Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A Cup of "Perfect Peach" Tea

This is a lovely tea--very fragrant. Everyone in my house THINKS she wants a taste, but I'm alone for actually liking it.

Here's some of tonight's commentary from Alice (3):

Al:  Mom, can I taste your tea?
me: Sure.
Al:  Mmm. It tastes like gum--like CHEWED gum. 
me: Really? 
Al:  Do YOU think it tastes like chewed gum?
me: I don't know. I've never tasted chewed gum. 
Al:  Hm. It tastes like chewed gum. 

She sort of has a point, but how does she know the taste of chewed gum?

(btw: she looked exactly like Jenni Mella--including facial expressions and shoulder shrugs--as we had this conversation. Amazing!)

Monday, January 24, 2011

"Mom, is Dad a nerd?"

Here's a fun conversation I had tonight with Eden (6) : 
eden: Mom, is Dad a nerd? 
me: Yes. Dad likes to be a nerd.
eden: How do you get to be a nerd?
me: You just study hard, you get good at math, and then you're a nerd.
eden: I mean, does someone have to say that you're a nerd--like the mayor or someone like that?
me: No, you just declare yourself a nerd.
I'm not good at math, but I like to think that my closet love of the original Star Trek gives me some rights to nerdhood.
Catch an old episode here.


Live long and prosper!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Cooking with My Grandmothers

My microwave died a couple of weeks ago. Quite suddenly. No heaving out its last breath for a few days. One minute it worked; the next minute, I needed a new one.

But, I was sick--really sick--and these things take a bit of research. It needs to fit a very specific, small hole in the cupboards. It took a while before I even felt like looking, then another while to decide which one to buy.

In the meantime, I got to ask myself, "How on earth do I melt the butter for popcorn? Are you kidding me--a saucepan? Frozen edamame beans that Alice insists on daily--no! Another pan! . . . I need a quick roux (flour mixed in melted butter) to add to the potato soup? Another pan just to mix the roux?!

It was seriously irritating. I ignored all leftovers.

Then one afternoon, I really wanted to reheat some mashed potatoes, and it dawned on me that my grandmothers knew how to manage leftovers without a microwave. I asked, "How did Grandma Nonie reheat mashed potatoes?" And, then, without ceremony or any visible indicator, my kitchen transformed into a holy intersection between heaven and earth:

"So simple. Just put a little milk in the pan, get it hot, add the potatoes, and stir really fast before it burns."

It worked perfectly. "Wow, thanks, Grandma. What about the gravy? Dinner rolls? Bacon is so messy! What do I do with these extra dirty pans?"

"So, easy! Just a little extra scrubbing or soak it while you clean up." 

So fun to hang out in the kitchen with my grandmothers this week. Whether my DNA retains their memories, or my grandmothers are actually more available than I thought, it was a party with the grandmas every night in my kitchen.

My new microwave arrived today. It's stainless steel and very sleek. Works great.

Not as fun as hanging with my grandmas. I'm going miss them. 

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

You may have noticed, I haven't been a stellar blogger this year. My resolution for 2011 is to post once a month! I'm really shooting for once a week but don't want to risk overpromising. So here's my first post and New Year wish to you: 


 Hope springs eternal! Here's to looking forward in 2011.