My Chili Success Story

In the fall/winter of 2002, Mitch and I hosted a friend of ours from college and her husband for dinner.  We had just gotten married, and were living in our new townhouse in Plainfield.  As "new" adults, we liked to host people at the house and entertain, and this occasion was no different.  Because it was a weeknight, I needed a meal that was easy to prepare, and so I decided to make chili.  

I called my mom for her chili recipe (because I like hers the best), mixed it up, and put it in my brand-new, never-been-used crock pot before I went to work.  I was so excited to come home with the house smelling like chili, and was shocked when I opened the door and the house smelled like something was burning.  I went to the crock pot, and sadly, the chili was crispy.  I'm not sure if I didn't have enough liquid or what (Mitch is convinced I turned it on too high), but the whole batch was fused to the crock pot.  I couldn't even scrape it off the sides, so I ended up throwing the whole thing, crock pot included, away, and ordered pizza.  

Since the "chili incident" as I now refer to it, I have been afraid to make chili for fear that I would burn it and ruin another crock pot.  However, I have been craving chili something awful lately (such is the case for pregnant ladies), and decided to chance it yesterday.  I was off work, and decided this would be the best time to make it, since I could be at home in case it started to burn.  So, I dumped all of the ingredients into the crock pot, simmered and stirred, and here's how it turned out - 

I was relieved to know that I'm not a total idiot when making chili, and look forward to making  this comfort food often now!

Yep, We're Having a Baby!

It's official - I am pregnant.  Mitch and I found out the weekend after Thanksgiving, and have kept it a secret for almost three weeks, letting the information sink in to us and waiting so that we could tell our family and friends in person over the holidays.  It has been so much fun telling everyone and watching their reactions - some expected, others not.  I'd have to say that Mom P. wins the Most Tears award, while Janet wins Biggest-Hug-Followed-By-A-Belly-Rub award.  (She was the first to do the pregnancy belly rub, much to my sister Katie's disappointment.)  Mitch's parents win Most Surprised award, as they were "shocked!" when we told them.  (They've since gone from shocked to excited.)  And my sister Winnie?  She didn't even believe me as I told her over the phone.  It took a full two minutes to convince her.  

The entire month has been full of emotion, from pure joy and elation to fear and surrealism about the whole thing.  We've dutifully been reading up on pregnancies and babies, as Mitch knows virtually nothing about having a kid, and he is quickly becoming my walking encyclopedia of knowledge.  He is quick to let me know what I can and cannot eat (most of the time I'm not annoyed), and is increasingly attentive, taking very good care of me as I go through the first trimester.  

And oh yes, as it is in the first trimester, I have been sick.  Not head-in-the-toilet sick (yet), but the constant nauseous, heartburn, constipation, body aches, tired sick.  Be prepared in the next eight months for some complaining (and I'll do my best not to share too much information!).  Because pregnancy isn't just all fun and roses, I am quickly learning.  At least I get to nap a lot without feeling guilty now!

Thank you to everyone for their well-wishes, phone calls, texts, and support as Mitch and I become parents in August.  We have the best family and friends!  Now I have to go eat some fiber.

No More Wine For Tina

Merry Christmas!

We at Fifty Below Zero wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and we hope that Santa was good to you!

Christmas Eve at the office

As you can see, not many people are still here at this hour. I need a job with paid holidays.

Happy Festivus!

If You Aren't in the Christmas Spirit Yet

Christmastime brings about wonderful things - traditions, time with family and friends, shopping and eating, and of course, tacky outdoor decorations.  I've seen plenty of tackiness in my lifetime.  A family in Dwight was notorious for their homemade lawn decorations.  Our friend Ronny's parents fill their yard with every plastic light-up eyesore imaginable - Santa complete with reindeer and sleigh, nutcrackers, the Nativity scene, candy canes, elves, and the list goes on and on.  But this year, one of our neighbors takes the prize for the ugliest, most unusual Christmas decoration.

You can see compared to the house how big this electric palm tree is - about 25 feet in my estimation.  Every night it goes on, glowing bright green and brown and reminding us Minnesotans that we are stupid for living in  this frozen tundra and helping us to think of warmer climates when it is -11 out.  

I just have the urge to drink a Corona whenever I see it.  

Jingle Bell Doc

Last night Mitch's entire family and I spent the night out at dinner and a show. The dinner had been "planned" since we moved up here, to celebrate Mitch's passing of the bar, the purchase of new houses for ourselves and Mitch's sister's family, and we also were able to celebrate Sal's birthday, which is today. (Happy Birthday!) We had dinner at Oceannaire, which is now in my opinion one of the greatest restaurants in the Twin Cities. The wedge salad was the best I've ever had - it had huge hunks of blue cheese and perfectly ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Where they found these tomatoes in the middle of a snowstorm in December is beyond me, but they were to die for. Then, the crab cakes came....and I fell in love. Seriously, probably the best crab cakes I've ever had. Mitch's mom is a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to crab cakes, and if she says they're the best, then they are. A perfect finish to dinner - baked Alaskan and coffee - and it was off to the symphony.

We got tickets about a month ago to see "Jingle Bell Doc" - a pops performance at Orchestra Hall featuring the Minnesota Symphony, the Minnesota Chorale, the Twin Cities Bronze (handbell choir) and the Ascension Youth Choir. The guy running this show - none other than Doc Severinsen.

Now, if you're not sure who Doc Severinsen is, he is best known for his tenure as bandleader and trumpeteer on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.

He's also known for his penchant for velvet. His wardrobe did not disappoint last night - in fact, he had TWO outfits for the performance - one for each half. Sadly, I don't have pictures of these, but I'll do my best to describe.

The first outfit was a simple black shirt and black pants with jacket. However, the black pants had been Bedazzled into very tasteful random dots, almost like stars. And the jacket was a gold, red, and green paisley glittery jacket with a black lapel. It was straight from the Liberacce museum, but he claimed he bought the fabric "at the Pope's garage sale - it used to be his shower curtain". It's no wonder there were some tempo issues in the performance - I'm sure the orchestra had a hard time seeing him from the glare of the jacket!

The second outfit was a little more understated - green velvet pants and a green velvet coat with a blue shirt and silver sequined tie. The coat had been Bedazzled as well, with silver designs that were unrecognizable. Some thought they were candy canes, while others thought they could be "c"s for Christmas. I thought they looked like horseshoes.

Other than the fact that Doc is a bit of a rusher, the performance was great. There was just enough mix of big band-style music and orchestral numbers, and the addition of the choirs and handbells were great. The only disappointment was the performance of "Sleigh Ride". They didn't do the original version, but a strange, shorter, no temple-blocks version. I HATED it, especially since I was completely psyched for Leroy Anderson's original version. (Here's your tidbit of knowledge for the day - Leroy Anderson wrote "Sleigh Ride" in the middle of July during a heat wave. Now I'll put away my dorky music knowlege.)

We had a great time last night. Here's to hoping Doc comes back next year!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

So, today was a big day!  It got above 0 degrees!  Woo hoo!!

Seriously, it is so cold here, I can hardly stand it.  It is frigid, nose hairs freeze when you inhale cold.  My extremities are NEVER warm.  I am someone who is still in "Illinois" mode - forgetting to put on my gloves before I go outside, not wearing winter boots, don't have a good, warm hat....after walking to my car today from my school (only about 30 feet - maybe), I thought my fingers were going to freeze off.  Thankfully, I think Santa (aka mom and dad) is bringing me a warm hat and gloves for Christmas and I'm hoping for some liners for my rain boots to turn them into snow ones.  Because I need them.  

And the snow.  It started snowing again today.  I'm confident that if this were Illinois, we'd have had at least one snow day already.  But no, the plows are good here!  (Which I am thankful for.)  We're supposed to get more snow on Thursday, and then more this weekend.  Belinda and Sven, the weatherpeople on TV, keep saying to go "enjoy the weather".  Are you serious?  Who in their right mind would be outside in this?  But people up here love it.  I've seen people cross-country skiing in our neighborhood, in addition to snowmobiles, still walking outside, and the neighbors behind us even have a hockey rink in their backyard.  I'm not kidding.  

To top it off, Mitch tells me today - "embrace the weather".  What?!?  Apparently, he's still staying positive.  Only because he needs to keep snowblowing.....(again, which I'm thankful for.)

So, maybe someday I'll learn to snowshoe or cross-country ski or whatever else they do outdoors.  You can rent equipment at the parks here.  But until then, I'm going to complain about the cold and snow.  Because dammit, I'm FREEZING!

I Was Tagged

A LONG time ago, the Mrs. tagged me to confess the six weird things about myself.  So, because I want to do nothing but sit cuddled on the couch with my laptop, I thought I'd share the six weirdest things about me, which is hard to do!  (Only because there is a lot of things - what to narrow it down to?)

1.  I have ugly feet.  No, change that.  Ugly FOOT.  My right foot is very normal - no problems.  My left foot, though, is dry, scaly, and has a weird middle toe.  No matter what I do - scrub, exfoliate, loofah, moisturize - it never looks any better.  I have no idea why.  I asked the doctor about it once, and she said not to worry about it.  So I don't, but I sure hate to "show it off" in the summertime.  

2.  I put my left contact in first, then my right.  BUT, when I take them out, I do the opposite.  Usually people do them in the same order.  I don't.

3.  I pick at my cuticles.  And zits.  And dead skin.  I'm not sure that's weird, but I know it's gross.  What can I say?

4.  I LOVE to eat Doritos and cottage cheese together.  It's not something I've done in a really long time, but I love it.  I also love cottage cheese on the side of my stir-fry.  I have no idea why, but it just tastes good to me!  I also like to eat Ramen noodles by dipping cheese and crackers into them.  It's the best way to eat it!

5.  On the same topic, if I could eat anything for the rest of my life, I would eat manicotti, egg bake, tacos, and sandwiches.  I could eat those things ALL DAY.  I know that's not very weird, but it's right before dinner, and I'm hungry.  And I would wash it all down with a La Mex margarita on the rocks.

6.  I have two HUGE moles on my neck - one on each side.  It makes me look like Frankenstein.  I used to be really self-conscious about it as a child, but they don't bother me anymore.  It just doesn't feel good when I catch one of them on something!

What is weird about you?  Come on, you can tell us.  We'll only point and laugh a little.

Is It Winter Yet?

Temperatures are falling in Minnesota and getting very close to the name of this blog. This morning is was -7 with a wind chill of -35 when I got out the snow blower at 6:15 am. Tonight's actual low is supposed to be -18. Brr!

The Perfect Sunday

I love wintertime, when it gets cold and you just stay cozy indoors.  (Please don't hold that first line against me when I claim to hate winter in January).  Today was the perfect mix of work and relaxation.  While Mitch and I both woke up early to see my mom off, he surfed the web while I took a three-hour nap on the couch.  After waking up and eating waffles, I watched a movie and Mitch got a roaring fire going in the fireplace, which heated the house quite nicely!  We need the heat, because it was raining, then turned to snow today, and the temperature is dropping quickly.  Tomorrow's high is something ridiculous like 2 degrees.  Awesome.  Anyway, we had some lunch, did more lounging and reading, wrapped some Christmas presents, did some treadmill work (can't forget about the Fatty-Fat Challenge in the midst of all the lounging!), watched some football and showered late in the afternoon.  We had dinner and now are lounging on the couches for the rest of the night.  Could it be a more perfect day? 

Holidazzle Parade in dowtown Minneapolis

Tina and Pokmom bundled up for the outdoor parade tonight. The floats and people are all lit up like the Electric Light Parade at Disney World!

A Little Extra Cash Flow

Today I secured a part-time job teaching piano lessons at the local music store.  I'll be working two nights a week and making some SERIOUS cash.  It's a beautiful thing!

The Toilet Seat

Ah yes, the age-old battle between men and women - to leave the seat up, or not?  In my house growing up the toilet seat was mostly put down by men after use (my dad was significantly outnumbered).  Since Mitch and I have been together he has always remembered to put the toilet seat down after using the toilet.  But today, I went into the bathroom at work (it's a unisex bathroom in the teacher's lounge), and the seat was up.  And this isn't the first time it's been left up.  For a while I thought I was just the first one to use that bathroom for the day, and the custodian had left it up after cleaning it.  This to me is an acceptable time to leave the toilet seat up.  But today I went in to use it at 11:00 (it was down), and then when I went in again at 12:30 after lunch, it was back up.  Is this appropriate office toilet usage?  And do you have problems with this at your work?  

The Day Thus Far - UPDATED

6:58am - phone rings.  Get out of bed, run my body under the shower to get to work by 7:25 in order to sub in 8th grade English. 

7:27am - arrive (late) to school, balancing coffee, computer bag, and crock pot (it was potluck day at work).  Rush to 8th grade classroom, where I will sub three more times throughout the day.

7:28am-2:30pm - Teach three sections of English, one study hall, and three music classes.  No prep.  Kicked one student out.  (But make an extra $112)

3:15pm - drinking a glass of wine, completely exhausted and wondering how on earth I ever managed to run two band rehearsals, teach History of Rock and Roll, do paperwork and planning, and stay at work until 9:00pm because of a football or basketball game.  And then do it every day for nine months.  

I've become a complete softie.  

4:30pm - Mitch comes home with some winter lagers.  I drink 2 1/2, then have dinner.

7:00pm - fast asleep on the couch after starting a movie.  

8:30pm - moved to the bed, out for the night.  

What a wimp I am.  I should be embarrassed.  

Kindergarten Winter Concert

Little Missy waves from the risers at tonights fabulous concert!

Ralphie in the Flesh - UPDATED!

On Monday I subbed in a 6th grade English classroom.  Sadly, they weren't learning anything nearly as interesting as sex ed, and instead we shared what they did over their Thanksgiving break.  This is something they do every Monday, and I was very impressed at how considerate and patient the students were as they waited their turn to speak, then listened to others tell their tales of food, movies, hockey, and sleeping.  And it took almost the whole period, which from a sub's perspective was even better.

The most interesting part of this classroom, however, was one little boy who sat in the very front row.  He honestly looked EXACTLY like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" - blond hair, thick glasses, round face complete with chubby cheeks, looks like he's always in thought (I'm sure dreaming about b-b guns).          

After he gets done telling everyone his Thanksgiving story, we have a brief exchange:

Mrs. Tina:  You know, you remind me of someone.

Ralphie Look-Alike:  Yeah, who's that?

Mrs. Tina:  Have you ever seen the movie "A Christmas Story"?  

(whole class giggles)

Ralphie Look-Alike:  Yes, and people tell me I look like Ralphie all the time.  (Eye roll) 

(class is still laughing)

For the most part, Ralphie took it all in stride as I questioned him about his striking resemblance to the boy who hates Lifeboy soap, and it was obvious that the class had heard this a million times before, too.  I wish I could post a picture of him to the blog, but alas, that really wouldn't be ethical for me to walk into his class, snap a picture of him, then run off for the sake of the blog.  But I did think about it.  

On the same topic, I got a text-message from Winnie last night at 7:00, letting me know that "A Christmas Story" was on TNT.  If you know my family, you know we have one main tradition at Christmas - watch this movie as many times as possible when it runs for 24 continuous hours, and see who can recite the most lines by heart.  Even if we're not together, we make it a point to call (a lot) and send a quote through the phone.  And there are so many great quotable lines from the movie!  While Ralphie's lines are quite good ("Leave me alone, I'm thinking", and "Oh, Fudge - only I didn't say fudge, I said the f - dash - dash - dash word!"), and the Dad has some great zingers as well ("Fra-gile - it must be Italian!" and "This wine's not bad....it's not good, either."), the best lines have to go to little brother, Randy.  How can you not laugh hysterically when he says, "I can't put my arms down!" or "Hey guys, wait up!", or even "Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie!".  It's classic, I tell you.  If you can believe it, Mitch had never seen this movie before we started dating.  At first (and maybe even a little bit still now), he didn't like the movie.  I know, it's appalling.  After 9 Christmases together, it is finally growing on him. 

The realization I came to yesterday after Winnie's text message - we don't have cable.  So, not only do I not get to watch it at my house on Christmas morning as we open presents, but Mitch gently reminded me that his sister and her family (where we are spending Christmas day) do not have cable either.  So.....if anyone needs a gift idea for me, "A Christmas Story" would be something that I could enjoy on Christmas, and every other day of the year!

-------------------------------

GOOD NEWS!  I am now the proud owner of "A Christmas Story".  No need to worry about not watching it anymore.  Thanks Sal!

Happy Birthday Mrs!

We at Fifty Below Zero hope you have a great day, and don't feel as old as you really are.  (Sorry, but I have to get that dig in!)

Weekend Recap

Mitch and I returned to Illinois for the first time since July for Thanksgiving.  Here's the quick rundown of events:

Wednesday:  Picked Mitch up from work and drove the seven hours to my parent's house.  Stayed up to talk to Katie and Boston and meet their new beagle puppy Gus.  Got annoyed at Katie's "baby talk" to the dog.  

Thursday:  Turkey Day!  Sat around drinking coffee and waiting for dinner to be done.  Played with Gus.  Ate WAY too much food.  Drank a bottle of wine.  Played family games, including Trivial Pursuit (which Katie, Boston and I lost), Scattergories, and family favorite Clue.  Found out that Dad likes to use profanity when playing Scattergories and Boston chooses girly words to fill his blanks.  

Friday:  Got up for general loafing and breakfast.  Katie, Boston, and Gus leave.  Peace and quiet again.  I had lunch with former coworkers at La Mex, and Mitch met a former coworker for lunch at McDonalds.  I'd say I got the better end of the deal.  Met up with U of I friends in D-town, where we had dinner at the Hole and played Apples to Apples and Phase 10.  Watched our friends get EXTREMELY competitive (cough) Polly (cough).  Ate too much food and drink throughout the day.

Saturday:  Loafing time extended past lunch today, then we showered and visited my grandparents, the Mrs., the General, Shortcake and Punkin, and my grandpa.  Finally made it to Cin's for a reunion.  Ate Chinese food, drank chocolate martinis, and did a lot of giggling.  

Sunday:  Left Mom and Dad's around 9ish, right around the time it started snowing.  Drove home, which took us almost 9 hours to get home.  Wisconsin traffic sucks.  Got home to watch the Vikings/Bears game, but fell asleep on the couch during the 1st quarter.  Thank goodness I didn't have to watch that debauchery.  

Back to work on Monday.  While the trip was exhausting, and the drive was NOT fun, it was great to see my family and so many of our friends.  Back in a month for Christmas!