Friday, September 23, 2011

Step Six: Busy Work, and First Baking

My first post-college job has officially begun. It has been quite a transition, going from running my own program to learning all of the rules and procedures in a new one, not to mention the theatre games and warm-ups in the children's theatre community in Rhode Island. I'm enjoying being back in the classroom, I feel most comfortable and at home when creating performances with students. I'm currently directing one full production with 2nd through 5th graders, and one book adaptation with Kindergarteners and 1st graders. It's been a long time since I've worked consistently with the latter age group, I feel as though I'm stretching a muscle I've not used in years, and it is exhausting. I'm certain I'll settle into the routine and rhythm of teaching that class soon, and with both classes, and with work in the office in general, I'm learning a lot.

I'm also developing two adaptations of my favorite children's book, Old Turtle and the Broken Truth. One of them will be for the Stage Sprouts program (the aforementioned K/1st grade class) which will be mostly reading the book as narration, with the students doing some of the lines and using puppets. The other, however, I'm working on developing as a movement based theatrical piece for young adults as theatre for youth. My biggest goal with the project is to somehow translate the incredible beauty of Jon J. Muth's illustrations into the piece.





If you don't own this book, get one. It's really the most beautiful children's book in the entire world.


There really aren't very many other "life" updates. It's been a lot of getting settled into work, and being lazy at home. I do, however, have for you my favorite banana bread recipe.



Banana bread is the first thing I can remember baking as a child, and I've baked a lot of it. I remember walking up to my Mom the first time I made it and asking what "soda" was (because it was a Mom recipe and she didn't need to put "baking" in front of it). And I remember submitting a banana bread recipe to a church cookbook and I think writing that it needed to be baked at 100 degrees because I was very young and that sounded like a lot. Banana bread came to friends houses, church and school bake sales, and family gatherings.

Bananas had a tendency to rather often go to mush in our house growing up, but this was never a problem. As a matter of fact, I've often wondered if we intentionally ignored them in favor of the prospect of this bread. This is a heavy bread, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's dense, chewy, and full of banana flavor just the way it should be. I sometimes add some cinnamon to the recipe, or to sprinkle on top, but truly it doesn't need it. It just needs to be eaten warm, straight from the oven (because of the aforementioned impatience) with a good sized schmear of cream cheese. Were I in my parent's house, this loaf wouldn't have lasted the day, but because J. doesn't eat anything banana, I guess there's more for me.


I won't tell you how many slices I've had since yesterday. Or about how it came out of the oven as I was running out of the house because I was late for work because I never time things well never ever. And how I still stopped to chop of a very substantial slice and quickly slather on some cream cheese.

I still got to the classroom before my students did, it turned out okay.

And it was delicious.



JudyMom's Banana Bread


3 very ripe bananas
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp water
2 cups of flour

Mash bananas with a fork or pastry blender. Blend in sugar, salt, and beaten egg. Add melted butter. Dissolve baking soda in water and add with sifted flour. Mix, but do not overstir. Bake in a loaf pan for 45 minutes (to an hour -- mine always seems to take longer than expected) in a 350 degree oven.


Easy, comforting, and delicious. Tastes like home.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Step Five: Mall Pretzels, Employment, and Allergies

I am, generally speaking, excellent at avoiding the "cheap, unhealthy, pre-fab" food that you find at the average American mall. I can walk quickly past Chinese food samples, bourbon chicken samples, Ben and Jerry's, and even the wafting sweet cinnamon-y deliciousness that is Cinnabon. I can ignore the call of Haagen Dazs, resist the urge to drink a lemonade the size of my head, and put my fingers in my ears and whistle as I walk past an Orange Julius.

What I cannot resist, however, are mall pretzels. This is exacerbated by J's love of the same. The crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, salty and sweet and covered in a glaze of fatty delicious butter dripping on fingers while sogging the wrapper twists of bread are from heaven. There is no resisting, and almost every time I set foot into a mall I wonder when I'll run into the pretzel stand, and if I have enough change to grab two.

So when I stumbled upon a recipe promising the deliciousness of mall pretzels at home, I jumped on it. These did not disappoint -- they're remarkably easy to make, worth the wait for them to rise, and hold up to the standard against which I hold all soft pretzels these days, they're at least as good as the ones in the mall if not better. I made ten pretzels, and nine were gone in the next hour. I won't tell you how many I ate.



Tutorial on twisting pretzels:

Divide the dough evenly. The original recipe divided into 6 parts, I divided into 10. In retrospect, 6 would probably have made slightly thicker, puffier pretzels, which would also have been nice.

Roll your dough into one long, even rope.


Make a U shape with your dough


Fold the ends over one another


Twist once

Pinch ends in with curve of dough, turn upside down

Mall Pretzels:

¾ cup warm water
1 ¼ tsp of active dry yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp baking soda (for soaking)
½ tbsp butter, melted
coarse kosher salt

Pour ¾ cup warm water into bowl of a stand mixer, or into a mixing bowl. Dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and salt into the water. Add in flour, mix on medium speed until dough comes away from sides of the bowl and is smooth. If kneading by hand, when ingredients come together, dump onto a floured surface and knead dough about 8 minutes, until smooth. Pour a few drops of olive oil into mixing bowl; place dough in and turn to coat surface. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

When dough is ready, cut into 6 pieces. Roll each into ½ inch thick ropes. Shape pretzels by forming a U, then twisting ends and flipping over, gently pressing dough to seal. Let rise 15 minutes.

Fill a bowl with 1 cup warm water. Add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Soak each pretzel for 30 seconds, flipping over halfway through if not fully submerged. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle coarse salt over top. (If you prefer sweet pretzels, use cinnamon sugar instead of salt. I would have done this, but we were out of cinnamon. I guess I'll have to make them again. Darn.) Bake at 450°F for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. For an extra buttery flavor, brush on a little more melted butter when the pretzels come out of the oven. And seriously, why would you not?

In personal updates, I have at last found employment in our fine city of Providence. I will be a teaching artist for the Traveling Theatre through the Center for Dynamic Learning. It's looking to be an exciting opportunity, I'll have the chance to work with students as well as to do some development in terms of program and curriculum, I'll be able to do some grant work, and most importantly I'll be able to find a community of fellow theatre educators here in Rhode Island. One of the first things I've noticed thus far is that, where in Ohio I had separate contacts in Toledo, Columbus, and Cleveland, here the entire state is a connected theatre network. J has coworkers connected to the Trinity Repertory Theatre, the Rhode Island Youth Theatre, the Traveling Theatre, and so many more -- those three are just the ones I happen to have contacted in the few short weeks we've been here. I interviewed with women who were friends with, and colleagues to folks at J's school, and with artistic educators all across the state. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, you can drive from the Northernmost point of Rhode Island to the Southernmost in about an Hour and 15 minutes. It has come to our attention that Rhode Islander's hate long drives, most everything one could need on a regular basis is less than 15 minutes away, and so when I've told employers that I'm more than willing to drive 40 minutes for work they've all been surprised, even more so when I've told them that's been my commute to and from Scott for the last several years. In addition to my work at the Traveling Theatre, I have a meeting this week with the Artistic Director of the Rhode Island Youth Theatre, which may lead to additional employment, something which is vital considering the fact that my job with the Traveling Theatre, while incredibly desirable in many areas, pays about what you'd expect (or less) from an Americorps position, with a comparable amount of work and dedication required.

Regardless of financial woes, J and I are excited to be settling in and beginning work. He begins teaching on Wednesday, and has been working hard on developing curriculum, syllabus's, lesson plans, and stimulating projects for his students. Our semester at the Traveling Theatre centers around The Things They Carried, so I've been reading up, and mentally preparing myself for a new beginning in a new company.

The only downside to living in Rhode Island thus far? Other than the extreme distance to all of our friends and family, which is a given, I appear to be allergic. No kidding -- all the allergy symptoms that were mere background in Ohio, with only occasional flare-ups, seem to have reduced me to a sneezy, coughy, itchy, gross mess here. Popsicles seem to be helping, so I'll be stocking up on those while I wait to see an allergist.

I know, Popsicles. Man, I've got it rough.

Keep an eye out, I've got killer recipes for a lower-fat version of Vodka Cream sauce and a great crock-pot recipe for Beer Pork Chops with gravy.