A Warm Slice

Tonight, I finally got around to making a real meal in my new home. For those of you playing the home game, I'm a new Assistant Professor of Music (Voice) at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Fancy Schmancy, right? Hello.

So I've been here since mid-July and I've yet to really throw down in the kitchen. But tonight I put my foot in it, girl. I made chicken and rice, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and apple pie a la mode. And yes, child - it was good.

So I decided to share the recipe for my cast iron skillet apple pie with y'all. I do think it's worth the purchase of a cast iron skillet if you don't currently own one. And shame on you if you don't! Every cook worth his or her salt should own this staple of kitchen cookware. But I digress, so...

Gaily forward to the pie:

Ingredients
6-8 apples (I use a mix of gala and Granny Smith apples), peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 15-16 oz package of refrigerated pie crust
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon white sugar

What to do
1. Peel the apples.

2. Slice the apples into thin pieces (slightly larger than your thumbnail).

3. Place the sliced apples in a bowl, and add 3/4 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

4. Toss the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside for a few minutes. Preheat your oven to 350º. Take your smoke break (you nasty), watch an episode of your favorite TV show, or whatever you need. I like to let my apples sit for around 20-30 minutes; the sugar draws out the juice from the apples, which will collect in the bottom of the bowl. 

5. Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter [the real deal hooker, not that fake crap] over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. 

6. Mix 1 cup of packed brown sugar with melted butter. 

7. Turn the stovetop heat down to low. Unroll one of the refrigerated pie crusts (there are 2 in the box) and place over brown sugar/butter mixture and thumb the edges along the sides of the skillet. Be careful - don't scorch those pretty fingers.

8. Place apples in the "pie shell,"omitting the juice.

9. Cover with remaining pie crust, tucking around the edges. Cut 5-6 long slits in the crust.

10. Egg wash the top of the crust with a lightly beaten egg white, and dust with 1 tablespoon of white sugar.

11. Bake in the center of oven on a middle rack at 350º for 1 hour.

12. Remove the pie from the oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot, most likely with some yummy kind of ice cream.

Enjoy! And remember... JUST LET YOUR SOUL GLOW!!! 

Westboro Baptist Church Comes to Oxford

Well, I never thought it would happen, but then again it makes about as much sense as an antelope flying an airplane... but the fine people of Westboro Baptist Church will be making an appearance in my hometown of Oxford, MS this week to protest football idolatry. Yes, you read that correctly... Ole Miss is now the Football Capital of the World. I guess that'll show Bama! and Florida, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Oregon, and arguably USC and Notre Dame. But seriously, with the release of The Blind Side, the 2009 brand new Sandra Bullock drama that just hit theaters worldwide, Ole Miss has elevated football to religious heights. I guess that's what we get for having such a great recruiting year. Hotty Toddy!

Oxford has not had a good week, though. Court proceedings are ongoing at the Federal Courthouse in Oxford for a man who allegedly tried to frame a bipolar Elvis impersonator for the attempted ricin poisoning of President Obama, Senator Roger Wicker, and a Mississippi judge. So of course, there's a media circus in town. And you can find news coverage on a very sad story here - I can't bring myself to write about it.

But there's something about Westboro Baptist that's really entertaining... in a blood boiling way. Wouldn't it be such a fun musical? A big, gay Westboro musical. With drag queen tap numbers? The Fag Hag Rag? Soul-searching ballads, and of course lots of high belting? We could really go to church with this one. I mean, why not? Could you imagine what the creators of The Book of Mormon could do with this? Perhaps this interview can be a scene...

Of course, this is one of those "happy in my head" ideas, though... any thoughts on a title? All I can come up with is Westboro Side Story.

Unfortunately I will not be in Oxford to welcome the Westboro Baptisters to my home. But, thankfully, I have plenty of friends who will be going out to greet their entourage, and I'm sure my friends will take good care of them. Hell, my brother might even hook them up with some corn whisky. Perhaps they can come to North Carolina next and protest basketball idolatry.

Notes on Procrastination

Who out there has procrastination issues? Ok, don't all raise your hands at once, but I feel your pain. Procrastination is truly my kryptonite. I can't even begin to tell you how often I have waited until the last minute to start a big or long-term project because I get so frozen by the overwhelming thought of it being tough or one that would take a while, and I lose all motivation to proceed. Classic "deer in headlights" moment.

At some point in life you have to stop being afraid. You have to be a big boy or put your big girl panties on (or both, if you're into that) and deal with unpleasant things. My father would say, "Son, you need to shit or get off the pot." So starting today, I am trying a new approach. I have decided to commit to the "baby steps"/"slow and steady wins the race" mentality. I've known for a while now that this process works well for me, but I haven't made the jump to practicing music, school work (my dissertation especially), working out, managing money, cleaning my apartment, etc. I know it works because of all the trips I've made from North Carolina to Mississippi over the last four years; the drive seems so much shorter when I think of it as Greensboro-Winston Salem-Wytheville-Bristol-Knoxville-Nashville-Jackson-Oxford. I don't get overwhelmed, stress levels are low, and I tend to be a happier person. Plus the feelings of accomplishment and the "thank God that's finally over" makes for a huge relief.

Oddly, I don't have this problem at work. When I'm assigned a task, I do it. I guess it's because I just don't think about it, and maybe there's something to be said for that, too. Or perhaps the payment factor also motivates me.

So I've decided to give myself small goals in life:
1. Talk to my mother and father at least two times a week, each.
2. Skype/Facetime with at least one friend each week.
3. Lose five pounds each month this summer.
4. Read two chapters each night from my Summer Reading List.
5. Practice at least one hour each day.
6. Save 10% of my earnings each week, and put it in my savings account.
7. Wash clothes every other day (OMG how do I wear soooo much stuff???).

Summer Reading List
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
Love in the Time of Cholera
Howards End
The Lord of the Rings

Trying to get back into the habit of writing more. Right now I'm working on a dissertation, holding a day job, and contemplating my life's direction, or lack thereof. Meanwhile, I'll be back in touch soon. I don't really know who reads this but meh...