At least there were cranberries....

This year I celebrated a very mellow Thanksgiving. Mellow by intent. In keeping with some level of tradition, at least there were cranberries. I've been making cranberries for Thanksgiving since I was in kindergarten. (Thanks for the lesson Mrs. McGarry!)

I hope that y'all were able to celebrate a day of gratitude with family and loved ones.

My favorite pizza

This is it. My favorite pizza. Italian Sausage from Rastrelli's in Clinton, Iowa. No trip home would be complete without a dinner of this fabulous dish. What makes it so good? I don't know. The special sausage, the extra oregano, the thin crust, I'm not sure what makes this pie work for me, but it is by far my favorite. Perhaps the source of affection for this pizza can be traced to my youth and the tale of a 3-year old Sue devouring a majority of the pizza and leaving my aunt and mother to order another pizza for themselves. Nah, that couldn't be it.

Errands Iowa Style

Yes, all you Texans I am back in Iowa. And yes, most of the stereotypes are true - Iowa is a fairly rural place. Clinton does have some modern amenities of a small city, yet it remains nestled near the farms of Eastern Iowa. This is clearly evidenced by an errand I ran for my mother on Wednesday of this week.

I made a trip to the grain elevator. Oh yes, it's true. You can't get much more country bumpkin than a trip to the grain elevator. Can you? Hold that thought, one probably can.

Why did I make a trip to the Feed & Grain store? Well, mom needed ice melt and the best ice melt can be purchasd at the feed & grain store.

The blend of ice melt sold at the Feed & Grain store is superior to traditional rock salt as it is actually fertilizer and well not burn the grass along your sidewalks. So, off I was to buy SlipNot for mom.

Yes, this is the same Feed & Grain store where I used to buy feed for my pet duck, Bob. What? You didn't know I had a pet duck named Bob? My oh my, that is a blog post for another day.

On the way back to the house I drove past a farm that holds some fond memories from childhood. This farm was once a dairy operation. It was on this farm that I learned how to milk cows, jump from the hay loft to the barn floor down below and even swim in the cow tank. And yes, I also learned that a manure pit does smell horrific. This farm has deteriorated since those childhood days and the city is gradually creeping to the edge of it's property line. Still, it's fun to think of those carefree afternoons spent on the farm. I suppose there is a little bit of the country in this city girl.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

It seemed like a good project for a Tuesday night in Iowa. Make chocolate covered cherries - a yummy holiday treat.

The process is a simple one (or is a simple one when appropriately scaled) start with 200 marschino cherries with stems in (this is where the scale gets a wee bit out of proportion). Drain the cherries from their juice and let dry on paper towels.

While the cherries are draining, prepare the fondant wrapping for the cherries. The sugar mixture is created by combining powdered sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Blend well and roll into a ball.

Once the cherries are dry, individually wrap each cherry with 1 teaspoon of the fondant (roll fondant into a small ball, flatten and wrap). Repeat this process. Repeat this process. Repeat this process. Crikey! Repeat this process 200 times.

Remember I said the scale was a little out of proportion? That might have been an understatement. Individually wrapping each cherry takes a little bit of time, especially when the process is impeeded by returning text messages to someone.

Now back to the kitchen...

Once the cherries are wrapped in white sugar goodness, the chocolate is prepared and the dipping begins. Dip. Dip. Dip. Dip. Crikey! Repeat this process 200 times. Again, the process is slowed when one decides to return a message with a phone call instead of a text message.

Several hours after the process began, the cherries are lined up like soldiers ready to wait in the artic cold of the refrigerator until they are fully ripened. In a mere 2-3 weeks, the solid sugar coating will be magically transformed (it's practically chemistry!) into a gooey divine cherry center. This is, afterall, a dessert that reminds the young child in us all that good things do come to those who wait.

Lady in Red

For those of you who were wondering, yes, I was a bridesmaid for Kelli and Joe's wedding. This is the photographic evidence. Other ladies in red were Kathi (sister of the bride and matron of honor) and Amy (law school chum of Kelli). Umm, yes, I was a bridesmaid again. Let's not talk about numbers. Suffice it to say, always the bridesmaid - never the bride.

Congratulations, Kelli & Joe

This weekend I had the honor of witnessing the marriage of Kelli & Joe. I have known Kelli since our 7th grade year at Washington Middle School in Clinton, IA. (Go Cougars!) Through the years we have shared many life experiences. It has been a delight to watch her relationship with Joe develop these past few years.

As Pastor Deardorff said during his message on Saturday evening; in some aspects Kelli and Joe are as opposite as a pair could possibly be. Yet, the complimenting aspects of their personalities far outweigh any differences in political idealogy and bring balance to their relationship.

Kelli and Joe, thanks for asking me to be a witness to this special occassion, and I look forward to witnessing many happy years to come.

ULO

Yes, this is a ULO. An unindentified lighting object.

Ok, perhaps I am spending too much time in this space. It is afterall concert week (yes, it's that time again) and I am spending far too many hours in the Globe-News Center. However, look at that thing! Have you ever seen a light fixture quite like it? To give you some sense of scale that fixture is approximately 15 feet in diameter. It's massive. Try laying on the floor and looking up at that. Great effect, but slightly bizarre...err, unique design.

These lighting fixtures provide a variety of lighting options for this rehearsal space.
This concludes yet another portion of the tour of the GNC.

pals at paso

Kelly and I survived 3 dress rehearsals, new hair dos and a drag show today. Here's our pic from tonights PASO Turnabout fundraiser. (Note, Sue's hair looks good and only because her fabulous stylist Christina worked some hair magic)

Here's an odd note to the evening, I was at a drag show...with a camera, and there is not one pic of a drag queen on my digital card. What was I thinking?