekends, but Ben just blew through perhaps the busiest weekend of his life, and carried most of his determination into the week.

We start on Friday night. Ben went to baseball practice right after school. Then he went to a lock-in at the church, where all the kids in the youth wrote letters to people they know asking for donations to fund their summer mission trip.

On Saturday morning, Ben came home, rested a bit, then headed back out with the youth group to volunteer at the Kitchen of Hope - our youth is on a ten-week rotation where they prepare and serve a meal at a food pantry, and this was our week. Immediately following the afternoon at the food pantry, Ben went to a two-hour baseball practice. Right after that, we went to DP's soccer game (we had the late game that night - 9:15) and Ben finally got home and in bed about 11:00.

On Sunday, we headed out to church, where the youth was hosting a soup lunch to (again) raise money for the mission trip. Ben set up, served, and cleaned up, and we got back home about 1:45. He then went to yet another baseball practice, followed by Sunday Night youth group, followed by homework for Monday morning.

When I picked Ben up from school Monday, he asked if I thought he should try to qualify for the "200% AR club", which means you have to reach double your reading goal for the semester. He was really close, but it would mean reading two whole books before Wednesday morning, and passing a test on them. We talked about what he would have to do to get it done, and even though he had Scouts Monday night, he decided to go for it. He started reading as soon as he got home from Scouts, and read all night last night. He is most likely taking his tests even as I type this post.

And here's the best part of all of this: he has not complained once! He's been tired, but has been cheerful and upbeat since Friday night when the whirlwind started. And I don't even care if he passes the tests and gets in the 200% club. He's passed a whole different kind of test in my mind.

Ben - Mom is extremely proud of you. You are truly a Superkid!!

UPDATE: He passed both tests!!

What I'm Reading Now

Swapping Lives, by Jane Green.

Although, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it. Jane Green is my favorite "fluff" writer. She writes chick-lit, and her books are easy to read, entertaining, but not the the least bit substantial. But sometimes that is exactly what you need. I remember my advisor at PC, Dr. Prater, telling my Literary Criticism class that not everyone wrote earth-shattering books that brimmed over with literary genius, and that everyone needed a light read every now and then. His favorite indulgence was to read an Agatha Christie novel at the end of every semester.

And since I've been in quite a bit of a reading rut here lately, I thought something light might just do the trick. I had a $30 credit at Mr K's and decided to cash it in. I actually found two of Jane Green's books that I haven't read, as well as some "heavier" fiction, so hopefully I'll be back in the reading swing sooner rather than later.

So far, Swapping Lives gives us two heroines: Vicky is a big-shot editor at a London magazine who wants to settle down with a husband and kids, but has been a swinging single for so long that she thinks she might have missed her chance; Amber is a Connecticut stay-at-home mom who is obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses and spends money hand-over-fist to do so. I have a hunch (something in the title seems to imply, at least) that these women will get a taste of each other's lives and ultimately decide they are truly happy after all. Or something like that.

I have guiltily enjoyed all the other Jane Green books I have read - Jemima J, Mr. Maybe, Bookends, Babyville -so this one should be no exception. It's good to have a favorite fallback writer for those times when you want to read something, but you don't want to really read something, if you follow me. These books practically read themselves!

Internet Theories

So, as you all know well, I'm a HUGE Lost fan. This season is the best so far, although it doesn't have any of the character development that Season One had, which is what sold me on the show in the first place. But I digress.

If you don't watch Lost, what's wrong with you!?!?? No, sorry. I meant to say, if you don't watch Lost, you won't have any idea what I'm posting about. But if you do......you are probably more than aware of all the theories out there. The survivors are in heaven/hell/purgatory. The survivors only exist in Hurley's mind. There are TONS of theories, which usually change every week as new information is provided.

But here's a new one, and this one has nothing to do with what's actually been happening on the show. This one has to do with some tom-foolery from the show's producers. It was recently brought to my attention, via the Internet theorists, that the cast photo for Season Five (coincidentally, posted here just a few weeks back) is missing a little something. A little something called Daniel Faraday's left foot. See below:

So, I saw this photo, and then went back to the ABC web site on the suspicion that this photo had been shopped, if you know what I mean. And sure enough, in the original cast photo, Daniel is missing the foot. You wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it - at a glance, it looks like his foot is hidden in the vines. But on closer inspection, it's gone.

So what does this mean? Probably nothing. But there's a very interesting theory out there. A theory that some suspect the show's producers are hinting at by whacking off Faraday's foot.

Arthur C. Clarke once opined that any technology viewed by a primitive people would be seen as magic. If Daniel were to stop the babbling and travel back in time to an ancient civilization, with his knowledge and his technological advances, he would be viewed by said civilization as a magician, or possibly a god. A god that they might be persuaded to erect a statue to honor. See where this is going? I thought so. Daniel's left foot is gone, but all that remains of that crazy statue is the left foot. We know that Daniel's time travel caused the hatch to be built, so what if his time travel took him back to the ancient world, where he used his advanced knowledge to help them become an advanced people? What if Daniel created the very island race that he is trapped by today?

But again, it's just a theory. And probably wrong. But it sure is fun to speculate. Now if only we could get a gander at Daniel's toes....

And by the way, I don't think Ben actually killed Locke. But that's another post.

Introducing.....

...the newly-elected Patrol Leader of the Manly Moose Patrol for Troop 37: (drumroll) Ben!! Ben was elected last night. He will be writing up a hundred-day plan, and has scheduled a press conference to introduce his economic policy later in the week.

Congratulations Ben!!

Happy Birthday, Daniel

If I had a spell of magic

I would make this enchantment for you

A Burgundy Heart-Shaped Medallion

With a window that you could look through

So that when all the mirrors are angry

With your faults, and all you must do

You could peek through that Heart-Shaped Medallion

And see you from my point-of-view

- David Wilcox

Two Cakes for Brother Daniel

Daniel's tenth birthday is Monday. Since he is just starting a three-week spring break, he had a classroom party on Friday, and we had our "Day of Daniel" on Saturday.

For the classroom party, I asked our local Food City to make some cupcakes with soccerballs on them. This is what they did instead:


I thought the "cupcake cake" looked awesome!


This is what I baked:

Not nearly as cool looking, but it tasted better! It's actually a brownie with white frosting. And no one is really sure what "B-Davy" means.

The Greatest Moment in His Young Life

Big game tonight at the indoor soccer arena - D's team took on an undefeated powerhouse - and we won!! It was a nail-biter, but with less than a minute left to play, Daniel scored his first goal of the season to win it!! He was PUMPED!!

I didn't actually get the goal on screen when he scored - I tend to get excited and forget to pay attention to where the camera is pointing - but you can clearly here me yelling in a very redneck sort of way when the ball goes in. Enjoy! Daniel is #13 in the blue jersey.

Bebop with Aesop

The Fourth Grade classes put on a musical program called "Bebop with Aesop"at tonight's PTA meeting. It was really, really well done. The chorus wore togas and green laurels, and different kids got to be characters in five different fables. Everyone knew their lines, and everyone was really animated and into it.

Daniel was the grasshopper in the story about the grasshopper and the ants, where the ants were all work, work, work, work, work, and the grasshopper was all hop, hop, hop, hop, hop. Then winter rolls around and the grasshopper freezes and starves his caboose off while the mean old ants enjoy the spoils of their labor. Or something like that.


Daniel did a great job! And check out that wicked cool costume - wonder who helped him with that?