Riot and Frolic

This Is Not A Cop-Out

July 11, 2012
I know many of you are gearing up for the fabulous Twin Cities Open Championships, so I wanted to throw out some advice.

That advice happens to be in the form of old posts, but I have re-read them and edited and they are all fresh and shiny (oooo, shiny!) for you.

Looking for makeup and hair advice?
- a simple, make-it-or-break-it tip: Advice Before You Dance
- a more comprehensive overview: Play The Game
Trying to impress the judges?
- general no-nos: Don't Judge Me
- for the Rhythm and Latin dancers: Don't Dance What You See
- For Standard and Smoothies: Don't Dance What You See
New to the ballroom dance circuit?
- the vocab: Dictionary of Dance
- the primer: Enter the Madness
Enjoy!

And…

I'll be watching.

Mwahahaha!

One year ago: LLLL, at TCO!
Ladies’ Afternoon

July 10, 2012
The post title is funnier if you're singing "'Oh yes it's ladies' night and the feeling's right, oh this is ladies' night, oh what a night!" in your head and picturing some funky disco Saturday Night Fever thing and then comparing it to this…

tea time, but with wine

During our trip to Ohio, my sisters-in-law threw my soon-to-be-sister-in-law a wedding shower (is it called a bridal shower?), complete with delicious, glorious food. And delicious, glorious wine. And delicious, glorious "no boys". And delicious, glorious "no small children".

Best. Party. Ever.

How much did I love this blue china?

tried to steal these plates, but they wouldn't fit down my shirt

My eldest SIL baked up some AMAZING quiche (seriously *droooool* ate like four slices) and mixed up some grand ganache truffles.

the spread, being spread

Feeding a crowd? Take some notes from my sis:
- simple- who doesn't like quiche? (shut it, vegans)
- easy- whip up quiche ingredients, melt together ganache ingredients
- fresh- fruit was also served, along with wine from the vineyard
Add a bunch of delightful ladies, and you got a happy afternoon!

the nieces collected all of the shoes at the party's end

The vineyard- South River Vineyard in Geneva, OH. Free use of awesome pavilion.

i love this picture. indulge me
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

July 9, 2012

– making memories is stressful. And sweaty.

sweaty betties

– scavenger hunts are fun. Always.

what does that bell mean?!

the g and mae cake are EXCITED

– sugar-free chocolate cake is so good, you never get to take a picture of it.

– if you put your kids in disposeable diapers for a couple weeks and don't wash the cloth diapers, you will be truly disgusted when you finally open up that bucket.

– the drive-in seems like a terrible idea when you leave the house and this is the temperature:

gross

– but it's surprisingly awesome and fun when it rains and then this is the temperature:

beautiful

– give your toddlers noisemakers and a car-fort to play in and you won't need to be responsible for entertaining them for about three hours.

the cookies are CRINKLY

– I was being a chicken about riding my scooter for some reason. Maybe I've heard of too many motorcycle accidents lately, but I got on the horse (or Misha, as I like to call it) and scooted around town on Sunday, so…

check

– sometimes you have to steal your kids' art supplies to make a collage.

because i'm still 12 years old

– I never drink enough water, so I've started filling up containers in the morning with the intention of drinking all of them. And it works. 3 containers = 86 oz. = well-hydrated mama.

brilliantly simple

What have you been up to? Fighting off the heat or succumbing to it?

i hear i should watch this

– if you pull over on the freeway, you can watch, like, 15 fireworks shows in the A/C with none of the annoying booms.
Five Minutes A Day

July 7, 2012

If a 3 year old can learn to ballroom dance 5 minutes at a time (for 6 months), imagine what you can do in an hour.

V's dress rehearsal (because I didn't know if she'd really do it):

V's ballroom dance debut (at the Dancers Studio in St. Paul, MN, dancing with Daddy, AKA Gordon Bratt):

Mae Cake is V's biggest fan.

what
Making a List, Checking It Twice

July 6, 2012

With the heat index in Minnesota being over 100 degrees for, like, the 75th day in a row, I thought you all needed a reminder HOW AWESOME SUMMER IS.

Remember this?

Romantic patio date? Check. It involved a ton of food, whiskey, and some classic Bratt portraiture.

photo bombing our own photo

I wore these shoes, so obviously it was a Date.

a tan might be nice

Epic Date turned into Epic Breakfast because The Godfamily is awesome (overnight babysitters!). I fiiiiiiinnnnnnaallllyy went to the Ideal Diner, which was… wait for it… ideal. BAM.

No, this isn't illegal backyard burning, it's fireworks, silly! (Check.)

right next to the dead tree

Mae Cake, with a sparkler. Check.

it's not a candle, Mae

The toddlers could not isolate one arm to wave the magic wands. Hilarious.

backyard fun

Splashing in the Minnehaha Falls "rapids"? Check.

first child = independent

middle child = not

The girls tackled the stairs out of the wading area like little mountain goats. It's seemed appropriate to remember V's first word was "up".

racing the teenagers and winning

It's nice to look at this list and see all fun things we're doing. Hopefully the girls are enjoying themselves, because making memories is stressful. It's like 2 hours of planning and packing and putting on suntan lotion (the worst) for a half an hour of splashing and being comfortable in the current and exploring and mermaiding before Zoo gets Crabby and I have to tell them we have to go and we trudge, crying, complaining, and sweating, back home.

whoa

One year ago: Enter the Madness, a beginner's guide to a ballroom dance competition.
The Garden of A Little Bit of Evil

July 5, 2012

After I walked in the door from vacation and dropped my seventeen bags in the entry, I glanced into the backyard and saw the garden. I mean, The Garden.

It had grown.

view from the weeds

The pumpkins have kicked the sugar snap peas out of the trellis. "Squatters," the pumpkins tell me, of the pea plants. I think they're The Garden bullies. The orange and white varieties are teaming up, though, so they're just mean, not racist.

the bullies

One of the zucchini twins is producing edibles, the other is holding off. They seem cooperative like that, taking turns and whatnot. They don't have great camaraderie with their neighbors since they plotted with the pumpkins to terminate the sunflowers. The tomatoes are getting nervous.

the bigger twin

The tomatoes decided to become the brown-nosers and generate as much fruit as possible (for protection's sake), since they heard me talking about how I "just want some tomatoes" one afternoon in the spring. Class favorites, they're tall (bigger than a 3 year old), dark (so much foliage), and handsome (loads of flowers and mini tomatoes).

here here here and here

I really need to get in there and lay the smack down on those pumpkins and zucchinis (most people would call it "pruning"), but frankly, I'm a little frightened. The pumpkins have wrapped their little climbing spirals around everything and have spread out of the bed and into the murky, weedy territory by the garage. The zucchini leaves are HUGE and a bit prickly and there are so many BUGS. I mean, what IS this?

too big to be cute, friends with, or squash

Why can't I have a magically tidy garden like this one?

On the plus side, I harvested a couple more zucchini and they do look delightful.

your mama is scary

So, lose, win, win?

How does your garden grow? Did you try and fail? Have epic success with cantalopes? Mediocre herbs? Are you a flower or vegetable gardener or do you do both?

beets. bears. battlestar galatica
Bratt… Party of 30- Lunch Edition

July 4, 2012
Last week, I threw at you the easiest recipe for how to feed a crowd. Boil, dice, grill, pour, mix, love.

This week, we get a little more involved, but I had a lot of kitchen helpers for this one, so divide and conquer.

First of all, while we were picking up last minute supplies, I saw this sticker…

in-laws are people, too

Then, I reeeeeeeeally wanted to make cupcakes for some reason (even though it was a balmy 95 degrees in that damn kitchen), so I scooted over to the cafeteria one evening to get some alone time (#metime #familyreunion #austinburgopen #hashtaghashtag) and whip up treats for the next day.

Note: alone time does not happen when you are at a family reunion for a family of 12 kids.

Note: it was more fun (and faster) baking with two of my sister-in-laws. Plus, I made them take pictures of me being overly excited about the gigantic mixer I was using. Plus, somehow my father-in-law ended up bringing me a cup of coffee and that was neat.

it's huge!…

it was unnecessary and awesome

We made a double batch of the Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting. The recipe was supposed to make about 30 cupcakes, but much to my appreciation, it made about 50. Woop! Extras for the grown-ups!

commercial kitchen love

I didn't really care how the actual meal came out, as long as these bad boys were delish.

i am not a professional froster

I hear the nieces all got hosed off after eating them, so I'm guessing they were well-liked all around. (I had 3, shhhhh… because I had to… TEST them… Yeah.)

Anyhow, the main course was SUPER NACHOS!, one of The G's favorite meals.

Lunch for 30 people- feat. SUPER NACHOS! and accoutrements

Super Nachos ingredients:

– 5 lbs. ground beef

– your taco seasoning of choice (I threw together the one from Mel's Kitchen Cafe from the plethora of industrial-sized spice containers)

– 1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded

– 6 large tomatoes, diced

– 2 bottles of salsa (one hot and one mild)

– 2 containers of sour cream

– 2 lbs. of cheddar cheese, shredded

– cilantro, olives, black beans, corn or any favorite topping

– 6 bags of tortilla chips

Brown the hamburger and toss with the taco seasoning (drain beef of grease if needed). Put each ingredient in its own bowl for a colorful and easy-to-customize meal. Layer chips, beef, and all your preferred toppings and CHOW DOWN!

Accoutrements:

– 30 half ears of corn (with melted butter and salt, duh)

– 2 watermelons, chilled and cut in triangles for quintessential summer eating

where there's food, there's children

meat. and other stuff.

All in all, cooking for a crowd wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.

Advice for cooking for a large number?
- Make something you've made a million times before.
- Cook something that you like.
- Use fresh ingredients whenever possible.
- Simple = awesome. 5 course meal? Boo. Chili? Yay!
- Think ahead. Instead of hauling the 5 lb. bags of flour and sugar and the can of baking powder and the box of baking soda and the cocoa powder container (I was already packing 5 people for a week, plus our ballroom competition stuff), I mixed the dry goods in gallon bags beforehand. I threw the sugars in one bag, and put it inside another gallon bag (just to be sure nothing leaked) with a note telling me what to add. I did the same thing with the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Bonus? One (or seven) less things to do once I got there.
Next up? A delicious wedding shower menu! My eldest SIL served up some brunchy goodness while us ladies admired the grapes at the winery.

surprising amount of wine in OH

Amerigo Vespucci, people. And Happy Fourth of July.

he's good looking, in that 1700s kind of way

One year ago: LLLL.
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love- Action Version

July 3, 2012

– slacker alert! (For some reason, I say that in my head with my best Austin Powers impersonation.) "Vacation" totally messes with you, doesn't it? Naptimes have been wasted doing meaningless things like unpacking and laundry, instead of awesome things like blogging. Lame. And dang it if I'll ever get those girls off their party schedule. V and Mae Cake are all about the midnight curtain call. Bad babies! Go to sleep! [Zombies!]

– one benefit to driving home at 5:30am from Illinios? The kick-arse sunrise. [Speeding cars!]

panoramagnificent

– the garden exploded while we were away, and to tell you the truth, it's getting a little frightening back there. On the plus side, there were these green tasty bits to harvest and munch. [Killer plants!]

harvest #2

– drinking Bailey's over coffee ice cubes while watching True Blood? If it were possible to also read the latest Mortal Instruments book AND listen to 'NSYNC, I don't think I could be any happier. Or more gross. (Note: I did not use the word "grosser" although I really wanted to.) [Cocktails!]

hey… you

– V learned how to "snip" and glue this week. It has kept her happy for an hour at a time. AN HOUR! She has made each and every one of you a card. They'll be in the mail once I get caught up on birthday thank yous (AKA, NEVER). [Weapons!]

the lefty, trying to be a righty

– some quality ballroom hair. This was the first time I really nailed it and thought it looked really professional. Even better? It was super easy. I'll share later. [Suspense!]

easy peasy lemon invisible hairnet

– the first generation makes it to see V's (a 4th generation) ballroom dancing debut. Will she or won't she dance? [Thrills!]

this wasn't fun to watch at all

– She danced! [Victory!]

– some idiot got her friend registered for the Warrior Dash for this friend's birthday and of course registered to do it with her because "that'll be fun!", right? [Running!]

pre-run party faces

– our hypothesis at Mile 2 was maybe this idiot didn't really like her friend. [Ninja-like skills! Lots of running!]]

– upon completion of Mile 3.2, though, we were still friends and would definitely do it again. (Probably just to start in the first heat of the day and play on the giant Slip 'n' Slide all afternoon.) [Death-defying feats!]

there was mud… everywhere

What'd you conquer last week? Your remote control? A personal record for _____? Go forth and conquer, yo.

or else
Bratt… Party of 30

June 27, 2012

For reals this time, I was going to be feeding 30 of my in-laws two meals.

I was a little concerned: I have that whole spicy-food-love that doesn't go over well in all cultures (por ejemplo, Midwesterners), about 92 of them were children under 10 (notoriously picky eaters) and IT WAS MY IN-LAWS.

I was also excited. Look at this kitchen!

utensils!

meat slicer, saran wrap, 9 different ice cream scoops…

spices!

Can I make my kitchen at home covered in stainless steel, too?

Taking advice from the Barefoot Contessa (check out any of her great books), I decided to do something simple, with fresh ingredients, that I've made a million times.

Dinner for 30: feat. Chicken & Veggie Pasta and 7-ish Layer Bars

Entreé Ingredients

– 4 bags of primo pasta (each contained 8 servings)

– 24 roma tomatoes, diced (yes, I did this by hand… = love)

– 6 summer squash, or ZUCCHINI (as any sane person would call it), sliced

– 4 lbs of chicken breasts, grilled to perfection (The G sweated it out over the grill for this one), cubed

– 1 bottle of balsamic vinagrette dressing

Combine in a HUGE bowl. Toss well. Do not take any picture of the massive amount of food you just produced, but pick bites out from the fridge periodically throughout the day to "make sure it tastes right".

Dessert Ingredients

– 2 sticks of butter

– a box of graham crackers (3 sleeves), crushed

– a bag of chocolate chips

– a bag of butterscotch chips

– 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

– 2 cups of shredded sweetened coconut

Set oven to 350* (and hey, remember to turn it off when you're done, so the next day, when you're foraging for leftover pasta, you don't wonder why it's so frigging hot in the kitchen, and then later that day, when you're making cupcakes, you go to turn the oven on, and BEHOLD! it IS on, because you never turned it off, you imbecile). Get a huge jelly roll pan , put the butter in it, and throw it in the oven until the butter melts. Remove the pan with melted butter from the oven and layer the rest of the ingredients as written. Bake for 30 minutes, or until coconut is toasted and edges are bubbly.

Next week I'll tell you about the rockin' lunch we made. Preview? "Nacho bar". Boom!

#2 in the MM series

One year ago: a timely Man Picture.
List of Last Week’s Labors of Love

June 26, 2012

– this is my Monday post… because it's Monday… right?

– just agree with me.

– cooked dinner and lunch for 30 people with no major mishaps and quite a few compliments.

– have 243 pictures to download and sort from the Bratt family festivities of last week.

– slept in a dorm room for the first time in ten (ahem) years.

– got approximately 5 hours of sleep each night for 8 days. Because we were having TOO MUCH FUN.

– completely exhausted my social tank. I'll be hibernating until September and will only communicate by grunts and gestures. [Soooo, nothing will change? HahahaHA.]

– discovered Cleveland, OH is on Lake Erie. Who knew? (Answer: everyone.)

– practiced The Ballrooms in the HOTTEST GYM KNOWN TO MAN with the music filtering in from the distant weight room. Made me appreciate air circulation and a boombox.

– danced in the Northcoast Ballroom Championships. Placed well. Still so much to work on.

– drove 28 hours total with 3 small children and a husband. Everyone survived.

– found beach glass. Neeeeeeeeeat.

i don't know ANYONE excited for his next movie

One year ago: And the third day felt like a week again… G was gone at the family reunion and I was super-preggo.

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