Book: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Pages: 451
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. This is a definite must-read. I was a little apprehensive because it sounded like it could go either way, but from the get-go it was amazing.
The story is set in the early 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi. It follows three narrators: Aibilene, a black maid who is raising her 17th white baby, Minny, another maid who keeps losing her job thanks to her wise-cracking mouth, and Skeeter, a white gal who returns home after graduating from college and suddenly finds her maid, Constantine, has mysteriously disappeared and no one will tell her why. Skeeter decides it's time for the rest of the nation to see what's going on in Jackson and sets out to tip the town upside down.
The book had every southern thing imaginable in it--from the snotty rich girls to the cooking. It fit every notion of Jackson, Mississippi I could've imagined. However, it was hard for me to reconcile my brain to accept that this is what life was like just a mere 50 years ago in the United States. I kept thinking of it being in the late 1800's and would be jolted back when they talked about watching TV and riding in cars.
I don't know of anyone who grew up with a black maid, but in talking with some of the older ladies at Book Club, some of them knew of people, though it was almost unheard of here in Utah and really the west.
This is a definite must-read for everyone. I gained a whole new appreciation for the civil rights era and how hard blacks have been working to be treated equally.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
What's For Dinner Wednesday--Corn Chowder
Full Disclosure: This is the first What's For Dinner Wednesday recipe that was not met with enthusiasm from Wade. However, I really liked it. And since it's my blog, I'm going to post it anyways. Wade said he couldn't place what went wrong with it for him; it was either too oniony or too salty. I had no problem with it, so clearly it must be him. In any case, I'll tweak it a little next time and if that doesn't make it edible for him, then I'll move it to my lunch menu, where I have a bunch of stuff that Wade doesn't like.
I found this recipe at my mom's house in her Cooking for Two cookbook from Weight Watchers. However, I didn't have any of the WW friendly stuff, so my version isn't as healthy for you as it could be. As always, I did alter it a little bit. Alterations in ( ).
2 TBS chopped red pepper (didn't have a red pepper, so used green instead. Flavor would've been a little more enhanced, I think, with a red pepper.)
2 TBS chopped onion (used minced onion from the jar again.)
2 TBS chopped celery
1/2 cup diced red potato (didn't have red potatoes, so I used regular. Red is a little heartier, but brown worked good.)
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1 can chicken broth (the recipe calls for the 30% lower fat-or-something-like-that Campbells Soup. All I had was full-fat, full-salt, full flavor Swansons)
2 TBS yellow corn meal
1 C fat-free milk
1 C frozen whole corn, thawed and divided. (Who has time to defrost their corn? I used canned corn, drained. I wonder if this is where Wade got the salty taste from?)
1/4 C reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese (I didn't have reduced-fat cheddar cheese and I didn't measure out the cheese. The recipe calls to top the soup with the cheese when you serve it and I just stirred it into the pot. Why? Because I like cheese.)
Cook red (or green) pepper, onion and celery on medium-high heat with a little oil (olive?). Saute 1 minute until tender. Add potato, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes until potato is tender.
Place cornmeal in blender. Process 1 minute or until it's powdered. (NOTE: My mom tried this recipe and found the soup to be runny, so she suggested adding 1 TBS cornstarch to the cornmeal. However, my soup turned out VERY thick. So some tweaking necessary. Try it without the cornstarch and then add a little after you combine everything if it's still too runny.) Add milk and 1/2 cup corn to blender. Process until smooth.
Add pureed mix and remaining 1/2 cup of corn to soup pot. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.
Ladle into soup bowls and top with grated cheese. (Yum, more cheese!)
This was a good soup to have on a cold night and if I would've been a little more proactive, we would've had nice, warm baked bread to go with it. And Wade would've scooped it up and ate it, declaring it the best thing he's ever tasted. Oh well. You win some. You lose some.
I found this recipe at my mom's house in her Cooking for Two cookbook from Weight Watchers. However, I didn't have any of the WW friendly stuff, so my version isn't as healthy for you as it could be. As always, I did alter it a little bit. Alterations in ( ).
2 TBS chopped red pepper (didn't have a red pepper, so used green instead. Flavor would've been a little more enhanced, I think, with a red pepper.)
2 TBS chopped onion (used minced onion from the jar again.)
2 TBS chopped celery
1/2 cup diced red potato (didn't have red potatoes, so I used regular. Red is a little heartier, but brown worked good.)
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1 can chicken broth (the recipe calls for the 30% lower fat-or-something-like-that Campbells Soup. All I had was full-fat, full-salt, full flavor Swansons)
2 TBS yellow corn meal
1 C fat-free milk
1 C frozen whole corn, thawed and divided. (Who has time to defrost their corn? I used canned corn, drained. I wonder if this is where Wade got the salty taste from?)
1/4 C reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese (I didn't have reduced-fat cheddar cheese and I didn't measure out the cheese. The recipe calls to top the soup with the cheese when you serve it and I just stirred it into the pot. Why? Because I like cheese.)
Cook red (or green) pepper, onion and celery on medium-high heat with a little oil (olive?). Saute 1 minute until tender. Add potato, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes until potato is tender.
Place cornmeal in blender. Process 1 minute or until it's powdered. (NOTE: My mom tried this recipe and found the soup to be runny, so she suggested adding 1 TBS cornstarch to the cornmeal. However, my soup turned out VERY thick. So some tweaking necessary. Try it without the cornstarch and then add a little after you combine everything if it's still too runny.) Add milk and 1/2 cup corn to blender. Process until smooth.
Add pureed mix and remaining 1/2 cup of corn to soup pot. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.
Ladle into soup bowls and top with grated cheese. (Yum, more cheese!)
This was a good soup to have on a cold night and if I would've been a little more proactive, we would've had nice, warm baked bread to go with it. And Wade would've scooped it up and ate it, declaring it the best thing he's ever tasted. Oh well. You win some. You lose some.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Confession
At the risk of being hunted down by FHW (Feminist House Wives) and ripped of my title as "Least Likely to Win Wife of the Year Award" I'm going to make a confession:
I enjoy ironing.
This is a relatively new discovery. A few weeks ago, as I was cleaning the house (note: I do not enjoy doing that), I came across an ironing board.
I know! Like where did THAT come from.
And that reminded me of a conversation that Wade and I have had numerous times over that last 8 years and
8 months: Why don't I iron his clothes?
At first, it was because I said it was because we couldn't really fit an ironing board in the apartment (maybe a little lie) and then it was because we were both working and going to school and really who had the time? Then we escalated to Sandra doesn't have clothes that needed ironing because she wears t-shirts and jeans, so why doesn't Wade iron his own clothes?
That's where our conversations siderailed. It's a pretty good argument, I'd say, and so whenever it got brought up again, I would just repeat it.
So what exactly have we done for the past 8 years and 8 months about wrinkled clothes? It's a trick my oldest brother taught me: Put the wrinkled clothes in the dryer with a wet washcloth. Works wonders. Then you can shower and get ready and bonus! you have a nice warm shirt to put on afterwards.
It's a win-win situation.
However, a few weeks ago when this ironing board miraculously appeared behind the closet door, I was a little intrigued. How long had it been there? Was this a subtle hint? A test?
Now would be a good time to let you in on another secret: I don't (or I didn't) really know how to iron. It was one of those things I faked my way through the lessons my mom gave me so I could get back to the things that matter. I haven't successfully ironed anything in my entire life.
But that Wednesday afternoon, I was determined to teach myself the ins and outs of the iron.
And so I started out. It was a little tedious at first, but after a few minutes it became very relaxing. There's something magical about seeing all those little wrinkles disappear. It's not brain surgery, so I didn't have to concentrate all that hard and I could let my mind wander.
Soon I discovered, I enjoyed ironing. It was making me a calmer person. I found other items in the closet that needed pressing and I went on a spree.
Sunday nights, I set the ironing board up downstairs in front of the television and I iron all of Wade's work clothes for the week. This makes him (understandably) happy as he was the purchaser of the ironing board and his devious plan worked.
The old me would've sniffed this plan out and not acted accordingly out of principle. But the new me--I sniffed it out, but then I did just what he was expecting. It's good to let them win every once in awhile.
I enjoy ironing.
This is a relatively new discovery. A few weeks ago, as I was cleaning the house (note: I do not enjoy doing that), I came across an ironing board.
I know! Like where did THAT come from.
And that reminded me of a conversation that Wade and I have had numerous times over that last 8 years and
8 months: Why don't I iron his clothes?
At first, it was because I said it was because we couldn't really fit an ironing board in the apartment (maybe a little lie) and then it was because we were both working and going to school and really who had the time? Then we escalated to Sandra doesn't have clothes that needed ironing because she wears t-shirts and jeans, so why doesn't Wade iron his own clothes?
That's where our conversations siderailed. It's a pretty good argument, I'd say, and so whenever it got brought up again, I would just repeat it.
So what exactly have we done for the past 8 years and 8 months about wrinkled clothes? It's a trick my oldest brother taught me: Put the wrinkled clothes in the dryer with a wet washcloth. Works wonders. Then you can shower and get ready and bonus! you have a nice warm shirt to put on afterwards.
It's a win-win situation.
However, a few weeks ago when this ironing board miraculously appeared behind the closet door, I was a little intrigued. How long had it been there? Was this a subtle hint? A test?
Now would be a good time to let you in on another secret: I don't (or I didn't) really know how to iron. It was one of those things I faked my way through the lessons my mom gave me so I could get back to the things that matter. I haven't successfully ironed anything in my entire life.
But that Wednesday afternoon, I was determined to teach myself the ins and outs of the iron.
And so I started out. It was a little tedious at first, but after a few minutes it became very relaxing. There's something magical about seeing all those little wrinkles disappear. It's not brain surgery, so I didn't have to concentrate all that hard and I could let my mind wander.
Soon I discovered, I enjoyed ironing. It was making me a calmer person. I found other items in the closet that needed pressing and I went on a spree.
Sunday nights, I set the ironing board up downstairs in front of the television and I iron all of Wade's work clothes for the week. This makes him (understandably) happy as he was the purchaser of the ironing board and his devious plan worked.
The old me would've sniffed this plan out and not acted accordingly out of principle. But the new me--I sniffed it out, but then I did just what he was expecting. It's good to let them win every once in awhile.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Spiritual Thought Sunday--Overwhelmed
For the last year or so--almost 15 months if you're counting--I've been wavering between completely overwhelmed and almost-completely overwhelmed.
Like I'm trying to do it all. By myself. Uphill. Barefoot. In the snow.
And I always see ways that I could improve. Like how the kitchen at this exact moment looks as though a tornado has run through it and yet I'm sitting here ignoring it because I've cleaned the stupid thing every. single. day. (sometimes twice) for the last 7 days.
Or how the laundry is piling up again even though I had it all cleaned, folded, ironed, and put away just three days ago.
Or how I can't go to the bathroom in peace because somebody wants me to do something. Right then and there.
And I get a little overwhelmed by how this is my life for the next how many years and some days I can't fathom another day of this existence let alone years.
My life is feeling a little stretched. My marriage is feeling a little stretched. I'm feeling a little stretched. And I keep wondering how much more I can stretch my life, my marriage, me before something breaks and snaps and stings me in the face.
So, if you're feeling like me...
Sit down. Take a minute. Breathe. Let the dishes go. Let the laundry go. Count your blessings. Talk. Laugh. Listen.
Yeah, I know. All easier said then done.
Like I'm trying to do it all. By myself. Uphill. Barefoot. In the snow.
And I always see ways that I could improve. Like how the kitchen at this exact moment looks as though a tornado has run through it and yet I'm sitting here ignoring it because I've cleaned the stupid thing every. single. day. (sometimes twice) for the last 7 days.
Or how the laundry is piling up again even though I had it all cleaned, folded, ironed, and put away just three days ago.
Or how I can't go to the bathroom in peace because somebody wants me to do something. Right then and there.
And I get a little overwhelmed by how this is my life for the next how many years and some days I can't fathom another day of this existence let alone years.
My life is feeling a little stretched. My marriage is feeling a little stretched. I'm feeling a little stretched. And I keep wondering how much more I can stretch my life, my marriage, me before something breaks and snaps and stings me in the face.
So, if you're feeling like me...
Sit down. Take a minute. Breathe. Let the dishes go. Let the laundry go. Count your blessings. Talk. Laugh. Listen.
Yeah, I know. All easier said then done.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Bits of Spelling Bee Wisdom
Note: I finally figured out how you--yes, you--can get my posts delivered to your email. Then you don't have to come back and check up on me every. single. day. (because I know you are!) You just have to wait until it arrives in your inbox. And then you can read from there. If you want to leave a comment, you do have to come back here, but you just have to click on the title in your email. So look to your right and put your email in that little box.
Pretty nifty, huh?
Back to today's scheduled programming.
Haulage.
That's the word I lost to in the district-wide spelling bee championships when I was 11.
Haulage.
It has been 17 years and I still remember that word. Yet, I have never actually used that word in a sentence.
First, I remember asking for the definition.
1 : the act or process of hauling
2 : a charge made for hauling
That helps.
Then I asked that it be used in a sentence--mainly as a stalling technique, but hoping just a tiny bit that something would clue me in.
The ship's haulage was being carried across the sea.
(Or something to that affect. It's been 17 years folks.)
And somewhere in my brain, I got stuck on the word ship and spelled it as h-u-l-l-a-g-e. Which was a pretty good guess considering the sentence I was given.
Oh, and did I mention that I picked the #1 seat? How's that for pressure?!?
So, in honor of my 11-year old niece, who is headed to the statewide spelling bee in two weeks here are some tips from a seasoned veteran.
1. Don't pick the #1 seat. You don't need that kind of pressure.
2. Always, always, always ask for the definition. This gives you time to collect your thoughts before rattling off the letters.
3. Study this year's words, and the previous two years worth of words.
4. Study the definitions. Sometimes a word is pronounced differently then you think so you don't remember ever having seen it until you hear the definition.
5. Don't get too overconfident and speed-spit out the letters. Your more apt to mess up that way.
6. Come up with mnemonic phrases to help you remember those hard-to-remember words.
7. Spend time writing them out as though it were a spelling test. The act of seeing the words in your head and spelling them out on paper helps your memory retain it.
8. I'm suddenly realizing that perhaps I should have posted this about 3 weeks ago. Oh well. Continuing on.
9. Convince your English (or is it reading in Elementary?) teacher to give you an automatic A for having gotten this far.
10. 17 years from now, you'll look back and remember what word it was that you missed. And though you will never use that word in conversation ever again, you and your mom will laugh about it in the car one day. That is, if you don't win the whole thing and go to Washington D.C. where you're bound to lose to someone who's native language isn't even English.
11. Have fun. This is one of those things that not a lot of people will have to pad their resume. You will be heralded as a genius, once everyone stops laughing at your apparent nerdiness. You should probably keep it a secret until at least high school.
Looking over this list, with a few tweaks, it's a pretty standard list for most things in life.
Good luck Aud.
Pretty nifty, huh?
Back to today's scheduled programming.
Haulage.
That's the word I lost to in the district-wide spelling bee championships when I was 11.
Haulage.
It has been 17 years and I still remember that word. Yet, I have never actually used that word in a sentence.
First, I remember asking for the definition.
1 : the act or process of hauling
2 : a charge made for hauling
That helps.
Then I asked that it be used in a sentence--mainly as a stalling technique, but hoping just a tiny bit that something would clue me in.
The ship's haulage was being carried across the sea.
(Or something to that affect. It's been 17 years folks.)
And somewhere in my brain, I got stuck on the word ship and spelled it as h-u-l-l-a-g-e. Which was a pretty good guess considering the sentence I was given.
Oh, and did I mention that I picked the #1 seat? How's that for pressure?!?
So, in honor of my 11-year old niece, who is headed to the statewide spelling bee in two weeks here are some tips from a seasoned veteran.
1. Don't pick the #1 seat. You don't need that kind of pressure.
2. Always, always, always ask for the definition. This gives you time to collect your thoughts before rattling off the letters.
3. Study this year's words, and the previous two years worth of words.
4. Study the definitions. Sometimes a word is pronounced differently then you think so you don't remember ever having seen it until you hear the definition.
5. Don't get too overconfident and speed-spit out the letters. Your more apt to mess up that way.
6. Come up with mnemonic phrases to help you remember those hard-to-remember words.
7. Spend time writing them out as though it were a spelling test. The act of seeing the words in your head and spelling them out on paper helps your memory retain it.
8. I'm suddenly realizing that perhaps I should have posted this about 3 weeks ago. Oh well. Continuing on.
9. Convince your English (or is it reading in Elementary?) teacher to give you an automatic A for having gotten this far.
10. 17 years from now, you'll look back and remember what word it was that you missed. And though you will never use that word in conversation ever again, you and your mom will laugh about it in the car one day. That is, if you don't win the whole thing and go to Washington D.C. where you're bound to lose to someone who's native language isn't even English.
11. Have fun. This is one of those things that not a lot of people will have to pad their resume. You will be heralded as a genius, once everyone stops laughing at your apparent nerdiness. You should probably keep it a secret until at least high school.
Looking over this list, with a few tweaks, it's a pretty standard list for most things in life.
Good luck Aud.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
What's for Dinner Wednesday--Glazed Pineapple Chops
This week's meal was going to be homemade tortellini, but there are some tweaks that need to be made. However, as luck would have it, I had another new recipe up my sleeve. Sorta. I found it on kraftfoods.com, a great place for low-frills recipes chock full of ingredients you have on hand.
Unless you're me.
But I was not to be deterred. So without further ado:
3/4 cups Bulls-Eye Brown Sugar and Hickory Barbecue Sauce
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and dry mustard
4 bone-in or boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
Heat grill to medium heat. Mix all ingredients except chops until well blended. Remove 1/2 cup sauce mixture; set aside for later use.
Grill chops 5 minutes on each side. Brush with some of the remaining barbecue sauce mixture. Grill 5 more minutes or until chips are done (160 degrees F) turning occassionally and brushing with remaining sauce mixture.
________________________
Some thoughts.
I had neither the "right" barbecue sauce or the crushed pineapple. However, I'm swimming in both original bbq sauce and pineapple tidbits, so I improvised. I added some brown sugar to my barbecue sauce and put my tidbits in a food processor. Note: A 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits doesn't necessarily translate into 2 1/2 8 oz cans of crushed pineapple. It was a little heavy on the pineapple and juice but that's because I tried to alter my 20 oz can into an 8 oz can.
Also, my pork chops were a little on the thin side, so they didn't soak up as much of the barbecue sauce as I would've liked. Definitely go for thicker chops.
The plus sides were that I loved the grilled pork chop, which is a big, happy difference from the usual oven baked pork chop. I do love that grill--the very one that I got Wade for Father's Day that I think he's turned on once. I use it a lot though. And the barbecue sauce was very, very, very tasty.
Hey, the barbecue sauce was tasty.
If I would've had pineapple rings, I would've thrown those on the grill to serve alongside the chops. Unfortunately, pineapple tidbits don't combine back into a ring all that well, so no go on that.
Another good dinner to add to the repertoire.
Unless you're me.
But I was not to be deterred. So without further ado:
3/4 cups Bulls-Eye Brown Sugar and Hickory Barbecue Sauce
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and dry mustard
4 bone-in or boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
Heat grill to medium heat. Mix all ingredients except chops until well blended. Remove 1/2 cup sauce mixture; set aside for later use.
Grill chops 5 minutes on each side. Brush with some of the remaining barbecue sauce mixture. Grill 5 more minutes or until chips are done (160 degrees F) turning occassionally and brushing with remaining sauce mixture.
________________________
Some thoughts.
I had neither the "right" barbecue sauce or the crushed pineapple. However, I'm swimming in both original bbq sauce and pineapple tidbits, so I improvised. I added some brown sugar to my barbecue sauce and put my tidbits in a food processor. Note: A 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits doesn't necessarily translate into 2 1/2 8 oz cans of crushed pineapple. It was a little heavy on the pineapple and juice but that's because I tried to alter my 20 oz can into an 8 oz can.
Also, my pork chops were a little on the thin side, so they didn't soak up as much of the barbecue sauce as I would've liked. Definitely go for thicker chops.
The plus sides were that I loved the grilled pork chop, which is a big, happy difference from the usual oven baked pork chop. I do love that grill--the very one that I got Wade for Father's Day that I think he's turned on once. I use it a lot though. And the barbecue sauce was very, very, very tasty.
Hey, the barbecue sauce was tasty.
If I would've had pineapple rings, I would've thrown those on the grill to serve alongside the chops. Unfortunately, pineapple tidbits don't combine back into a ring all that well, so no go on that.
Another good dinner to add to the repertoire.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Spiritual Thought Sunday--Let It Be
Thursday at Toastmasters, we heard a speech about forgiveness. The speaker told how she could never really understand why her mom was always so angry with her. It wasn't until she was an adult that she was told the circumstances of her birth.
How she was the product of an affair that her mother had had and how she was a constant reminder of this mistake.
In her efforts to "forgive" her mom, she tried to "forget" this new found information and to go back to the way things were before. However, she found that that wasn't how she could forgive. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It's about letting go.
So today's underlying message is this: We all have had things happen to us that are unforgivable. Or at least we believe are unforgivable. However, part of the human experience is to take those transgressions and not forget them, but let them be. Move on. Be happy. Don't allow someone or something to win by taking over your life. They aren't worth it.
How she was the product of an affair that her mother had had and how she was a constant reminder of this mistake.
In her efforts to "forgive" her mom, she tried to "forget" this new found information and to go back to the way things were before. However, she found that that wasn't how she could forgive. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It's about letting go.
So today's underlying message is this: We all have had things happen to us that are unforgivable. Or at least we believe are unforgivable. However, part of the human experience is to take those transgressions and not forget them, but let them be. Move on. Be happy. Don't allow someone or something to win by taking over your life. They aren't worth it.
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