Sympathizing with Super Man

"You're good at this," said the lady with a teasing smile, "did you go to school for it?"

I just hefted my garbage sack and threw in the soiled plates and cups, returned her smile, and went on to the next table wondering what they'd think if I told them I had a doctorate; they'd probably have a good chuckle at the irony, I know I do.

I love being an incognito doctor, posing as just another stay-at-home mom or the quiet little wife of a small town pastor.  For some reason people equate my career with my identity, as if I have no interests or personality outside of the office.  They can't fathom that I'd rather talk about anything else than their cat's chronic vomiting issues.  Do plumbers or engineers or brain surgeons have this problem?  It's not that I don't like cats, or my job, it's just that I have a life outside of work and would much rather talk about other things, like just about anybody else whose work is not their life and vice versa.  So I pretend to be a nobody, just another Joe-Smoe, completely uninteresting and dull.  But it is rather priceless to watch the surprise when someone discovers my secret, at which point I flee the room as they approach at the run to get my opinion on corn in dog food.

I completely understand why Super Man chose the unobtrusive Clark Kent as his alter ego.  He couldn't just be himself as the superhero, all they saw was the man in the cape, whereas Clark could actually have a life, relationships, and talk to people without them getting all weird.  I wonder if celebrities wish they could doff the fame and just be nobody for a while?  We're all trying to be celebrities on social media, to make our lives interesting or attractive to others, but why?  Who cares?  If you enjoy your life, isn't that enough?  Do you really want people to gawk and gape and stare as if you were some sort of sideshow attraction?  As for me, I'll just don my Clark Kent glasses and vanish happily into the milling crowd.  Are you done with that plate?

Mint Brownies

Use this as a topping on your favorite brownie recipe or to dress up a box mix; covers a 9x13 cake pan worth of brownies.  It is both pretty and delicious!

For mint cream:

Beat together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 1 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp mint extract, and 3 drops of green food coloring.  Spread over cooled brownies.

For Chocolate topping:

In a microwave safe bowl melt 1 cup chocolate chips and 6 tbsp butter, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.  Cool slightly and spread over mint topping.  Refrigerate until firm and store in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Fudge

I don't know where my mother found this recipe, but it is a family favorite for as long as I can remember, though I've made a few alterations for convenience and personal preference: namely leaving out the candied cherries and adapting it to the microwave.  It freezes well and makes a big pan.

2 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter (use the real thing!)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I've had the best luck with Jif)
1 7oz jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 12oz bag M&Ms

In a large microwave safe mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, milk, and salt.  Microwave on high for 8 1/2 minutes (may take more or less time depending on your microwave) stirring every 2-3 minutes, watching that it does not boil over.  Remove from the microwave (will be extremely hot, use oven mitts) and stir in peanut butter until melted, at this point it may or may not look really creamy and wonderful.  If it has a weird curdled texture, don't worry, it will still taste great, I think it is just that some of the oils separate from the peanut butter, which didn't happen with the Jif but I've seen it with other brands.  Stir in the marshmallow creme and the vanilla and mix until blended then add the M&Ms.  Pour into a 9x13 inch cake pan and allow to cool.  Cut into squares and serve or freeze.  I keep mine in the fridge so it is more firm when eaten.  If it doesn't set properly, increase the microwave time with the next batch, and stick this batch in the freezer to improve consistency.

Philosophical musings not worth the effort

The in-laws have left, the christmas paraphernalia is safely sequestered for another year, and there are no lurking holidays more dangerous than Groundhog's day to be dealt with in the near future so it must be time to hibernate.  Except that's not really an option, which seems a little speciest to me, just because I'm not a skunk doesn't mean I couldn't use a 'long winter's nap,' but that's a whole other post.  Everyone seems to be bracing for the cold front moving in, but it is January on the northern plains so I'm not sure what everyone is so excited about; this happens every year.  Yes it may get down to -14F one night and the windchill will dip to -30, but compared to other places I've lived, that is almost tropical (I've seen a three week period where the high was -14 with wind chills in the -50's).  Did I mention I walked to school in it, up hill both ways?  I'm not that old, at least I hope not, but then I predate the internet, wait, did the world even exist before the internet?  Maybe I'd best just stick to complaining about the weather...

The Week Without a Country?

When I was a kid, I watched an ancient movie (50's?) entitled 'The Man Without a Country.'  This guy had done some spying against his homeland and was condemned to spend the rest of his days without a country, basically he got to live on a ship but was never allowed to go on land.  It was really sad.  That's sort of what the week between Christmas and New Year has always felt like: an awkward span of days that is bereft of the Christmas jollity yet prior to the purpose and excitement of a dawning year. The hangover after Christmas?  At least that's what it has always felt like.  This year, it feels more like a time of rest and reflection, a time to recover from the busyness of the holiday marathon, to reflect on what has been and what will soon be.  As a kid, it was pretty much torture, but as an adult who just bid farewell to the last of our in-home celebrants, I am rather relishing the quiet.  I guess I must be all grown up at last; scary thought indeed!

Exploding Egg Salad

So we had to get a new stove and I'm still learning this one's quirks, one of which is that it doesn't heat as quickly as my last stove, meaning I need to adjust my mental timing when planning meals/cooking things to make sure they are done on time.  Or that my food is fully cooked before serving…

Eggs were on sale this week so I thought I'd whip up a batch of egg salad:

4 eggs
Mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, simple!

Except my eggs were only partially cooked (think soft, squishy tomato consistency).  I peeled one but threw away half of it as it stuck to the shell.  Instead of reboiling the other three, I thought I'd speed things up and use the microwave, and yes I know things like eggs and potatoes tend to explode therein if not treated carefully.  So I cracked the shell on Egg 1, threw it in and took it out the second it split in half and scooped out the cooked innards with a spoon, much easier than peeling!

Enter Egg 2, same treatment, except this one blew up quite spectacularly.  It was a mess but I haven't had this much fun in the kitchen in ages!

Clean microwave and crack Egg 3 completely in half, perfect.

So there you have it, a new holiday tradition!

How to eat, or not?

It is a challenging world we live in, at least dietarily, especially when feeding company.  I had a friend who had one side of the family that was vegan (no eggs, milk, or meat) and the other side was gluten free (no flour type products) and they were all at her house at the same time!  Some people have a medical necessity to avoid certain foods (allergies, sensitivities, celiac disease, etc.) while others have basically jumped on the idea as a fad or alternative religion.  Is gluten free still all the rage or have we moved on to paleo or something else?  Remember the atkins diet?  Even the scientific opinion on the subject seems to shift sporadically.  Eggs are either bane or blessing depending on the year.  Salt and cholesterol and red meat were going to kill us back in the '90's but now it is okay; coffee and red wine are also either miracle or poison, depending on the most recent study.  So how do you cook for people at all in this day and age when everyone has a medical necessity or a strong preference?  Especially when many who have elected to eat a certain way get highly offended when you don't bow to their wishes?  Why is it people who have a medical reason for their diet are so much more accommodating than those who choose to eat a certain way?  I've never been preached at by a celiac patient that gluten is evil, but I've heard plenty of sermons on why I need to eat organic or go vegan or avoid red number 5.

Even the food labels have gone bananas.  They no longer say what's in the product (well they do, in teenie tiny letters) but the big bold lettering goes to such proclamations as fat free (jelly beans, 100% sugar), gluten free (salt), no antibiotics (poultry, but you get in big trouble if you sell tainted meat so I'm not sure what the point is), natural flavoring (soda, definitely a healthy alternative), no preservatives (this really irked me, granola bars are supposed to have a long shelf life!)…you get the idea.  No wonder people are confused by what to eat and how to cook.  But a little common sense will go a long way in this as in all else.  Eat what you like, a wide variety and all things in moderation.  There is no magic diet that will let you live to 100 regardless nor will eating bacon (or whatever) once in a while kill you.  On the other hand, worrying about it too much may just give you an ulcer.  Also, if you are enthusiastic about your new diet, that's fabulous but please don't beat us nonbelievers over the head as dolts and evil doers, we're living as we think is best, just as you are.