Crab Season

Moving to waterfront Maryland, we immediately bought our crab pots and started catching Maryland blue crab that abound in the Chesapeake Bay.  We've only missed a couple weekends since moving here...so we've had fresh crab every weekend for almost 3 months now.  We love it.  The Maryland way is steamed with tons of Old Bay and salt, optionally dipped in vinegar.  It's so much work to pick the meat out, so it becomes more of a social event than anything.  Sit around for hours, have something to eat other than crab, and then pick at the delicious crab in between.  And for the diligent workers that have the determination to pick even after dinner is over, there are CRAB CAKES!  In honor of the time I've spent digging in the gills, mustard, and claws of these creatures, I will post our favorite crab cake recipe thus far.  It's a Donald Barickman recipe (owner of Charleston restaurant Magnolias)...we've played around with it some...added an egg and more or less ingredients dependent on the amount of crab meat you actually have.  And for those non-crab eaters out there, I'll post a favorite side dish (besides the mandatory corn on the cob with fresh basil)...cheddar chive biscuits.  

Life is great on the Chesapeake Bay....taken from our bedroom window!  Good morning crabs!

Crab Cakes
1/2 C minced red onions
1/3 C minced red bell pepper
1 tbl minced fresh tarragon (we've also tried cilantro and parsley)
1/3 C mayo (don't skimp on this...it's just not the same...tried it...)
1 lb crabmeat (good luck)
3/4 C panko (the Japanese bread crumbs...also used for making mozzarella sticks!)
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne (Josh does more)
6 tbs olive oil

Place onions, bell pepper, tarragon, and mayo in a mixing bowl and combine.  Fold in the crabmeat.  Add the panko and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes as the panko will absorb some of the moisture to hold the mixture together.  Form the mixture into 8 equal size 3-oz cakes.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking.  Preheat oven to 350.  You can then sear the cakes on a frying pan and then bake or just fry them or just bake them.  The least messy (and still very very tasty) is baking.  I love these.

 Cheddar Cheese Chive Buttermilk Biscuits
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar
1 tsp cracked black pepper (I use a little more)
1/4 C chives
1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425.  Combine dry ingredients.  Blend in butter with your fingertips.  Add milk and stir until a dough forms.  Knead dough.  Form biscuits (makes 8 large biscuits) and bake 12-15 minutes.  Devour!  Life couldn't be better!

Free Time

The last time I remember being bored was in 2nd grade. It was a summer day, and I didn't know what to do with myself. We weren't going to the pool that day, I didn't want to play outside for some reason, and my mom didn't want me to make a mess with paints or play dough. I'm sure I had already practiced piano for 20 minutes and finished all of my library books. We didn't watch t.v. at the Hedrick household, and I must have been "nerf-gun-war"ed out. I was bored. One day.

Fast forward to the present day and I find myself finishing a summer where I actually had some free time. A chance to be bored...my only chance since that 2nd grade day. I'm one to live life to the fullest...and by fullest, I partially mean, a slam-packed schedule. I've had jobs from middle school on, from babysitting to teaching dance to summer camps to church pianist. I don't know life outside of school, whether taking classes or teaching them. Outside of work, we're always trying to get together with friends or get involved with the community. No boredom, no free time.

This summer was the first time since that second grade day that I could have been bored. I had not even given myself the chance to be bored with the non-stop activities through middle school, high school, grad school, and the first years of teaching. It was hilarious to think that I could find a hobby. Time for a hobby?! What?!! Outside of music?!!! What?!!! I've never had a hobby!

I decided if I had the time, I would try to do the things I never wanted to do in my "tomboy" days...like cooking and sewing. I wanted to learn more recipes, learn to garden, learn to can & preserve, learn to make curtains & pillows & stationery. Of course, I haven't had time to do ALL of these things, but they're in my long range plans. If I still have time, I would like to learn a new language, learn SOMEthing about art or pottery, and learn to sail.

So this little post comes down to this...I haven't made time for free time or hobbies in my life. I thought I didn't even have a hobby. I think I may have even been afraid of the idea of free time or being bored. But, this summer when I had the free time and I went to decide what my hobbies would be, I realized I DID have a hobby. My hobby is for learning. Learning something. anything. but something. All along I've had a full schedule with so many things to do, that often revolved around learning. And when I found myself with a break, I wanted nothing more than to learn something else. Learning for learning's sake...a fantastic hobby! School starts again tomorrow, so I'll have less free time, but lucky me, I still get time for my hobby! Whoo hoo!

School's Out...oh, wait.

I can not believe it's that time of year again. Summer has yet again flown by, and here we are with the first days of school. I've been thinking of school for several reasons...my Oklahoma school started back yesterday and my Maryland school starts training on Monday. The kids I've taught have been on my mind, particularly the last couple days, and I've been thinking of so many lessons I learned from teaching middle and high school students. There are so many...so here are a few...
*Take time for conversation.
*Work from bell to bell...there's nothing wrong with making use of every minute you have.
*You can make a lot of people happy...a lot. (but not everyone)
*Student's need to know that "can't" is a bad word, just like my parents taught me. :)
*It's more than okay to smile, to have fun.
*People think Music Appreciation is a blow-off class. Ha.
*Kids really CAN enjoy non-pop music. (!)
*Don't "save" good ideas for later...now is always a perfect time to use those ideas.
*Experiment. Try. Fail. Try again.
*The best thing about music is not found in the notes.
*Schools need classrooms where students aren't judged.
*Silence is needed. Silencing the world around you is needed.
*It's a beautiful thing to see students act selflessly. I love, love, love fostering encouragement and growth and to see students doing this with other students.
And to think...now I'm going to have stories and lessons from elementary school?! Somebody wake me up from this crazy dream!!! I NEVER thought I'd say yes to teaching the younger ones! That's what I get for saying "never!" More lessons to come...

The Chase of Food

I don't know what happened in the last three years, but SOMEthing happened when it comes to food in my life. Josh, in flight school, used his down time to study up on food, cooking, and chefs. Not a bad deal for me, right?! Well, he's rubbed off on me, and now both of us have been on the hunt for great food. We love trying new recipes and restaurants, learning about cooking from scratch and from quality ingredients. It's just about every day or every other day that we try something new, and I love it.
Now, don't get me wrong...we've always been passionate about our food. But when we're talking about being from Lexington, NC, our food was always BBQ cooked Lexington pit style, of course, and Cheerwine. You can't go wrong with BBQ and by BBQ, I mean a pork chopped sandwich with slaw, extra dip, and maybe even skins from the Monk...and served with Cheerwine with the good ice. Ohhhhh, home. My heart is there.
And even when we've lived or traveled to different places, we have always tried to find the hole- in- the- wall joints where the locals go. We avoid most chains and go for the "real deal." So in Annapolis, we ate crab; in Pensacola, it was McGuire's and fresh fish markets; in NYC, it's Grimaldi's; in Tallahassee, Gordo's, MoMo's, and KoolBeanz; and in Greenville, it's Pete's or Stax (haha!). In Oklahoma City, we went crazy over the restaurants we found, and if you're still living there check out: *Victoria's (of Norman) for the best Italian, fresh pestos, to die for garlic cheese bread and lasagna rolls; *Tarahumaras (also in Norman) for our favorite Mexican; *Cheevers (downtown OKC) for upscale southern cooking & the best chocolate cake hands down of any restaurant EVER...owners also have Ironstar (more casual) and Red Prime (special date nights) that are also equally but differently delicious; *or one of the bazillion cupcake places that are so fun! (Cuppies & Joe, Sara Sara, Pinkitzel, etc.)

Fast forward to our summer vacation where we even chose the location based on food reviews...what in the world?! Haha! We traveled to Napa Valley and San Francisco for some fantastic chowing down! Gorgeous vineyards and beautiful meals! From bakeries to fine dining, we had it all, and it was a vacation to remember. One of my favorites was Wayfare Tavern, where you can order deviled eggs (not like momma makes em!) for an appetizer and the best organic fried chicken you could ask for.
You may be asking at this point, "What's the big deal? Everybody eats. What's so special about it?" But I'm saying that if we all have to eat, why not do it well? And why not have fun with it? I've always had a "better be fun if it's worth doing" attitude about most things in life (including life itself), and I'm feeling that way more than ever about food. There's nothing better than sitting around the dinner table enjoying family, friends, conversation, and bonding over a well cooked meal. And building a skillset in cooking is a fun way to continue learning post-college. There are so many blogs (and if you watch tv or have cable, tv shows...but we just have 4 antenna channels, so that doesn't work for me) and books, so even if you have no prior experience, you don't have to feel intimidated. Jump in and try something! Enjoy yourself, relax, and enjoy your food. A little pleasure never hurt...and it definitely doesn't over the Sink table! I'm off to check our crab traps...our newest fresh Maryland meal!

SWEET Memories

Time is flying by. We have only one week left in Oklahoma...the kids at school have been incredibly sweet...and emotional. Whew. These last few weeks have been one performance after another, one crying fest after another, one doughnut after another (to cheer us all back up, of course). They are awfully special!

Tomorrow marks 2 married years with my best friend....and 9 "together years" :) Since being married, we've been doing a lot of cooking. I should have been sharing all of those recipes along the way, but some are Josh's prized treasures, and I don't know that he wants to release them yet! haha! But, in honor of our relationship, I'll post a new favorite dessert. Sweets always go along with good times. I actually made them for a shower for my 2 best friends at school...who was/is expecting 2 little girls! So excited for Megan & Lorryn!
And now, for the most moist, delicious cookie sandwiches you could ever, EVER ask for...whether you're celebrating times together, an anniversary, a baby, or summer time!

Zucchini-nut-bread Cookie Sandwiches

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
coarse salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt into a bowl.
Beat 1 stick butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in zucchini, oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Using 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (2 tbl), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
4. Beat together remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.

Makes about 14 cookies. So, take it from me and make 2 batches because you're really going to love them, and so is your neighbor.

Wanting to be

As of last week, I have a bit more "free time" in my life. Not a whole lot, given my current job of teaching at two schools, but more than the last 2 months. Deer Creek just finished it's run of Disney's Beauty & the Beast. The tale as old as time had a fantastic showing. The students met our expectations to the fullest, and really made the most of every detail, whether they were a dancing spoon or a percussionist in the orchestra or a stage hand moving the set. Can't say enough about those kids...but now on to the post topic...Wanting to be.

Ever since I was in 1st grade and Beauty & the Beast hit VHS around America, I became obsessed with Belle. Oh, how I wanted to be Belle. She was perfect. She had big eyes, long brown hair, sang her heart out, and loved books. The perfect combination of beauty and nerd. I loved it. I wanted to be Belle.

1st grade turned to 2nd grade, and I loved reading more and more every day. I honestly don't know if I was trying to act like Belle or just be myself, but I read books as I walked. I'm talking, read as I walked around the house, up and down the aisles of grocery stores, waiting for dance class...anywhere & everywhere was fair game. Needless to say, it made me proud when my brothers rolled their eyes and commented about the Belle in their house that couldn't put her book down.

Fast forward to present day, and I still get a twinge of "I want to be her" when I think about Belle. When the kids were auditioning for the musical, they knew that "Mrs. Sink is the competition for Belle!" If there were no standouts, I was just going to "have" to take on the role. And feel sorry for the poor girl who landed the role. She knew that come tech week there was always the chance of something just "happening" to her and that we didn't doublecast on purpose.

Of course I did not play the role of Belle in our high school musical and I no longer walk around with book in hand, but forever I will say that if I had the chance to be any fictional character, it would have to be...Belle!

*2 sidenotes:

1- Gaston really does disgust me, and if I met him in reality, we would butt heads terribly.

2- My dream job when I was younger was to be a dance teacher & a librarian. I thought I could actually read every book on the shelves. I would, in an organized and progressive manner, start from one end of each collection and work to the other. Simple. I was obsessed with the library Beast gave Belle...lucky girl. (Good thing Josh wrote me a book as part of the engagement!)

Bracketology...or Obsessions Part 2

Growing up in North Carolina means something in March. You're either for Duke or you're for Carolina and there's no confusing the two. Family and friends aren't really family and friends for those two anticipated, dreaded nights of basketball. Then comes the ACC Championship and the Big Dance...the NCAA Championship. So much hype, so much hate, so much excitement, and so much fun.
While half of my bridesmaids went to UNC-Chapel Hill, I know better than to pull for the Tarheels. Never pulled for them for a day in my life. Never worn a t-shirt and won't even drink out of a Carolina blue plastic cup. Went to the Dean dome for Late Night with Roy once....I was going to sit outside but my friends literally pulled me in. The poor student who was greeting at the door was rethrown her blue beads right back at her; they were the wrong color blue! I would have nothing of it.
My dad went to Duke, so he raised his family as any of the Crazies would...GO DUKE! And I remember watching countless basketball games growing up. Even now, we don't have cable, and I don't have time to watch tv and I really don't watch tv. Except. For. Duke. Basketball. Thank goodness we randomly have access to ESPN3 and I have a computer at home now. It's not like I can watch Mike Hogewood on Raycom any time I want in Oklahoma. But hey, no more going out to wing joints and constantly asking if I can change the tv station to watch a regular season game by myself like I might have done the past few years. (Or going to FSU games in person & being spit on with sunflower seeds for wearing a Duke shirt!)
So today was a great day, folks. Duke won it all last year, and this year has been pretty good so far, but today they looked oh-so-good. Won the 2011 ACC Tournament and it was even more sweet because it was another win over Carolina. BLUE DEVILS are 3 in a row in the tourney & have 19 total now. I'll take it!
Now it's bracket time. For as long as I can remember, I've filled out two brackets per year. My dream bracket that has my dream picks (usually finagling an ACC Final Four, Duke meeting Carolina again, if at all possible) and my actual bracket with my best guesses. Of course, then you enter friends' bracket challenges, and who wins? People like Meredith Fore who I'm pretty sure made all decisions based on team color and wanting to vacation in Florida. But, it's still the best time of the year in my book. March Madness, BABY!!! And I just want to know...is Irving in?!!! If so, I think we may be seeing some back-to-back action!

Obsessions

When I like something, I don't just "like it." I either get into something full force, or not at all. Such has been the "liking" of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. It's just one of the best things about North Carolina, specifically Winston-Salem. I am ever grateful for Vernon Rudolph who started selling the dessert in Old Salem in 1937. What a grand idea.

Fast forward to my first doughnuts....and vacation morning breakfasts, every project in high school regardless of subject, the birthday I received stock & became a part owner, the countless late night talks, the freshman hall theme that I oversaw, the cup of glaze that I froze, staring at doughnuts on the "glazy" river...I could go on & on & on.
So, of course, when Josh & I started dating, doughnuts were a part of our relationship. For example, one time we spent an entire date night making incredible desserts out of doughnuts. This was one of them (a Krispy Kreme strawberry shortcake):
And after he proposed to me, we went to Krispy Kreme before coming back to the dinner he had made for us.

Because I've been obsessed with Krispy Kreme since my toddler years, the one thing I had planned about my wedding before I was ever even engaged is that I wanted to have a Krispy Kreme cake. After thinking of the idea, I later came across the Occasions brochure with some small Krispy Kreme cakes made by local bakeries. When the time for our wedding came, I decided it would be even more memorable if I built the cake myself. Why leave all the fun up to a caterer?!?

The summer before the wedding, I was working at NC Governor's School in Winston-Salem. While I was an RA in the dorms, I had an excuse to buy several dozen doughnuts "for the residents." I was able to experiment with different ways of stacking doughnuts before presenting the doughnuts to the dorm. This would be the only "practice run" in building a small doughnut cake. We couldn't buy hundreds of doughnuts again just to practice! This made my mom nervous, but even if the actual cake was a "flop," we would have Krispy Kreme. If worse came to worse, I was willing to just pass out doughnuts and not have a true wedding cake!

Luckily, my dad is an engineer, so I convinced him to help me with my project. We sat down with graphing paper (of course) and sketched out a drawing of the cake. We decided on 5 white tiers, edged with black satin ribbon and decorated with pearl button pushpins. The cake needed to look classy since our wedding was going to be an evening military wedding. I decided on using all original glaze to keep the look uniform.
The tiers would be stacked, one atop another, in descending size. We used glass vases as columns in between the tiers, and we filled the columns with white string lights. On the top tier, we planned for a vase of tall white gladiolas. The bridesmaids bouquets of white tulips wrapped in black satin ribbon and pearl pushpins would surround the cake at the reception.

I placed the order for 50 dozen doughnuts a few months before the wedding. When the day finally came, we picked up the doughnuts after the rehearsal dinner.

The morning of the wedding, bridesmaids, friends, and family headed to the country club for decorating and the long-awaited cake building. But, when we arrived, I decided the only person helping me build would be my dad! Everyone else watched as dad and I began stacking the doughnuts. The doughnuts were placed on the outside of the columns and were stacked like bricks: each layer was offset by 1/2 of a doughnut. Our graph had worked out perfectly. We had estimated just the right number of doughnuts per tier.
After the wedding ceremony, the celebration began at the reception. The cake was a hit, but wasn't surprising to all my friends and family. They knew it was exactly what I had wanted to do for years! When the time came to cut the cake, Josh and I had to use a sword, as the military tradition goes. We speared one of the top doughnuts for the "cutting of the cake" and then ate our first doughnut off of the military sword. TOO COOL!

So, like I said, I'm not too good at just "liking" things. Go big or go home. And pick up a Krispy Kreme along the way.

Winter Weather

Yeah, yeah...so I know it's been since this summer since I posted. That's what happens when you start traveling and then school starts back.

Life recently looks like this:

So, I've been dreaming of summer days that looked like this:

I really had been wishing for snow this summer, especially after seeing all the NC Christmas Day snow posts. Their snow was SO beautiful. It just looked so calm and peaceful- a winter wonderland with white trees and deer tracks. Well, we have our snow! Blizzard 2011 followed by Snow storm #2, complete with thundersnow and 40+ mph winds with blowing snow and -20 wind chill. How peaceful. Thank youuuuuu, Oklahoma! :)

But, I was able to have lots of quiet time around our little house. I did all sorts of paperwork and schoolwork that needed to be done...and managed to find more EVERY DAY. I don't know if it's me or the job, but there's always something to be done. And sometimes, it's not school work.

For example,

I did a little vacation planning for our trip to San Fran this summer. Restaurants bookmarked, hotels scouted, etc. I thought about other summer fun such as redesigning our living room, getting a puppy, and making curtains.

Of course, I cooked. Tried looking at the "I have one egg left in the fridge" as a sign from God not to bake. But then the roads cleared before storm #2 and I saw THAT as a sign from God to go get more.

Watched so much NCAA basketball. We don't have cable so thank goodness for ESPN3 that I rely on for my favorite time of year. We know ACC games aren't going to be local here in OKC, so I would have been driving ol' Shifty the F150 all over town trying to find THAT place that would let me change the channel. (Not that I haven't done that before...so. many. times.) All for Duke basketball. CRAZY WIN THIS WEEK. (can't stand UNC.)

I read my magazines. Each year the music department at DC does a magazine sale as a fundraiser. I kindly take the time to support...and buy magazines that I don't have time to read. But I read them ALL this month! I just love Southern Living. Great recipes, great houses, great local info...& all in the south.

Also read more of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Found the chapter on the "Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes" very interesting. Maybe I'll talk more about that in a later blog.

I watched a documentary on the making of Steinways. I know, it's somewhat work related, but I truly love music, and absolutely love pianos. So, here's to Note by Note, and it's wonderful work in tracking the creation and life of Steinway L1037.

AND...the proudest moment of the snow break. I sewed. This is a monumental moment in my life, folks. Made something with cloth and thread and a sewing machine. And the world isn't coming to an end.

My dad's response? "Help me out, here. Is this really my daughter? The I 'don't want to take any elective that has ANYTHING to do with cooking or sewing' daughter?" Well, Dad, I've grown up a little and learned that cooking and sewing have their place. I took all music electives in high school...and college...and grad school. So now, all my free time is spent in music. Careers in music & education don't usually allow for much free time, so put the two together, and you get a life with no life outside of music education. BUT, throw in a huge winter storm, and you might actually get real free time. In which case, I have to find hobbies for myself, right?! Last year, I found out that I love cooking, especially with chef Josh in the house. And today, I found out that I hate sewing but that I somehow found satisfaction in completing an apron after 6 hours of rethreading a sewing machine approximately 54 times. sigh.

At least a day full of ESPN basketball was on in the background.

p.s. OHIO STATE lost. I'm getting excited for March.