Angie Windheim

The dilemma: Grandma is hosting Easter potluck and asks that I bring a “cooked vegetable.” Whoa. A cooked vegetable? Time to get creative. Well, I just opened trusty What Can I Bring? Cookbook, by Anne Byrn (aka The Cake Mix Doctor).  I picked the Spinach and Feta Pie recipe. Yu-um. It had all the magic of spanakopitas with a lot less work. I chose to make the feed-a crowd version that filled up a 9×13 pan. Everybody loved it.

Over the years my mom has gifted me with the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook, the Cupcake Doctor Cookbook and most recently the What Can I Bring? Cookbook, all by Byrn.  I have made many of the recipes in all three books and have not been disappointed yet.  A super bonus of all of them is that you get tips on how to store, tote and reheat (if necessary).  I love that.  

Some favorites from the What Can I Bring? Cookbook are: 

• Spinach and Feta Pie
• Fleurie’s Caramalized Onion Spread
• Hot Chile, Cheese, and Corn Dip
• Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Chicken Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
• One-Pan Cheese Danish

Baseball is now in full swing for the Windheims. The weather cooperated for Field Prep Day, Joe and Ben each had scrimmages, and Sam had his first “Rookie” practice.

As exciting and fun as baseball is for my family, I always indulge in a little dread for the over-intense parents and coaches we encounter each year. This is, of course, multiplied for the team that Brian coaches. We can never leave a game when it’s over, because someone’s got an issue to share. And, when we get home, there’s a phone call as well. Brian handles it all exceptionally well and his integrity is what keeps the worst at bay.  

With that, I encourage everyone to get out their lawn chairs, enjoy the show and let the kids’ energy and good times spill over onto you. Brush off the bad calls and missed opportunities and cheer for BOTH teams. Remember that over-enthusiastically cheering for your pitcher could be breaking down another just as awesome kid in the batter’s box. Be a leader in sportsmanship…there’s no better trophy to win at any tournament. I found a little poem that captures a bit of what I’m trying to say…

Alone At The Plate

Inside the front cover of the book You Can Teach Hitting, by Dusty Baker, there appears this poem about a Little Leaguer… 

He pulls on a helmet, picks up the bat,

and walks to the plate, “gotta hit and that’s that.”

The crowd starts to yell, the game’s on the line,

last inning, two outs, the score’s nine to nine.

Dad yells, “Go get it,” Mom wrings her hands,

coach hollers, “hit it,” but alone there he stands.

Heros are made in seconds such as this,

but he’s just a little boy, what if he should miss?

Years after this game’s ended and he’s little no more,

will he remember the outcome or even the score?

No he’ll have forgotten if he was out, hit, or a run,

he’ll only look back on his friends and the fun.

So cheer this boy on, alone with his fate;

help him remember with fondness this stand at the plate.

Spend your time wisely and help in his quest

to be a hitter with confidence and always his best.

And when the game’s over, this boy can stand tall,

for you’ve helped him prepare to give it his all!

Doing a little happy dance this morning. I’m now officially down 21 lbs. Yay, me! The Lose It! app on my iPhone has been a great tool. I use it a lot to help me make better choices when eating out.  And I’ve gotten the hang of how to be a little more in control of my eating and my portions. There’s more work to do, but it feels great to be on my way and have some super loose clothes.

I have resisted the temptation of American Idol for seven seasons.  Much to Brian’s dismay, I finally broke and am so hooked this season it’s silly! And, the best part is I dragged my boys along with me. Brian routinely comments that I’m ruining my kids…he’s half joking 🙂  Oh well. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a singer.  I sang all of the time and would fantasize that maybe someday someone would hear me and whisk me off to stardom 🙂  So, now I’ve got three boys who are hooked on music, taking drum lessons, taking guitar lessons, etc.  It only made sense to fuel the fire with American Idol.  I didn’t have them watch the early rounds where people are awful and embarrass themselves and are ripped apart by the judges. That part is scary! We started with the 36 that became the Top 13.  Very fun.  The boys are 100% behind Adam.  They’ve even bought his iTunes songs from the show.  I’m definitely a fan, but I do like Kris, Danny and Allison, too.  And Matt’s not far behind.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is/was to beef up my knowledge of gardening. I love to work in my yard and my garden, but doing it smarter and better is a life-long pursuit.  So, when I saw that Farmington Gardens was doing gardening classes I signed up for a couple. 

My first class was Sunday with Carl Grimm, Metro’s Natural Gardening Specialist, on “Landscaping with Organic Edibles.”   Carl combines edible, ornamental and native landscaping tips to help home gardeners kick the chemical habit in style.  Carl ran a great class with some great tips and I definitely want to ween myself away from the chemicals and attract the bugs and critters and nutrients to my soil that will help me do that.  I’ll be sure to pass things along as I implement them myself and see success!

Interested in a book that is odd, surprising, and somewhat like a captivating, extreme fairytale? Yes? Then you should read The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, by Tiffany Baker.  

The story is from the perspective our the heroine, Truly.  She’s a tortured soul in a small town plagued by being a Behemoth both in size and heart. She has all of the bad luck of a Cinderella, yet her happy ending is won with a slow and steady sense of purpose. Truly can’t just whip out her prettiest dress and some glass slippers. It’s a story of misfits (Truly’s not the only one) rising above intolerance and finding their way to love and peace.  It’s great.

An added bonus is the discovery of how to use herbs and plants for magic potions and healing creams. I felt a little inspired to start grinding up some peppermint and chamomile and  experiment with some natural remedies 🙂

I’ve be messing around with digital photo sharing and have decided to go with the Shutterfly photo website. Fun, fun, fun. Go give it a look! 

http://photomomentsbyangie.shutterfly.com/

I looked out my office window to the awesomeness of Spring. A very fat hummingbird was feasting on my flowering cherry tree. He actually sat down to rest a few times because he’s so full!  And, then a pair of finches decided to make out in the tree next to it 🙂  I was lucky enough to have some windows on the addition without screens and got a few pictures without disturbing the scene.

View Album at Shutterfly

We had lots to talk about last night at our third meeting of the Lit Ladies Book Club.  Our book to discuss was The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.  This book was a serious mind bender and a very fun read for me.  I actually had to delay getting into my next book. I needed some time to digest and ponder all of my lingering questions after reading The Thirteenth Tale. 

The story finds a young, lonely biographer, Margaret Lea, receiving a most interesting letter. She has been invited to write the biography of the mysterious, and famous author, Vida Winter.  And, boy does Winter’s story turn out to be a doozy. So outrageous. Yet I was sucked right in and couldn’t wait to figure out the next puzzle.  Vida sets the stage early that this will be a bumpy ride with very few clues, “From tomorrow, I will tell you my story, beginning at the beginning, continuing with the middle, and with the end at the end. Everything in its proper place. No cheating. No looking ahead. No questions. No sneaky glances at the last page.”  Love it.  

A bonus to the novel is that both Margaret and Vida are avid readers, and I subsequently made a list of classics that I just have to read now after hearing them referenced so often. Everything from Jane Eyre to Sherlock Holmes.  

The Lit Ladies were a bit mixed on the book. A few felt it hard to get going (one only got to page 62!). A few felt it was too dark and twisted after just having finished the dark and twisted The Glass Castle.  So, majority ruled that the next book will be just for fun 🙂  Hence, The Scarlet Letter got dumped. We’re reading In Search of My Natural Hair Color, by Diane Beil.  So, I’ll be off reading other things this month since I’ve already read and reviewed that one.