Today is Monday August 22, 2011.
School starts on Wednesday. Sniff. I can't believe the summer has come and gone already.
What a great summer it's been. In some ways it feels like it has flown. In other ways, looking at the photos of all the things we've done together since school let out at the beginning of June, I realize how much we've grown together as a family. Brian has a facebook account and access to this blog, so out of respect for him, I won't write about him very much - you'll mostly read about Maura here (she can't get mad at me, yet...she doesn't have access to this...)
As I've written about many times on this blog, we're getting married. (Can you believe we're not married yet? We're not! October 8, 2011...47 days from today...and no, I haven't started working out yet, but yes, I still plan to.)
We've had a great summer. We've been to Ohio to visit my parents. That was a terrific time. Maura really bonded with my mom, and both Brian and I enjoyed watching that. They were so cute together, taking off and just hanging out together. My parents live in a smaller town than we live in, and so it's seemingly easier, or maybe just different, to be a kid there. Freer is perhaps a better word for it than easier. She can be outside and running around with less supervision. She can cross the street there without us worrying that somebody is going to steal her or that the perpetual traffic will not stop for her - there isn't perpetual traffic there. We love living in an urban environment with all it has to offer (in fact, where we live is much less urban than where I used to live on my own), but compared to where my folks live, it's much busier. Maura fed their neighbor's cat and helped them catch a raccoon, she stomped around the creek, took lots of walks, visited miniature horses, ran around a farm, and ate lots and lots of ice cream (which she does here - I think she could sniff out ice cream from the bottom of a water well). Brian and I got to spend a lot of time just relaxing and reading together, which was also nice - those are some things that we don't get to do here.
Once back in the Chicagoland area, we got busy on "Camp Christina" - having her friends over once a week for various summer activities and merriment. We tie-dyed t-shirts, planted our backyard garden (of which we are now enjoying the harvest), played baseball, went to the swimming pool, ate lots and lots of popscicles and hot dogs and chips and drank gallons of lemonade, had water balloon and squirt gun fights, and mostly, giggled.
Maura also saw her cousins a lot this summer, which is great. She LOVES her cousins. She saw them on the 4th of July, which was a definite highlight. We spent a great day at her Uncle Rick and Aunt Brenda's house, jumping on the trampoline, eating delicious food, and of course watching fireworks. Allie and Mary came over for an epic sleepover in July, Annie came for a sleepover earlier in the summer and again to Maura's birthday party later in August.
Maura turned 10 in August...double digits. Her grandma from Colorado was here for 5 days to visit us for that grand event during which we went to the city to meet up with Grandma Reilly and see Beauty and the Beast at The Oriental Theatre. Maura also had a friend birthday party/sleepover with 3 friends and her cousin Annie (mentioned above). It was a backwards themed party - everyone wore their clothes backwards, we ate breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast - ate cake first, opened presents - had a scavenger hunt, and then they went wild. There is so much joy in watching kids have fun.
Maura spent two weeks, beginning the middle of July, at Camp. This was a big year for her as she's never been away from home for two weeks before. She did great. She was homesick the first week, but handled it like a real pro. She made friends, and even wrote one letter to a friend she made while away at camp (yet to be mailed, but written nonetheless...).
She's spent the rest of the summer reading, playing Pokemon and dsi, laughing and hanging out with our next door neighbor. Last night Brian and I marveled at the two of them. The next door neighbor, Madison, had spent the afternoon over here playing, as has often been the case this summer. They are very cute together playing their creative play. It was time for Madison to go home, so she went. The three of us sat down to eat dinner. As soon as we finished eating, Maura called Madison, and they positioned themselves in the front windows of each of our houses, windows up, shouting at one another through the open screen windows, continuing their play, until bedtime. It reminded us of the movie "Big" with Tom Hanks. When it was time for bed we heard, "Good night Madison, talk to you tomorrow..."
As a family, we've cooked and taken dinner to the PADS shelter in Oak Park, and cooked and served dinner to the ladies at The Joshua Center, that was a real highlight for me, and really meant a lot that the three of us were finally able to do that together. I got a bit teary watching both Brian and Maura in their hair nets and plastic aprons at the Joshua Center serving like that.
We've also learned how to laugh together, a lot, how to tease each other, how to give each other the necessary space each of us needs at times, and how to talk to each other.
I've definitely learned a lot about what it means to have a family, what it means to be a wife (even though, officially, I'm not there quite yet...) and am learning what it means to be a parent - that seems to change somewhat as Maura grows and her needs change, but some of the basics never do - love her consistently no matter what.
The summer has been a lot of fun, and has also been very challenging at times too. So many times I doubt myself in these two new roles. I never doubt the love I feel for them, nor the love I feel from them. I never doubt that we were brought into each other's lives for a reason.
Fifth grade starts in 1 1/2 days. We're ready - school shoes (a ladie's size 6 1/2, can you even believe that for this kid?) have been purchased, school supplies are in the backpack all zipped up, the uniforms fit, the hair has been cut and looks very sassy, the summer tan is perfected, fun has been had, the math packet is complete, luckily boredom never set in...
Now...back to wedding planning!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Stripped
So there I stood, fresh from the shower, wearing nothing but my iphone (don't try to picture it, it's not pretty), yet covered in so much.
A little history:
Approximately 18 days prior, I started a new job.
We've all been the new kid at work, right? It's not easy.
There is an initiation process, you've got to prove yourself a bit.
It's hard to go day after day and be strong.
To remember that this job and these people don't define you, that you are more than the bottom of this learning curve. It's wearing on your self esteem.
Especially when you're in a bit of a learning curve at home too - as a new-ish parent, in a new-ish neighborhood, in a new-ish town.
Everything, everywhere feels somewhat new and, it's sometimes hard to not step into this funk where you just stop and feel a big ole sory for yourself.
Honestly, I've started to do that.
As many of you know, especially if you're reading this link via facebook - we're getting married. Yay. Wedding plans are moving right along. The dress has been purchased for months, the church is set, the reception location secured.
As luck would have it, we hook lined and sinkered our wedding dj's this week. You can listen to a sample of them here: and I highly suggest you do. We both hit the play button and simply leave it on for hours. Their mixes are terrific. We've practiced dancing to it (though our first dance hasn't been selected so don't get any bright ideas). The right dj is really important to both Brian and me as we are both highly affected by music, and feel that this will really set the tone for our reception. Music is a big part of our life together, and so we're really excited to have a dj that will help us express that at our wedding.
Additionally this week, I've been back in touch (thanks facebook) with a long lost friend from Florida. It's been nice to be back in touch. As well as with a friend from Jr. High/High School who is still in Ohio. PLH. We hadn't been in touch for the longest time. In fact, I think hardly at all since she graduated from High School and went off to college (a year ahead of me). Then, randomly while visiting home for some holiday, I'm not even sure if it was Thanksgiving or Christmas, my mom and I were in line in front of her at the grocery store. Here we were, maybe twenty two years later, catching up on life.
Anyway, flash forward to yesterday. There I stood. Naked in my bedroom, iphone in hand. I only mention naked because it wasn't just physically, it was so many other ways - stripped really. Emotionally as well. So many of the things that I've been recently defined by, recently as in the past decade, are being redefined for me, which is great, but also new. I'm there, dreading going to work and facing this new and yet other challenge but knowing that I can do it and that all of these current "challenges" are just temporary but it feels like there are currently so many if that makes any sense at all while simultaneously hating myself for being such a wimp - because none of these challenges are really that big but collectively they feel huge on top of feeling so extremely tired, and I'm listening to this beautiful cover of a Coldplay song when I read the below message from PLH via facebook on my iphone:
Christie (I'm sorry, I just can't help it),
Wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you as you continue with wedding plans. Hope all is well. You found your dress, right?
That oreo cake looked amazing, too. You're quite the culinary individual. Hope you don't mind that I sporatically keep (old friend) and (old friend) updated...they are interested in how you're doing. We get together about every month or six weeks to stay connected.
(Old friend's) son, just got married. (Old friend's) daughter, is finishing up her freshman year @ (prestigious institution)...though technically next fall she'll be a junior.
My (child), is playing baseball for his high school team - freshman - he pitches. He'll go on to play club ball this summer.
I'm from the past, in your present, praying for your future, Christie. Just want you to know you matter to me. :)
Where I had previously stood, stripped, I now stood in a room full of music - suddenly full of something other than myself, surrounded by beauty and God's Grace. Reminded that emptiness didn't fill me, but extensions of God, in everything.
A little history:
Approximately 18 days prior, I started a new job.
We've all been the new kid at work, right? It's not easy.
There is an initiation process, you've got to prove yourself a bit.
It's hard to go day after day and be strong.
To remember that this job and these people don't define you, that you are more than the bottom of this learning curve. It's wearing on your self esteem.
Especially when you're in a bit of a learning curve at home too - as a new-ish parent, in a new-ish neighborhood, in a new-ish town.
Everything, everywhere feels somewhat new and, it's sometimes hard to not step into this funk where you just stop and feel a big ole sory for yourself.
Honestly, I've started to do that.
As many of you know, especially if you're reading this link via facebook - we're getting married. Yay. Wedding plans are moving right along. The dress has been purchased for months, the church is set, the reception location secured.
As luck would have it, we hook lined and sinkered our wedding dj's this week. You can listen to a sample of them here: and I highly suggest you do. We both hit the play button and simply leave it on for hours. Their mixes are terrific. We've practiced dancing to it (though our first dance hasn't been selected so don't get any bright ideas). The right dj is really important to both Brian and me as we are both highly affected by music, and feel that this will really set the tone for our reception. Music is a big part of our life together, and so we're really excited to have a dj that will help us express that at our wedding.
Additionally this week, I've been back in touch (thanks facebook) with a long lost friend from Florida. It's been nice to be back in touch. As well as with a friend from Jr. High/High School who is still in Ohio. PLH. We hadn't been in touch for the longest time. In fact, I think hardly at all since she graduated from High School and went off to college (a year ahead of me). Then, randomly while visiting home for some holiday, I'm not even sure if it was Thanksgiving or Christmas, my mom and I were in line in front of her at the grocery store. Here we were, maybe twenty two years later, catching up on life.
Anyway, flash forward to yesterday. There I stood. Naked in my bedroom, iphone in hand. I only mention naked because it wasn't just physically, it was so many other ways - stripped really. Emotionally as well. So many of the things that I've been recently defined by, recently as in the past decade, are being redefined for me, which is great, but also new. I'm there, dreading going to work and facing this new and yet other challenge but knowing that I can do it and that all of these current "challenges" are just temporary but it feels like there are currently so many if that makes any sense at all while simultaneously hating myself for being such a wimp - because none of these challenges are really that big but collectively they feel huge on top of feeling so extremely tired, and I'm listening to this beautiful cover of a Coldplay song when I read the below message from PLH via facebook on my iphone:
Christie (I'm sorry, I just can't help it),
Wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you as you continue with wedding plans. Hope all is well. You found your dress, right?
That oreo cake looked amazing, too. You're quite the culinary individual. Hope you don't mind that I sporatically keep (old friend) and (old friend) updated...they are interested in how you're doing. We get together about every month or six weeks to stay connected.
(Old friend's) son, just got married. (Old friend's) daughter, is finishing up her freshman year @ (prestigious institution)...though technically next fall she'll be a junior.
My (child), is playing baseball for his high school team - freshman - he pitches. He'll go on to play club ball this summer.
I'm from the past, in your present, praying for your future, Christie. Just want you to know you matter to me. :)
Where I had previously stood, stripped, I now stood in a room full of music - suddenly full of something other than myself, surrounded by beauty and God's Grace. Reminded that emptiness didn't fill me, but extensions of God, in everything.
Monday, September 27, 2010
white dignity recipes
"dignity bag - This term has a more noble origin than most: it was invented to ease the pain of foster children whose possessions were moved in garbage bags. Dignity bag sounded a little better to Jeanne Fowler, an advocate for foster kids who apparently coined the term. Is she onto something? I wonder if we’d all have more dignity if we used the word dignity instead of garbage, trash, rubbish, junk, and squalor. Then we could live in a shiny new future, full of dignity cans, dignity trucks, and dignity men who empty the dignity dumpsters. White trash would be white dignity."
--wordlustitude (http://wordlust.blogspot.com/2008/01/euphemism-hall-of-fame.html)
often, whenever i make an easy recipe, i feel like i'm cheating.
yesterday, for instance, i made pot pies. so yummy. so easy.
it felt like i was almost doing something wrong to claim them as homemade.
as though i took the easy way out.
everyone was satisfied.
maura ate thirds.
i'm happy when she eats like that.
but i still felt like i cheated.
the pot pie went like this:
- frozen pie crust thawed and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.
- while the pie crust was baking i cooked three chicken breasts on the stove top.
- i sprayed the sautee pan with cooking spray, then seasoned the breasts with salt, pepper and a little garlic for flavor.
- pie crusts out of the oven.
- chicken breasts cooked and diced.
- in a bowl i tossed together a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of undiluted condensed cream of chicken soup (the recipe called for cream of mushroom but brian hates mushrooms so i subbed the chicken), a little shredded cheddar cheese, and the diced chicken.
- stirred it all together
- filled the two empty pie shells
- i topped the two with unrolled crescent rolls until they semi-resembled a "pie"
- baked the assembled pie at 375 for 20 minutes or until the crescent rolls were brown and fluffy.
- ta da, chicken pot pie.
easy. breezy. beautiful. we downed one pot pie in no time flat. the whole thing. the other is wrapped, labeled with instructions, and frozen so we can eat it at a later date.
i still felt like i did something wrong. sort of like that old commercial for rice krispie treats where the woman is in the kitchen reading and throws flour on her face before coming out of the kitchen with a martyred look and a plate of the goodies? do you know the one?
the other delicious recipe my sister and i have labeled "white trash party mix" is wonderful, and seasonally appropriate this time of year:
candy corn and peanuts in a bowl.
my sister has developed the perfect ratio of peanuts to candy corn - something like four to one. i'm not exactly sure. she can tell you though.
if you know her personally, please be sure to ask.
it's worth it for the perfectly balanced sugary/salty mouthful.
don't be fooled and try to use the candy corn flavored pumpkins they make this time of year, nor the honey roasted peanuts, nor any generic candy corn.
you need the real deal - brach's candy corn & dry roasted shelled peanuts. together in a bowl. sitting out on your table. the longer they sit out, the better. trust us.
our mother made this yearly, and it's good.
i don't really know why we started calling it white trash party mix. we just did, and it stuck. not very nice, i know. sometimes i was/am a mean girl. going forward i think we should probably find a new name for it. of course, i'll have to clear this with my sister, the co-namer of the recipe. she's nicer than me, so i'm sure she'll agree.
i think, for some reason, that if anything is easy, if anything has cream of anything on it, i'm taking a short-cut, and somehow short-cuts in cooking equate to cheating for me. is that truly the case? is there anything really wrong with doing that in cooking? i mean, let's be honest - who doesn't love green bean casserole, and that has four ingredients (if you don't count the black pepper) and we all know one of the most delicious aspects of green bean casserole is cream of mushroom soup. well, and those fried onions.
i love fresh green beans too. don't get me wrong. but thanksgiving traditions are thanksgiving traditions, and gimme some green bean casserole.
it must be because i grew up in the 70's, and suddenly everything had cream of something or other smeared on top of or throughout it.
stuff. that was the worst. that was a recipe my mom made, and oh, how i hated stuff night. shredded potatoes topped with shredded carrots topped with ground beef, smothered in cream of something soup. blech. i'm sorry i even wrote about it and you all had to read about it. imagine trying to choke it down once a week. nothing was cooked thoroughly. the meat, sure. but not the potatoes, not the carrots. horrid. oh, the memories of undercooked, shredded potatoes smeared in cream of something (barf perhaps? oh, that's terrible, but as a 9 year old - i mean, come on...) soup.
yes, i was a vegetarian for 15 years as an adult, i think as a result of some of those weird and untimely casseroles. vegetarian that is, until that fateful veal brat from the paulina street meat market 6 years ago...quickly followed by another and another, and oh, oops, i just ate three veal brats at this bbq and i haven't eaten meat in 15 years...
anyway, another story for another time.
so. i guess i'm simply here to say for the record: it's ok to use cream of whatever in whatever, and it's not cheating. right? right. cooking is cooking, and if you need to use canned stuff sometimes, so be it.
it's like a chef friend told me once about music when i was admitting to him that i had listened to justin timberlake the entire way to work that day and danced the whole way there and enjoyed myself doing it, he said "hey girl, you listen to what you need to listen to to get you going, there's no shame in that." so i'm going to say to myself..."hey girl, you cook with what you need to cook with to get you cooking...there's no shame in that."
P.S. A little JT for y'all...
--wordlustitude (http://wordlust.blogspot.com/2008/01/euphemism-hall-of-fame.html)
often, whenever i make an easy recipe, i feel like i'm cheating.
yesterday, for instance, i made pot pies. so yummy. so easy.
it felt like i was almost doing something wrong to claim them as homemade.
as though i took the easy way out.
everyone was satisfied.
maura ate thirds.
i'm happy when she eats like that.
but i still felt like i cheated.
the pot pie went like this:
- frozen pie crust thawed and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.
- while the pie crust was baking i cooked three chicken breasts on the stove top.
- i sprayed the sautee pan with cooking spray, then seasoned the breasts with salt, pepper and a little garlic for flavor.
- pie crusts out of the oven.
- chicken breasts cooked and diced.
- in a bowl i tossed together a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of undiluted condensed cream of chicken soup (the recipe called for cream of mushroom but brian hates mushrooms so i subbed the chicken), a little shredded cheddar cheese, and the diced chicken.
- stirred it all together
- filled the two empty pie shells
- i topped the two with unrolled crescent rolls until they semi-resembled a "pie"
- baked the assembled pie at 375 for 20 minutes or until the crescent rolls were brown and fluffy.
- ta da, chicken pot pie.
easy. breezy. beautiful. we downed one pot pie in no time flat. the whole thing. the other is wrapped, labeled with instructions, and frozen so we can eat it at a later date.
i still felt like i did something wrong. sort of like that old commercial for rice krispie treats where the woman is in the kitchen reading and throws flour on her face before coming out of the kitchen with a martyred look and a plate of the goodies? do you know the one?
the other delicious recipe my sister and i have labeled "white trash party mix" is wonderful, and seasonally appropriate this time of year:
candy corn and peanuts in a bowl.
my sister has developed the perfect ratio of peanuts to candy corn - something like four to one. i'm not exactly sure. she can tell you though.
if you know her personally, please be sure to ask.
it's worth it for the perfectly balanced sugary/salty mouthful.
don't be fooled and try to use the candy corn flavored pumpkins they make this time of year, nor the honey roasted peanuts, nor any generic candy corn.
you need the real deal - brach's candy corn & dry roasted shelled peanuts. together in a bowl. sitting out on your table. the longer they sit out, the better. trust us.
our mother made this yearly, and it's good.
i don't really know why we started calling it white trash party mix. we just did, and it stuck. not very nice, i know. sometimes i was/am a mean girl. going forward i think we should probably find a new name for it. of course, i'll have to clear this with my sister, the co-namer of the recipe. she's nicer than me, so i'm sure she'll agree.
i think, for some reason, that if anything is easy, if anything has cream of anything on it, i'm taking a short-cut, and somehow short-cuts in cooking equate to cheating for me. is that truly the case? is there anything really wrong with doing that in cooking? i mean, let's be honest - who doesn't love green bean casserole, and that has four ingredients (if you don't count the black pepper) and we all know one of the most delicious aspects of green bean casserole is cream of mushroom soup. well, and those fried onions.
i love fresh green beans too. don't get me wrong. but thanksgiving traditions are thanksgiving traditions, and gimme some green bean casserole.
it must be because i grew up in the 70's, and suddenly everything had cream of something or other smeared on top of or throughout it.
stuff. that was the worst. that was a recipe my mom made, and oh, how i hated stuff night. shredded potatoes topped with shredded carrots topped with ground beef, smothered in cream of something soup. blech. i'm sorry i even wrote about it and you all had to read about it. imagine trying to choke it down once a week. nothing was cooked thoroughly. the meat, sure. but not the potatoes, not the carrots. horrid. oh, the memories of undercooked, shredded potatoes smeared in cream of something (barf perhaps? oh, that's terrible, but as a 9 year old - i mean, come on...) soup.
yes, i was a vegetarian for 15 years as an adult, i think as a result of some of those weird and untimely casseroles. vegetarian that is, until that fateful veal brat from the paulina street meat market 6 years ago...quickly followed by another and another, and oh, oops, i just ate three veal brats at this bbq and i haven't eaten meat in 15 years...
anyway, another story for another time.
so. i guess i'm simply here to say for the record: it's ok to use cream of whatever in whatever, and it's not cheating. right? right. cooking is cooking, and if you need to use canned stuff sometimes, so be it.
it's like a chef friend told me once about music when i was admitting to him that i had listened to justin timberlake the entire way to work that day and danced the whole way there and enjoyed myself doing it, he said "hey girl, you listen to what you need to listen to to get you going, there's no shame in that." so i'm going to say to myself..."hey girl, you cook with what you need to cook with to get you cooking...there's no shame in that."
P.S. A little JT for y'all...
Monday, September 13, 2010
food never ceases to amaze me.
yesterday i made stuff.
i woke up baking and cooking, and didn't stop.
homemade chocolate pudding.
ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies.
plum and teriyaki marinade for both tofu and chicken kabobs.
luckily, everything turned out pretty tasty. *pats self on back*. (literally, i just did that, patted myself on the back.)
as i was stirring the pudding in process - watching the sugar, the flour, the cocoa powder and the milk meld together and wait to boil, i thought about its' origins. who originally thought of this stuff? who thought of flour? who thought to put them all together in this delicious form?
i know recipes are formed all of the time. some are happy accidents, some intentional creations.
i thought about my grandmother fox. i thought about the happy memories i have of her related to food. my grandmother smelled of radishes and green onions. she used so much cream in her coffee it was more white than brown. she could grow a tomato better than anybody i've known since, and i've known some tomato growers in my time.
she grew up during the depression, and as a result froze everything food related later in life so that it didn't go to waste. and when i say everything, i mean everything. potato chips. saltine crackers. she had a deep freeze in the bedroom of her one-bedroom apartment when she moved from the house she lived in to a retirement village.
as a young girl, we lived in texas, and drove yearly to ohio to visit her. i used to joke with my parents that upon arrival grandma fox would come out to the cracked cement driveway of her pre-war home and declare, "well, i don't have a thing thawed!" i didn't make the connection until well into my adulthood what exactly this meant...literally, she didn't have a thing thawed.
grandma fox was famous for her vegetable soup, her meticulously cubed potatoes in her homemade potato salad, and her peanut butter cookies. oh how i loved those peanut butter cookies. grandma fox is the one who taught me how eggs work.
i was around 5 years old. i remember being outside at her house. maybe on a swing? maybe at the picnic table? somewhere in her back yard. and out she came, with a peanut butter cookie wrapped in her apron. "oh yum," i thought. "here you go christi, i just made these peanut butter cookies, only i forgot to put in the eggs, so they're all crumbly. eggs work like glue in baking you see, and without them, everything falls apart." it was a great example, one i never forgot.
i carried it with me into 7th grade home ec. when we were learning what everything in baking does and we came to the eggs, i knew immediately. my hand flew in the air, "glue! they are the glue!" yep. instant A. (thank you grandma fox, there weren't that many A's in my academic career, but 7th grade home ec was one of them.)
i thought of this story yesterday when stirring the pudding, waiting for it to boil, and i recounted it to my boyfriend brian.
brian has a nine year old daughter maura. maura likes to do things in the kitchen. she likes to crack open eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. she likes to stand on the step stool and look at stuff on the stove. she loves to wash and cut mushrooms, and sautee them on the stove top. she is pretty great with a knife, i must say. maura is really great at coming up with menu ideas, especially for parties.
maura's favorite food related activity is watching the food network. she could do it for days straight if she'd be allowed. rather, she dvr's show after show after show (and i clear them off of the dvr when she's not looking so that it doesn't fill up the entire thing). smile.
yesterday friends came over for an outdoor celebration. we ate. we laughed. we played bean bags. we discussed dishes from our childhood. watergate salad. lime jello with cabbage and carrots on a bed of iceberg lettuce. some whipped cream creation with pineapple and marshmallows. lots of items with cream of mushroom soup. fruit salads covered in orange juice. childhood pizza party friday nights with homemade pizzas - the 'garbage' variety, chef boyardee just add water pizza crusts.
it's a wonder any of us eat anything at all now really.
and we wondered together - what maura and her friends will grow up and talk about eating from their childhood - plum and teryaki kabobs. sushi. egg white omelettes with aged cheddar cheese. lasagna with arrabiata sauce. real maple syrup. blueberries in season.
like i said, food never ceases to amaze me.
i woke up baking and cooking, and didn't stop.
homemade chocolate pudding.
ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies.
plum and teriyaki marinade for both tofu and chicken kabobs.
luckily, everything turned out pretty tasty. *pats self on back*. (literally, i just did that, patted myself on the back.)
as i was stirring the pudding in process - watching the sugar, the flour, the cocoa powder and the milk meld together and wait to boil, i thought about its' origins. who originally thought of this stuff? who thought of flour? who thought to put them all together in this delicious form?
i know recipes are formed all of the time. some are happy accidents, some intentional creations.
i thought about my grandmother fox. i thought about the happy memories i have of her related to food. my grandmother smelled of radishes and green onions. she used so much cream in her coffee it was more white than brown. she could grow a tomato better than anybody i've known since, and i've known some tomato growers in my time.
she grew up during the depression, and as a result froze everything food related later in life so that it didn't go to waste. and when i say everything, i mean everything. potato chips. saltine crackers. she had a deep freeze in the bedroom of her one-bedroom apartment when she moved from the house she lived in to a retirement village.
as a young girl, we lived in texas, and drove yearly to ohio to visit her. i used to joke with my parents that upon arrival grandma fox would come out to the cracked cement driveway of her pre-war home and declare, "well, i don't have a thing thawed!" i didn't make the connection until well into my adulthood what exactly this meant...literally, she didn't have a thing thawed.
grandma fox was famous for her vegetable soup, her meticulously cubed potatoes in her homemade potato salad, and her peanut butter cookies. oh how i loved those peanut butter cookies. grandma fox is the one who taught me how eggs work.
i was around 5 years old. i remember being outside at her house. maybe on a swing? maybe at the picnic table? somewhere in her back yard. and out she came, with a peanut butter cookie wrapped in her apron. "oh yum," i thought. "here you go christi, i just made these peanut butter cookies, only i forgot to put in the eggs, so they're all crumbly. eggs work like glue in baking you see, and without them, everything falls apart." it was a great example, one i never forgot.
i carried it with me into 7th grade home ec. when we were learning what everything in baking does and we came to the eggs, i knew immediately. my hand flew in the air, "glue! they are the glue!" yep. instant A. (thank you grandma fox, there weren't that many A's in my academic career, but 7th grade home ec was one of them.)
i thought of this story yesterday when stirring the pudding, waiting for it to boil, and i recounted it to my boyfriend brian.
brian has a nine year old daughter maura. maura likes to do things in the kitchen. she likes to crack open eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. she likes to stand on the step stool and look at stuff on the stove. she loves to wash and cut mushrooms, and sautee them on the stove top. she is pretty great with a knife, i must say. maura is really great at coming up with menu ideas, especially for parties.
maura's favorite food related activity is watching the food network. she could do it for days straight if she'd be allowed. rather, she dvr's show after show after show (and i clear them off of the dvr when she's not looking so that it doesn't fill up the entire thing). smile.
yesterday friends came over for an outdoor celebration. we ate. we laughed. we played bean bags. we discussed dishes from our childhood. watergate salad. lime jello with cabbage and carrots on a bed of iceberg lettuce. some whipped cream creation with pineapple and marshmallows. lots of items with cream of mushroom soup. fruit salads covered in orange juice. childhood pizza party friday nights with homemade pizzas - the 'garbage' variety, chef boyardee just add water pizza crusts.
it's a wonder any of us eat anything at all now really.
and we wondered together - what maura and her friends will grow up and talk about eating from their childhood - plum and teryaki kabobs. sushi. egg white omelettes with aged cheddar cheese. lasagna with arrabiata sauce. real maple syrup. blueberries in season.
like i said, food never ceases to amaze me.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
things i can't get over
1) bill kim's seasonal kimchi. http://www.urbanbellychicago.com/ it's so delicious. i crave it. i'm not even sure i can describe it. fresh. crispy. sour. not too spicy. cilantro. garlic. cold. the perfect amount of seasoning. i didn't know it was possible to crave kimchi. if you think it sounds weird to crave kimchi, if you're reading this and wrinkling your nose and squinting your eyes, perhaps turning your head to the side and thinking, "i don't think so, eww..." well, try it. go on, take a bite. dive in. i dare you. you won't be sorry. in fact, i think you'll probably thank me. i'll go ahead and say it so you don't have to - you're welcome.
2) grilled cheese sandwiches made with french peasant bread from breadsmith artisan bakers. toast made with french peasant bread from breadsmith artisan bakers. eggs in the hole made with french peasant bread from breadsmith artisan bakers. anything made with french peasant bread from breadsmith artisan bakers. http://www.breadsmith.com/ one night on the way home from one of my seven jobs, i decided to take myself on a little "treat," and i stopped at whole foods. i hadn't grocery shopped there in at least 8 months, as i'm on a very strict self-induced budget, and i walked through the store repeating my grocery list as not to stray (crackers, granola, yogurt-crackers, granola, yogurt-crackers, granola, yogurt...). of course, once i got in there, i was at war with myself. i finally let the other side win and the indulgent side convinced the frugal side to buy one bag's worth of groceries - if it didn't fit in one bag, i couldn't get it. but, man, am i glad i expanded my boring list. i bought lettuce, a frozen pizza, aged new zealand cheddar cheese, soy milk, and...french peasant bread from breadsmith artisan bakers. this bread toasts up so crispily delicious. it browns perfectly in a pan full of butter. the crunch my teeth sink in to is amazing. it's beautiful. perfect really. i'm hooked. i'll be lucky to ever buy another kind of sandwich bread again. and, as a side note, my little grocery excursion was $50...so silly, but has brought me a lot of sandwich/toast/eggs in the hole pleasure. and can pleasure really have a price tag?
3) corduroys. i'm addicted. corduroy is the new black. do you have a pair? i know we're infringing upon spring. i'm personally thinking of wearing mine to the pool this summer. instant sunscreen. but seriously. i think i invested in 5 pairs this winter, and they have served me well. my favorites are from the gap. http://www.gap.com/browse/search.do?searchText=women%27s+corduroys&searchDivName= i have both of these first two listed, in the colors shown. i'm not really one to promote brands, so please excuse that i'm telling you to go buy something from the gap. i think i originally bought them from the gap because i had a gift certificate. but i'm telling you, they're fabulous. comfy. durable. go with everything (well, except obviously the yellow ones...but you understand...).
4) last but not least. i can't get over my frye boots. those of you that know me, understand this. i have a million, if not two million, pairs of footwear, and these have been the only things (besides socks) on my feet for months. but i'm telling you, i heart them. i don't even know why i'm telling you this, except to give a should out to the frye boot. if you don't own a pair, well, they are a mighty fine boot. .
Thursday, February 25, 2010
i'm neglectful.
i've neglected my blog/writing since july. i seem only to think/form sentences via the facebook status realm. everything i communicate to the world seems to come out in this format only. it's as though i have ADD and can communicate as much as 140 characters will allow (at least i think that's correct, that might be what twitter allows you, which i've completely abandoned. and don't even think of getting me started on the gmail buzz. i can't take one more form of social media at this point.)
i'm almost tempted to go back to formal letter writing, except that i'm too lazy to go to the post office and purchase stamps. well, officially, i'm not sure lazy would be the word i'd use. temperamental, yes, lazy, no. the post office irritates me and brings out my official worst side, mirrored only by sitting in traffic or poor service in a restaurant. so, alas, it's back to blogging. we'll see how long it lasts THIS time.
well, for those of you who follow my blog but don't know me personally, (um, at this point i'm pretty sure that's, um...nobody, ahem) a lot of wonderful and a lot of nothing have simultaneously happened in my life since july when i last wrote. i have a wonderful boyfriend (hi b). i don't have a job, but rather seven regular part-time jobs each week, and also work pick-up jobs as they arise. it's wonderful actually, and i've never been happier. things are busy busy busy, but it's fun. if i get behind at all, i pretty much screw myself that week, so i have to keep my head on straight and know where i am at each point in the day, using each minute wisely because there won't be time to make up that minute later.
i'm reminded of a few "facebook status-like thoughts" i've had of late, and thought i'd post them here as my re-entrance to blogging/warm-up to writing:
1) "you don't have to live like a refugee" by tom petty. what, exactly, does this mean? http://www.dictionary.com/ defines refugee as, "a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc."
Tom Petty says:
Baby we ain't the first I'm sure a lot of other lovers been burned
Right now it seems real to you,
but it's
One of those things you got to feel to be true
Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some
Who knows maybe you were kidnapped tied up,
Taken away and held for ransom
Honey, it don't really matter to me baby
Everybody has to fight to be free, you see
i'm answering my own question as i go here - clearly what he's trying to say is, this person doesn't have to flee, seek safety/refuge from love. but "live like a refugee"? it seems like such severe language, no? i guess refugees perhaps didn't have the same immediacy in 1979 that the term brings to mind in 2010, with haiti fresh in our minds, or the tsunami of a few years ago, or any refugees, it seems that there are so many. don't get me wrong, i love tom petty. i'm not trying to over think a great song from the 70's. i was singing it the other day for some reason, and i thought to myself "what does this mean"? refugee brings to mind such different thoughts now than it did then...
wow, this is becoming a downer.
moving on...
2) wisdom teeth are so weird. i happen to have all four of mine. more than likely i'll not have to get them removed, as long as i can keep them clean (so the dentist says). b has his too. not that any of you needed to know that, i just learned that this week though, so i thought i'd share. i was curious why wisdom teeth are called wisdom teeth - do you know? i recently learned. they are because you get them generally between the ages of 17 - 25, when, supposedly, you are a bit wiser. different cultures have different names for them. this is from http://www.wikipedia.com/:
Turkish refers directly to the age at which wisdom teeth appear and calls it 20 yaş dişi (20th year tooth). In Arabic, its name is Ders-al-a'qel (ضرس العقل), literally meaning "The tooth of the mind" and hence similar to occidental names. In Korean, its name is Sa-rang-nee (love teeth) referring to the young age and the pain of the first love. In Japanese, its name is Oyashirazu, literally meaning "unknown to the parents," from the idea that they erupt after a child has moved away. In Chinese, the term is Zhi Ya, a word for wisdom (Zhi) combined with the word for tooth (Ya). The Indonesian term gigi bungsu for the last teeth a person cuts refers to bungsu, meaning "youngest child", because the teeth erupt so much later than the others, implying that the teeth are "younger" than the rest. In Thailand, the wisdom tooth is described fan-khut (ฟันคุด) "huddling tooth" due to its shortage of space. In Persian, its name is dandan-e aghl (دندان عقل), which means "wisdom tooth". In many Spanish speaking countries, it is called the "molar of judgment" (muela de juicio). This is because when they appear, the person is considered to have a better judgment than that of a child. A similar phrase is commonly used in Italian, as the tooth is called "dente del giudizio" (judgment tooth).
3) now for the magazine portion of this blog post. yay.
donna hay magazine is my favorite food magazine. it's deliciously beautiful. i would love a subscription to it, but it's from australia, and so to get a subscription, it's like $100 to have it delivered for 12 issues. which, if i were rich, i'd get it delivered. but alas, i'm not rich (in spirit, yes). so i go to border's and i read it and drool over the photos, and occasionally when i have extra money to spend, i buy a copy. i know, i know, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. but here is her web-site http://www.donnahay.com.au/ check it out - you'll be happy you did. the recipes are in metric, so either know your metric system, or have a conversion system handy.
and for the feminist in you (come on, you know she's down in there somewhere), bitch magazine is an amazing read. i heart it immensely. it's a wonderful, mind-opening publication. http://bitchmagazine.org/ is their web-site. you can read their blog, you can friend them on facebook, you can subscribe to their publication, you can read them for free at border's or laurie's planet of sound, or you can come to my house and read it and hang out with me and i'll make you something to eat (hey, maybe even from donna hay's magazine, who knows?) and we can discuss how not to live like refugees of love, or how to make the people at the post office smile, or i'll open my mouth wide enough for you to see all four of my wisdom teeth. the possibilities are endless really.
signing off for now...
thatgirltina
i'm almost tempted to go back to formal letter writing, except that i'm too lazy to go to the post office and purchase stamps. well, officially, i'm not sure lazy would be the word i'd use. temperamental, yes, lazy, no. the post office irritates me and brings out my official worst side, mirrored only by sitting in traffic or poor service in a restaurant. so, alas, it's back to blogging. we'll see how long it lasts THIS time.
well, for those of you who follow my blog but don't know me personally, (um, at this point i'm pretty sure that's, um...nobody, ahem) a lot of wonderful and a lot of nothing have simultaneously happened in my life since july when i last wrote. i have a wonderful boyfriend (hi b). i don't have a job, but rather seven regular part-time jobs each week, and also work pick-up jobs as they arise. it's wonderful actually, and i've never been happier. things are busy busy busy, but it's fun. if i get behind at all, i pretty much screw myself that week, so i have to keep my head on straight and know where i am at each point in the day, using each minute wisely because there won't be time to make up that minute later.
i'm reminded of a few "facebook status-like thoughts" i've had of late, and thought i'd post them here as my re-entrance to blogging/warm-up to writing:
1) "you don't have to live like a refugee" by tom petty. what, exactly, does this mean? http://www.dictionary.com/ defines refugee as, "a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc."
Tom Petty says:
Baby we ain't the first I'm sure a lot of other lovers been burned
Right now it seems real to you,
but it's
One of those things you got to feel to be true
Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some
Who knows maybe you were kidnapped tied up,
Taken away and held for ransom
Honey, it don't really matter to me baby
Everybody has to fight to be free, you see
i'm answering my own question as i go here - clearly what he's trying to say is, this person doesn't have to flee, seek safety/refuge from love. but "live like a refugee"? it seems like such severe language, no? i guess refugees perhaps didn't have the same immediacy in 1979 that the term brings to mind in 2010, with haiti fresh in our minds, or the tsunami of a few years ago, or any refugees, it seems that there are so many. don't get me wrong, i love tom petty. i'm not trying to over think a great song from the 70's. i was singing it the other day for some reason, and i thought to myself "what does this mean"? refugee brings to mind such different thoughts now than it did then...
wow, this is becoming a downer.
moving on...
2) wisdom teeth are so weird. i happen to have all four of mine. more than likely i'll not have to get them removed, as long as i can keep them clean (so the dentist says). b has his too. not that any of you needed to know that, i just learned that this week though, so i thought i'd share. i was curious why wisdom teeth are called wisdom teeth - do you know? i recently learned. they are because you get them generally between the ages of 17 - 25, when, supposedly, you are a bit wiser. different cultures have different names for them. this is from http://www.wikipedia.com/:
Turkish refers directly to the age at which wisdom teeth appear and calls it 20 yaş dişi (20th year tooth). In Arabic, its name is Ders-al-a'qel (ضرس العقل), literally meaning "The tooth of the mind" and hence similar to occidental names. In Korean, its name is Sa-rang-nee (love teeth) referring to the young age and the pain of the first love. In Japanese, its name is Oyashirazu, literally meaning "unknown to the parents," from the idea that they erupt after a child has moved away. In Chinese, the term is Zhi Ya, a word for wisdom (Zhi) combined with the word for tooth (Ya). The Indonesian term gigi bungsu for the last teeth a person cuts refers to bungsu, meaning "youngest child", because the teeth erupt so much later than the others, implying that the teeth are "younger" than the rest. In Thailand, the wisdom tooth is described fan-khut (ฟันคุด) "huddling tooth" due to its shortage of space. In Persian, its name is dandan-e aghl (دندان عقل), which means "wisdom tooth". In many Spanish speaking countries, it is called the "molar of judgment" (muela de juicio). This is because when they appear, the person is considered to have a better judgment than that of a child. A similar phrase is commonly used in Italian, as the tooth is called "dente del giudizio" (judgment tooth).
3) now for the magazine portion of this blog post. yay.
donna hay magazine is my favorite food magazine. it's deliciously beautiful. i would love a subscription to it, but it's from australia, and so to get a subscription, it's like $100 to have it delivered for 12 issues. which, if i were rich, i'd get it delivered. but alas, i'm not rich (in spirit, yes). so i go to border's and i read it and drool over the photos, and occasionally when i have extra money to spend, i buy a copy. i know, i know, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. but here is her web-site http://www.donnahay.com.au/ check it out - you'll be happy you did. the recipes are in metric, so either know your metric system, or have a conversion system handy.
and for the feminist in you (come on, you know she's down in there somewhere), bitch magazine is an amazing read. i heart it immensely. it's a wonderful, mind-opening publication. http://bitchmagazine.org/ is their web-site. you can read their blog, you can friend them on facebook, you can subscribe to their publication, you can read them for free at border's or laurie's planet of sound, or you can come to my house and read it and hang out with me and i'll make you something to eat (hey, maybe even from donna hay's magazine, who knows?) and we can discuss how not to live like refugees of love, or how to make the people at the post office smile, or i'll open my mouth wide enough for you to see all four of my wisdom teeth. the possibilities are endless really.
signing off for now...
thatgirltina
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