Noteworthy

Happy Camping Guide: Sleeping

2010-09-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks, I'll be accompanying my Cub scouts on a weekend camping trip. I sat down this morning to jot down a few tips for the families in our group who may not be experienced campers, and decided it was a Noteworthy topic. So over the next few posts, I'll be sharing tips on how to camp without roughing it.

Tents

Tents have come a long way from when I was a little girl, camped out in our musty-smelling Coleman model, made of heavy canvas stretched over a metal frame. It must have weighed a ton. It wasn't waterproof, either, which was a problem if you lived on the east coast. I can still hear my father barking, "NOBODY TOUCHES THE WALLS" as we huddled together in the middle and watched raindrops beading on the exterior, threatening to penetrate.

I'm a fair-weather camper today, and I keep a close eye on the weather before loading the van. We've had our spirits dampened occasionally, but have always managed to sleep dry and mildew-free. Both tents we've had in our ten-year family camping career have been Coleman's, which is somewhere in the middle of the quality/price spectrum between Eureka and the Target/Wal-mart store brands, Greatland and Ozark Trail. You can almost always find a deal on a new tent online. Remember that the capacity estimate is based on a can of sardines. If you want to move around your tent in comfort, you'll need to pad it by a couple of bodies. Personally, I like to be able to stand up in my tent. Ours is an 8-person, three-room tent, no longer in production, but along the lines of the one pictured below. You'll want at least one good lantern, but the magnetic clamp-on night light is handy to have, and extra stakes, a mallet and a whisk broom are essential. I am a lunatic about dirt in the tent, barking at the kids in the same tone as my father with the rain, "NOBODY WEARS SHOES IN THE TENT!"

Any tent can be upgraded with a five dollar bottle of seam sealant. A new tent should come with a rainfly and ground cloth (footprint), but I recommend buying an extra tarp to fold up and tuck (completely) under the floor. Every layer of insulation you can put between your body and the cold, hard ground is going to keep you that much warmer and drier at night.

Bedding

Someday I'm going to get into backpacking and go tripping down the Appalachian Trail with gear so ultralight and high-tech, it will have to be weighted down at night just to stay earthbound. In the meantime, I am a car camper, the kind who backs the van up to the site, rolls out an eight-person tent, and looks for a place to plug in the Christmas lights. Because no one has to carry their bedding more than a few feet, we are able to bring many of the comforts of home. Or more precisely, the comforters of home. We have two inflatable air mattresses. The one Patrick and I sleep on is an Aerobed, and it is as comfortable as our bed at home. The only problem is, it has to be plugged in to inflate, unlike the kids' bed, which has a battery-powered pump. It's not a problem at state parks with hookups, but for elsewhere, I need to pick up a power adapter. Also, "NOBODY BOUNCES ON THE AIRBEDS!"

Remember what I said about insulation between you and the cold, hard ground? Air counts as insulation. So the elevation of the air mattresses really ups the comfort level. Placing an old blanket or sleeping bag under the mattress will improve it even more. Also, never wear your day clothes to bed, especially your socks. Even a little lingering perspiration will make you cold and clammy at night. I make everyone change into synthetic long underwear and fresh socks. More on clothing to come, but in general, COTTON=BAD.

If you have sleeping bags, great. But if you're starting from scratch, and are on a budget, I'd say spend the money on air mattresses, and just bring your duvets, comforters and pillows from home. Just give it all a good shake when you get back, and of course NOBODY WEARS SHOES IN THE TENT, so the dirt should be minimal. Of course, if you plan to camp in less than fair weather, you'll want to look into sleeping bags with the appropriate temperature ratings. My eldest son has one for Boy Scouts that cost a fortune and is rated for nights on Pluto. But Patrick and I stay pretty toasty under our feather duvet. It's getting out in the early morning that's the cold part. Which brings me to

Gear For Sissies (Like Me)

There are now portable heaters that are safe for use in enclosed spaces, though I would certainly not leave it on unattended, or while sleeping. But I'd really like to get one for preheating the tent before bed, or getting warm in the morning.

The table, pictured above, is a really cheap contraption of aluminum and plastic that folds flat into its own carrier. But it's nice to have somewhere to sit and play cards or eat cereal inside the tent, and if it lasts four trips, it'll will have been worth the 30 bucks or so I paid for it (with a coupon). When it finally gives out, I'd like to replace it with the sturdier one pictured below.

Finally, you want a place to corral dirty clothes, because clothes get unspeakably filthy in the great outdoors, and spiders love to hide under yesterday's socks. A pop-up hamper contains the laundry, and makes unpacking a little easier when you get home.

Up next: Eating

Amazon links are associate links, which means if you buy through that link, I get a small referral fee. You can also find great deals online at Campmor, Dealnews and Overstock with whom I have no affiliation.

Kung Fu Girl Riesling

2010-09-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

It can be tricky to pair spicy foods with wine. If we're out eating curry or Chinese food, I'll usually go with an imported beer by default. But at home, I like to serve wine. So when I cooked a spicy shrimp dish for a few friends last month, I decided to take a chance on a Riesling, a sweet white wine I historically associate with lobster meals and the kinds of restaurants I thought were fancy in my early dating years, where a shrimp cocktail was the height of sophistication.

But the cute label on the bottle of Kung Fu Girl Riesling caught my eye, and something on the sweet side sounded like a good complement to the creole spice. I found it subtly fruity (with a distinct apricot note), but not cloying at all. What else can I say? It was kick-ass.

This Little Piggy Went to Market

2010-08-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on twitter, you may have thought I was kidding when I tweeted last night that today's blogger preview event at the new supermarket in town was the most relevant PR pitch I'd seen all year. If only. The fact is, no matter how thoroughly I plan, I am in Kroger a minimum of three times a week. It is my significant other.

"The grocery store is not my happy place," I grumble, when I meet someone I know in the aisle. But if the new store were my store, and I was always went to it with a fun group of bloggers, and all the department managers came out to feed us exotic fruits and sushi and pastries, it definitely would be.

I came home with a full belly, aching feet, and a little bag of goodies. And I didn't have to do any math in my head or use a single coupon.

Here's my slideshow, if you're curious what happens when you wave food on toothpicks in front of women bloggers (think "Shark Week"). Be sure to click on the first image to turn on the captions.

Help, I'm a Hoarder: Restaurant Coupon Giveaway

2010-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

I looked up my unused gift certificates on restaurant.com tonight, and concluded that I may have a hoarding problem. I snap up these "certificates" (they are actually discount coupons) whenever they go on sale, and print one off whenever we feel like we can swing a meal out. The terms vary from restaurant to restaurant, but generally speaking, the voucher gets you a nice discount off a minimum dine-in purchase, exclusive of beverages, taxes and gratuity. It's a nice excuse to spring for dessert, or treat a friend. The site lists a wide range of restaurants across the U.S., and some of our favorite local family and date night spots participate. I've never had any problem redeeming a certificate. Thank you, recession, for making coupons socially acceptable.

Anyway, I've already got more than I'll use in a year, so I'd like to give away five $25 certificates, good across the U.S. I'll email a code to the first five commenters who leave me an email address (use name "in care of" domain if you like). You can always forward an unredeemed code to a friend if you find you can't use it. Please note that neither the certificates, nor this offer, have any cash value, and if you run into any problems, you'll have to take it up with restaurant.com. A certificate for an establishment no longer in business or with the program can be exchanged by emailing info@restaurant.com.

Additionally, let me know if any of you happen to be passing through Portsmouth, NH; Harrisburg, PA; St. Louis, MO; Bar Harbor, ME; Gettysburg, PA; Memphis, TN; or Dallas, TX. I have certificates for specific restaurants in those cities that I picked up "just in case" we could use them while travelling last year.

Bon appetit!

Get Smart.

2010-08-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

I've owned and loved a Blackberry since 2008, but as my two-year service agreement wound to a close last spring, I had already made up my mind to ditch it for an iPhone. Every time I heard about another whiz-bang app, my trusty Curve 8330 looked a little dowdier to me. It was the tech version of classic midlife wanderlust. I was ready to trade up.

Then, as people going through midlife wanderlust so often do, I joined a gym. And the household budget came to me, and said, "The gym or your mobile data plan. Choose one." I consulted both my head and my heart, but at the end of the day, the deciding vote went to my ass. The gym promised to do way more for it than my smartphone ever had. Also the locker room has a hot tub. There's no app for that, last time I checked.

So, fine, no new smart phone commitment, but I figured I better get a pay-as-you-go "dumb" phone in case of emergencies. I found an eight-dollar refurbished Nokia on Go Phone, closed my Verizon account, transferred my number, and resisted signing up for anything but the no-frills, no-strings, twenty-five cent per minute price plan. I bought an initial fifteen dollars worth of airtime, and a thousand text messages for ten bucks.

Disconnecting the Blackberry felt a bit like unplugging a pet from life support. And it was disorienting at first. I'd have a thought that I wanted to tweet, or an idle question I wanted answered, or just time to kill while waiting in line, and I'd reflexively reach for the Blackberry. It was similar to quitting smoking, over a decade ago. The urge was as physical as it was mental.

But I noticed how very infrequently I was actually inconvenienced by not being able to tweet or google or catch up on the New York Times online. Those twitches had a way of calling me back to the physical present. After a few weeks, they mostly went away. You know something else? I felt my attention span come back. I can't remember a summer when I've read so many books.

Don't worry, this is not a conversion story. I love technology. I love social media. It has enriched my life and my relationships--both on and offline--immeasurably. But it works a particular set of mental muscles, and I think some other ones had gotten slack.

After the initial withdrawl pangs, the dummying down of my phone turned out not be that much of a sacrifice. As a matter of fact, my dumb phone does nearly all the essential things I needed my Blackberry to do, which amounts to a lot of texting (e.g, "pizza for supper?") and the occasional phone call. Not being able to do the other stuff (email, internet) as easily is forcing me to put some much needed boundaries around my work time. Because my Blackberry syncs with my home computer, I'm still able to use it as a calendar and note-keeper, as well as a player for my music and audio books. The only reason I can think of to still want an iPhone is the great built-in camera, and all those sexy photo apps. But the allure dims in light of the money I've been saving.

It helps that I'm not much of a phone talker. Fifteen dollars of airtime a month has been just about right. I'm coming in just under 1,000 messages a month. That's $25 a month, compared to my average bill of $150 for the Blackberry. To be fair, about twenty of that was for a mobile line for the kids, just to take on sleepovers or long outings. I replaced that with a refurbished GoPhone also. It cost $6 and they've only used a few dollars worth of airtime all summer. My sixth grader accidentally dropped it in the pool this week. It dried out fine. But if it hadn't? Hey, it cost six bucks.

Who's got the smart phone now?

Dollar Store Within Reach

2010-07-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our new home several years ago, we splurged on a glass and steel dining room table from Design Within Reach. I love the DWR catalog, but I can't decide if the company name is a cruel joke, or intentionally hipster-ironic. They eventually realized that mine was probably a once-in-a-decade purchase, and took me off their mailing list.

I thought the glass would be easy to clean, and it is, except WOW, three grubby boys times ten grubby fingers adds up to a million grubby fingerprints a day. Wipe-clean place mats help, but I wanted some that would go in the dishwasher. After searching in vain for something remotely nice looking and affordable, I found these opaque cutting mats at the Dollar Tree (as you can see here, they do buckle a little in the dishwasher, but settle down nicely if weighted for a bit). A buck for a two-pack. That's design within my reach.

With My Little Eye

2010-06-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Today's Noteworthy library find: Spot It! Find the Hidden Creaturesby Delphine Chedru (affiliate link). Early readers (or listeners) are invited to search for creatures hidden among repeating patterns that are geometric, but whimsical. Beautiful design, accompanied by simple, poetic text. It reminds me how much I loved to study the groovy flower-power wallpaper in the spare room of my grandparents' house when I was tucked in bed there.

Wax On, Wax Off

2010-06-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Do we need to talk about this? We do? Okay.

I consider myself a feminist. I have nothing against body hair on other women. I think Julia Robert's fuzzy auburn armpits are cute. I even tried being all boho-hippie hirsute myself when I was in my early twenties, because all the cool girls were doing it. I couldn't hack it, and soon went running back to my Daisy razor. Where my own body hair is concerned, I am hopelessly bourgouis.

If you knew how much time I spend involved in the removal and management of hair, we probably couldn't be friends anymore. I have tried nearly every depilation method it is possible to perform in one's bathroom, including the infamous Epilady. Trust me, for the bikini area, waxing is the way to go.

This is a maintenance task most of us would prefer to leave to the professionals, me included, but a salon wax is ungodly expensive. Without exception, all my girlfriends are astonished to learn that it can be done inexpensively and effectively at home (yes, this is the kind of thing we talk about when we get together). The secret is in the product. Bypass all the drugstore crap, and go to your local beauty supply outlet for the professional grade wax. This kit from Gigi cost about 20 bucks at Sally's, and includes plenty of pre- and post-wax lotions, applicators and muslin strips. I've used my kit for about six applications, though I did purchase a packet of additional muslin for a few dollars about halfway through the jar of wax.

You will also want to have a dedicated electric hair-trimmer, especially if you plan to go Brazilian. The one you bought to give your kids bowl cuts when they were toddlers will do just fine, assuming you have come to your senses and now bring them to an accredited stylist. Trim everything to one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. Actually, even if are a shave-outside-the-triangle kind of girl, this is a good way to keep everything inside the triangle tidy. If you're into tidy.

As for the actual waxing, just follow the instructions that came with the kit. You might want to pop an ibuprofen or two an hour beforehand, depending on your sensitivity and personal pain threshold.

Which brings me to the most frequently asked question of all time: does it hurt?

Hell, yes. Especially the first time. But we're women. We can handle it. And it only hurts for a minute. I can assure you it is a billion times less painful than childbirth; a thousand times less painful than getting your bellybutton pierced.

Second most frequently asked question: how long does it last?

At least two weeks, with a bit of an awkward growing-out stage around the third, which you have to put up with until the growth is long enough for the wax to grip.

Third most frequently asked question: do you go Brazilian?

None of your bees wax.

Summer Lovin

2010-06-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd pass along a few of my favorite summer survival beauty products (I've added product links for price and source information -- I have no affilation with the retailers or manufacturers):

Frizz Ease Heat Defeat spray:

This stuff is amazing--like a Brazilian blowout in a bottle. I spray it generously through my wet hair, blow dry with a round ceramic brush, and my blowout will last two or three days through our now jungle-hot weather.

Korres Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream, SPF 30:

I turned 40 this year, and I'm not fooling around with the sun anymore. I got this in a Sephora summer skincare sampler, and I resisted trying it, because I have finicky skin that doesn't usually take kindly to scent. But I should have known, being a Korres product, it would be different. It feels and smells wonderful, and doesn't clog my pores like most sunscreens.

Roc Multi Correxion Night Treatment:

As a teen with acne-prone skin, older women assured me I'd be grateful for my oily skin once I hit 40. Imagine my delight on finding that wrinkles and pimples can co-exist on one complexion. If you know what I'm talking about, I have one word for you: Retinol. This night cream by Roc is a great, relatively inexpensive formulation. Bonus: it helps even out discoloration from sun damage.

Gigi's All Purpose Honee

I intended to cover this here, but some topics call for special handling. So look for a dedicated post on that soon (proof of vagina may be required). In the meantime, got any summer beauty essentials to share?

Why, Yes, I Know the Muffin Man

2010-06-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've been using the muffin formula from Amy Dacycyzn's book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette (associate link) for about ten years. It's a terrifically versatile recipe which you adapt to whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand.

What I happened to have on hand this morning turns out to be the recipe for the best muffin I've ever made.

Buttermilk Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Wet:

2 large overripe bananas mashed (about one cup of puree)
1 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 c. canola oil

Dry:

1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1.5 c. flour (I used Hodgson's Mill 50/50 white/whole wheat)
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately before adding wet to dry. Stir with a fork, just enough to blend. Scoop by the quarter-cup-full into muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve to kids, and feel a little less guilty about letting them help themselves to Froot Loops every morning since school got out.

HairWreck

2010-05-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Ferrier is one of the prettiest women I have ever seen. She has great style, too, so I've been enjoying her new fashion blog She's Still Got It.

This week, Lindsay posted a hair tip that promised to turn straight hair wavy, overnight. She went to bed with a damp ballerina bun, and woke up looking, well, like Lindsay--which is to say, gorgeous, only gorgeous with soft, cascading waves.

Even though my hair is already naturally wavy, I thought I could use this tip. Since getting bangs, I wake up every day with crazy bag lady hair. Maybe if I slept with it in a bun, I too would wake up with soft cascading waves, instead of crazy head.

Or not.

Dragon Birthday Cakewreck

2010-04-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

I swear, no alcohol was consumed in the making of this dragon birthday cake. Fortunately, in the eyes of child judges, candy and buttercream covers a multitude of sins. Bonnie Stewart of Crib Chronicles turned me onto the Instructables for it. My advice to you if you attempt it is to not wait until two hours before party start time to make it (unless your house is already clean, and the decorations are already up, in which case, two hours should be plenty). Also, use a wide, flat-tip icing point to apply the icing, so the cake doesn't crumble to moist particles of chocolate dragon flesh where ever you touch it with the spatula.

Birthday Morning Breakfast "Cake"

2010-04-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

With apologies to all of my kids' teachers this morning, I give you a recipe for Birthday Morning Breakfast Cake: multigrain waffles layered with peanut butter, Nutella, marshmallow fluff, and, of course, sprinkles.

Vintage Sewing Cards

2010-03-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

I went to a couple of estate sales this morning. Mostly, it was a phone-camera photo safari, but I had to pick up these vintage sewing cards for two bucks. Don't you think they'll be adorable framed and hung in a group on the wall of a five-year-old's room, or a friend's baby nursery?

Mother's Little Helper

2010-03-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

I am a New World girl to the core, no offense to Europe, or my venerable ancestors. I think the future is in South America. And I love this Malbec by Arido.

Mother's Big Helper

2010-03-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

I just pulled roasted asparagus out of the oven and pork tenderloin off the grill, and thought, "if only I had remembered to put on rice."

And then I remembered I had some in the freezer.

God bless you Mister Kroger, whoever you are.

Person of Wal-mart

2010-03-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

One of my new favorite style blogs is The Tipsy Society, and I blame it for sending me to Wal-mart today, a place I generally try to avoid, even if one of my dear (and very fashionable) friends goes there weekly. When I saw this post, curiosity got the better of me, so I went off to investigate.

I suspect that both the above ladies frequent a fancier grade of Wal-mart than the one I went to. I didn't see any of the frocks referenced above. But I didn't leave empty handed. You have to wade past a whole lot of fugly, and do a whole lot of trying on, in a dingy dressing room, because the sizing is whack, but there are indeed cute! cheap! things to be had. Who knew? Among my finds, was this for $14:

and these, for $5:

I just need a cottage in Nantucket to go with them, and I'm set.

Farmgirl Breakfast

2010-03-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

This recipe for a popover-style, "Dutch Baby" pancake caught my eye as I was flipping through the Relish food insert that comes in the newspaper. I made it this morning, and holy mother of Julia Child, it was scrumptious. Also, ridiculously easy to whip up.

I had my slice drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon, as suggested, but for the kids, I used up the last of the buttermilk pancake syrup I'd made last week. It sounds weird, but it makes an amazing, buttery sauce that would be delicious over all kinds of desserts. Or just chugged from a mason jar. Warning: the syrup will taste sour until you add the baking soda at the end. Then magic happens.

It all added up to a hearty, farmgirl breakfast, which I could only justify consuming on a regular basis if I were spending the rest of the morning bench pressing horses, or whatever it is farmgirls do. But for a special treat, you'll do, Dutch Baby, you'll do.

How to Cook a Perfect Soft-Boiled Egg

2010-03-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

A perfectly soft-boiled egg cannot be overrated. It is an art and a science. You could always buy an electric egg cooker to take the guess work out of it, but countertop real estate is precious in my world, so I have arrived at a formula that puts a hot egg, with a firm white, and runny yolk on my table in six minutes, including buttered toast soldiers for dipping.

A perfect soft-boiled egg used to be called a three minute egg, and one of the reasons it eludes people is that the three minute rule comes from the days of smaller, home-raised eggs that could be kept at room temperature. Such eggs still exist, and if one happens to find its way into your kitchen, you should pet it, kiss it, slip it into boiling water and cook it for exactly three minutes. This formula is based on one refrigerated Grade A, large, supermarket egg, and addresses the problem of breakage that occurs if you introduce a cold eggshell to boiling water.

1. Fill a small saucepan with water, and set it on the stovetop on HIGH.

2. While the pan of water is boiling, place the cold egg in a bowl or cup, put it in the sink, and run warm-to-hot tap water over it. This brings the egg temperature up to something like room temp.

3. When the water boils, slip the egg into the pot gently and set the timer for four minutes. Toast and butter a slice of bread, cut it in strips and place it on a plate next to your cute eggcup.

4. When the timer goes, immediately remove egg from heat and run cool water over it for a few seconds to stop it cooking inside.

5. Transfer to egg cup, slice the cap off (decisively and ruthlessly), add salt and pepper, eat, and go forth to conquer your day.

You may find you need to adjust your timing up or down a minute, depending on a whole lot of variables between your egg, refrigerator, stovetop and mine. But once you have it, you have it, a comforting constant in a world of uncertainty and overcooked eggs.

Food. Glorious Food.

2010-02-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

I used to love to cook. It was a passion my Dad instilled in me, from the time I was eight years old and he taught me how to make a french omelet. I carried it well into adulthood, but cooking for three kids and one forty-something man with a preference for plain, has really taken the joy out of cooking for me. There are five or six dishes we rotate through, all heavy on the beige. You'd think we lived out of a fifties diner.

Last week, I hit culinary bottom, and subscribed to an online menu planner called Relish, on Sarah's recommendation. I've used other services like it in the past, but found the recipes pretty underwhelming, and the selections limited. Chances are good, with my crew, that someone's going to hate two or three options out of six. So right away, I liked that Relish lets you customize your weekly menu from a wider selection of entrees. Also, the meals looked interesting and flavorful, without being too complicated. All promised a thirty minute prep time or less.

I made my selections, generated the shopping list, copied it to my Blackberry, and hit the grocery store. I checked out at $220 (plus the $21 for the 3 month menu subscription). It was kind of an expensive trip for me, but I was hoping we'd be able to avoid our usual two or three takeout meals and near-daily runs back to the supermarket to answer the question of what's for dinner.

That hope was not in vain. I shopped on Sunday, and as of this Friday morning, I haven't been back. I can't think of the last time I went five days without a trip to Kroger. Seriously, if I checked in there on Foursquare every time I went, I'd be not just the mayor, but the potentate, empress and high commander. Not only that, but our recycling bin has remained free of takeout containers all week.

And the food? Oh. My. God.

No exaggeration; one meal after the other has knocked my socks off. And wonder of wonders, Patrick's, too. As for the kids, the reviews have been exactly as they always are: "What is this?" "Do I have to eat it?" "Can I just have a sandwich?" and the occasional, "Hey! This is good!"

I don't care. Mama's had a taste of real home cooking, with ingredients, texture and flavor, and she's not going back. By all means, fix yourself a sandwich, after you try a bite.

Probably the best review came yesterday, in the form of Patrick's disappointed look when he asked eagerly, "So...what's for dinner tonight?" and was told he'd be going back to the diner menu (fish sticks and Kraft dinner), as I had made plans to be out with friends, and wouldn't be cooking. It was also telling that I didn't order an expensive dinner while I was out, but had a bowl of soup and shared a dessert. Normally, I'm craving flavor so badly, I'm willing to pay for it. This week, the restaurant menu had some stiff competition at home.

Prep time has run over the 30 minutes for most meals, but the cooking has been fun and interesting. Also, I've been recruiting the kids to help me, which slows things down a bit, as I show them how to chop, saute, and measure, as my father did with me, sharing the joy of cooking.

If you decide to try Relish on my recommendation, please give Kyran Pittman as the referral source. They track referrals and reward every five with a $50 Crate and Barrel gift card. Thanks, and bon appetit!

The Five-Minute, Eleventh-Hour, Hundred-Day Project

2010-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

I was picking up my youngest from a friend yesterday evening, who happens to be a teacher in our school district.

"Got your Hundred Day Project done?" she asked, brightly.

I said something not appropriate for a family-oriented review blog.

Hundred Day is one of those made-up holidays that sneaks up on me every time, because it's not rooted in any personal childhood memory. That sounds good, doesn't it? Actually, my own children's birthdays sneak up on me, too. That's how I roll.

Fortunately, if there's one thing I'm good at, (as I keep reassuring my agent and editor, patiently waiting on late manuscript revisions) it's pulling it together at the fifty-ninth minute of the eleventh hour.

I came home and found boxes of crayons hoarded from back-to-school sales, dumped a 5-lb bag of rice in a shoebox, and told my kindergartner to get busy planting.

Inch by inch, row by row.

The Sort of Amazing Soup Diet

2010-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

I made it four days on Good Housekeeping's Amazing Soup Diet. The recipe is indeed delicious, as were most of the variations, but four nights in a row was all I could take. When Little Rock temperatures dipped into the single digits last week, and the call went out from the emergency homeless shelter that soup was needed, I was only too happy to donate the spare gallon I had in the freezer. So that was amazing. And then some girlfriends were interested in trying the recipe, so we got together at my house Friday night to make a double batch, and had such a good time, that no one noticed that I didn't have to peel or chop a single vegetable. And that was also amazing.

I froze my share into small containers, and haven't got around to thawing a single one. I did lose four pounds though, which took me back to where I was before the holidays, so for a short-term reboot, it was a success. Just don't expect to be able to keep it up very long. I like the 300-400-400 calorie meal plan formula, (breakfast, lunch, dinner) augmented with one or two 100-calorie snacks, so I'm keeping that up, using the Livestrong journal.

Diet or no diet, it's a terrific soup recipe, and great for a quick, nutritional calorie reduction plan. I'll take it over lemon juice and cayenne pepper any day.

Pokemon Themed Birthday Party

2010-01-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

My freshly-minted nine-year-old had a birthday party this week, with a Pokemon theme. I've been living with thousands of Pokemon for the better part of a decade, and I'm still not sure whether they are animal, vegetable or mineral, so I went to the internet for ideas. I stumbled across one birthday party website where parents submit details of their own party planning. I was exhausted just reading a couple of these. Some of these moms are raising the bar too high, too early.

For the benefit of underachieving moms like me, here's what we did:

Guests: No more guests than the birthday child's age. Half this number for a sleepover.

Venue: My kids love hosting their birthday parties at home. After outsourcing several in the early years, I much prefer it too. The focus is more on socializing, less on the activity.

Decor: Pokemon tablecloth, paper plates, cups, napkins and helium balloon arrangement. Store bought from the local party supply depot.

Activities: The table was set with blank shrinky-dink sheets from the craft store and a bucket of multi-colored permanent markers. I was surprised how many kids needed an explanation of what shrinky-dinks are. I told them to use the markers to draw their own Pokemon card or character, and we would bake them in the oven for a keepsake. We had about a fifty percent fail rate in the baking, as some of the cards curled up on themselves or warped, but the kids were really into it, so it warrants some more research. Maybe the sheets (trimmed to 5X7) were too large?

We played stick the tail on the Pikachu with a large cut-out sketched by our resident graphic designer and colored by the birthday boy. Kids love this one. I always spin the contestant around a few times before sending them toward their target. The other players think it's a hoot to watch their pal stumble off blindly in the wrong direction.

I had a bunch of balloons for pumping up and twisting together into shapes, thinking the guests could make their own balloon Pokemon to take home, but we never got to it. My kids really liked the test run of this the night before though, so it's worth passing along.

Two ideas I borrowed from the party website were Guess how many Caterpies (gummy worms in a ziploc bag, which the winner got to keep), and Which Pokemon Am I, a kind of 20 questions game, which didn't really work out, because there are just too many Pokemon a person could be, as it turns out.

Prizes and favors were Pokemon trading cards.

Cake: my son requested a cake "shaped like a Pokeball," and I told him I'd do my best. I found a ball-shaped mold at the craft store, and covered it in marshmallow fondant, a vile concoction if ever there was one. But if you don't mind sacrificing taste to style, it was easy (if messy) to make, and can assume the shape of anything.

Behold:

If this child of mine ever even so much as whispers a complaint of middle child deprivation, I plan to whip out this photo. Enough said.

The Possibly Amazing Soup Diet

2010-01-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

I desperately need a nutritional reboot after the holidays, so I thought I'd try the Good Housekeeping Amazing Soup Diet. I stumbled across it long before I ever wrote for the magazine, and have been meaning to give it a whirl someday.

I plan to use it as a short-term jump-start on what I hope will be overall better nutrition and fitness throughout 2010. I discovered Livestrong, Lance Armstrong's wellness site, just before Thanksgiving, and in spite of a month of non-accountability and denial, I really like it a lot. Far and away the easiest online food and activity journal I've ever tried, and believe me, I've tried them all.

The Soup Diet adds up to 1,100 calories a day, which I think is unhealthy for me, even in my sedentary winter mode. So I'm upping it to 1200, and earning any extras with activity. And I'm customizing the breakfast/lunch suggestions to suit my own taste, keeping refined carbs to a minimum.

Basically, a day on the diet breaks down to 300 calories for breakfast, and 400 each for lunch and the soup supper. I made the basic batch today, and estimate I used up an extra 1,000 calories chopping vegetables.

But wow, it looked and tasted kick-ass when it was done. I had an enormous bowl of the fish stew version for supper, with tilapia and Cavender's Greek Seasoning.

You can get the full 4-1-1 here and the basic recipe and a week's worth of variations here, in case you want to play along. I'll report back in a week.

For Auld Lang Syne

2010-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

There's nothing quite like the gift that says that someone really gets you. One of my very dearest friends thrilled me with this stack of vintage Gourmet magazines for a Christmas present, all the sweeter since the magazine's recent demise. I had hoped someday I'd write for it. Alas.