B'Twixt and B'Tween

Boo!

So, this should be the post where I provide you with an adorable photo of a costumed Big T.

But.

He's going to today's classroom fiesta as his handsome self.  Oh, he thought about dressing as his hero, Barack Obama.  Or as a work of art: The Scream.  Or I rather liked his friend A.C.'s sense of humor in choosing to dress like Hannah Montana.  A.C., by the way, is a pretty typical fifth grade boy. See, I told you they had a sense of humor.

Big T isn't even going trick or treating.

Instead, he's going to spend the weekend at a friend's cabin.  They're planning to celebrate H.P.'s birthday but that means leaving before dusk.  The pal's mom plans to bring plenty of Halloween candy along so that the boys won't miss any of the traditional sugar binge.

And my dilemma became: what to send as a house gift for a 10-year-old who is invading the cabin?

I settled on a batch of homemade hot chocolate mix and a big bag of GhostMallows.  Have you seen these?  They're adorable orange, grey and white ghost-shaped marshmallows.  I printed this recipe on the back of the Halloween card:

1 pkg. (8 quarts) non-fat dry milk

1 box (16 oz.) instant cocoa mix

1 jar (6 oz.) instant creamer

1 Cup confectioner's sugar

Mix well and store in an air-tight container. (My mother used to mix this in a clean gallon ice cream bucket and send it off with me to the college dorm.  Yum.) Use 1/3 Cup mix to 1 Cup hot water.

So Big T and his friends will be heading up the highway while the rest of the ghosts and goblins ring our doorbell.  (Of course, the dairy mom in me will be passing out string cheese -- this has been a surprisingly big hit the past two years!) After the trick or treaters disappear, Husband and I are heading to a backyard bonfire party.  My only nod to a costume will be these seemingly innocent socks; if you look closely, you'll see the skulls in the center of each argyle X. 

Not the stripes so famously sticking out from under the Wicked Witch's house, but I do what I can.

Happy Hauntings to you and yours.

Braces Be Gone!

Big T's grin at 8:14 this morning:

 

And again at about 9:16:

 

Now, that'll make any Mom smile!

The Dog Ate His Homework

"Dear Mrs. X,

"Please excuse the appearance of Big T's homework.  He stayed up extra late working on it, and was really proud of himself.

"Apparently the dog really thought it looked great, too.  So he ate it.

"For real.

"I know this sounds lame.  But my routine was broken this morning by wails of frustration when Big T walked into the kitchen to find his homework in shreds and left on the floor.  It wasn't quite finished, so I had put it in the center of the kitchen table last night... hoping inspiration would strike during breakfast and we could put the finishing touches on the work before catching the school bus.

"Instead, as you can see, I have spent some time piecing it together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Scotch tape to the rescue.

"You'll notice there is literally one small hole.

"I think the dog must have swallowed it. Wonder if elementary school math gives dogs tummy aches?

"Please excuse Big T for this accident.  He is actually quite upset about it and concerned that you might not think that dogs really do eat homework.  But this paper should provide proof.  If you have any questions, please give me a call.

"Thanks for your understanding,

"Big T's Mom."

(This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.  But it really did happen.  Twice. Please check out http://www.clubbk.com and http://blog.parentbloggers.com.)

Scrumptious Sunday: Pumpkin

I was in about 10 years old when a cousin asked me to help at her wedding.  I wore a double-knit outfit that had a red bolero jacket over a dress with a cream top and red skirt and I'm pretty sure I wore a red velvet bow clipped to the middle of my head, just at the spot where my bangs separated from the short fluff that made me look older.  Very grown-up. 

My assignment also felt very grown up.  I was to greet guests as they walked into the church, direct them up the stairs to the sanctuary, and carry their gifts to the basement reception hall.  It was a grand affair, with the punch bowl seeming to float on a cloud of dry ice and stacks of boxed groom's cake to take home.  I followed instructions, taking a packet of groom's cake home to help savor the memory.  I placed it carefully under my pillow late that night, hoping to dream of my own future groom.

Weddings are magic when you're a girl hoping for such a dream.

The magic came back to me when Husband and I planned our ceremony years later.  I wanted some other girl to dream of her match made in heaven, so I made sure to include the groom's cake tradition.

Although groom's cake is often a spice cake, we opted instead for this pumpkin bar recipe.  Brother #2 baked it in jelly roll pans and spent an afternoon with me, my sister and my mother, cutting it (unfrosted) into squares, wrapping them in plastic and then tulle, finished with a flourish of curly ribbon.  Perfect party favors.

You can enjoy the same treat in a less formal setting.  Cream cheese frosting would finish it perfectly without the tulle or ribbon! Here's the recipe, credited to both Linda Benson and Paula Cable in The Ultimate Absolute Irresistible Church Cookbook, known in our family as "the silver cookbook from St. Philip's." Circa 1983.

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs

2 C. sugar

2 C. pumpkin

1 C. oil

2 C. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (variation:  you could also add 1/2 tsp. ginger and/or 1/2 tsp. cloves)

Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Mix dry ingredients and add to others. Bake in an ungreased jelly roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1") at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. As a final touch, spread bars with this delicious Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 oz. softened cream cheese

1 Tbs. cream

1/3 C. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 to 3/4 of a pound box of powdered sugar

Mix well and spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

***

Some other pumpkin pleasures:

Ree, The Pioneer Woman's, Pumpkin Butter.

These Pumpkin Pancakes have yummy vanilla yogurt topping.

Even Big T likes to help make Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Sauce.

And don't forget to roast your pumpkin seeds! I like to use coarsely ground sea salt.  Shell them to use as a great garnish for soups or salads, or snack by the fist-full.

Kiss and Tell

What's your Kiss Personality?  Put on your lipstick, pucker up with a sheet of white paper, and check it out. 

Here's mine.  What do you think?  How close is this match?

Expressionista:

You are imaginative, outspoken and highly adventurous. (I'd say yes, yes, and no.)

You have a tendency to be easily excitable, which is fantastic when you are romantic, but can be difficult when you are having a difference of opinion with someone. (Oh, yeah.)

You have a lusty appetite for life and a sensuous nature, but self-discipline is not your strong suit. (Not such a match on the self-discipline thing.)

You are expressive with a generous temperament and passionate about your work and the things you believe in. (True, true, true.)

You are attracted to a mate who stimulates you both physically and mentally. (Yup, no empty-headed underwear models for me.)

Scarily enough, the lipstick in my purse is a very close match for the one recommended by the quiz. Hmmmm...

Sleeepy...

My blood pressure is low.

Slightly.

Which would be a big surprise to several people:  First, to Husband, who puts up with my odd rants and lately extreme forgetfulness.  Second, to Big T, because I continue to insist that he take care of details like brushing his teeth daily and putting the dinner dishes into the dishwasher. Also to those who have been subjected to my frustrations at work. I think they'd all guess my blood pressure is high.

But, slightly low it is.  Which might account for the crazy-tired-peakishness that has been haunting me.

Two nights ago, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home.  Big T's one request had been for chocolate milk.  So I went to the brand-spanking-new Rainbow Foods near the office (the actual office building, not the room on the other side of my kitchen). I wanted to see how the dairy case was done (professional interest; the answer is not very creatively, especially when contrasted with the produce section and other 'perimeter' departments). Of course, I could not buy only milk.  Got through the checkout and paid for a box of cereal, a carton of Ben & Jerrys.  Absent-mindedly picked up the receipt and the grocery bag (yay! they actually put the food in a bag for me!) and left.  But then... I drove for about 20 miles before realizing that the gallon of milk had not been placed in the bag and was therefore still on the checkout counter.  Groan. Too tired to remember the one thing I went for in the first place.

Last night, I was not only tired beyond belief, but also cold.  So we decided to do family reading time on the big bed.  Big T climbed under the covers with me and started his book, Husband lounged at the foot of the bed with a magazine, and we all dove into a big bowl of popcorn.  My new read -- Ruth Reichl's bestselling Garlic and Sapphires, the Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, now at Costco in paperback -- is good.  But apparently not good enough to keep me awake past 8 p.m.  Yup, I nodded off again, only to wake in the morning alone in the bed.  At some point, Husband put my eyeglasses on the dresser, marked by page in the book and settled Big T into his own room.  I can only guess he got some sleep himself before heading off to work in the pre-dawn darkness.

So... I have a new prescription that is supposed to help my sleep patterns and a few other things women at my age experience.  I'll be monitoring my blood pressure at home with a new cuff. But any bets on whether I'll be able to make it through a Tivo'd program this evening?

Top of the Arch

 

Enthusiasm was certainly not lacking in St. Louis this weekend!  More than 100,000 people flocked to a rally on the grounds of the famous arch Saturday morning.  We didn't get downtown early enough for the rally, but we did park next to this supporter's van.  It was a thrill to see so many sign-carrying people smiling as they left the grounds after Obama spoke.  We were with them in spirit.

It was Big T's first ride to the top of the arch.  We noticed the creaking sounds of the slow, twisting ride in tiny rail cars up to the top and then the breathtaking views of downtown. See the tiny stadium below?

   

Just a Quick Trip to St. Louis

We are back from our weekend travels, happy and a tiny bit tired.  Husband drove for about 8 hours plus potty stops today, something we try not to do during our summer treks to St. Louis.  This was the second trip this year... and we generally only go every-other-summer!

I have been traveling for business every week for the past month and a half.  Last week's meetings were a slight variation -- they were in town, but I was gone before Big T was fully awake in the morning and not home until after he was in bed.  When I returned home on Tuesday evening, Husband and Big T announced they had decided to take advantage of the no-school-because-of-teachers'-convention weekend by attending a 50th anniversary party for Husband's aunt and uncle. In St. Louis.  What the heck, a family drive and chance to see cousins twice in one year might be good for everyone.

Except. 

We hadn't RSVP'd. 

With only 3 days' notice, I called Husband's cousin and sheepishly said we'd like to come, if it wouldn't mess up their count.  If our call was too late, we'd certainly understand.  She called back that afternoon and shared a chuckle over the account of Husband announcing the decision and my response: "Did you call  your cousins to RSVP?" Followed by his innocent look and drawn out "nnnoooooo."  Cindy said the count was fine and we should come ahead. She and her sister, Sandra, took an informal poll and decided that not calling ahead was a man thing -- none of the husbands and sons in their circle would have called; and all of the women would have done so.  A poll with pretty good accuracy, I'd say.

One more plan fell into place when another cousin said they could definitely make time to get together on Friday evening.  Especially important to Big T, because the boys in this family are right in his age range -- making them his only cousins close enough to pal around with.

The party itself had a 1958 theme.  Pink tablecloths were topped with a black ribbon runners; pink M&Ms were set out in malt glasses complete with straws, and black records (remember 45s?) decorated the doorway.  Trivia cards at each table made note of the happenings that year -- Barbie dolls were introduced, Toyotas and Nissans hit the US market, and The Bridge on the River Kwai was Best Picture. At the party, bobby sox tunes were played from an iPod in a nod to the current times.

We also planned to take our turn at hosting the boy cousins for a sleepover with swimming at our hotel after the anniversary party on Saturday evening.  But one cousin wasn't feeling well, so Big T spent another night at their house, playing Rock Band into the wee hours of the morning.  So that makes three nights this summer that Darrell's family has hosted Big T with no reciprocation!

We picked up Big T from their house this morning and slogged the long drive home in one day.  Big T is trying to drop off to slumberland now, his mind racing with the fun of another weekend in St. Louis. Husband's aunt and uncle were happily surprised to see us at the anniversary -- they didn't think we'd make two trips there in one year. And I'm really pleased that our little family is becoming closer to Husband's extended family. 

Scrumptious Sunday: Cranberries

October is National Cranberry Month, as declared by USDA and the Cranberry Marketing Committee.  With the advent of craisins, cranberries have made it onto my dinner table and snacking habits much more frequently than ever before.  

Come Thanksgiving, I will be opening a can of jellied cranberry sauce, sliding it and slicing it onto a swan-shaped antique serving piece as I do every year.  My stepfather finds this style of cranberry sauce a necessary tradition, and so for him, it makes the meal.  

But there are many more fun ways to enjoy cranberries:

Cosmos, for one.

Or how about a spiced hot cider made with half apple cider and half cranberry cocktail?  Warm it up in a large electric pot, and it's a crowd pleaser that makes the house smell warm and homey. 

Sprinkling a few craisins makes most salads better, especially when combined with toasted sesame seeds and/or walnuts.

If you can find it, cheddar cheese with cranberries is wonderful! Carr Valley has a Chipotle Cranberry Cheddar.  Yum.

My brother adds whole cranberries to his apple pies.

If you're willing to be a bit more adventurous, try these goodies:

 My Grandmother's Homemade Granola

Mix together:

1/4 C. safflower or corn oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. honey or maple syrup

In a separate bowl, mix together:

4 C. oatmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

Add optional dry ingredients like wheat germ, 1/2 C. coconut, 1/2 C. sesame seeds, 1/2 C. craisins, or a handful of whole almonds.

Turn the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, coating all thoroughly.  Spread on a jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until browned.  Stir frequently during the baking time.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

Curried Wild Rice and Craisin Salad

In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 C. nonfat, plain yogurt

2 Tbs. mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. curry powder

Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine:

1 - 15 oz. can cooked wild rice (drained)

1/4 C. chopped bell pepper

1/2 C. chopped celery

2 Tbs. craisins

Toss the dressing into the wild rice mixture, coating well.  Serve as is, or as topping on a bed of  lettuce. Fine when served immediately; better after refrigerating to blend the curry and other flavors. 

And, for you traditionalists, this recipe came from the Mead Inn in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., in the heart of cranberry growing country:

Cranberry Nut Bread

2 C. sifted all-purpose flour

1 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. double acting baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. shortening (or I use butter)

3/4 C. orange juice

1 Tbs. grated orange rind

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 C. chopped nuts (I like walnuts)

2 C. cranberries, coarsely chopped or halved

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Combine orange juice, grated rind, egg, and  melted shortening or butter. Add to dry ingredients and mix only until flour mixture is moistened. Carefully fold in cranberries and nuts (cranberry juice may discolor dough if you mix it too vigorously). Spoon into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees F. for about one hour. Makes one large or two small loaves.

 

Crazy Family Hits Iowa

Apologies, Eastern Iowa. If you saw a crazy family jump out of a blue Prius and flap our arms like birds gone berzerk, it was just us. We started the two-day school holiday with a trip to the travel clinic in preparation for an overseas adventure later in the year. Big T got off easy, with two travel vaccinations plus a flu shot; Husband and I rolled up our sleeves for a total of five shots each. There should be no malaria in our household; and if we take our pills, we will reduce our chances of Dengue Fever too. Oh boy! We had a great nurse who advised us to blow out hard with each injection, as though we were blowing out birthday candles. It seemed to take out most of the sting. And, she advised us to move our arms around and over our heads about every hour or so. Which accounts for that crazy flapping across Iowa. Husband and Big T planned a nice road trip for our holiday weekend. We just didn't count on becoming the odd roadside attractions ourselves.