Dinner and a Movie

We made it out from under the snow! Yes, after dreams by many of a White Christmas, Oklahoma city was blanketed Christmas Eve by more than 14 inches of the white stuff. It was beautiful, but it hit this town with a vengeance. After almost seven years away from the East Coast, we weren't ready for it either. Plans were changed, celebrations were moved, and families were forced to actually spend time together. It was actually quite wonderful.

However, earlier this week, it was time to dig out, hire a babysitter, and have some adult time. We met our dearly-missed Norman next-door-neighbors for a night on the town. This time it would be in our neck of the woods, so we decided to venture out to the Iguana Mexican Grill.

We had been there once before, in the summer, and we were looking forward to a return trip. We were not disappointed. We were immediately seated in a room with lots of festive folks and huge colorful paintings on the wall. Yes, this was the perfect scene for a fun evening. We started with their chips and salsa. Although the tortillas were quite tasty -- light and crispy, with just enough warmth that the salt lingered on the chip -- they themselves were nothing spectacular. But the salsa definitely was. So fresh and pleasingly pungent -- brightened with cilantro and lime juice (?) and just a hint of smokiness. We all loved it. (Admittedly, I am a wimp when it comes to heat, so others may prefer their salsa a bit hotter.)

We girls both tried Tio Pepe's Mini Tacos, from the appetizer portion of the menu.  They came four to an order, and you can pick and choose from three fillings:  ground beef, adobo chicken and wood-smoked tilapia, which was by far my favorite.  The smaller shells were light and crispy, and the fillings did not disappoint -- especially the chunky bites of fish.  Erin ordered  a good, but not great, order of guacamole on the side, and I had citrus and cilantro white beans which were a bit off the beaten path and quite yummy.  (They tasted just like they sound, lemony and bright, yet comforting, if that makes sense.) 

Eric ordered Fish Tacos (for the first time!) and said they were quite good.  Scott ordered Crispy Pork Carnitas which looked amazing ,and he devoured every bite before I could get a taste!  (I need to get better about trying my dinner partners' food if I am going to make a habit of reviewing restaurants on this blog!)  Both boys had the black beans which they reported were very tasty.

Did I mention the margaritas?  We had a picture of the "Perfects" and although I've had much better (Pearls'), we had no trouble enjoying them!  Next time I will probably go with another type, though.

It was wonderful seeing our friends, and we even made it to a movie that night.  We saw Nine, which was wonderful, but I don't think I'll start reviewing movies quite yet. 


 

Why am I Still Up?

First of all, YES, the title of this ends in a preposition.  It's one of my pet peeves -- don't worry -- I'm usually very picky about my (and especially others') grammar.  But it's called poetic license. (And, yes, I started a sentence with "but.  And "and"!)

So today was a big day.  Annie and Sam went to see Santa -- at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, no less! 

What a civilized way of doing things.  This is one of those times when that "blueberry in tomato soup" phrase comes in....   As a liberal, I think I'm not supposed to be quite so comfortable with the country club set.  But, it was so much fun, and I loved every second of it.  Sometimes I'm not a very good leftie....  ; )

The tree was beautiful, they had all sorts of yummy treats, tons of activities, and bloody Mary's (Marys? Maries?) and mimosas for the parents.  Check out the high falutin' "face" painting.  (Which we all had our little ones do on their hands, because we wouldn't want to mar their darling faces for the obligatory photo opp with Santa):

Note the sparkles!  And she immediately pointed to the option of the gingerbread girl w/ a pink tutu!

So now it's almost 1:00 am, and here I sit.  I should sleep, so it will be a calm morning tomorrow, since I have laid down the law that we will be attending church tomorrow.  It's been hard since our move from our wonderfully not-very-Southern-Baptist Baptist church in Norman.  We've visited several times now at Westminster Presbyterian, (where I was baptized as an infant!).  We'll continue there through the Christmas season and make a decision after the first of the year.

I sit and write because I can no longer bare to look at the Christmas mess that has taken over my house.  Yep, it looks like Hobby Lobby has thrown up in our living room.  We have slowly taken everything out of storage and strategically placed it ...  all over our house.  Red and green plastic boxes, mounds of tinsel, and garish ornaments have taken over, leaving a trail of glitter on every nook and cranny.  And I can't seem to make any decisions as to where any of it should go for a final resting place.  I'm sure it will all look better in the morning.

I actually feel better now, and I think I will put an end to this late night blogging escapade.  Though I am beginning to wonder about what my goal is here.  Is this blog a stream of consciousness?  A restaurant guide to OKC?  Birthday party planning advice?  Oh not to worry, it's whatever I want it to be tonight!

All Quiet After the Thanksgiving Storm

They were all here:  Gran and Van, Wiley and the kids, Pa Pa and all my little ruffians.  We ate, we drank wine, we fought, we watched football, we slept, we played ping pong....  Even Annie got in on the fun when she threw up during dinner at Pearl's the last night!  Lots of excitement during a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 

Growing up we always took a family picture before dinner.  Why do we keep forgetting to do that now?  I love running across those old photos and seeing how our little family changed over the years, growing smaller as we lost loved ones, but then growing ever larger as Wiley and I added spouses and grandchildren.  Sadly, it grew a bit smaller again over the past two years with the death of Scott's dear mom, Jackie, and the heartbreaking divorce that my darling brother has had to endure.  But all families must go through such sad times, and in a way maybe it strengthens those left behind, binding us ever closer together. 

Of course the last night I panicked about the lack of pics and forced the older kids to pose:

(Jack, 12, Natalie, 14, Trip, 10, Sam, 8)

(did I mention the new ping pong table?)

Unfortunately, Annie didn't make it into these because she spent most of the last few days cranky because of a bad cold.  Now, wouldn't it be fun if I could find one of the old pics to post here as well!

We had both new and old recipes for Thanksgiving dinner (not lunch -- I am not that girl who gets up at 6:00 am to "put the turkey on" as Nana always did):  We tried Sage Butter Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy, Mashed Potatoes with Gruyere and Sage, and Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Fried Sage for the first time -- all winners!  One year I tried a different dressing recipe (that's what we've always called it -- not stuffing), and was almost kicked out of the family.  Never again -- we had Nana's amazing cornbread dressing recipe that I've adjusted only so slightly that it is still acceptable to my dear brother.  Scott also requested a throwback to his childhood, broccoli casserole.  Unfortunately that did not turn out as well.  (Not sure if it was the recipe or just the fact that our palates have changed in the past twenty years!) 

Then there were the pies.  Everyone in my family loves pumpkin, so I made two versions.  Again the traditional which Nana made -- literally followed the recipe on the Libby's canned pumpkin label.  (Luckily I still had pumpkin in the pantry that had not expired -- apparently the county is in the midst of a pumpkin shortage!!!)  That one was for the kids, because the new one had the dreaded nuts in it.  (Yea -- more for the adults!)  It was adapted from the November 09 issue of Southern Living, and it was a definite keeper:

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular:

One frozen pie crust (sorry -- I have yet to attempt a real crust -- maybe some day!)
2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 40 cookies)
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 t ground cinnamon (it was heaping for my tastes -- I like the spices)
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t ground ginger (again, I used a little more)
Pecan Streusel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (Can't find the little circle symbol on my keyboard!)  Thaw frozen piecrust according to package directions.
2. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next three ingredients.  Press mixture on bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of piecrust.  (I had extra; a 10 inch crust would have been perfect -- I could only find a 9 inch)
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).
4. Stir together pumpkin and next six ingredients until well blended.  Pour into prepared crust.  Place pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle Pecan Streusel around edge of crust.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until set, shielding edges of crust with foil during last 25-30 minutes of baking, if necessary.

Pecan Streusel:

• Stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 2 T melted butter, and 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped.  (Again, this made extra.)

So... we ate, we drank wine, we fought, we watched football, we slept, we played ping pong.... And a few of us cried when it was all over.

I woke up at 5:00 am and the dog ate my homework....

Lord, please guide me.  Help me to be the kind of woman that my kids and husband want to honor and cherish....  Cuz it sure ain't happenin!

I'll keep trying though.  Last night, after letting Jack go to yet another Casady social event, I then let him go to bed without finishing all of his homework.  For some reason, I thought we could get up this morning and finish both his science fair project and a couple of questions for social studies.  What was I thinking.  I set my alarm at 5:15 and hit the snooze button until 5:30.  Then on to do the impossible.  45 minutes, lots of tears, and several muttered cursewords later, we made it to the dining room to finish the testing.  Needless to say it took longer than expected, and he only finished the experiment.  Barely.

My brother and mom joke with me about how hard it was to get me up in the morning....  We all laugh about how Nana dragged me out of bed by my hair.  In my mind, it truly was every day.  Surely not.  If it was, then I have a long haul ahead of me.   And the saying holds true:  Payback is hell.  I just wish I knew how to help him before he makes all the mistakes I did.  Lord please help me.

Then there's Sam's "Read Across America" notebook.  The one that I lost the first couple of weeks into school.  Then it was found (yes!), and I tore notecards out of the replacement book for Jack's homework.  Then found out that Sam wasn't going to use the old one after all, but the new one.  That was now half gone.   Well, last week Sam had to take deli meat to school for a healthy eating demonstration.  (Stay with me....)  The leftovers came home and remained all weekend in the backpack I neglected to check until Monday morning.  The package leaked, and ham juice soaked all the contents, including "Read Across America".  Ellie found it:

Yep, Sam can truly tell his teacher, "The dog ate my homework!"

Lord, save me!

Coffee and silence

It's so quiet.  Scott has taken Sam to an OU basketball game, Annie is snuggled in her sleeping bag watching Noggin, and the preteen is still asleep.  Yes, I should probably entertain Little Miss with some sort of fabulous educational game.  And Jack should be doing homework.  And I should probably get out of my pajamas and do something productive.  But it's one of those wonderful dank dreary November days where I just want to drink coffee and be silent.  So here I sit.

Annie has had a bad cold all week, so we've stuck pretty close to the house.  We did celebrate PaPa's birthday yesterday -- always somewhat of a challenge.  What do you do for a 78-year-old widower who is suffering with the early stages of Alzheimer's?  He spent the night with us, and we gave him a bird feeder for his back patio.  That just doesn't seem like enough, does it?    We also took him to dinner at Sophabella's.  We keep going there because it's close and Italian seems to be a crowd pleaser.  Unfortunately it keeps missing the mark.   Now the lobster-crab bisque is tasty -- creamy and a bit of a bite, not too too rich.  But nothing special either.   (Jack also reminded us all that we were eating Sebastian from the Little Mermaid.)

Chicken picatta was my choice -- usually an easy sell for me, but not good at all.  There was no zing -- where was the lemon?  I found only a smattering of capers -- literally only five or six of the tangy berries.  And the chicken itself was not the usual cutlet, but a very thick boneless breast like I purchase at Homeland.    Scott had shrimp linguine which I neglected to try.  (Remember, we were dining with three children and an elderly grandfather!)  He said it was fine.  The boys had calzones and pepperoni rolls that they both thoroughly enjoyed.  (Who doesn't love crust stuffed with cheese and meat?)  The marinara sauce that came along with those was really quite good -- very fresh, tasting of vine ripe tomatoes, basil and garlic. 

I think Virgil won the best menu selection of the evening.  Although the restaurant's specialty is deep dish, Chicago-style pizza, he ordered the quatro-formaggi with thin crust.  It was excellent.  Perfectly crispy on bottom with a generous, but not overwhelming, smear of pizza sauce (probably the same marinara from the boys' dishes), topped by the yummy cheeses and Italian herbs.  I will definitely stick to pizza when we more-than-likely dine there again. 

It's still cold and dreary.  My coffee cup is empty.  Guess I'll go wake the sleeping one and interact with my darling daughter.

Pinkalicious, Part 2

We finally had Annie's birthday party Sunday night. The idea for a theme came to me when we were reading her favorite book this summer, Pinkalicious by sisters Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. It's a darling story of a little girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she herself turns a lovely shade of pink.

I thought I would be so unique and clever... decorating all in pink, asking the guests to wear their favorite "pinkalicious" frocks, and of course serving cupcakes! Little did I know that MY fabulous idea was already quite the trend in little girl birthday parties. Nonetheless, I carried forth pinkaliciously.

The invitations had cupcakes on them, and I penned a silly little rhyme:

It's Annie's third birthday,

So come celebrate in her favorite way!

Wear your PINKALICIOUS (or purplicious) best

And join us on Sunday at our new address!

I didn't spend too much time (or money) on the decor, but my endeavors were of course all pink (and purple,which is Annie's real favorite color). The dining room table was set with a white linen table cloth with a swath of hot pink organza swagged down the middle like a runner. Various cake stands held our pink goodies and of course the inspirational Pinkalicious book and namesake doll were prominently displayed. Purple tulle was tied around chairs and various other locations around the house.

Our guests ranged in ages from 18 months to five, so we only needed a few activities for the party which lasted about an hour and a half. Annie mainly wanted to open presents, which we were able to put off for only about 30 minutes! Anyway, I had hot pink plastic beads (with safety break-away clasps) and crowns for each girl as they arrived. After the girls played for a bit, completely demolishing Annie's room as expected, I read Pinkalicious to them. I attempted to make it into a game where they would either stand up or sit down each time I said the word PINK, but they lost interest pretty quickly! (I tried to modify a suggestion I had read to play a type of musical chairs, stopping each time the word pink was read, but I thought that might be too much for them. Good thing!)

We also had a little art project. (Soooo unlike me -- I am not a crafty momma!) I had hoped to make jeweled tiaras or something, but no such crown-making-kits at Hobby Lobby. I did find pink and purple foam door hangers that they could stick with glittery princessy foam stickers. Easy, and they actually loved it! Here are Annie's and mine:

I timed the party just right: 4:30-6:00. My odd-scheduled daughter could take her late nap, and we could avoid typical meal times! I ordered pink and purple mini cupcakes from a new organic bakery, Green Goodies. Honestly, although I thoroughly support the health and ideological benefits of organic food, the bakery choice was more about the close location and the fact that the owners are fun young moms who make yummy cupcakes. We had chocolate, vanilla, and pumpkin varieties -- all delicious. Excuse me, I mean pinkalicious! I also made tortilla pinwheels with strawberry (pink!) cream cheese and raspberry jam that I don't believe a single child tried. The big hit was the pink bubblegum popcorn! At least with the younger set -- most of us adults thought it was clever, but cloyingly sweet. (I bought it at a cute place around the corner -- Popcorn Fharmacy. Another benefit of living in the "City" - you can buy pink popcorn!) The kids drank pink lemonade, and the adults chose either pink soda or Mike's Hard Lemonade -- the limited PINK edition for breast cancer awareness month!

The kids took home their crowns, beads and door hangers, in addition to cute cupcake-shaped pots of lip gloss that I found at a great independent toy store, The Learning Tree. Oh yeah, best moment of the night: when Jack sauntered in and nonchalantly announced, "Mom, there's a little girl in there eating all the cupcakes!" Now that is what I call a successful preschool birthday party!

Pinkalicious, Part 1

So we went to the Girlie Show the other night. Toto, we certainly weren't in Oklahoma anymore. What a ball! It was a mixture of avant garde art, trendy food and cocktails, and the best people-watching experience I've had in quite a while.

It was held in a fabulous space, the Old Farmers' Market. As event planners in our former lives, Scott and I loved this cool, cavernous old warehouse. (I think it would be great for a wedding reception, but Scott disagreed; he's a little more traditional when it comes to affairs of the heart.) White paper lanterns bounced above the crowd like hundreds of full moons, and hot pink feathers and black lace were everywhere -- adorning both decorations and patrons. I'm so sorry that I neglected to take pictures!!!

We drank "girltini's" and ate a few offerings from Big Truck Tacos, a new place in town. They served a bitingly fresh ceviche in plastic shot glasses and some smoky sizzling-off-the-grill tacos garnished with crumbly queso cojita, avocado and fresh pico de gallo. For dessert we sampled scrumptiously moist mini cupcakes made by a friend from Sam's preschool days in Norman, Amy Cakes.

The artists were fabulous. The mindset behind the whole shindig was to provide a venue for female artists who don't fit the mold for the traditional Oklahoma craft show. Fabulously funky jewelry was crafted from everything: blown glass, gemstones, vintage buttons and traditional metals. Lots of fun scarves, silk-screened tshirts and recycled-vinyl purses and bags. The actual art that you would hang on your wall included retro-looking owl prints, very colorful photographs of 1970's era toy robots, and (in our opinion) kind of demented-looking cupcakes to name just a few of the offerings.

The music was rocking (tunes spun by whom I assume must be our own local Samantha Ronson), and the crowd was not what I'm used to seeing in OKC. Normally, I might feel old in such a hip crowd, but there were plenty of 50-and 60-something cool guys and gals. The biker crowd was there with tattoos and leather. Artsy couples with very fashionable glasses and great haircuts. There seemed to be lots of the hair-dresser crowd -- both male and female -- with colorful teased and/or spiky hair and lots of make up. (Yes, that's a generalization -- please no offense to all of the stylists out there who might be offended... who am I kidding -- no one reads this anyway!) And certainly enough other fairly traditional married couples who want to stay hip that we didn't feel uncomfortable in the least. But I did feel very left out that I didn't have on boots! They came in all colors and styles, from black leather hip-high to turquoise pointy-toed cowboy boots. Next year I'll know, because we will definitely go again!