Average Jane

Average Jane's Ridiculously Productive Day

I am generally the world's biggest procrastinator, but something came over me yesterday that drove me to just work and work and work some more.

The day started much like every Saturday, with me sitting at my desk in my pajamas, surfing. Then I realized that I had a vet appointment for Velvet in about 15 minutes, so I hastened downstairs, packed the cat in the carrier, put on some random clothes and made it to my appointment just in time.

When I got home, I looked out at the beautiful morning and decided I would get outside and do a little pre-winter yard work. By the time I finally finished (with a break in the middle to go get a grilled knackwurst at my local sausage store), here's what I'd accomplished:

• Cut down several years' worth of unsightly volunteer trees surrounding the walnut tree in my back yard. This is a task that can only be done in the fall or winter because of the massive poison oak vines that climb up the side of the tree. I used my loppers to sever the vines near their base and then I sprayed the hell out of them with Roundup. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't touch anything poisonous.
• Put away the lawn furniture, hammock and stand, both barbecue grills and every other random thing that was being stored outdoors for no particular reason.
• Used the hedge trimmer to shape the yew and boxwood bushes in the front of the house.
• Cleaned up all the trimmings and other flower bed detritus.
• Cut down other random volunteer trees and this year's dead yucca stalks.
• Dragged all of the brush, clippings and branches to the woods in multiple wheelbarrow loads.
• Cleaned the outsides of all my storm windows. The fact that it turned out that most of the dirt was inside did not spur me to break out the screwdriver and take the windows down for cleaning.
• Spackled and painted over all the holes from my failed attempts to install a toilet paper holder in our half bath. Today I'll put up the new one.
• Pried up the grates in the driveway and shoveled out the drain with a trowel. Took all the leaves and dirt to the back yard to continue my years-long project of trying to fill a sunken spot next to the patio.
• Used the garden hose to clean all the spiderwebs, wasp nests and other ickiness that had collected around both the front and back door.
• Topped off the flower pot that my husband's studio clients use as an ashtray with a clean layer of sand.
• Replaced all of the burned-out light bulbs in the garage, studio and front porch (six of them in total).
• Did what I could to sweep out the garage. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned and hosed out, but that'll have to wait for another time.

It was a sweaty, exhausting day and I found a leaf in my bra when I went to change my shirt, but I am so happy to have all of the work out of the way. I always hate myself when I don't do this stuff and then look out and see snow all over the hammock.

Today my day is looking more structured. I have my shift taking care of the adoptable kitties at a local Petco store, than tacos with Mexikansan, then band practice.

How are you finishing up your weekend?

Average Jane's Caturday Feature: Trillian

We've come to the last caturday of NaBloPoMo and the final cat in our household, Trillian. We've had her for just over a year and it's hard to imagine now what our lives were like without her.

If you're wondering why she's missing the tip of one ear, it's because she was originally a feral kitten, but a rescue group decided to adopt her out rather than returning her to the streets after she was spayed. Feral cats are routinely "ear-tipped" to indicate that they've already been spayed or neutered.

Trillian lives in my husband's recording studio/my office because Xena was so jealous of her that we feared for her safety. She's much bigger now, but Xena is still a behemoth in comparison and it seems best to let her stay where she's comfortable and happy.

She really does love the studio. Every mixing console has a cover over it because she is way too interested in playing with the faders, particularly when they move automatically. She's not afraid of loud noises; in fact, she'll often lie on the control desk during a recording session or band practice. If she gets too intrusive, my husband will shut her in my office (where her food, water and cat box are) until he's finished working.

The office and studio are filled with exciting cat experiences. If I'm ever wondering where Trillian is, all I have to do is insert or eject a CD into a computer or print something and she'll come running to watch.

Trillian is not quite two years old, so she's still very playful. Her favorite toy is a black shoelace or drawstring that she found somewhere in the studio. We call it her string and she loves to bat at it or chase it and bring it back. Toy mousies are also a popular choice, but she seems to lose them often.

She has the odd, raccoon-like habit of placing her toys in her water bowl. We've never figured out why she does this, but lately I've been rescuing her drowned string several times a week.

One of the nice things about Trillian is that she's pretty much up for anything. We took her on a road trip to Nashville last spring and I could see us traveling with her again. 

Our only concern about having Trillian live in a separate part of the house from the other cats is that she might be lonely without another cat to play with. If we ever end up with another kitten, it will be to keep her company. She seems okay as long as we make a point of spending time with her as often as we can, though.

I'd write more, but Trillian just jumped up on the desk for a cuddle and how can I deny her?

Average Jane's Thanksgiving Day

I pretty much cooked all morning and afternoon yesterday. I made dinner rolls, trifle, turkey and dressing, a variation on this butternut squash and sweet potato soup, green bean casserole (the mushroom soup kind, but with fresh, steamed green beans) and mashed potatoes and gravy, and I served jellied cranberry sauce from a can at my husband's request. 

It was a lot of food for only five people (me and my husband, my dad and stepmother, and a guitarist buddy of ours). We'll be eating turkey for days unless I give up and freeze a lot of the leftovers, which I probably will.

Here's the aftermath:

 

And that doesn't even count the two dishwasher loads.

The soup was the only part of the meal that wasn't well-received - too much of a break from tradition, I guess. I thought it was delicious. I was proud of myself for not speaking aloud any of the obscenities that swirled around inside my head as I was finishing up the main course and listening to my dad and husband in the next room making snide comments about baby food and liquid pumpkin pie. Um, who got up early and cooked all day, you ingrates?

Once everyone left, my husband and I watched several episodes of Glee that we hadn't gotten to over the past several weeks. Eventually we had the obligatory cold turkey sandwiches with Miracle Whip.

How was your Thanksgiving? Or if you're outside of the U.S., how was your Thursday?

Happy Thanksgiving from Average Jane

I'm sitting here stuffed with all the food I spent the day cooking, sipping a New Belgium 1554.

I had intended to do an "I'm thankful for" post, but I can hardly think of any aspect of my life that I'm NOT deeply thankful for. Husband, family, friends, cats, work, our home, my hobbies...I'm incredibly fortunate and I am aware of that every day.

I'd like to congratulate girlvaughn on winning the $25 SnapGifts gift card. The random number generator awarded her the prize and I've sent her a coupon code so she can choose whichever gift card she'd like.

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving! I might be sleeping in tomorrow, but you'll hear from me sometime tomorrow morning.

Average Jane Tries A Lifehack

A week or so ago, A Librarian shared a Lifehacker post on Google Reader that claimed you could make cookies in 90 seconds with your waffle iron.

She came over last night after dinner and once we'd had some wine and watched "Iron Man," it seemed like a logical next step to take some of the cookie dough I had in my freezer and see what would happen if we tried to cook it in my waffle maker.

As you can see, they turned out pretty well:

I have to disagree with the estimate of 90 seconds. They really took a good four or five minutes to be done enough to hold together, although that could have something to do with the fact that my waffle iron is 15 years old. The cookie texture was nice and soft with just a hint of crispiness on the edges.

I'm sure it was psychological, but both of us thought they tasted like a weird hybrid of waffle and cookie. I used white chocolate macadamia nut dough, but there was a distinct waffle-y flavor that almost overrode the cookie flavors. Still tasty, though.

We made a total of four and I probably could have eaten more, but decided that two was plenty.

So if you have a tub of cookie dough from some kid's fundraiser that's languishing in your freezer, this is something fun you can do the next time you're in the mood for a cookie or two. If you decide to try it, let me know how it worked out for you.

Why Average Jane Is Not A Professional Baker

Last night my friend LuAnn came over so I could help her make a successful Pumpkin Cake Roll to take to her family Thanksgiving dinner. She'd made one before, but ended up turning it into a layer cake when it cracked to pieces. Everyone loved it because it was still delicious, but she was hesitant to try it again.

Here's the thing: this cake always cracks, at least for me.The key is to minimize the cracking and try to confine it to the part that's rolled inside and less visible.

Here is where I wish I'd taken a bunch of photos, but I'll try to draw you some word pictures. (That sentence is way too "Simple Jack" for my liking, but it's early in the morning and I'm tired, so I'm leaving it.)

LuAnn had carefully measured all of the cake ingredients and arrived ready to just mix everything together. It wasn't long before we had spicy, pumpkin-y cake batter.

The cake went into the oven and it smelled wonderful. I'd greased and floured the pan within an inch of its life and when the 15 minutes were up, I went to turn it onto the powdered sugar-covered towel.

The cake stuck to the pan. The middle of the cake separated from the edges and crashed into an untidy pile of cake pieces. Crap.

I piled the failed cake into a bowl, figuring it would make an excellent trifle with cream cheese pudding, whipped cream and some spiced rum.

Fortunately I had all the ingredients we needed to make another cake. This time I extra, extra greased and floured the pan. When the cake was finished baking, I took a thin spatula and carefully loosened the edges all the way around. You know, the way I should have the first time around.

The cake came out perfectly. I rolled it in the new powdered sugar-covered towel and we let it cool while we made the filling and further killed time watching "Heroes."

Unrolling time came and - look at my surprise face! - the cake cracked a bit. LuAnn spread the cream cheese filling and I stepped in to roll it back up. It wasn't too bad. There was only one exterior crack and it was low enough that it wasn't terribly obvious. I was happy to consider it a success.

I decided not to make one for myself right now because we're going to have pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving dinner and that's plenty for four people. However, I am looking forward to making trifle with the disaster cake...

Another Dessert Recipe from Average Jane

While we're on the subject of torte recipes, here's another one we used to have all the time when I was growing up. This one actually is a torte, in that there's a baked, cake-like component. It's really quite good.

Walnut Torte

6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
Red currant jelly
1 pint Cool Whip or whipped cream

Beat egg whites until stiff and gradually add sugar and baking powder. When mixture looks like meringue, fold in graham cracker crumbs and walnuts. Grease pie pan and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. The top will be somewhat cracked. Cool and spread with a layer of currant jelly, then top with Cool Whip or whipped cream.

* * *

When I was a kid, we had red currant jelly all the time and there was even a Smucker's variety. These days it's a little harder to come by, but I've noticed that Target carries it. I like it because it's more tart and tangy than a lot of other jellies. It makes a great PB&J, too.

Thanksgiving Cooking Help from Average Jane

A few years ago, I gathered all of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes into a single PDF and shared it with my readers. This year I have updated the booklet, fixed the most egregious typos, changed the format, and added an introduction. If you could use a basic Thanksgiving dinner how-to with a few little extras, please feel free to download it and use whatever recipes would be handiest for you.

Here's the download link: Average Jane's Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

The booklet contains scratch recipes for two appetizers, the turkey and dressing, green bean casserole (fancy or standard), cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese filling. Many of these recipes are already on the blog, but I've filled in the gaps with other information you'll need to make a complete dinner.

I'm sharing the booklet under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license, which means you are free to share it as long as you attribute it to me (I'd prefer a link back) and do not sell or alter it in any way.

I'll be making Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year and I'll probably make pretty much all of these recipes. I've already purchased the turkey and I'm looking forward to getting together with one of my friends tomorrow night to make pumpkin cake rolls.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

You can still enter to win a SnapGifts card! Contest closes at midnight on Wednesday, November 25th.

Average Jane's Caturday Feature: Velvet

Velvet doesn't have a cool name like the rest of our cats because we foolishly thought she might be accustomed to her shelter name when we got her. I think she knows it now, but we missed our chance to change it when we brought her home a couple of years ago.

She's our "middle cat" downstairs - the buffer between young Xena and elderly Velcro. Our vet thinks she's about 8 or 9 years old and she's obviously had a hard life, but she seems to be enjoying living with us.

When we adopted her, we were told that she had belonged to a family that decided they didn't want a cat anymore once they got a dog. So they just stopped letting her into their house and she wandered the neighborhood forlornly, scavenging food wherever she could and picking up a host of parasites and scars. Finally a sympathetic neighbor took her to the shelter, where she remained for more than seven months before we came along.

Now she lives a life of leisure and pampering like the rest of our cats. She and Xena have a blast chasing each other all over the house and although they never cuddle, I've seen them nuzzle from time to time.

When Velvet first came home with us, she was not a fan of being picked up or held for any length of time, but she's gotten more amenable to all kinds of attention since then. Now she'll regularly sit on my lap or follow me around asking for attention.

The negative attention she gets comes from her dogged attempts to steal Velcro's canned food. I have to guard Velcro whenever she's eating lest Velvet sneak in and push her aside. Given Velvet's background, I don't blame her for wanting to make sure she gets whatever food she can, but it's a little annoying to have to be the cat food police twice a day.

She only has one nickname, "Velveeta," but we use her actual name most of the time. It's already confusing enough to have two cats whose names begin with "Vel-".

Velvet is a sweet girl and I'm so glad we're able to give her life's story a happily ever after.

Another Average Jane Giveaway

First of all, I'd like to congratulate Natalie, who won the GiveCard from last week's drawing. She says, "I would donate to Guide Dogs for the Blind... my mom is on her second dog from them, for 15 years she has been able to "see" with the dogs. Amazing."

This week's giveaway is a gift card from SnapGifts. If you live in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco, you can get a gift card to one of your favorite local businesses. For people in other metropolitan areas, they offer gift cards from national brands.

Some cards are available to be e-mailed immediately; most are traditional plastic gift cards that are mailed to the purchaser or recipient. It's a new company, so some of the markets have limited gift card options, but there's lots of potential for additional local restaurants and stores to join in.

The entrepreneur who started SnapGifts is a friend of mine, and I'm delighted that the company is providing me with a $25 SnapGifts card at no charge to give away to one lucky winner.

To enter, just comment on this post and tell me which company's gift card you would choose if you won. Deadline to enter: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at midnight. I've been looking over the Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas lists and I can say I would have a seriously difficult time choosing from all of the great restaurants and shops.