Nutcracker Nostalgia

For the past three years, it has become a tradition for me, at least once during the 'holiday' season, to blare Tchaikovsky's waltz of the flowers, dance around my kitchen, and cry.

I'm not saying that that very action just occurred in my kitchen yesterday. But I am also not NOT saying it, so you can do that math on that one.

For twelve years of my life, the span of time between the first weekend in September and Christmas was known as "Nutcracker Season" with the Robinson Ballet Company. We'd audition, we'd obsess over casting, we'd rehearse, we'd have the entire score memorized, and then we'd take the show on the road all over Maine (and sometimes New Hampshire). And I loved it. It was chartered buses, perfect pink tights, rehearsals every weekend, pointe shoes sewed with floss, costume changes, stage makeup, bobby pins, and all of the hairspray IN THE WORLD. On top of that, there was the familiar, glazed-over expression that friends and family would get when I broke into one of my many Nutcracker musings. Or rants, as the case may be. It was a very special time every year.



I don't usually talk about it, because it makes me sad. Not sad because I can no longer be in the show, necessarily. It's more because the path that I have taken in my life has made it so that I cannot participate in a tradition that was SO important to me as I grew up. At least, not in the same way that I used to. Sometimes, a familiar song will come over the radio in a restaurant or store as part of their holiday cheer, and I find myself welling up. I've seen a LOT of Nutcrackers, but none will ever compare with the original, the one that I grew up with.

So yesterday, while I could have been doing homework, or packing for my trip home, or cleaning the apartment so the cat-sitter won't judge me, I was instead playing the familiar music, marking out the choreography in my kitchen, and texting F, one of the only other people on the planet who can understand this feeling. "the same thing happened to me this morning," she said, "every time I hear the music on a commercial on TV I get a little bit sad and very nostalgic."

I'm not sure if she was thinking about this EXACT moment, but it was probably something similar...


Yeah. Nutcracker Nostalgia. That's what we can call it from now on.

Nothing Ruins Your Friday....

...like realizing that it's only Tuesday.




Thank goodness for Starbucks.




(to give you all a glimpse of just how tired I am, I will tell you that I just tried to upload the math paper that I was up late editing instead of that gorgeous selfie. Hello, sleep deprivation and scatter brains!)


Maybe it is just me, maybe it's the very inconsistent weather and changing seasons. Maybe it's the fact that I've started my week with too little sleep and a lot on my plate and not enough time for some of the foolishness I've got going on. When something like this happens to Ben, I call it being 'righteously put-upon,' and maybe THAT's what it is- but this week- I'm looking for a little validation. It doesn't have to be much, but I am on the hunt for a sign that says "hey, YOU!! You're doing okay! Just keep going!"

I know, I know. DREAM ON!!

At least we are very close to one of my favorite weeks of the year. So close, in fact, that I can ALMOST see the light at the end of the tunnel...when it isn't blocked by research articles and presentations and textbooks and those awful tri-fold numbers that you use for your 7th grade science fair [YES, I have got to go and get not one, but TWO of those this semester. At least now I'm a grown up and can make them look TOTALLY kick ass!! Get ready to give me MEGA high marks for aesthetics!!].

Enjoy your Tuesday, friends.

Babs Blips: #Babsproblems

There is a slight air of chaos in apartment 6D as we enter this final, 2ish week long stint before Thanksgiving. Ben has tests galore, and I am suddenly realizing that all of my projects and papers are due at about the same time. We've spent a lot of time writing in our planners and, needless to say, great stress is anticipated.

Babs is also feeling the stress, but for slightly different reasons...




"Ugh, so tired. Didn't get my usual five hour nap..." #Babsproblems





"If I get any fatter, I might not fit on this windowsill anymore...." #Babsproblems


oh, the life of a domestic feline. it can be rough, ya'll.

Fall in Fast-Forward

Have you ever noticed that the time right before Halloween to the time right after New Year's Day always goes by in a blur? It is one garbled mess of costumes, family gatherings, office parties, and all the food in the world. Before you know it, BAM! It's the new year and store shelves are stuffed with Valentines. It's nuts.

Be that as it may, I know that I am not alone when I say that this particularly crazy time of year is one of my favorites. It means falling leaves, trick-or-treat, Halloween parties at school (which included one child SO into his Big Bad Wolf outfit that he refused to change out of it all day). It means laughing with my sister and cousin on the front porch of my parents house as we try and make sense of our dysfunctional Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving-giving, and BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING (which my work schedule forced me to miss last year). It means a crazy outdoor Half Marathon on the coast of Massachusetts in DECEMBER. It means Christmas shots with my family, the Nativity Play, and my father driving us around on Christmas Eve to look at our neighbors elaborate Christmas-light displays. And when it's all over, it means there is only a month and change until the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Awesome.

One of the perks of being a schoolteacher (aside from the obvious benefit of working with children and giving them a positive educational experience, of course) is that every once in a while you get to enjoy a fabulous three day weekend. We don't have school on Monday in observance of Veteran's Day, and while I know that most of that day will be eaten up by the loads of homework that I have been putting off, the day will still be accompanied by the wonderful feeling associated with a day off from work.


So that's that. I hope everybody is enjoying their autumn. But before I log off, I WILL share with you two wonderful surprises that I found when I got home from work yesterday evening.


The first is a package of energy gels sent from my sister in Maine. They were a totally unexpected and USEFUL gift (expect some sort of play on 'All I Want For Christmas is GU' later in the season....)

I tried the raspberry this morning before my run. Pretty darn good.




The second is something that I knew about already, but had kind of forgotten about. In an attempt to make me jealous, Ben took a bunch of selfies of him and the cat as they snuggled one afternoon while I ran some errands. This one is my favorite.




Happy Saturday!!

That Taco Thing

Ben loves this recipe. I love it too. It used to be that I would make a 9x13 pan of it for dinner, and all of it would be gone before the leftovers hit the fridge. We've grown wise to that, though, and now we try to make it last at LEAST until lunch the next day, which is successful. Sometimes.

Now, again, I cannot take the credit for coming up with this recipe. It has been adapted from a blog called Emily Bites (which you can read HERE), and Emily had adapted it from another blog called Healthy-Licious.

Here's what you need:

1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, diced*
1 cup salsa*
1- 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 ounce can of red beans, drained and rinsed*
2 to 3 cups of tortilla chips*
2 TBSP shredded cheddar cheese*

*You may have noticed that these ingredients are not terribly specific, and I'll tell you why: I've tried dozens of different combinations, and all of them are delicious. Want to use a white onion? A spanish onion? vidalia? GO FOR IT!! Want to use pinto beans? pink beans? kidney beans? Give 'em a try! Got an extra pepper in the fridge? Throw that in there too! This recipe can handle a little variation- have fun!

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 350

Saute the onion until it's translucent



brown the turkey



add the beans

add the salsa, stir so that everything is evenly coated



line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with tortilla chips

spread the mixture over the chips



sprinkle the top with cheese (NOTE: I said 2 tablespoons, but I usually use as much as it takes to cover the top...)



Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese has bubbled.



ENJOY!!

Delicious Pumpkin Pancakes

Autumn is (finally) here in New York City, and for me, that means that it is time for pumpkin everything. Pumpkin coffee, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread- at this time of year, I feel that everything that CAN have pumpkin in it, SHOULD have pumpkin in it. Hence these delicious little beauties...



Now, I can't take all the credit here. I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, but I made a few adjustments, including halving the recipe, as I do not have any children or cowboys to feed. You can check out the original on The Pioneer Woman's blog, HERE.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES:


The Dry:

-1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
-1/2 Teaspoon Salt
-1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
-2 Tablespoons Sugar
-Pumpkin Pie Spice

The Wet:

-1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
-1 Egg
-1 1/2 cups Milk
-2 Teaspoons Vanilla

The Optional:

-Maple Syrup
-Caramel Sauce
-Whipped Cream (I used Reddi Whip, directly from the can, but Ree Drummond has a delicious-looking recipe for homemade maple-pecan whipped cream)


What To Do:

1.) In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Set Aside.

2.) In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg, milk, and vanilla.

3.) Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring as you go.

4.) Add a dash of pumpkin pie spice, and stir everything together.

5.) Heat your skillet. I used my cast iron skillet, which is AMAZING for making pancakes. However, I would not recommend exceeding a 'low' heat with cast iron, as it gets super hot super quickly, and we don't wanna burn these little guys. If you're not using cast iron, go ahead and heat your skillet anywhere between 'low' and 'medium low.' Make sure and grease your skillet with butter, oil, or PAM, whichever floats your boat.

6.) Drop the batter onto the heated surface. I followed the Pioneer Woman's lead and made silver dollar pancakes, in which case you need about a tablespoon of batter per pancake, but this batter will certainly make large pancakes too. Once pancakes have begun to bubble, flip to the other side and continue cooking until the pancakes are no longer goopy in the middle.

7.) SERVE 'EM UP! With syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream, or whatever else sounds delicious.

I SHOULD NOTE that Ben and I were able to use one batch of these pancakes to gorge ourselves silly with pumpkin deliciousness 2 mornings in a row, so I would imagine that one batch of this size will serve 3 to 4 normal humans.

I SHOULD ALSO NOTE that these guys freeze really well- wait until they have cooled and arrange them in a freezer-safe container, placing waxed paper between each layer of pancakes. They taste just as good once they have been reheated!


ENJOY!!

Gateway To The Weekend

My mother and my aunt visited this weekend.



We walked approximately one zillion miles. Through Central Park, to Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Rockafeller Center, the Toys R Us ferris wheel in the DREADED Times Square, and we made not one, but TWO trips to Chinatown. Canal street was quite an experience for the pair of them- the bartering, the sneaky opening and closing of the drawers and cupboards- they got some Christmas shopping done. And then some.

My mother was puzzled by my expression when they left on Monday morning, wishing Ben and I a relaxing evening now that we had the apartment back to ourselves. I laughed and cried "Are you kidding?? No sleep till Thursday!!"

That's hyperbole, of course. I HAVE slept between now and then. Quite a lot, actually. But with my classes set up the way that they are, I usually do not arrive home until some time between 9:30 and 10, and my old lady sleep requirements allow me very little time to work on chores, homework, or decompression before the only thing I want is to be asleep. How glamorous. Perhaps I should have said something like "No WORK till Thursday!" Although that, too, would have been a lie. I'll have to think about it.

Tonight after work, I won't be taking my usual green line train home. I am going to the West Side Y to pick up my packet for this weekend's race- the Fit For All 5k. I probably WILL run home after this one, unless there is lots of SWAG to be had...but only time will tell. I'm still on a high from my excellent 10k time two weeks ago, so hopefully I won't disappoint with my time from this race.

That's all for now. Enjoy your Thursday!! It means that Friday is almost here, and that we've almost made it through the whole week- just a little bit longer!!!