Quick Tip: Slow Melt Popsicles

Baby Bennett got his fat lip of the week this morning, so I cleaned him up and sat him down with a Slow Melt Popsicle.  I’m not sure what chemical cocktail makes them melt slowly, but it’s a great solution for icing a lip.

Slow Melt Popsicles advertise natural color and flavors.  They have 40 calories and 10% RDA of VItamin C.

Another new discovery this summer:  soda flavored icee pops.  They come in several flavors, including Orange Crush, A&W Rootbeer, and 7-Up.  They have them at Walgreens; not sure where else.  Way better than the traditional ones, though just as messy!

Baked Mahi-Mahi Recipe – Super Easy!

My post Saturday was a little deep and bleak, so here’s a recipe to lighten the mood.

Since my new recipe experiments generally taste like poo, we were surprised and delighted that this super easy recipe turned out great.  Prep time is about 5 minutes, and it appears to be foolproof.

It’s slightly adapted from a recipe I found at Cooks.com.

MAHI-MAHI

2 to 3 lb. dolphin (mahi mahi) fillets Salt and pepper to taste 2 lemons or limes 1/2 c. dry white wine 1 c. light mayonnaise 1/4 c. bread crumbs Paprika Place fish side by side in shallow baking dish (skin side down if it’s still on). Pour wine over fish, squeeze one lemon or lime over fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread mayonnaise over fillets, thoroughly covering them. Sprinkle with a light dusting of breadcrumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until flaky.  Turn up oven to 450 degrees and leave in five more minutes (to brown the breadcrumbs and give a crunchy top layer.) Garnish with sliced lime or lemon and paprika.

When I Grow Up…

I want to be David Sedaris.  Or at least have his job.  Or at least write half as well as he does.

Erma Bombeck or Carrie Bradshaw might be more likely role models for person like me — and I do admire them too (never mind that one is fictional) — but this middle-aged, self deprecating, gay man is my hero.

Little Pitchers…

I dropped my kids off at daycare on the way to yoga last week, wearing a hoodie jacket over my workout clothes.  My lycra was tighter and my hoodie smaller than I had realized, giving off a more “hootchie” vibe than usual.

I ran into a friend on our way into the daycare building and I commented that I was feeling a bit exposed in my outfit.  She politely laughed it off and we went on our way.  I didn’t think anything of it until Beach Day.

Caramel Corn With Easy Vegan Option

Here’s a family favorite caramel corn recipe.  I made it for a party last week; it’s great for making ahead since it keeps for up to a week in an airtight container.

You can easily convert it to a vegan/dairy free recipe by using Earth Balance, margarine, or other butter substitute.

A note for those of us who barely remember non-Microwave popcorn.  Popping the corn is done best with an air popper, says my mother.  If you missed that fad from 1985, you can do what I did: use a large covered pan or dutch oven.  Put a little oil in the bottom of the pan and add a cup of uncooked popcorn.  Stir it or shake the pan constantly, or you’ll burn the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of the popcorn, like I did on my first try.

This recipe is courtesy of my loving mother, who got the recipe from my Aunt Becky, who “got it from some cookbook.”

Kung Fu Panda: $23 for Awesomeness

To soften the blow of ending our lake vacation, I took the big kids — aged three and five — to see Kung Fu Panda when we got back home.

We all really liked the movie.  It wasn’t quite at the level of Finding Nemo or Happy Feet, but it was very enjoyable.  The animation was great, the fight scenes were dynamic, and the voices were very well cast. 

My Life As Boo Radley

Once upon a time, alabaster skin was a thing of beauty, an object of desire. Ladies of substance shielded their complexions from the sun’s harmful rays; tanned skin was an unseemly mark of the proletariat.

In the 1920’s, however, the French figured out that a suntan actually makes one appear healthier, thinner, and generally more attractive. By the time I arrived in the 1970’s, white was merely a sundress color designed to show off a savage tan.

Thanks for nothing, Coco Chanel.

I raged for years against my pallid destiny. Every June during my teens I would head to the backyard with sunglasses, iced tea, and Coppertone in tow for my annual attempt to get a tan. I would sit in the sun for about half an hour before getting too bored and hot to continue.

A subsequent hopeful look in the bathroom mirror always revealed the same thing: about 800 new freckles and glowing white strap lines on my pink shoulders.

Hello Hello!

I’m back from a wonderful and restorative trip to the lake. It was our best lake vacation ever. We swam, had a bonfire, skiied, tubed, played, and relaxed. The kids are getting more manageable, so it seemed like less work and more enjoyment.

Some high points: Colin and Serena can now swim on their own (with life jackets). Bennett went tubing for the first time (see above), with many requests for “more! more!” I got up on one water ski for the first time. We discovered Cracker Barrel in Fredericksburg, where the staff are ridiculously nice; Colin said he loves it even more than McDonalds! We had friends down to visit and were able to enjoy our newly finished basement.

We were sad to leave, but I am excited to get back to the usual routine. I missed writing and am back with several posting ideas up my sleeve.

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all of your support, comments, and feedback!