Goin to Texarkana...

My man is goin' to Texarkana.... 

Sounds like a line from a country song... 

All he needs is his dog, pick-me-up truck 

and his faithful old guitar 

and my T Money would be all set....

 Instead he has his brief case, plane tickets 

and his faithful salesman, Sean, by his side.... 

Not quite the same... 

Back at the ranch, 

there is pounding going on 

in the apartment below... 

If I had smelled the distinctive aroma of cigarettes, 

I would have sworn the guys who worked on the pit 

below the house, for months on end, 

had returned for a reunion...

Instead, it is a fantastic new contractor 

who is fixing the rotted tile in the bathroom 

and who is going to cut a doorway in the front 

so we can enter the apartment without going outside... 

It is exciting to get things done 

that I have mentally fixated on for years...

 Baby steps... 

Speaking of fixing things...

Now that the kids are finally in their first full week of school, 

I am starting to feel the joy of freedom 

to get things done on my own, like finding the floor in the laundry room, 

clearing my desk of paper clutter 

and getting my ass in shape... 

No more rationalizing 

and finding reasons not to sweat.... 

I have an Olympic medal in talking myself out of exercise...

 It took years of training... 

Generally, I don't talk about personal fitness, 

because I know that soon I will eat crow 

when I fall off the wagon..

 Remember Oprah and her wagon of fat?  Mmhmm...

I have run off and on (mostly off) for the last five years or so, 

but you won't find me posting it on Facebook, 

because, Friends, I do not consider myself a runner... 

I don't deserve that title 

when my routine consists of a one mile, 

fifteen minute trudge around the neighborhood... 

Basset Hounds are faster than me... 

I read about other Friends 

who are embarking on crazy 50k marathons of death, 

or the Hot Chocolate 15k... 

I'd rather drink the hot chocolate, 

thank you... 

Another friend has been doing this thing called Crossfit, 

where they work out in groups, dead lifting weights, 

doing massive numbers of push ups, pull ups, burpees 

and other horrible things... 

She looks awesome, like she could kick someone's ass twice her size... 

Heck, she can dead lift 120 pounds 

and I think she is five foot two... 

If I tried to dead lift anything heavier than my laundry basket, 

my back would say "Uncle" 

and then I'd be bedridden for two weeks...

I admire their determination, persistence and tight glutes, 

but I don't want to hurt that much... 

Regardless, the turning point came 

when I realized opening a jar of pickles 

was getting to be too taxing...

 A good friend was recently certified in Pilates 

and he encouraged me to take his class... 

Along with two other friends, 

we meekly stepped into his studio for our first session. 

 He was gentle with us and we had fun! 

Ok, so now I have committed to one day a week of sweating... 

See this yummy bundt cake?  This is the portion of the blog 

where it resembles the cover of those women's magazines...

They plaster some fabulous, calorie-laden dessert 

right on the cover, along with the title, 

"Lose 10 lbs in 30 seconds!!!" 

Yeah, love that...

Pinterest is kind of like that, too, don't you think?

I digress..  

Sorry, my mind kind of works that way...

The other four days of the week need to be mixed up, 

like swimming laps at the YMCA on one day, 

hitting the Y treadmills another day 

and good old fashioned running the other two... 

Sounds good on paper... 

I need a personal drill sergeant 

to call me and make me "Just Do It". 

Any takers? 

All you need to do is call me each morning around 8 am 

and tell me in a firm voice to get my fat kiester in gear 

and to burn some fat...

 Either that or tell me that I will soon 

look like Mama Cass if I keep eating 

like it's going out of style...

Speaking of good eats,  

I made a delicious chicken dish for Sunday dinner 

and dessert wasn't half bad, either...

Chicken Marbella, courtesy of the Silver Palate Cookbook
** I made this with one chicken and we fed 4 adults, two kids

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.

Apple and Cream Cheese Bundt Cake 

with Caramel Pecan Frosting
Makes one bundt cake

Cream Cheese Filling:

•     1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
•     1/4 cup butter, softened
•     1/2 cup granulated sugar
•     1 large egg
•     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Apple Cake Batter:

•     1 cup finely chopped pecans 
•     3 cups all-purpose flour
•     1 cup granulated sugar
•     1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
•     2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•     1 teaspoon salt
•     1 teaspoon baking soda
•     1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
•     1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
•     3 large eggs, lightly beaten
•     3/4 cup canola oil
•     3/4 cup applesauce
•     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (about 1 1/2 lb.) 

 Caramel Pecan Frosting:

•     1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
•     1/4 cup butter
•     3 tablespoons milk
•     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     1 cup powdered sugar
•     1 cup pecan halves (garnish)

1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake. Garnish with pecans.
 

The Second First Day of School...

Not many kids can boast 

that they have had two first days of school, 

but this year, the public school kids in Chicago can... 

Not that it is something to boast about, 

but hey, let's make some lemonade here! 

And trust me, most of us in the not so friendly confines of Chi-Town proper 

have looked like we have been sucking on lemons lately...

There isn't much to smile about when 

you are in your seventh day of the Teacher's Strike,

 your kids have not showered in days,

they have stared at about 417 hours of the Disney Channel 

and CoCo Pops have somehow become a new food group...

 In the beginning, we mothers had visions 

of making the best of a bad situation...

 "Oh, I will take the kids to the Art Institute, 

we will home school, 

let's take a nature hike and document 

all the deciduous trees we can find..." 

By Day 3 we are begging other mothers 

to PLEASE take my children on a play date 

before they kill each other, 

or worse, before I string them up by their earlobes... 

The kids woke at seven am most days, only to zone out, 

slack-jawed at the idiot box as canned laughter 

ground at my soul 

while I tried to complete even the most basic household tasks... 

The moment I find a sympathetic ear on the phone, 

my sweet children would perk up 

and begin to squabble, or worse, 

beg me for food and to find them something fun to do... 

Let's face it, notwithstanding all the debate, rhetoric and discussion 

about the plight of teachers, the tragic condition of our school system 

and the politics of our local government, 

the fact remains that while some perhaps enlightened parents 

found the strike as an opportunity to bond with their kids over organic tofu, 

to enrich their already strong relationships 

while reflecting over the works of Dali at the MCA, 

many parents were flat out inconvenienced by the situation... 

And I am not even talking about the poor parents 

who both had jobs to hold down 

while figuring out who is watching Jr...

Yesterday, Day 8, I had no hopes of the strike ending any time soon...

The press was setting us up for it to end yesterday, 

but after the Teachers Union pulled the rug out from under parents late Sunday, 

I stopped dreaming of an end to this silliness... 

Letting go of hope has its advantages...

You stop planning 

and you focus on the day at hand...   

Kate was off at a play date yesterday

and Jack was my wing man for running errands... 

The farmers market was open 

and I wanted to sharpen some scissors 

at the knife sharpening booth... 

I have been meaning to visit this guy 

for a couple of years 

and it was awesome to finally have it done... 

Sharp scissors are a true luxury! 

We wandered around the market and shopped 

while waiting for the scissors to be finished... 

I really enjoyed noodling around with Jack... 

We perused the tomatoes, 

bought some of the first Honey Crisps of the season 

and Jack wolfed down a gigantic Nutella crepe...

 It was nice to hang with my little man... 

Later, the local bowling alley 

offered two free games to CPS kids 

and he hit the lanes with a bunch of his classmates...

 Funny how the boys and girls automatically 

choose separate lanes, like oil and water... 

It was good for him to reconnect with his buddies... 

So the strike is over... 

The kids got up early, 

ate some good protein for breakfast 

and packed the backpacks again... 

They posed this morning for their SECOND first day of class, 

because it is like starting all over again... 

Whew!  

It feels good to get back into a routine for them 

and mostly, for me...

 I am going to celebrate 

by using up my old gift cards here and here today... 

I might even go crazy 

and buy a new griddle at Bed Bath and Beyond.... 

A little shopping therapy never hurt anyone in moderation, 

and God knows, I could use some therapy right now!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

There's this weird thing I do....

 Well, Tommy would say there are a LOT of 

weird things I do, but I won't elaborate on that just now... 

When I am tired or stressed out, 

I either clean or I cook...  

Most normal people, sleep, vent or eat, 

but I find if I can obtain some control 

in my little quirky world, I feel better... 

We just returned from a weekend 

at a friend's fabulous new lake house, 

enjoying the woods and fresh air 

with their three children and two adorable Labs... 

We drank copious amounts of wine, 

ate great food, fished, rowed boats, 

swam and played games... 

 After the ninety minute drive home 

in glorious Indian Summer sunshine, 

along the shores of Lake Michigan, 

we arrived home and I am  flat out exhausted... 

So is Tom, he is snoozing upstairs 

as I write... 

So what do I do instead 

of sitting down with the Sunday paper? 

I spy a window full of tomatoes 

that couldn't get any riper...

 Is riper a word?  Oh well....

Even before unpacking the bags, 

I am slicing , salting and oiling the tomatoes up 

for a slow roast in the oven... 

Autumn brings out my craving for comfort food....

Roasting tomatoes preserves them for bruschettas, 

lasagnas and tasty pastas... 

It makes me feel productive to make sure those beautiful, 

crimson orbs are not wasted... 

And they smell damn good in the oven, too... 

Here is a great recipe for roasting tomatoes...

 Here is another one I like, too...

 Enjoy your Sunday 

and say a prayer the kids go back to school tomorrow...

The Animation Babysitter

It's Day 5 of Strike-A-Palooza...  

My patience is wearing thin for the teachers' "Good Fight"... 

They have been "So close" to agreement
with the CPS for two days now...  

Kiss and make up, already!

We parents are at the end of our ropes...  

I am not Julie McCoy on the Love Boat,
for crying out loud...

That ship has sailed, so to speak, 

and I am ready to have school
provide the entertainment, thank you...

The TV has been blaring for way too long
and if I hear any more canned laughter on the Disney Channel,
 I am going to hurl a large chapter book,
with no pictures, into the screen...

So, I sent Kate off on a play date
and put Jack to work....

He owes us a substantial sum
for buying an insane amount of app's...

Tommy thought he was old enough to handle the password...

Wrong a mundo!!!

So, after cleaning toilets, sinks and tubs, 

running large bags of trash to the alley 

and a full hour of reading, 

I left him to his own devices..

And to my pleasant surprise, 

instead of letting animation entertain him, 

he is creating entertainment out of animation...  

Of course, his little stories usually have 

themes of death and destruction, 

but he is ten year old boy, after all...

My husband used to get great pleasure 

out of exploding his green, plastic army men 

with M80's...  

It's nice to see what can happen 

when the TV gets turned off...  

Granted, if Kate was here, 

the result would most likely be screaming 

and a visit to Children's Hospital....

I'll take what I can get....

Scroll down fast to see the animation....

Have a great weekend!