Merry Christmas!

Greetings from terminal D. We got to the airport 4 hours early because last year was a debacle and we ended up missing our flight. This year, things seem to be running smoothly at Laguardia...so we wait. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry I suppose. Larry loves the airport because he gets copious amounts of attention. I am dissapointed in Terminal D's food offerings and I am sad that we aren't getting fed on the flight. I'm the only person I know that LOVES airplane food. However, am very much looking forward to Taco Bueno when we land.

The weather here is lovely. It's crisp and sunny. We are praying for good weather in the Midwest so that everyone can travel safely and as planned. We are very excited to be coming home and hanging out with our families for awhile. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Earwarmers

What's a girl to do when it's so cold you can't go outside without a hat? She cuts off all of her hair. That's right, folks. I finally did what I've been talking about for the past few months. My hair is shorter than my husband's now...which takes some getting used to. I like it. I think it suits me. However, I'm looking forward to a little more growth because dude practically shaved the bottom of my head. This was very uncool. I sort of wanted to cry about that. Luckily, my hair grows abnormally fast.

I made a not so smart decision by answering a craigslist ad for a free promotional hair cut. This guy owns and operates a salon downtown that specializes in short women's haircuts. I could have had a free haircut at many a high end salon as a hair model, but I wouldn't be able to afford subsequent appointments if I really liked the person. I decided to give this guy a try because his regular prices were reasonable. I mean, he specializes in short hair! How could I not feel good about that?

I had done a considerable amount of internet research and had learned that he would be socially awkward. He was. It was sort of uncomfortable though (and I usually do okay with socially awkward). I showed him a picture and he cut away...The resulting haircut is not horrible, but it is nothing like the photo. It's a good 2-3 inches shorter...which is a lot when your hair is only 1/2 inch long. Oh yeah, and the only thing I was adamant about was that it looked feminine. As I admired the the final cut in a handheld mirror, I exclaimed "Yeah, it looks cute." He responded, "Okay....(silence...)Uhh, yeah. It....it looks cute." WTF?

I feel bad because technically, it's a pretty good haircut. It's just not what I asked for. I would love to give this man some more business because he could obviously use it (he runs a new ad every day). I just don't want anymore creepy haircutting experiences.

Maybe I will post a photo when it doesn't look so boyish.

Unionized

I had the opportunity to join SAG (Screen Actors Guild), which is the labor union that represents film and television actors. This means that I will no longer be able to do projects that do not use a union contract. I joined recently joined AFTRA, SAG's sister union for radio and tv, and so I was unable to do most non-union projects anyway. It was somewhat of a difficult decision, because once go join, you can't really go back. Union contracts provide better compensation and help protect actors, and most of the films seen by the public and most of what you see on television is covered by either SAG or AFTRA. However, non union work is much more plentiful and therefore easier to get. You are potentially giving up many jobs by no longer having access to that pool of work. Many people hold off on joining SAG because the initiation fee is ridiculously expensive. After all of the paperwork was complete, the clerk said "welcome and congratulations." I felt like I should have been congratulating them for making so much money that day. I am glad to be a member, though. I feel like it's a good step toward making my career what I want it to be.

Winter Treats

Today we are going to play in the freshly fallen snow. I will post some pictures soon. I've been making a lot of treats lately (for holiday parties, etc). I am a huge of of the spinach dip recipe from the back of Knorr's veggie soup mix. It is amazing. Also, I love egg nog in the winter the way I love pumpkin in the fall. However, it is gross to drink a whole carton of it on your own (Daryl is not a fan). So far, I've tried two different cookie recipes and they have both been "meh". I'll stick to eggnog lattes I guess. I also made homemade marshmallows. It was fun but it was a little more labor intensive than it should have been. You are supposed to use an electric stand mixer but I almost burned out the motor on my immersion blender whipping the stuff to death. The resulting marshmallows taste great in hot chocolate, but they are too sweet and dense to eat on their own. I'll try again later.

I Love These Guys

...and they love each other.

Bad Habits Cost Money

I'm a nail-biter and cuticle picker. It's gross. I'm not so bad about it when I can get to the nail salon but this doesn't happen too often. It gets pricey! I bite/pick when I'm bored or anxious, but sometimes it happens in a mindless fashion. I've had this problem for as long as I can remember. I can't stop (and yeah, I've tried that no-bite paint on stuff and it doesn't taste bad enough).

My bad habit is unsanitary, unattractive and annoying, and yesterday, it ended up costing me a job. I got called in to do photo double work for a tv show. It's not glamorous but the pay is decent for what it is, and I could have used the check for sure. However, when the casting director asked me about the condition of my hands, I had to confess...."Uhh....yeah, they don't look so good right now." And that was that.

So I'm gonna stop (for real this time). Because this job could have paid for many manicures.

Cauliflower Soup

I've made cauliflower soup 5 times in the past 2 weeks. I'm not even sure what inspired me to seek out a recipe in the first place. In fact, can't really recall having cauliflower soup prior to now.
It is awesome because:
1) soup hits the spot in the winter (and it is finally feeling like winter here)
2) it's relatively healthy
3) it's inexpensive
4)it's easy to make
5) it tastes good

I basically looked at some recipes online and created my own. There is a lot of room for variation here:

Cauliflower Soup

2 T olive oil OR 2 T unsalted butter OR 1T of each
1 head of cauliflower
2 cups of chicken broth (or you can substitute water)
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 cups of milk
4-5 stems of fresh thyme
4-5 stems of parsley
1/2 cup cheese (I've used sharp cheddar, asiago, and swiss)
salt and pepper to taste

*I like to serve this with homemade croutons.
*If you don't have fresh herbs, you can substitute dried ones. You can also experiment with different herbs.
*You can omit the cheese or experiment with different varieties/amounts.

directions:
I cook all of this in 1 med/large sized pot:
1. chop onions and garlic and saute in olive oil/butter until cooked
2. add 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil, add cauliflower (chopped into course pieces) and herbs; cover and cook for 7-10 minutes (until cauliflower is tender)
3. remove stems of herbs, leaving the leaves in the pot (you have to shake the thyme leaves off)
4) puree ingredients using an immersion blender
5) add cheese
6) add milk until soup is of desired consistency
7) stir and enjoy!

Thanksgiving

This was our third Thanksgiving in Vermont. Our friends' parents have a cabin up there. They couldn't go because Zac got the flu :( It was a relaxing and delicious weekend. Daryl made the turkey and I made all of the sides. We had turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, baked mac and cheese, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie. Everything was homemade (because that's how it should be when the only other alternative to cooking is football watching). I especially want to encourage everyone to make their own cranberry sauce. It is far superior to the canned stuff and sooo easy to make. I made it for the first time a few years ago and I will never buy the gelatinous ridgy version again.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 (12 oz) bag whole cranberries

Bring water and sugar to a boil, cook cranberries for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

That is it!!

Pictures to come...they are stuck on my camera at the moment.