Archives for March 2012

A morning without coffee is like sleep.

March 4, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

Coffee in my Baylor mug:)

Since leaving my day job, I spend way more money on toilet paper and coffee. I took this perk completely for granted when I worked at the bank. I drink a lot of water; therefore the bathroom is my good friend. I’ve started limiting myself to a couple of squares of toilet paper per potty break, if possible. And, wherever I go – a restaurant, the mall – I make sure to use the facilities, unless of course it’s a disgusting place like most gas stations.

Coffee is expensive. I long for the free Folgers and french vanilla creamers, although I don’t miss getting up at 5:45 to get there for it. It’s more fun drinking non-free coffee and lactose-free milk at home in my pjs.

I spent last Tuesday morning at the car dealership getting my 50,000 mile service. The facility was relatively new, and I was pleasantly pleased at the awesomeness! Maybe I would start hanging out there regularly instead of the library. There is a ginormous lounge area with soft pleather chairs, tables, desks, free wi-fi and two monster flat screen televisions. Two small refrigerators were stocked with icy water bottles, and the fabulous coffee bar rivaled Starbucks with fancy caramel macchiatos & espresso machines. I almost cheered when I saw my favorite french vanilla creamers. There was hot chocolate and ten flavors of hot tea, including green. Three different flavors of freshly baked muffins were arranged on a silver platter as if they were hosting a sorority tea. That’s when I knew there would most definitely be a critical, non-warranty something wrong with my vehicle. Those macchiato machines don’t come cheap.

car dealership toilet paper

So I loaded up on coffee to the point of shakiness. I read the Wall Street Journal and utilized the free wi-fi. I went to the bathroom twice! The toilet paper was super soft – maybe even Charmin. I should have taken my big purse… I was just beginning to wonder if they brought in turkey wraps at lunchtime, when my service advisor announced my car was ready. Dang.

But, I grabbed a water bottle for the road.

talya

Musical Pairings:

Bob Dylan, “One More Cup of Coffee”
The Beatles, “Drive My Car”

“My aunt in Knoxville would bring newspapers up, which we used for toilet paper. Before we used it, we’d look at the pictures.” Dolly Parton

Lemon Thyme Blackberry Cobbler

March 3, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

I gave up dessert for Lent and then to seriously tempt myself, I baked a cobbler. Using my regular super simple blackberry cobbler recipe, I tweaked it by adding lemon zest and thyme. I had a bag of lemons that were staring at me, and I’m always trying to find unusual ways to add herbs. I’m a big believer in herbs – they have tons of antioxidants and health benefits. Plus, herbs are the only crop I can grow in my postage stamp sized yard… I decided if the combo lemon/thyme/blackberry was disgusting, it didn’t much matter, since I couldn’t really eat it anyway. (Lent, you know…)

Of course, it smelled heavenly. And it looked heavenly. And, as everyone who watches the cooking channel knows, I had to take a teeny tiny sinful bite to make sure it was edible. Very delicious! Both the lemon and thyme added a little something-something to the recipe. I immediately packed up half of it for a few neighbors – get thee behind me cobbler… I left a bit for John’s dessert, and managed to successfully ignore it the remainder of the afternoon.

Like everything I cook – it’s super easy. If the recipe is difficult, I move on to something else.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 stick unsalted butter

1 & 1/4 cup of sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

2 cups of blackberries (frozen or fresh)

Zest of 2 large lemons

Fresh Thyme – 2 teaspoons chopped

Method:

Butter + Lemon Zest

1. Melt butter in the microwave. Mix the zest of 2 lemons into the butter. Use a tiny bit of this mixture to butter your baking dish.

2. Rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of the flour and the thyme together and sprinkle this over the blackberries. Gently Mix.

3. Pour 1 cup of sugar and remaining flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour melted butter/lemon zest in and whisk it all together.

4. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly.

5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top.

6. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. About 10 minutes before it is done, you can sprinkle a bit more sugar and thyme over the top if you would like. The sugar will give it a bit of a crust & sparkle on top. And, you probably will have a lot of leftover thyme, so you may as well use a bit more.

Ready for the oven. See the sprinkles of Thyme on top?

A little shout-out for thyme… In medieval times it was regarded as the plant that provided courage and vigor. The ancient Romans used it as a treatment for depression. It contains antioxidants and essential oils thought to alleviate stress, provide a calming effect and relieve aches and pains in the joints. One teaspoon crushed, added to boiling water, steeped for 10 minutes and then strained, makes a great tea which will help with sore throats, coughs and mouth irritations. You can add a bit of honey to sweeten.

talya

Musical Pairings:

The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”

Yet Another Insane Nail Salon Story

March 2, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

80 degrees calls for a pedicure. Pulling into the parking lot early, I was happy to see no customers there yet. The five employees were practically in a receiving line, so thrilled to see my neglected toes stroll in. Was I the 5,000th customer on this Leap Day? Would there be balloons? Guess not. After carefully selecting my polish – I debated between “Suzi Loves Cowboys” and “I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!” – I settled into the massage chair with a copy of Bon Appetit, which of course made me hungry. About halfway through the routine, it was still quiet and peaceful, and I began to think this might just be my most uneventful experience at this place. Ever. Knock-on-wood.

A girl walked in to get her legs waxed. Wow. Her whole legs? That must be painful and expensive. The ladies became a bit animated over this. There was chattering and pointing about who would take on this assignment. After a Vietnamese rock-paper-scissors game, the lady already doing my feet, disappeared into the back room with the leg wax girl, and my toes were shuffled off to a lesser technician.

A few minutes later, an older lady came in for a nail fill. She sat near me and was attended to quickly. Still later, a well dressed businessman entered, with a rolled poster tucked underneath his arm. He spoke to the salon owner, explaining that he was selling ads for the Woodrow Wilson High School football calendar to be published next fall. Would the salon purchase a small ad for $100? The owner was suddenly struck mute. No one spoke. Everyone looked around in complete silence. The only sound was a Vietnamese instrumental rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Waters playing in the background. It was awkward.

Suddenly, the nail fill lady jumped in wholeheartedly with both feet and hands speaking to the businessman, as if the salon workers couldn’t hear her – “Yes, that is a good thing to do! A local business should support the local schools. Businesses only want us to support them. They should give back too!” She asked to see the calendar. “Oh that’s a very, very nice calendar. (Two verys with a s-l-o-w emphasis on the last very.) They should definitely buy an ad.” And on and on she went. I became suspicious. They had to be in cahoots! It really was a brilliant routine. The owner never spoke but looked a bit faint, as he wrote out the check. Woodrow Wilson High School can thank the well oiled tag team for that $100.

After the excitement died down, it became quiet again. As my toes dried, I relaxed and listened to my Ipod. I could almost nap. As the technician finished and began putting my flip flops back on, I opened my eyes to see my perfectly polished “Suzi Loves Cowboys” toes perched in bizarro, hand-painted, flowered shoes! “No, those aren’t mine – my flip flops are right there”, I pointed. “No, for you. Gift for you.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, gift.” I sat there stunned with those odd wooden oriental shoes on my feet which so did not go with my blue Dallas Mavericks Western Conference Finals t-shirt and khaki cargo capris. I looked around for John Quinones and the hidden camera.

Was I the 5,000th customer? This was the most peculiar thing. I tried to stand, but it was difficult on hard, 2-inch high, wooden flip flops – similar to those 1970s Dr. Scholls sandals I could never quite maneuver. Not only were they uncomfortable and NOT my style, they were huge on my feet. I clopped to the door like a freakin’ Clydesdale horse – CLOP CLOP CLOP. They watched me wobble to my car in those things – they stood at the window and smiled like they were so proud. Will they expect me to wear these next time? I really must find another salon or move back to Arkansas asap! I wonder if Woodrow Wilson needs a donation for the silent auction?

talya

Musical Pairings:

Simon and Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Steve Karmen, “Here Comes the King” (Budweiser Clydesdale Horse jingle)