New Beginnings

Happy New Year! 2015 is already off to a raring start!

So, I've been AWOL from the Interwebs since before Thanksgiving. A small part of it was laziness on my part. Okay, a somewhat decent-sized portion was laziness. At least half of it was the sheer craziness and frantic pace of the holidays. If you don't happen to know any musicians, you'll have to trust me - between Thanksgiving and New Years is our insanely jam-packed season.

So in the time I've been away, I've been running around like a crazy person, visiting friends and family, rehearsing, performing, and I actually managed to go out on a blind date (which I had to cut short due to the aforementioned rehearsing and performing). I've also...

... performed at the 25th Annual Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees, in front of this lovely audience. I also got to sing at a mall the week before Christmas, which was less crowded but five times noisier. My choir also recorded a holiday CD, which meant months of prep and a weekend of recording sessions - a very interesting process that I'm curious to try again, now that I've got a little experience under my belt.

...baked. A lot. And now I'm paying for it. But all of the new Christmas cookie recipes I tested this year were hits, so I think they're keepers! First, there was what I like to call "Christmas Crack" - pretzels topped with milk chocolate wafers slightly softened in a warm oven and finished off with a peanut M&M.

Then my brother and I made these delicious Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies that were so amazing and moist and easy that I'll be making them again next weekend for the cookie reception after my performances.

And, of course, it wouldn't be the holidays without eggnog, which is one thing I look forward to with absolute child-like glee every year. So I thought I'd try these Eggnog Meltaways. Lesson learned - I refrigerated the dough much longer than called for, so when I baked them, they didn't quite bake all the way through. Which, naturally, I didn't realize until I bit into one after I had already rolled the finished cookies in powdered sugar. So mine didn't turn out as lovely and powdery as pictures in the recipe, but they still had that fabulous eggnog flavor!

Finally, anyone who knows me at all knows that I am slightly obsessive over cranberries. I put them in everything - salads, scones, pork roasts. I just love them. So when I found this recipe for Cranberry Noel Tea Cookies, I just had to try it, despite my crazy schedule. After singing the late Christmas Eve service at church, I came home, pulled my double batch of dough out of the fridge, and baked long into the night, despite facing the drive across the state to my parents' house the next morning. Yes, I may have fallen asleep on the sofa Christmas Day while watching a movie with my family, but the rave reviews over the cookies made it worthwhile! Never having made a shortbread cookie before, I didn't realize how easy it could be, and definitely see myself playing with variations of this with different seasonal flavors all year long!

... rehearsing for my latest show, a review-style production of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", in which I play Judy Haynes (the dancing sister, for those playing the home game).

The show was supposed to open mid-December, but half of the cast came down with the plague (seriously, I've never heard of people getting both the flu and pneumonia simultaneously!), so out of necessity, we postponed until next week. The show has been kind of a hot mess since day one, but there are some really nice moments, terrific choreography, and some lovely people involved, so I suppose the experience has been worth it.

...cataloguing and reorganizing my book collection. This sounds both nerdy and insignificant. The first I'll proudly cop to. The second... well, you can judge for yourself:

I started with the A authors on the
stairs to the second floor.

The C authors were too numerous for the stairs,
so they got their own room.

This is some of M-V in the sunroom, as due to how I had to wrap
the stacks around, I couldn't fit it all in the same frame.

As always, Georgia "helped".

 I've been working on cataloguing in a database, mostly to keep track of what I have and any reading orders for series. I started that project 6 years ago, before I moved, but I've since gone to writing conferences and bought or received enough to start my own library. I started again on Christmas Day, in preparation for the construction that we're going to be initiating in the basement in a few weeks (can I just say that I'm unbelievably excited for this to happen?). In the week I've been slogging through my stash, I've only made it through the L authors - for my fiction. I haven't even gotten to the non-fiction and reference books yet. And the law and academic texts are still living in the basement, because those boxes are too heavy to move if I don't have to!

I'm sure there's a great deal more, but those are the highlights. Now it's time to look forward to the next year. There are changes a-coming, and truth be told, I'm kind of excited for what the year may hold!

Happy New Year!

All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Spinach and Mozzarella Quiche

Bet you thought I forgot about you, huh?

Nope!

Last Monday, my Internet was down for the better part of the day. (This would not be a problem if I could get my act together and write my blogs on Sunday evenings, but, well, if I didn't stall, then I wouldn't be me.) By the time I was reconnected to the rest of the universe, I was already caught up in other things. Like, I don't know, my job.

But what about Friday, you ask? Well, by Friday, I was just feeling lazy about writing, since so many other things were happening that day. I had some fires to put out at work (a couple of them are still smoldering in the background, just waiting for me to relax before flaring up again). I was getting ready to record a Christmas CD with the choir. And I had a first date.

You don't really want to hear about any of that, though.

Starting this week, I'm throwing myself whole-heartedly into a crazy schedule. On top of the normal round of show rehearsals and choir rehearsals, I have multiple auditions. One is really close to home; the other is really close to my parents' home (which is not all that close to MY home).

One thing I always try to do leading up to an audition is to eat healthier. I really should have started sooner than the day before auditions start, but, hey, procrastinator on board (see above)! For one thing, no one wants to see a bloated diva on stage. While there's no camera to add 10 pounds, there's still a panel of people scrutinizing you, and I carry enough self-consciousness about the rest of my performance to wonder if my belly is jiggling while I dance.

The other reason I eat healthier in the days leading up to auditions is that it gives me more energy, and directors like energy, or so I've been told. So I'm cutting back on carbs and red meat (although I'm not completely eliminating either from my diet), and focusing instead on lean protein and produce.

I made this quiche a few days ago for dinner, and I'm really liking how it feels like a power food. The leftovers make for a really nice and quick power breakfast!

Spinach and Mozzarella Quiche (Crustless)

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
2/3 cup onions, diced
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
6 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.


2. Slowly heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and sauté at medium heat until softened. Add spinach and cook until excess moisture is gone.


3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add cheese, salt, and pepper; stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in spinach mixture until blended. Spoon into prepared pie plate.


4. Bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until eggs have set (the quiche will show light browning around the edges). Serve warm.

All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Spooky Friday!

It's Friday, it's Friday!

Cat-in-a-hat-o-lantern 2013

When I was a kid, the weekend was the Holy Grail, what we endured a whole week of school to get to (although I secretly enjoyed the lessons, if not the social dynamics, of school). As a young adult just starting out in my career, it was a chance to cut loose and relax - no shoes, no alarm clock, no responsibilities other than to clean my house.

Now, however, my weekends look very much like my week days. That is to say, chaotic! Because of early rehearsals and church services (at which I have to sing), there have to be shoes and alarm clocks and responsibilities. There are schedules to follow, work to be done, and bills to pay.

Being grown up isn't all it's cracked up to be!

For the third year in a row, I won't be passing out Halloween candy in my neighborhood. Now, before you break out the egg cartons, let me explain. For the last 2 years, I've had tech week during everyone's favorite spook fest. For those of you new to theater speak, this is also known as "Hell Week." It's a week of dress rehearsals that includes a lot of starting and stopping thanks to the addition of the "tech" - lights, sound, sets, props, orchestra, etc. But we're still in costume - that counts, right?

Darn skippy, it does.

This year, I'm blissfully free from Tech for another 5 weeks, but am going to see friends performing in The Rocky Horror Show. Quite appropriate, n'est pas? And this is not one of those movie screenings where people dress up and get super inappropriate. My college had a few of those, until they got so obscene that the administration had to ban it. No, this is the stage show, where ACTORS dress up and get super inappropriate. Totally different!

Side note - a few years ago, I auditioned for a production of Rocky Horror and was called back (i.e. shortlisted) for the role of Janet. I didn't get the part, and ended up not doing the show. This ended up being a blessing in disguise, since the guy they cast as Brad was one of my former students from my year of teaching. Talk about narrow misses of awkward situations!

So, to the 300+ kids who come through my neighborhood each year, my light will be off, there will be no candy, and stay the hell out of my flower beds! That goes double for you parents who cut through yards because you're too lazy to walk down to the sidewalk!

As I prepare for a weekend of costume parties, rehearsals and voice lessons, I'll leave you with sage words that my aunt shares with me as often as she can: Have fun, be safe, and don't pee on the slide (or on the sidewalk).

From l-r: Wicked Witch, Carmen Sandiego (not a German
Olympian, as one co-worker guessed!), Disco Bling King,
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, Peacock

 All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Staycation!

I'm back after an insane work week where I was all but sleeping at the office. When the real world intrudes, there is sadly no time left over for the blogosphere or fabulousness. There are only hours til deadlines that pass entirely too quickly, endless documents to edit and format, and copious amounts of caffeine - which, since I don't drink coffee, meant that I consumed more Coke Zero last week than my body wants to deal with in an entire season.

Squire Andy talks about
Colonial Annapolis

Before things got particularly crazy, I got together with my friends Dave and Mari (of the hiking expedition this summer - you'll see them referenced a lot, as they are some of my best friends), who had decided to have one last hoorah before the season took off. Like me, they are performers (that's actually how we met), and with Mari's show opening this past weekend, Dave's in November, and mine in December, we wanted to get in one last weekend of fun before we had to turn ourselves over to our respective stage obligations.

Fortunately, this involved no planning and very little decision making on my part. This made it an even better vacation than I could have hoped for!

We drove down to Annapolis in the morning for a walking tour of historic Annapolis. Now, I had done this (maybe even this exact tour) when I was in the 4th grade, as does every 9 year old in the state of Maryland, since that's when they teach us all about Maryland History. But since that was more years ago than I care to admit to, it was a nice refresher.

A Colonial inn on Church Circle,
complete with flower vendor on the sidewalk

The tour included St. Anne's Episcopal Church (one of the oldest in the state), the state house, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Chambers for the House of Delegates

The Chapel at the U.S. Naval Academy

I think the biggest shocker for me was going onto the campus of the Naval Academy. I remember a time when going to Annapolis meant drooling over the handsome cadets looking all polished in their white uniforms.

Now they all look painfully young...

The tomb of John Paul Jones beneath
the chapel at the U.S. Naval Academy

At the end of the tour, we were all starving and thirsty, so we ducked into the general store along the main drag and asked for a restaurant recommendation. I always prefer to ask the locals where they go to eat, and avoid the touristy spots - you inevitably get better food with less hype. We were steered across the bridge to Davis' Pub (which was actually featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives) and sat outside to an amazing lunch of BLT Deviled Eggs and Chipotle Habanero Pulled Pork Sandwiches - very messy, but worth every bite!

We had to walk off everything that we'd eaten, so we made our way back to thank the man at the candy counter of the general store for his recommendation, where I couldn't resist buying a giant turtle pecan cluster. So yummy!

The boaters took advantage of the gorgeous sunny day

And, of course, us being us, we had to stop in The Spice & Tea Exchange, since Dave & Mari are both incredible cooks who like to experiment with spices and even grow their own herbs. And I couldn't resist buying more tea, even though I haven't made it through my stash from the last time I went to their Georgetown location! But honestly, how is a girl to pass up Coconut Oolong tea?

Then we bolted up to Baltimore, because Dave had signed us up for the Fells Point Wicked History Pub Crawl. Our guide, Cliff, was a riot, and even though I've been to Fells Point many times, there were definitely some revelations from our tour! Our first stop was Sticky Rice, which in its earlier incarnation as a brothel was where Billie Holiday got her start singing!

Once upon a time, this was a bordello
where Billie Holiday used to sing

Next up was One Eyed Mike's, a Grand Marnier Bar. We couldn't believe how quickly the cost of a shot skyrocketed between the bottom shelf GM and the next step up!

Who knew there were so many kinds of Grand Marnier?

Then we were off to The Horse You Came In On, known for its connection to Edgar Allan Poe. You can get completely lost in the hilarious sayings and posters on every wall. While we were there, I tagged us all on Facebook. Minutes later, we turned around to find a big group of our theater buddies had snuck up behind us - they were having dinner a few doors down before going to see a show in the neighborhood. That's Baltimore for you - a big small town.

A favorite (and final) haunt of Edgar Allan Poe

Do the flags give away that
this is an Irish pub?

Our final stop was The Cat's Eye Pub, which at one time allegedly had IRA connections. Whether it was the deafening music we could hear from the street, or the fact that I come from a long line of Irish Protestants, we opted to skip this one, and went back to Sticky Rice for some Japanese cuisine! Delicious!

Entirely too much food, a day full of walking and history - it was a great way to kick off the autumn season!













All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

The Casual Diva Takes the Stage

What a busy weekend it was! I know, I know, when is it not? But it was a big weekend for Baltimore, and it seemed like everyone pulled out the stops. From the Star Spangled Spectacular (to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner) to our winning Orioles, the town was hopping!

On Friday, our building management had a cookout on the roof, so we hung out in the sunshine (getting a little crispy around the edges at the same time) and watched the Blue Angels practice for their big show the following night. If you've never seen them, you're missing out on quite the airshow by some of our Navy's most talented pilots.

We'd also been watching the clipper ships come in and out of the Harbor all week.

We braved the traffic to get across town (because the President had come to town for the celebration, so no one was really going anywhere at 4pm) for Happy Hour in Federal Hill before heading over to Camden Yards to watch our beloved Orioles take down the Yankees for the second time that day!

Saturday morning dawned gray and rainy, which, combined with the strain of having yelled to much at the baseball game, did not bode well for my morning audition. I got through it, and even did passably well. But I had ignored some of my tried and true tenants of auditioning. It was sheer luck (and a poor turnout at the auditions) that let me shine.

Wait! What? There are rules for auditioning?

Of course there are!

I've been doing musical theater for almost 30 years (I was really young when I started!!!), and there are absolutely must-do and should-do items on the list. For example:

• Do your research. Into the show, into the theater company, even into your fellow actors (it never hurts to know who else is going to be going for the same roles as you). I'm always amazed when I see someone audition who doesn't know what the show is about, or what style of music the show uses. If you aren't at least marginally familiar with the show, how do you know it's something you'll enjoy doing? This is something you're going to be dedicating a lot of time and energy to over several months - make sure you know what you're getting in to!


• Dress comfortably. This is crucial. You don't have to be slovenly, but you definitely need to wear something that you feel at ease in. Often, you'll be asked to dance, but even beyond that, if you're more concerned with staying balanced on your 5-inch heels (I've seen it happen), you're going to be distracted while you're singing or acting, and not showing the director the full degree of what you can do. I usually go for a t-shirt and yoga pants, or a skirt and tights. I still look feminine, but I don't have to think about flashing anyone (I've see that happen too!).


• Be prepared. This kind of goes hand in hand with my first point, but even more so. If it's a musical, rehearse your audition song so that you know it well enough not to be thrown off. Inevitably, something will go awry - the accompanist will take the tempo too fast or too slow, or miss notes, or not have an amp for their keyboard so that you can't hear them. The director may cut you off before you get to your favorite part. You may be asked to sing something completely different, or in a different style or accent, or kneeling on the stage. These are all things that have happened to me, and no matter how frustrated or shaken you feel, it helps to show directors that you can roll with the punches.


• Be okay with rejection. I've given some auditions where I felt like I blew them away and that I was a solid contender for a leading role, and then not gotten cast even in the ensemble. I've had other auditions where I felt I gave a mediocre performance, and then was offered the lead with gushing praise from the director. When I was a kid, not getting the part I wanted felt like a crushing blow - I'd cry, I'd beg my mother to explain why they didn't like me, I'd argue that it was all so unfair. But I survived the rejection. Now, when I don't get cast, or don't get offered the part I want, I'm still disappointed, but I recognize that directors all have their own reasoning. Sometimes you get offered a different part that may not be as glamorous, but it more challenging or more fun anyway. Sometimes, no matter how right you are for the part, there's simply someone who is better. And sometimes, it just wasn't meant to be.


• Be respectful. Don't argue with the director. Don't make fun of people who mess up their auditions. Don't talk through other auditioners' cold reads or songs. Remember, if you get cast, you're going to be spending a huge amount of time with these same people - start off on the right foot.


• Have fun! Remember, it's theater, not the pursuit for a cure for cancer. We do it because we love it - the music, the costumes, the make-believe. If it stops being fun, it's time to find a new hobby.

All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.

Chicken & Mango Curry

This weekend was a lovely blend of sloth-dom (Saturday) and chaos (Sunday), and as usual, was over entirely too soon. The lack of balance to my weekend was entirely my own fault. Because I am a compulsive list-maker (I make a to-do list nearly every week), I had my list of chores that I absolutely HAVE to get finished this week. I crossed two items off. Ahem.

One thing I did accomplish (which was not on my list) was that I cooked a lot. I try to do a lot of my cooking on the weekends, when I have both time and motivation, because it's really hard to drum up enthusiasm to prepare a meal from scratch after a full day at work and any after hours activities, like rehearsals, running errands, or physical therapy appointments. I imagine I might be driven to cook more if it were more than just me, but cooking for one often just seems like too much effort for the outcome.

I had pulled out a package of chicken thighs to make Julie from Table for Two's Holy Yum Chicken (which is absolutely amazing and you should make immediately!), but wasn't sure that I had enough maple syrup for the recipe. As I often do when I'm feeling inventive, I started digging through the freezer to see what I could scrounge up to use with the chicken thighs (even though it probably would have been easier to drive the 1 minute to the grocery store to buy more maple syrup). I found a bag of stir-fry peppers and onions, and a bunch of mango that I had bought fresh and then cut up and froze. Since I've also been trying to use up the miscellaneous items in my freezer, I figured I could come up with something from that.

Wow.

My kitchen creations are kind of hit-and-miss. While nothing is ever bad or inedible, sometimes it's simply uninspired. This was not one of those creations.

The end result was both beautiful and tasty, and really revved me up for the rest of the weekend (a good thing, since I decided to audition for a show kind of at the last minute, picked my audition song at the last minute, and then CHANGED my audition song while sitting in the theater waiting for my turn to sing!). Of course, two days later, my entire house still smells like curry, even though I tried supplanting it by baking a Crustless Coconut Pie last night (to be covered in a future post). But I can live with the smell of Eastern spices in the house if it means making this curry again!

And one of these days, I promise to invest in a real camera and take better quality pictures than what I'm currently capable of using only my cell phone's camera!

Chicken & Mango Curry

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 16oz bag of pepper stir fry vegetables (or 1 small onion, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 cups mango, cubed

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chicken; cook until no pink shows. Remove chicken from pan, leaving oil.

Add vegetables and garlic to the skillet; stir fry until crisp-tender, or they reach the desired consistency (about 2 minutes). Add vinegar, milk, curry, ginger, and cumin, stir until thoroughly blended. Add cornstarch, stirring in one teaspoon at a time. Simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens.

Add chicken and mango to the sauce; stir until thoroughly coated. Simmer over medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Serve over rice.

All content and images are ©The Casual Diva, except where otherwise noted. Content may not be republished without prior consent of the author.