tailgating and beerless potato soup

Out for sushi twice.  The Grey.  The Descendants.  (Two movies in two days is unheard of in my world!)  A book purchase.  A good run on the trails.  Lots of friend time.  A successful new recipe.

All these things made my weekend great!

And I'm still high on life, despite this nonsense that I saw on the interstate today:



Have you ever seen anything so asinine?

I don't know who those poor children are, with the hair-product mohawks, airbrushed onto the tailgate of this truck that I can only hope is their father's (I don't know what other hope to cling to), but I feel like we should all lift up this family in prayer.

Honestly, people.  Snap into some reality.

Speaking of reality, it's chilly tonight, and I was craving some homemade soup.  This was a winning recipe, compliments of the Neelys, from the Food Network.

Fully Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup

4 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 c. chicken stock

1 cup whole milk

1 (12-oz.) bottle light-bodied beer

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar

Dash hot sauce

Dash Worcestershire

Sour cream, for topping

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, for topping

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, for topping

Extra shredded cheese, for topping

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute in butter until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and continue to stir for 2 minutes to toast the flour. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Gradually whisk in the stock, then the milk and the beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potato is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Puree the soup, using an immersion blender or in an electric blender, until smooth. Return the soup to low heat. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition. Season the soup, to taste, with hot sauce, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper.

Serve it up, topped with your favorite accompaniments.

As a sidebar, I should tell you that I used vegetable broth in lieu of the beer.

I don't drink beer, but I will use it for cooking, even though I'm clueless while buying it.  About a year ago, in fact, I wasted an exorbitant about of time in the beer aisle looking for an appropriate "white beer" for my Cheddar Beer Soup.

Anyway, I wasn't able to buy any in my grocery store today (obviously beer as a cooking ingredient wasn't considered when they passed that law about no beer or wine sales on Sunday), so veggie broth it was.

The soup was delish, even beerless.  So give it a go on your next cold night!  It'll warm you right up.

And for the love of the children, don't airbrush yours on your vehicles.

thankful thursday #62

We've had some sorry weather here in the 'ham this week.

Early Monday morning, around 3:00, I awoke to the warning of weather sirens.  It's shocking I even woke up -- I'm a champ at sleeping through those -- but how sad is it, that I didn't even check the radio or TV for a weather update at that point?

And not just once.  Twice!

As it turned out, another tornado had left a nasty trail in our state.  While colleagues and I traveled to Atlanta for a meeting that morning, and for two more days this week, the rain has poured down by the buckets.

It's been so dreary!

Today while I was fighting with my umbrella all day long, and bemoaning the fate of my poor suede boots (they've told me they don't love the water), how could I not be grateful?

For safety in storms.  For sunshine that eventually comes out again.

I hope the weather in your neck of the woods has been more pleasant than here, but even if you're battling storms, what're you thankful for today?

Go on, be grateful!

the test of persistence chocolate sheet cake

Last night at the informal birthday celebration, the chocolate sheet cake was well received by all (or so they told me, anyway).

I confessed to my friends that they were eating the second edition, so it's possible they were just trying to make me feel better.

Nonetheless, I'm reasonably comfortable sharing the recipe now, for those of you who won't be discouraged if it takes you two times (or more) to get it to an acceptable serving status.

This is the recipe as sent by Mom; my (hard) lessons learned are noted below.

Mom's Chocolate Sheet Cake

Mix 2 cups sifted flour and 2 cups sugar in bowl.

Bring to rapid boil:  1 stick margarine, ½ cup Crisco oil, 1 cup water, 4 Tablespoons cocoa.  Pour into sugar and flour and blend well.  Stir in 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ cup buttermilk.  Pour into pan, greased.  Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Melt 1 stick margarine, 6 Tablespoons buttermilk, 4 Tablespoons cocoa; bring to boil.  Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add 1 - 1½ boxes confectioner's sugar (enough to make it spreadable) and 1 cup nuts.  Spread on cake when it comes out of the oven.

Robyn's Notes

* Instead of margarine, I used unsalted butter.

* It is well documented that Mom's pan is larger than a 9 x 13 dish, but in Round Two, my 9 x 13 dish worked.  It will never taste like the cake that's prepared in the pan, but there's only one of those, and it's not in my possession.  We do what we can.

* Probably due to the fact that my pan wasn't the right size, I did have to cook it for about 3 minutes longer (23 minutes or so).

* In the second, more successful batch of icing, I found only one box of confectioner's sugar to do the trick.  (That's right.  Only one box.)

* Our family's nut of choice for baking is pecans.  (Or, as Dad insists on calling them, pee-cans.)

And one last heads up: this is a dessert with a sugar level that will make you climb the walls.  Beware.

But enjoy.

a chocolate sheet cake offering

I don't have a very big sweet tooth, but my mom has some pretty spectacular dessert recipes that when prepared, make me morph into some kind of unrecognizable addict.

Like somehow I can justify eating three pieces of cake a day.

Her chocolate sheet cake is one of those, and I thought I might like to try it out this weekend to honor a friend's birthday.

As most of her best recipes go, they're well, loose, in places.  Her macaroni and cheese, for example, calls for no specific ratio of macaroni to milk to eggs.  It's just, "until it's the right consistency."

Right.

This sheet cake recipe is my Mimi's recipe, and it has a couple of interpretive elements.  For one, the cake batter is to be poured into "the pan," which refers to one pan.  And I don't mean one particular sized pan, but the actual pan that Mimi used, and that Mom now uses.  In other words, the one I don't have.

Mom doesn't know the exact size, but only that "it's bigger than a 9 x 13." 

And the icing calls for "1-1½ boxes of confectioner's sugar."

My grandmother's and mom's generations are not making it easy on daughters like me to carry on our favorite cooking traditions, I tell you.

Needless to say, between the wrong pan size and the un-measurements (and my omission of some critical vanilla in the icing), Round One was a disaster.

I called Mom today to report back.  "I just finished making my second chocolate sheet cake, if that tells you anything."

How often this happens in our spiritual lives!  Despite the guide and instructions that we've been given by the Lord -- and no, the specifics are not always explicit -- we mess up all the time.

Disappointing?  Sure.   Costly of time and energy (and another round of ingredients)?  Uh-huh.  Normal?  Absolutely.

But praise Jesus, he is gracious, and generous with second chances.  He allows us opportunities to learn from our mistakes, and to learn his ways, that we often struggle to understand.

Mom was very sweet and said to me, "Well, it'll get easier when you make it more.  That's probably one of those we should've done together the first time."

I think God's like that, too.  I think he knows when we're trying, and encourages us to keep at it.  And no matter what we're doing, or how many times we've done it, I imagine he's always saying to us, Do it with me.  It'll turn out better that way.

Gracious Lord, continue to remind me that you are the God of second chances, and that whether I'm on the first, tenth, or hundredth chance, I'm better off doing life with You.

And please, Lord, let this chocolate sheet cake be an acceptable birthday dessert for my friend offering to you.

thankful thursday #61

My stars, the past two weeks have been doozies.

It's rare for January to be this hopping for me, but alas, the 2012 calendar has shown me no mercy so far.

In spite of my exhaustion, I'm thankful today that this weekend will be spent at a gals' conference at my church, and that  tomorrow is jeans day at work.

I'm so thankful for jeans day, in fact, that I don't even care that I'll probably be doing manual labor.

Pulling on jeans and slipping into my favorite clogs always make me feel better.  They bring me right back to my comfort zone.  The literal one.

What are you appreciating, as you slip in to your Friday?  Go on, be grateful!

finally, some civility

Yesterday, at some point during my interview marathon, the issue of civility was mentioned.  In context, incivility was identified as a behavior for which one of our smart candidates had a low tolerance.  (Preach it.)

I wrote about (in)civility almost a year ago.  And I promised to seek out stories of civility to share.

I've thought about that a lot over the last year, actually.  It's been convicting, frankly, to not follow up on that, and disappointing, that those stories haven't been so easy to see.

Well.  Glory to God, I have one for you!

On a business trip today, I was touring a football stadium that is under construction.  There's nothing quite like throwing on a hard hat and fluorescent vest in a suit and heels (closed-toed, of course).

I digress.

One of the gentlemen hosting us was, very likely, one of the kindest and well, most gentle men I've ever professionally encountered.  As we walked under ladders and stepped over piles of hardware, he was attentive to the ladies in our group, and careful to guide us safely through a potentially dangerous area (speaking from personal experience, unfortunately).

That's civility, folks.  But not the point of my story.

As we were leaving one level, a construction worker called to us, "Excuse me, sir!"  (Mr. Gentleman stopped and turned.)  "I just wanted to say thanks for saying hello to us, for speaking to us.  Most men in ties don't do that.  We appreciate your acknowledging the work we're doing here."

Mr. Gentleman responds, "Listen, you guys are doing the hard work.  We know it, and just because we're in ties doesn't mean we're too good to say it."

Honestly.  Could the civility be any more abounding?

There are great folks out there, who are attentive to others, and not just to the people who are dressed like them.

There are people who understand that acknowledging the work of others who aren't in your immediate circle, can make their day sometimes.

There are those who -- perhaps even unknowingly -- are practicing civility, somehow knowing that their words and actions impact others.  For good.

Practice civility, friends.  The world is better for it.

so tell me about yourself

Uncreative question to start an interview, yes?  I think so too.  I don't use it.

Today -- all day -- I interviewed candidates for an open position in our company.  Although I don't do it terribly often, it's a favorite work responsibility.

I love visiting with young people embarking on their career journey.  When they are pried away from their electronics, they are curious and engaging.  They are enthusiastic.  They are a blank canvas.

In particular, the ones who come with intelligent questions (that did not come from a Google search for "questions to ask a potential employer") are particularly impressive.  I wish there were more of them.

What is our company's growth strategy?

What do we enjoy most about our jobs?

How do we measure success?

When we answer those inquiries, I'm reminded that our growth "strategy" is rooted, quite simply, in relationships and integrity.  When we do the right thing by our clients, the word travels, and new business finds us.  That's a luxury not many companies can claim as a reality.

I'm reminded that the people we work with, and our desire to help each other succeed, are the things we most cherish.

I'm reminded that our success isn't all about a bottom line, or sales quotas.  We value the intangibles over the tangibles.

It's not all a bed of roses, of course -- is any job?  Even after a day like today, I am exhausted from being "on" for those interviews.  The introvert in me is screaming, Enough already!

And over the coming days, I'm going to seriously hate the phone calls to the candidates who aren't chosen.

But in the end, it's a good place to be, uncovering some of those forgotten treasures that get buried under the rubble of our daily work routine.

What's the most memorable interview question you've been asked?

thankful thursday #60

Earlier this week in New Orleans, I had the chance to see some friends and work buddies from my old internship days.

It's been a whole decade!

It's scary to be reminded of how quickly time passes.  To wonder, "Good grief, have I done anything worthwhile in ten years?!"

On the other hand, it was comforting to see people who helped me get my adult feet on the ground.  The same people who are helping my little bro get his start!  To know the same smiles and bits of encouragement are planting seeds in his life, too.

I've had lots of folks like that along the way, who took a chance on me, who've been gentle mentors, and servant leaders to me.

I'm happy and thankful that this week, I was given that sweet reminder of how the Lord has been so faithful to provide all these years, allowing so much support and undeserved favor to cover me.

Have you been looking for little nuggets of appreciation this week, too?  Go on, be grateful!

mark it off

Recognize this field?



My team might be a long ways off from getting a chance to play on that kind of stage.

And I sure don't love either of the teams that played in this year's game.

But it was a no-brainer when I got the opportunity to mark that experience off my bucket list.  And with one of my favorite people, to boot!



I owe a certain little brother.  I owe him big.

thankful thursday #59

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to practice more hospitality (and not job-related, by the way).  Invite people over.  Cook them a meal.  Visit, just because.

I have great memories from my parents' home, sitting around the kitchen table for hours, laughing with friends and family.  Telling stories.  Being away from the television!

In addition to her gift of hospitality, one of the other bazillion things I love about my mom is one of her hostessing philosophies:

"I don't do the dishes while guests are here, because that's time I want to be spending with them, rather than slaving in the kitchen."

Isn't that so profound?  I do love her for it.

Tonight I was happy to cook up a quick meal for these lovely ladies to kick off a new year of Bible study.

And although I tried to honor Mom's anti-clean-up rule, it was a matter of minutes before those lovely ladies had turned this ...



... into this ...



... and I was one happy hostess!

I hate to say it, but although I want to be like Mom, and tend more to people than dirty dishes, I am much happier when the clean-up is out of the way.

And I'll always be extra-thankful when my guests clean those dishes for me (although I begged them not to)!

Ahh.  Cheers to a clean kitchen.

Clean kitchen or not, what're you appreciating today?  Go on, be grateful!

three, two, one

And then boom, it's 2012.

For the first time in what seems like a hundred years I did not stay up to ring in the new year.  I was enjoying time with the fam, including the parents of an active little four-month-old, who were very sleepy.

We just called it a night so we could be ready for the early morning wake-up call.  I felt a little bit regretful, but then that early morning wake-up call came, and I didn't regret it anymore.

And then I scampered over to Tampa for the debacle that was the Outback Bowl.  It did not feel great to be a Bulldog, but you know, we tell ourselves it's always "great to be a Georgia Bulldog!"

Darn those childhood cheers.

I'm pretty bummed about going back to work (oh, the emails that await me), and my car is having a regularly scheduled "tune-up" which will likely cost me a fortune, but these circumstances will not steal my new year's joy!

• Since I'm car-less, I'm going to putz around town with my dear friend Kels, who does have a car, and the day off.
 
• I have a fun trip planned for next Monday and Tuesday with Emily.
 
• I might start house-hunting soon!  We'll see.
 
• My new Christmas toys are begging to be used.  Can't wait to whip up a smoothie in my new blender, and read a good book on my Kindle!

Cheers to 2012, friends!  Embrace all things new!