Let's do the time warp agaaaaain.
This fall back thing is not doing what it is supposed to be doing to me. I can't get to sleep until late, and so then I get up late. Aren't my post-traumatic-time change symptoms supposed to be the opposite?
I meant to post yesterday about how I love my neighborhood on Halloween. But totally forgot. And now I have a whole year to wait until my neighborhood becomes a neighborhood circa "Leave it to Beaver" for those few short hours on Halloween. Of course, in my version, June Cleaver is handing out Jello Shots to the adults as she pats the kids on the head and drops a packet of Smarties into their pail.
It always makes me sad to think that Little A will never feel that kind of security and safety in her own neighborhood. She'll never play "kick the can in the dark" until 9pm without a care in the world besides kicking that blasted can and freeing all the girls. She'll never play tag in the park until the street lights are the only thing lighting the area. And, at least in our current neighborhood, she'll never have an autumn fire, warming her to the bone and allowing the dark to close in on everything except the faces that it lights up as it warms.
I've had a lot good times in the comfort of the dark. Some scary ones too, but a lot more warm, fuzzy dark experiences. Being out in the dark, as a kid, is always spiced with a mild hint of excitement. You feel grown-up. You feel independent. You feel like your world exists totally within the 2 feet around you that you can vaguely see, and its comforting.
But dark can no longer provide that independent comfort. Little A will never roam the streets or yards of our neighborhood after dark until she's old enough to do it behind my back. Even in the best neighborhoods, there's too much to fear. And ours is not even one of those best neighborhoods.
I guess its why, though a part of me dreads it, I treasure Halloween, when my neighborhood transforms itself. The one night where everyone is outside and I can allow her to walk 10 yards ahead of me with her friend because every other parent in the school and neighborhood are watching as I am. Its the one night when she can feel that little bit of dark and I wish it was more often.
******************************
Because of that great sleep cycle I mentioned, I was pretty lame with the lunches this week, but I'm making up for it today. Little A's lunch:
Today, Little A has strawberries and kiwi, cheddar cheese, snap peas, pistacios, and curried veggie-bean fritters.
My breakfast (yes I work so early that I have to eat breakfast at work):
This is a pretty standard breakfast for me. Yogurt, strawberries, granola, and pistacios. There are many others that I've packed, but a lot of times, this is my old stand-by that I can pack up in just a few minutes.
And my lunch:
Here we have Curried veggie-bean fritters, roasted vegetables, and salad with cucumbers, tiny little tomatoes, cheese, and Parmesan ranch dressing. Yumyum.
Those Curried veggie-bean fritters were something I successfully concocted last night. I've long been on the look-out for good veggie burger recipes and I really haven't found many that make me exceedingly happy. So last night, while I was barely paying attention to what I was doing, I made one up. It took some thought to remember the ingredients, but I think I got it. Try it out. They are yummy!
Curried Veggie-Bean Fritters (or Burgers)
1/2 sweet potato, grated
1 medium onion, grated
10-12 green beans, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 can chick peas, drained
1 clove garlic,
1-2 tsp salt (depending on taste and the salt content of the beans)
2 tsp curry powder
dash of pepper
1 egg (or 2 TBSP soy flour for vegans)
@1/2 cup of flour
olive oil for frying
Mix vegetables in a bowl. In a food processor, mash together chick peas, garlic, salt, curry powder, pepper, and egg. Mix this with the vegetable and then add enough flour to make it easy to handle and form into patties. Form patties or small fritter balls and fry at medium heat (no smoking oil....too hot!) about 4-5 minute on each side. Try not to touch them for several minutes so that they form that nice crunchy crust on the outside.
I meant to post yesterday about how I love my neighborhood on Halloween. But totally forgot. And now I have a whole year to wait until my neighborhood becomes a neighborhood circa "Leave it to Beaver" for those few short hours on Halloween. Of course, in my version, June Cleaver is handing out Jello Shots to the adults as she pats the kids on the head and drops a packet of Smarties into their pail.
It always makes me sad to think that Little A will never feel that kind of security and safety in her own neighborhood. She'll never play "kick the can in the dark" until 9pm without a care in the world besides kicking that blasted can and freeing all the girls. She'll never play tag in the park until the street lights are the only thing lighting the area. And, at least in our current neighborhood, she'll never have an autumn fire, warming her to the bone and allowing the dark to close in on everything except the faces that it lights up as it warms.
I've had a lot good times in the comfort of the dark. Some scary ones too, but a lot more warm, fuzzy dark experiences. Being out in the dark, as a kid, is always spiced with a mild hint of excitement. You feel grown-up. You feel independent. You feel like your world exists totally within the 2 feet around you that you can vaguely see, and its comforting.
But dark can no longer provide that independent comfort. Little A will never roam the streets or yards of our neighborhood after dark until she's old enough to do it behind my back. Even in the best neighborhoods, there's too much to fear. And ours is not even one of those best neighborhoods.
I guess its why, though a part of me dreads it, I treasure Halloween, when my neighborhood transforms itself. The one night where everyone is outside and I can allow her to walk 10 yards ahead of me with her friend because every other parent in the school and neighborhood are watching as I am. Its the one night when she can feel that little bit of dark and I wish it was more often.
******************************
Because of that great sleep cycle I mentioned, I was pretty lame with the lunches this week, but I'm making up for it today. Little A's lunch:
Today, Little A has strawberries and kiwi, cheddar cheese, snap peas, pistacios, and curried veggie-bean fritters.
My breakfast (yes I work so early that I have to eat breakfast at work):
This is a pretty standard breakfast for me. Yogurt, strawberries, granola, and pistacios. There are many others that I've packed, but a lot of times, this is my old stand-by that I can pack up in just a few minutes.
And my lunch:
Here we have Curried veggie-bean fritters, roasted vegetables, and salad with cucumbers, tiny little tomatoes, cheese, and Parmesan ranch dressing. Yumyum.
Those Curried veggie-bean fritters were something I successfully concocted last night. I've long been on the look-out for good veggie burger recipes and I really haven't found many that make me exceedingly happy. So last night, while I was barely paying attention to what I was doing, I made one up. It took some thought to remember the ingredients, but I think I got it. Try it out. They are yummy!
Curried Veggie-Bean Fritters (or Burgers)
1/2 sweet potato, grated
1 medium onion, grated
10-12 green beans, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 can chick peas, drained
1 clove garlic,
1-2 tsp salt (depending on taste and the salt content of the beans)
2 tsp curry powder
dash of pepper
1 egg (or 2 TBSP soy flour for vegans)
@1/2 cup of flour
olive oil for frying
Mix vegetables in a bowl. In a food processor, mash together chick peas, garlic, salt, curry powder, pepper, and egg. Mix this with the vegetable and then add enough flour to make it easy to handle and form into patties. Form patties or small fritter balls and fry at medium heat (no smoking oil....too hot!) about 4-5 minute on each side. Try not to touch them for several minutes so that they form that nice crunchy crust on the outside.
Copyright 2005-2006 by Spells With...All rights reserved
Speak to me, 2 already did
2 Comments:
Oh, man...or oh wow, or Oh whatever! Your lunches look as good as A's!!! Halloween here is much as you described. But even though we are a small city of about 18000, and though crime is generally rather low compared to big cities, and even though it feels like we are not quite in the same year as the rest of the country...I feel as you do. Plus the fact that this is a service center city and we have the highest per capita number of registered sex offenders in the WHOLE STATE!! Four live around the small park just a block from my house. That's where the bus stop would be to take my now 11 year old son to school, but he has never ridden. We are only 1/2 mile away, so I either walk him over or drive him (mostly that's what I do now) on my way into work. He asked once when he could walk to school by himself, and I responded "when you are bigger than me"...and I'm 5'8". Don't get me on the offender rant...it can go on and on! I have a veggie burger recipe that I'll email to you. And thanks again for having that contest...I rarely win anything, so I'm very excited about this. How does it work? I did set up a wordpress blog, but I'm having trouble loading up the "avatar" pic...something about picture size, and the software to change that isn't on this computer. So I haven't put anything on it yet.
I'm glad I ate lunch before I read this. But still - my lunch wasn't as good and NOWHERE near as attractive.
It sounds like your neighborhood should do a Take Back the Night celebration, too... I know what you mean - one of the things I liked about dating a guy who was 6'5" was being able to walk around with him after dark - something I'm not comfortable doing myself.
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