I Laughed, I Cried,

I Snorted.

Here's "A glimpse into the exciting world of the people living in your catalogs".

http://catalogliving.net/

(So funny!)

When Life Hands You Lemons...

make Mac & Cheese.

I know.

That's not how it goes.

But, after a particularly difficult week, I really just needed a little comfort food.

So, thanks once again to my friend Angie, for directing me to Healthnut Foodie, and the recipe for The Ultimate Homestyle Mac 'n Cheese.

I feel so much better!

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

But, how do you determine a person's character?

We think we know.

We "characterize" people all the time - nice, trustworthy, honest...

Or, not.

But, sometimes people we think are nice, trustworthy, and honest do something completely unexpected and we say, shocked, that it was so "out of character".

Examples include, (but are obviously not limited to):

• Tiger Woods
• Elliot Spitzer
• Mark Sanford (the very married governor of South Carolina who claimed to be hiking the the Appalachian Trail, but was actually in South America with his "soul mate")
• Lisa Nowak (the also very married NASA astronaut, who drove across the country - wearing a diaper! - to confront the woman who had "stolen" her boyfriend).

Were these people (and those like them) just acting "out of character", or had everyone misjudged them?

I wondered.

So, I recently read the book Out of Character: Surprising Truths About the Liar, Cheat, Sinner (and Saint) Lurking in All of Us, written by psychologists David DeSteno and Piercarlo Valdesolo.

The answer was enlightening.

And, terrifying!

Basically, according to this book, a person's character (Tiger's, Elliot's, mine, YOUR'S!), is constantly shifting along a continuum between short-term and long-term gains (almost like having an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other).

Factor in the sub-conscious, evolution, and environmental factors, and we're all pretty much capable of anything.

That being said, reading this book made me realize that I really can't judge anyone, because it's impossible to say what I would do given those exact set of circumstances.

This book also made me aware of the various forces that influence our decisions, and will (hopefully) help me make better ones in the future (help I desperately need!).

Fastest Quilt Ever

I still haven't finished my first quilt, but when I read that The City Quilter was offering a class with this description...

"In one afternoon complete an entire quilt from cutting to binding.  This simple, textural quilt is faux-pieced & quilted at the same time, making it super fast.",

I signed up right away.

I was even more excited when I learned we would be making this quilt...

which I've always loved.

This quilt really couldn't be easier to make.

Unlike other quilts, with tops that are pieced together, the top of this quilt is a solid piece of fabric.

The blocks are then simply sewn onto the front, a quarter inch inside each edge, which eventually becomes nicely frayed...

To make the quilt, you simply lay out the back fabric (wrong side up), then the batting, then the top fabric.  We used fusible batting, which adheres to the fabrics when ironed (so much faster than pinning!).

The quilt in the shop was made using straight lines of evenly spaced square blocks.  In class, however, we cut our blocks "wonky", meaning intentionally cut at slight angles.

Unfortunately, despite the claim in the class description, I wasn't able to finish this quilt in one day (not even close!).

I managed to get at least one edge of each block sewn on, but still need to sew the rest of the edges, then add the binding.

I like it so far...

but don't know if I love it.

I do love the style, though, and it really is easy incredibly fast and easy, so I'll probably keep trying!

A Year in Review - 2011

Looking back, aside from one really awful event, 2011 really wasn't such a bad year .

I took several trips...

Paris in February

Charleston in March

Austin in April

Iowa in May

London in May

Chicago in June

Charleston (yes, again) in July

California in November

I finally made it into Gramercy Park.

My brother and niece came to visit!

I learned how to make a quilt and how to play the banjo.

I read a lot of books (24!).

And, I added two new (albeit temporary) additions to the family...

Timmy

Momma

So, no, 2011 wasn't a bad year.  And hopefully 2012 will be even better!

Happy New Year!!!

It's Christmastime in the City

Soon it will be Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays!

"These Pretzels are Making Me Thirsty"

(Seinfeld)

Every year, I make one (then another) batch of Chex Mix during the holidays.

And, every year, I wonder what to do with all the leftover pretzels.

But not anymore!

I now have 3 new recipes...

Holiday Pretzel Treats
Ingredients:
Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M's candy

Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 170F
- Set the pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
- Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss
- Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes

Mmmmmmm

Jingle Bells Chocolate Pretzels
Ingredients:

1 cup Hershey's Special Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Hershey's Premier White Chips, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, or oil), divided
Salted or unsalted pretzels

Instructions:
- Cover tray or cookie sheet with wax paper
- Place chocolate chips, 2/3 cup white chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in medium microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave at Medium (50%) 1 minute; stir.
- Microwave at Medium an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds, until chips are melted when stirred
- Using fork, dip each pretzel into chocolate mixture
- Tap fork on side of bowl to remove excess chocolate
- Place coated pretzels on prepared tray
- Place remaining 1/3 cup white chips and remaining 1/2 teaspoon shortening in small microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave at Medium 15 to 30 seconds or until chips are melted when stirred
- Using tines of fork, drizzle chip mixture across pretzels
- Refrigerate until coating is set
- Store in airtight container in cool, dry place

And last but not least...

Pretzel Dip
Ingredients:
1 pint mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon horseradish (jar)
3/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
8 drops tabasco
1/2 teaspoon dry yellow mustard
3/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions:
- Mix
- Chill

(So easy!)

I may have to buy more pretzels...