Lately, trying to successfully parent two children under the age of five (one of them a baby) during this most hectic of seasons, do some work, keep the house Christmas-shiny, get to every single preschool performance-choral concert-friend's party that we need to, and do all the holiday shopping, has been exhausting. I know you're all exhausted, too. In ways good and bad. Because there is hectic-exhausted and happy-exhausted.
But I digress. Last night at a concert a friend shared this link with me to British comedian Michael McIntyre doing a stand-up routuine called "People with no kids don't know." It's absolutely hysterical. And I especially like his take on trying to get out the door.
2.) Christmas Concerts in your town Speaking of concerts: Last night my husband and I attended the annual Brevard College Christmas Concert at the Porter Center for the Fine Arts in our little mountain hamlet in Western North Carolina. If you don't know much about Brevard College--which is a small liberal arts college with a great big heart, known largely for its Music and Wilderness Leadership programs--trust me when I tell you that whenever these students put on a concert, it's a hum-dinger.
Here's a taste of the Brevard College music students and faculty, and members of TCS, directed by David Gresham and singing an African Noel (please forgive the quality--I'm no videographer):
We make it a point to get a babysitter and go each year with friends. It's a great evening, full of incredible music generously performed for free by the College's music students and faculty, and members of the Transylvania Choral Society. Afterwards, everyone gathers in gorgeous lobby of the Porter Center for punch, cake, and time to meet up with friends old and new. This is the time of year in any town, big or small, that arts events--often free--abound. If there's a choral concert in your town around this time of year, I say get thee to it, and take friends! There's nothing like live Christmas music to put you in the spirit.
3.) Recipe - Aunt Gloria's (Adapted) Killer Dip Everybody needs a good party recipe this time of year--one that's blessedly free of all the "frees": fat-free, sugar-free, etc. This recipe is full-fat and tasty as all get-out. My Aunt Gloria always made it when I was growing up for our annual Crawford Christmas, which basically involved a whole lot of yummy pogey bait.
Don't know what "pogey bait" means? Look it up. (Hint: it comes from WWII.)
Anyway, I altered the recipe just a bit from the original, and tend to serve it at Christmas parties, football games, and New Year's weekends at the lake. Yes, it makes a lot. Yes, it's full o'fat. Don't try to halve it. Trust me: it WILL get eaten.
Here you go:
Killer Dip Ingredients: 1 lb Original Velveeta 8 oz. cream cheese 1 lb sausage 1 can Rotel Tabasco or Texas Pete to taste
Directions: Brown the sausage and drain; melt the cheeses together and stir in the Rotel; add the sausage and stir together. (I do all this on a big pot on the stove. Set on low and stir frequently to prevent burning.) Serve with tortilla chips. I dare you to take just one bite!
4.) Christmas quotations I'm a nut for a good quote.
"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” ~ Dr. Seuss, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home." ~ Carol Nelson
"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." ~ Washington Irving
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know, Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow..." ~ Irving Berlin
Breaking my fast from the Internet to deliver today’s edition of Show & Tell Friday. (Okay, so I wrote it before the fast and pre-programed it to post today. I cannot tell a lie.)
Moving on.
A bunch of great things to share: books, recipes, TV shows, movies, blogs, etc. I hope you enjoy. And if you do, I hope you’ll share!
1.) Parenthood (the 1989 movie) and Parenthood (the current TV show)
I was in elementary school when the movie Parenthood first came out, but I watched it a few years after and thought it was pretty funny … though I spent the entire movie trying to decide whether then-Lake Phoenix (now Joaquin)was a boy or a girl. What can I say? I was in middle school. Anyway, Parenthood was on a free movie channel the other night, and though I came into it late I decided to watch for a while, figuring I’d roam around the house, wash clothes and clean a bit while I watched. Oh, no. I sat in Paw Paw’s Chair (that’s what we call our ancient, hand-me-down Lazy Boy knock-off), unable to walk away, and laughed until I cried. Becoming a parent made me appreciate this absolutely hysterical film so much more.
Steve Martin is … well, Steve Martin. Jason Robards is pitch perfect as the blustering patriarch. And the scenes between Dianne Wiest, Martha Plimpton and Keanu Reeves are that combination of poignant, funny and bittersweet that so many movies never reach.
Seriously: Ignore the late ’80s haircuts and clothes, and focus on the characters. Or don’t, because those high-waisted, fold-over acid washed jean shorts are pretty awesome.
Trust me, you’ll love it.
Ron Howard, of course, directed the movie. But he’s also the brains behind the current TV show based off the movie, starring Craig T. Nelson (you know: Coach), Lauren Graham, Peter Kraus and others. The writing on this show is superb. That, combined with the performances by these (mostly) veteran actors and the true-down-deep-in-the-soul storylines make the show a must-watch. Or, if you’re like I am, must-DVR.
2.) We Are Water by Wally Lamb and The Book of Lifeby Deborah Harkness
I’m really looking forward to reading both of these books. We Are Water, because it’s by Wally Lamb, a wonderful author who actually graduated from the MFA in Writing program I’m currently attending at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I figure that I loved She’s Come Undone, so I’ll love this one, too. Jennifer Smeth over at the blog Book-alicious Mama did a wonderful job reviewing the novel. Check it out here.
The Book of Life is the third and final novel in Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy, slated to be released July 15, 2014. I fell in love with her Diana and Matthew (a hereditary witch and historian, and vampire-scientist, respectively) when reading A Discovery of Witches—the first book in the series—for the second time. Now I’m utterly and completely captivated. I can’t wait to see—as both a hopeful series-writer and fan--how she brings the series full circle.
3.) “The Boasting”
from The British Library
Remember Beowulf from high school English class? The darned frustrating Olde English? Remember the “heroic boast,” where a character basically brags on himself, Olde English-style? Me neither. In the boast, the speaker tells us A) who he or she is, B) where he or she is from, and C) why he or she is ready to take on challenges to come. Latayne C. Scott, a writer and teacher who blogs over at Novel Matters, decided to challenge her students to write their own “heroic boasts.”
Interestingly enough, these sound so much to me like the Native American “death songs,” where the speaker—or someone honoring/memorializing him or her, sings of all the great deeds that person has accomplished (including children, travels, and more) in his or her life. The Highland Scots used to do this, too.
This is really cool, and a great tool for teachers struggling to teach Beowulf, who really doesn’t make it easy for us. For more info and to read some of these wonderful takes on the “heroic boast,” go to Novel Matters.
4.) Two fabulous fall recipes
Our version
Spinach and ricotta-stuffed shells (from Real Simple magazine) I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the Real Simple recipes, for various reasons. But this one was easy and delicious!
Ingredients 20 jumbo pasta shells (half of a 12 oz box) 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce 2 15 oz containers ricotta 2 cups baby spinach, chopped ½ cup grated Parmesan (2 oz) Kosher salt and black pepper (we used sea salt) 1 cup grated mozzarella (4 oz) Green salad (optional)
Directions Set an oven rack to the highest position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package; drain and run under cold water until cool. Spread marinara sauce in bottom of large baking dish. (RS says to use a boilerproof baking dish, but I used my ceramic lasagna dish and it worked just fine.) In a bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into shells and place them atop the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until shells are heated through, 10 to 20 minutes. (It took us the full 20 minutes to get everything looking like we wanted.) Increase heat to broil. Broil shells until the cheese begins to brown, 2 to 5 minutes (took us 5). Serve with salad, if desired. (We did not desire. We had dealt with a needy baby all day and felt the spinach was enough.)
Our version. Note the fine linens.
Pan-fried porkchops and homemade applesauce (from MyRecipes.com)
Oh, my word. This meal is to-die-for, and spot on perfect for a cold November night. Now, my husband made the entire thing, so I can’t take credit for how ours turned out. He wants me to tell you that if you use thick pork chops, you may want to turn the heat down on the pan so they don’t burn. He says that if you want to go a bit healthier, do what he did: fry the chops just enough so that they’re golden brown, then wrap them in tin foil and put them in the oven at 350 degrees F for the rest of the time. They’ll stay juicy and perfect. Ingredients Applesauce: 1 Tbsp butter 3 apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups chopped) (we used Gala apples) ½ cup water 3 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/8 tsp salt
Pork: ½ cup all-purpose flour 4 (5 oz) bone-in center cut pork chops (we got ours boneless from Sam’s Club, and they were delicious) ½ tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (we used the kind in the red and white canister) 2 tbsp canola oil
Directions Applesauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add apples to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ½ cup water, sugar, juice, and 1/8 tsp salt to pan; cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 25 minutes or until apples are tender. Mash gently with back of spoon.
Pork: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in shallow dish. Sprinkle pork evenly with ½ tsp salt and pepper; dredge pork in flour. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden. Turn pork over; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with applesauce
* My handy husband also made us mashed potatoes. He boiled one large potato until soft, added 1 tbsp butter, 2 to 3 tbsp Duke's mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, a splash or two of milk, and 1/8 cup parmesan cheese, then mashed it all up. Yum, yum.
It was 57 degrees is my mountains this morning. (Yes, I like to think they’re mine.) The whole family put on sweaters, even if only for a little while. There is a distinct chill in the air that whispers of Autumn, of the Fall. Even though it’ll likely reach the 80s today, the humidity is gone, and the mountains are so starkly blue against the sky it looks as if someone drew them there with a felt-tipped pen.
Happy as I am that we’re headed toward my favorite season of the year, I am tired. Pooped. Plumb worn out.
Wearied. Dead-tired. Dog-tired. Bone-tired. Ready-to-drop. Drained. Fatigued. Done in. Bushed. Zonked. Tuckered out. Tapped out. Fried. Whipped. And enervated.
Thank you, Oxford American Writer’s Thesarus.
But seriously: I’ve been taken down by a 4 month-old.
If you read along here, you’ll know that I’m a Clemson University alum and a life-long fan. Saturday we played (yes, I’m one of those people who say “we”) the University of Georgia from the big ol’ bad SEC. And won. My husband and I were at the game, and it was awesome. There’s really no other word to describe it. But when we got home, we found out that ESPN (it was Game Day at Clemson) had done this really cool lead-in to the Tigers “running down the hill,” a Clemson tradition that starts the game.
Even though I grew up going to Clemson games, knew the alma mater and fight songs as soon as I could talk, had a great-grandfather who was mayor of the town, and went there myself, I’d never seen the lead-up to “running down the hill.” ESPN’s Brent Musberger coined the phrase back in 1985, and on Saturday he reiterated just how special this entrance is, saying it’s “one of the great college football traditions” and a must-see for any football fan.
2.) My mama’s tomato pie recipe
With the passing of Labor Day, summer has unofficially drawn to a close. However, lots of good things happen at the end of summer, like the last of the tomatoes blooming on the vine.
I. love. vine ripe tomatoes.
This was originally my mama’s tomato pie recipe, which I’ve tweaked over the years.
Ummm, good.
Tomato Pie Ingredients: frozen pie crust (deep dish) 3 fat red ripe tomatoes a whole bunch of shredded mozzarella cheese (we especially like Kraft’s version with a kick of Philly cream cheese) Extra Virgin olive oil fresh basil 2 or 3 cloves fresh garlic (depending on how much you like garlic. I like a lot.)
Directions: - Slice up your tomatoes and lay the slices on plates covered with paper towels. While you’re prepping, the water will soak the towels, leaving just yummy tomato. - Cook the crust according to the package directions. (Be sure to poke it good with a fork.) - Lightly brush olive oil all over the crust. - Dice up the garlic and sprinkle half over the crust. - Add a layer of tomatoes. - Add half the mozzarella. - Rip up some fresh basil and spread it over the top. - Repeat, and be sure to top with lots of basil (it’ll cook up in the oven). - Drizzle olive oil over the top. - Cook for 20 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Yuuuuuuum. So easy, and oh so good.
3.) My quote for the day, which I’ve sorely needed this week as I’ve done battle with Wilhemina the Conqueror (aka my teething baby). Yes, it’s bad to say “battle.” Let’s just say I’ve been battling her teeth.
“Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Of course, Ralph didn’t have a teething baby, a writing career, a neglected dog, a messy house, a traveling husband, and a post-pregnancy pot belly that just won’t go away. He took to the woods when he wanted to be alone. But it’s still a darn good sentiment.
No more old nonsense! (She says, holding up her fist like Scarlett O’ Hara.)
