Wanted: FALL

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Nora

Evidently Mother Nature decided Fall didn’t need to make an appearance this year despite my compelling Top Ten List, because for the past week we’ve had the heat on, huddled under blankets, and enjoyed a warm glass of tea before retreating to the warmth and coziness of our beds. Why? Because the outside air feels like the temperature of an iceberg.

We’ve also been covered in a constant shade of gray thanks to the lovely clouds above. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my rain but after awhile it can indeed get to be too much. Especially when we’ve already had four more inches than is normal for this time of year and when you have to go to work each day rather than stay home and cuddle in bed with an endless supply of books and movies.

So, while I enjoy pulling out my boots and select fall styles, I’m not ready for my winter coat. Or frost on my car. Or seeing my breath when I’m outside.

Dear Mother Nature, if you’re reading this, please, bring back fall! Just give us a few days of it to ease us into this really cold-need-a-scarf-where-are-my-warm-socks-I need-a-hat-and big-freakin’-coat weather. I’d appreciate it greatly.

LOVE, Part Two

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Nora

Last week I shared with you one of my (new!) favorite Dave Matthews Band songs.

Since it’s a gloomy Friday with flood-like rain here in the Lou, I’m sharing Aqualung’s “Brighter than Sunshine,” with you to a) bring back the sun (yes, even girls who like rain get tired of it after awhile) and b) because it’s a beautiful love song.

Happy Friday, lovelies!

From Nora's Kitchen

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Nora

Confession: I buy Rachel Ray’s Magazine two to three times a year. While I find it rather obnoxious that she features only herself on her cover (yes, it annoys me that Oprah does that too), the girl can cook and has some amazing recipes. I’d been staring at the recipe for the Quesadilla Casserole for about two weeks and finally on Monday, I decided it was time.

The good news: The ingredients are easy to find, vegetarian for those who are so-inclined, and not expensive. I bought everything I needed to make it for less than $11 bucks. It serves 5 to 6, though the recipe suggests it can serve four.

The bad news: Prep time is suggested to be 25 minutes. Maybe it’s because it’s the first time I made it or perhaps because my right hand wasn’t functioning very well thanks to the fall I took on Saturday, but it took me a bit longer than 25 minutes.

The ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

One 29-ounce can black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (Chef Nora’s note: I used canned corn and it worked out just fine)

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (Chef Nora’s note: I used flaked parsley. Just make sure to reduce the amount you put in to about 1/4 cup)

Five 10-inch flour tortillas (Chef Nora’s Note: Next time I will try whole wheat tortillas or perhaps the crazy flavors you can buy now just to change it up a bit)

8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup store-bought green enchilada sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups black beans and mash into a chunky paste. Stir in the reserved liquid.

Grease a heavy, ovenproof skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn, parsley and remaining black beans. Place a tortilla in the skillet and spread with 1/3 cup mashed black bean mixture. Top with 2/3 cup corn-bean mixture and 1/2 cup cheese. Press to compress the layers. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, mashed black beans, corn-bean mixture and cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and cook for 1 minute. Serve with the enchilada sauce.

I made this for my family on Monday evening and it was a huge hit. The enchilada sauce really goes a long way to adding subtle flavor to the dish. There are a ton of variations that one could try like adding shredded chicken or seasoned ground beef/turkey to the dish, tomatoes in addition to the Black Bean + Corn Mixture, add jalapenos to the top after baking. I will definitely make this dish again especially since we have a vegetarian in our family.

(Side Note: I decided not to take any photos of the cooking process because while it’s a really delicious dish, it’s not so pretty to make. Mashed up Black Beans don’t look appetizing in photos so I left them out.)

Bon Appetit!

The 26 List

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Nora

As corny as it sounds, I believe John Lennon. It seems to be that way for me: I make plans and somehow at the end of the year, I look back and only a few of the things I’ve hoped to accomplish have come to fruition. It’s not for lack of trying or setting my mind to it but as is true with life, other things come up that need my attention or that challenge me and I try to never back down from a challenge. I’ve learned to go with the flow more, the importance of not having every moment of my day scheduled. But I often wonder, how in the world I will actually do all the things I’ve dreamed of accomplishing?

After reading Nilsa’s post on Life Goals, I realized that I am more of a small picture person which I like to think makes me more present in the now and perhaps explains why I like the Lennon quote so much. (Not to say I don’t think about my future because I do, but I want to enjoy the here and now and then enjoy later when I get to it.) Rather than making a Bucket List, I came up with a list of things I’d like to do to make my 26th year another great one. Some are life changes, other personal challenges and others are things that I’m amazed I haven’t yet tried.

Here they are, in no particular order:

* Run one 5k Race a month, preferably ones for a charity. (The hope is that I could work up to “bigger,” races as the year goes on.)

* Read at least seven books. One must be a memoir. Another historical non-fiction.

* Get down to my goal weight and stay there!

* Go fishing. Learn to bait a hook.

* Meet two more bloggy buddies.

* Start a real pen & paper journal.

* Volunteer 60 hours at the Rescue Ranch. I can’t wait to get started even though I know I’ll be working through bitter cold and sweltering heat.

* Cook one new dish and bake one new recipe a month. Ideally the bulk of the recipes would come from the old school cookbooks I’ve inherited from my Gram and the Martha Stewart Cupcake book.

* Take piano lessons (again).

* Travel to another baseball stadium, preferably the New York Yankees.

* Learn how to knit, courtesy of my Gram. First project: afghan.

* Finish that darn Masters of mine and leave formal schooling behind for good.

* Get back to nannying/babysitting. (I used to babysit all the time and lately I miss it.)

* Catch up on my scrapbooking/photo printing, sending pictures to the appropriate friends and family.

* Start Yoga and become a regular. This goes hand-in-hand with learning to meditate and getting to my goal weight and staying there.

Any recommendations for things that absolutely must be included in my list?

Nora & the Deluxe Box Suite

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Nora

This past weekend turned out to be one of the best birthday celebration weekends I’ve had in a long time. I didn’t spend it drunk and hungover but instead very in the moment.

My brother came into town to surprise me (one of the best surprises ever!), I made some style changes to my bedroom meaning it’s almsot the way I want it to be, had beer with my favorite three men in the world (Irish, my brother, my dad), received ah-mazing presents from my long distance friends, Irish and my family as well as scoring tickets to a Deluxe Suite at the StL Cardinal’s last game.

Originally I had four tickets to sit in the nosebleeds which is really one of the best ways to see a Cardinals game but then Irish’s dad had tickets to a Deluxe Suite and I had to refrain from screaming “HELL YES!” into the phone.

On Sunday five of us piled into the car to start the adventure that would entail seats behind homeplate, unlimited free food, beer, wine and soda, as well as fantastically comfortable seats, great people watching and one of the best baseball experiences I’ve had to date.

Our view from the box:

With the always handsome Irish:

With the best brother in the world:

And we saw Albert Pujols break an old record/earn a new record:

With regular season out of the way we can now focus on post-season and hopefully make it to the World Series…

Rainy with a Chance of Embarassment

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Nora

On Thursday, StL was caught in a perma-downpour.

We’re talking sheets and sheets of rain making it impossible to dodge the raindrops on my way to the car to ship the VIP package at USPS. Of course, yours truly failed to bring an umbrella or rain boots to work and so there I was, boxes to ship in one arm, purse on the other, heels on my feet and hair that was about to be ruined.

One thing that I don’t love about rain? Getting caught in it unprepared. And wearing my favorite Nine West black high heels that are fantastic, but not for running in the rain. Leather + water = slippery feet.

When I got to the USPS, I got out of my car like a normal person, swinging my left leg out, then my right. When my left leg exited the car, my left shoe left my foot. Literally. It flew under the car next to me.

So now, just to make sure you have a clear visual, I’m holding work packages + purse (which is soaked) + car keys, my hair is dripping wet, my glasses are covered in rain drops, my pants are plastered to my legs, I can feel all mositure being sucked out of my body and now I have to get down on the ground, somehow, and retrieve my shoe from under the car next to me.

I got the darn shoe but not before the owner of the car came out at the same time I was strategically maneuvering myself to pluck the damn shoe up off the ground. He stared at me, quite confused, all the while holding an umbrella and being dry while I was a sloppy, wet mess.

Two days into being 26 and I already have a new most embarassing moment to add to my list.

Well, that and the fact that when my brother came home on Saturday to surprise me, I started running to greet him and fell (now idea how, really, though my parents said it was a lot like watching Goofy in one of the classic Disney Cartoons. It’s not one of my life’s goals to be like Goofy from a classic Disney Cartoon) on my right buttcheek and hip as well as catching myself with my right hand, wrist and shoulder. I stood up laughing and crying at the same time with the promise of several bruises and sore muscles.

I hope both incidents are a fluke but if not, I’ll have a lot to laugh at this year.

Do you have a classic embarassing moment? Perhaps you’ve been likened to a Cartoon Character before?

LOVE

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Nora

I can’t even express in words how this song makes me feel.
Yes, I realize I’m a hopeless, sappy romantic.
Whether or not you like Dave Matthews Band, I hope you can appreciate the sweetness of his love songs. (This one is more straightforward than most, but he’s a great writer/poet so far as I’m concerned.)

The video itself is pretty awesome, too.

Nicely Nicely

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Nora

I don’t know when or how it happened but I fell in love with muscials.

Grease. The Sound of Music. Bye Bye Birdie. Guys & Dolls. My Fair Lady. Fiddler on the Roof. Singin’ in the Rain. HAIR. Chicago.

I know that if I go see Fame, I’ll fall head over heels in love with that one, too.

Last night I went to a well-known community theater which routinely sells out each show in StL to see Guys & Dolls for my, um, fourth time? (Not fourth time this season, just four times and counting.) What can I say? I enjoy going to the theater to see my favorite on-screen musicals come to life.

I laughed. I cried (not because it’s sad but there are some tender moments and I’m a girl after all). I tapped my foot to the music and resisted jumping on stage to belt out the lyrics that I know so well. I developed a small crush on Sky Masterson as I always do when I watch the movie or see the play. I didn’t even care that it was well after 11pm by the time I got home. I fell asleep with show tunes in my head. With dreams of becoming an actress who can sing and dance. (I can dance but singing is not my strong suit.)

There is something about going to the theater that makes me feel so alive, rejuvenated, inspired!

If you haven’t seen Guys & Dolls, which is based on two short stories for those of you who care to know, watch this trailer. I mean, if it’s endorsed by Ed Sullivan in 1955, features a crooning Frank Sinatra & Marlon Brando, it’s definitely worth watching, unless, of course, you don’t like musicals.

September 2009 Recap

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Nora

Current Book(s):
Work in Progress: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami;
Finished: Club Dead, Charlain Harris
(I’m in a bit of a reading slump currently)

Current Music:
The Beatles
The Supremes
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Tortilla Chips & Salsa
E.L. Fudge cookies, chocolate icing

Current Colors:
Sunflower yellow is quickly growing on me

Current Obsessions:
Cleaning/organizing
Baking
Reading cooking magazines
Thinking up crafty projects

Current Drink:
Water.
100 calorie Coca-Cola if I need one
Slim Fast

Current Songs:
A Little Less Conversation, Elvis Presley

Current Movie:
Duplicity.
Can’t wait to see Away We Go

Current TV Show:
Sons of Anarchy

Current Wish-List:
I’d like my hair to grow faster and stop growing gray hairs
Believe it or not, more hours in the work day

Current Needs:
Sleep, always sleep.
To plan my week long vacation at the end of October

Current Triumph(s):
Slaying work projects left and right.
Conquering new dishes in the kitchen.
Staying in better touch with friends and family.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Not enough time in the day to read books, catch up on blogs

Current Goal(s):
Lose five pounds by December (I’ve lost a few in the last two months)
Read a memoir by one of my favorite political figures or actors/actresses by end of the year

Current Indulgence:
Homemade chocolate chip cookies

Current Blessing:
It’s fall!

Current Slang or Saying:
I’m not sure what I’ve been saying a lot of lately.

Current (Fav) Outfit:
I’m digging the preppy look: black pants, white blouse, argyle sweater/vest and lots of fun jewelry to go with it

Current Excitement:
Birthday celebration with the family this weekend.
A fun, graphic desinger wedding to attend in two weeks
Visiting my BFF and her husband in three weekends for winery trips, a pumpkin patch & corn maze excursion and lots of relaxing

Current Mood:
Tranquil

What was the highlight of your September?