Musings While Looking At 7 Pounds Of Cream Cheese

December 4, 2013January 28, 2021 / Ally Bean / 28 Comments

:: As some of you know, in a few days is THE PARTY. At last count we have 54 guests coming to our not-so-little fiesta. Early on, this open-house business holiday party was a small little gathering. Not any more.

Now it is a big party… which, of course, brings me to the topic of this post: cream cheese.

Did you know that 7 pounds of cream cheese = 11,200 calories?

:: I didn’t grow up around cream cheese. My dad liked it, but my mother hated all things cheesy, so not much cream cheese made it into our house.

It was only after I was out on my own, living in Philadelphia, that I became aware of how DARNED GOOD cream cheese can be– especially on freshly baked bagels.

Did you know that 7 pounds of cream cheese is 5″ high x 9.5″ wide x 5.5″ deep?

:: But even here in a midwest suburb, far away from those east coast bagels, cream cheese is a wonder. And, come to find out, it is the basis of ALL PARTY DIPS. Yes, this wondrous substance appeals to young [college interns] and old [retired former co-workers] alike. It’s the yum that binds a party together.

Did you know that 7 pounds of cream cheese will allow me to make 9 recipes of dip (3 recipes x 3)?

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Skyline Chili Dip

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip

:: And it is on this last note that I find myself dawdling here today. While I know that there is NOTHING DIFFICULT about putting together these dips, I am in awe of the amount of cream cheese that I need to make the dips happen. Looking at the cream cheese piled up in our refrigerator I see a monument– and it reminds me that a house party this large might be a one and only lifetime experience for me.

I mean, 54 guests? What the heck were we thinking?!!

Turkeys Before Trees: In Theory, A Good Idea

November 27, 2013November 27, 2013 / Ally Bean / 28 Comments

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I hesitate to even bring this topic up because…

Someone, somewhere is going to read what I’m going to say here– and that somewhere someone is going to start judging me. I just know it.

However, a bit of negative energy directed my way is not going to stop me from sharing with you, my gentle readers, the fact that:

Our home is already decorated for Christmas.

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I know that it’s early. In fact, I think that the #turkeysbeforetrees idea is a good one. Timely. Putting the emphasis on what is important. But here’s the thing, and there’s always a thing when it comes to Christmas, we are having a large house party the first weekend in December.

How large you ask? Well, at last count, 50 people have RSVPed “yes.” And this means, in practical terms, that the sooner we get the house decorated and organized, the sooner we can start fussing around with the food and drink.

So despite being a person who doesn’t like the idea of forcing Christmas, this year I am a person who, for once, is ahead of the curve on this Christmas thing.

I justify this by remembering three things:

the more organized I am about this party, the calmer I will be prior to it;
the calmer I am prior to it, the better the food and drink will be during it; &
the better the food and drink are during the party, the happier our guests will be.

And who among you, I ask, doesn’t want happy guests at his or her party? Hmmm? ‘Nuff said.

5 Truths & A Lie

November 22, 2013February 27, 2015 / Ally Bean / 21 Comments

[I got the idea for this post from Rara at Rarasaur; her answers are here. She got the idea for her post from Jen at Sips of Jen and Tonic; her answers are here. Go visit them both. You’ll like ’em.]

• • •

Here’s what I’m doing. It’s a bit of a game. I’m going to tell you a few things about me: 5 things will be truthful, 1 thing will be a lie. Depending on how closely you’ve been paying attention to me all these years you’ll know the lie immediately. Or not.

Whoever correctly figures out which statement is a lie, will win the opportunity to either: 1) be a guest poster on this blog; or 2) have me write a haiku about you that’ll be posted on this blog. Your choice.

Ready? Here goes.

• • •

1. THE HUBSTER proposed to me in the parking lot of a bakery. He had no ring with him. All he said was: “so when do you want to get married?” And that was that.

2. I PLAYED the violin when I was a girl. I learned in a Suzuki method class [which means by ear, not by written music]. While I never excelled at playing the violin I did make it to state regional orchestra level one year. I was the last seat. And I hated the experience.

3. WE LIVE in a hilly area in a home built on a wooded ravine lot. Once upon a time we purchased 200 tons of dirt so that we could create a backyard. It was a messy project, but now we have a lower level terrace instead of the forest primeval.

4. I DRIVE a gray SUV. I named him Bullwinkle because of his color [which Lexus says is blue, but they’re wrong]. He’s not a new vehicle, but he gets me where I need to go.

5. I’M NOT a fan of the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner. I’ve made my share of them over the years and they were delicious, but I’d rather have a good steak with a baked potato for dinner than turkey + all that carbohydrate crap.

6. I HAVE narrow feet, as in women’s AA shoes. This is more of a problem than you might initially imagine because there are very, very, very few AA shoes available. The result of this is that I keep my shoes forever and am usually forced to wear a pair of “so out of date you have no idea what decade they came from” shoes.

• • •

2 Movies, 2 Books & 1 Clever Backside Of A Truck

August 7, 2013May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 10 Comments

As part of my attempt to live a more balanced life in 2013, I have given myself the assignment to watch 2 movies and to read 2 books each month. Here is my July report minus 1 movie. Keep in mind that I get fidgety watching movies, so I consider it an accomplishment that I watched one movie during this hot month. Let’s just say that I owe you 1 movie and leave it at that.

2 Movies 1 Movie

Emma – Pretty + predictable. I chose this movie because in college I never read Emma by Jane Austen and because I knew that Clueless was based on it. Set in rural England in the early 1800s, Emma, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, is a single woman who lives with her widowed father. She believes herself to be a good matchmaker, but in reality she is not. Confusion ensues. For a costume drama this movie was well done– not too tedious, not too pompous. Recommended if you need a Jane Austen fix and there isn’t enough time in your life to read one of her books.

2 Books

The Witch of Little Italy – Charming + unique. This novel, written by Suzanne Palmieri, is a perfect summer read. A college-aged girl, Eleanor, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and decides to go live with her grandmother & great aunts in the family home in the Bronx. While living there, Eleanor uncovers and solves decades-old family mysteries as well as going through her own personal transformation. The writing is smooth, the characters are well-rounded and the plot is more-or-less believable. Recommended if you want a bit of mystery + a tad of magic.

The Book of Tea – In this book, first published in 1906, Kakuzo Okakura explains the history of tea in Japan and the proper way to make it. He also expounds upon tea as a metaphor for life. I enjoyed this short book [treatise?] enough to read it twice. Recommended if you like Asian history, tea and philosophy. [Free on Kindle]

1 Clever Backside Of A Truck

Am I the last person to understand what is going on with these REFLECTING QUALITY stickers that are on the backside of many 18-wheel trucks? [Example photo here.] It came to me as we were driving down the interstate in my small coupe directly behind one of these trucks.

I realized that I could see myself & Zen-Den reflected in the mirror-like finish on the back of the truck. And it occurred to me that we were the quality that was being reflected. That the sticker had nothing to do with the items within the truck, instead it was telling me something nice about us. I find this all very clever now that I understand it.