This summer, my younger son took a theater intensive for high school students, hosted by a local university. The participants auditioned a couple months in advance and, prior to starting, they were supposed to have all their lines and music memorized. (I think they each had at least one check-in session via zoom with their acting coaches, too.) Then once the intensive started, they had three weeks of daily, nine-to-five rehearsals, and the course concluded with three performances this weekend. Our family went last night.
My expectations were pretty low, but oh my, what a riot.
The cast had less than three weeks to mount the whole show, so every little thing felt extra special: live music, mics, dancing, harmonies, a full set, props, gorgeous costuming, speedy transitions, high energy. The kids were clearly having an absolute blast, and their joy and energy overflowed into the audience. There was so much laughter, cheering, and hooting!
The whole thing was a delight — I’ve always thought of Mamma Mia as a fun, but trite, show, so I was surprised to find parts of it actually meaningful; a couple times I even teared up — and I am beyond impressed with all the hard work that went into the show, and grateful to all the people who made it happen.
If you’re local and have a free evening, tonight’s the last night to see this rolicking, family-friendly show. Tickets are sold at the door, and the show starts at 7:00.
I thought it might be an unnecessary extravagance — was it really any better than old-fashioned (and free) massaging? — but we have been LOVING it. My husband has a wonky back, and using it on the sore spots every other night or so has made a huge difference.
For me, my hamstring is still giving me grief. It got better, but now that I’ve started playing Ultimate again it’s aching and burning quite a bit. Days that I work it harder than normal, I’ll use it on the back of my leg. I’m not sure we’re using it correctly, but my leg feels all warm and relaxed afterward, so I guess it’s fine?
And it does wonders for getting that jittery feeling out of crazy legs! Nights when I feel an attack coming on, I use it on a few pressure points and the crazy feeling lessens dramatically. It’s a marvel!
Sidenote: I’ve recently had an increase in leg muscle cramps: as in, I went from none to lots. So I did a little research and learned that leg cramps are a symptom of perimenopause: lower estrogen levels make it harder for the body to absorb magnesium. Anyone else have this problem?
I’d preordered the book and it arrived at suppertime. I started reading right away and got so absorbed in a story about marriage, morels, and venison that I burned the burgers. (They were still good.)
The takeaway: Lucy’s essays about marriage, the natural world, and growing up are a delicious read, her writing rich and chock-full of insights. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, and am full of admiration for her mad writing skills. Recommend!
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Have you watched Julia (HBO Max)?
Both my husband and I enjoyed the show — it did my heart good — and I hear there is going to be a second season, yay!
And speaking of shows, I need recommendations. My husband and I are (very slowly) watching Station Eleven, but I’ve spent so much time being confused (perhaps because I keep trying, and failing, to relate it to the book) that we may need to start over from the beginning and rewatch it as a stand-alone story.
Other shows I’ve recently watched: Inventing Anna (loved it, but my husband refused to watch it due to the cringy factor); Somebody Somewhere (okay); Hacks (fading interest); Working Moms (okay, but meh); Life In Pieces (lost interest). I did enjoy Life & Beth, after the first few episodes. I see Netflix has a new season of Alone which I’m looking forward to watching with my younger son…
I am not a pudding person. I mean, I like pudding and will happily eat it if it’s served to me, and I’ll even make it for my family (they adore it), but it’s not my first choice. I’m much more likely to reach for a pastry or a loaf of bread.
But then last week the bakery made banana pudding for the diner dessert and I could not keep my hands off it. I scooped out the bits leftover in the corners of the pan and, when the pan emptied, I went to work on it with a rubber spatula (until my daughter wrenched it from my hands and took over the pan polishing).
At one point we ran out of pudding, and, since the person who was in charge of making more wasn’t in yet, she walked me through the steps via texts and phone calls. I had to work fast, on account of the customers beating down the door for more pudding.
After all that pudding flurry, I had to make it for myself at home, of course. One would think it’d be easy, since it’s all store-bought ingredients, but I don’t do easy very well (I can’t make boxed brownies to save my life). It took me a couple tries to even source the right ingredients.
The first time, I bought cook-and-serve vanilla pudding instead of instant because I can’t read. It wasn’t until the next day when the mixture was still soupy that I pieced things together. I was going to feed it to the pigs but then my daughter cooked it up and, since it appeared to set fine, I just ran with it. (It worked, though the pudding texture wasn’t quite as creamy as it should’ve been.) That pudding, I took to a July Fourth gathering where it got gobbled.
Then I sent my older son to the store for more pudding mix, but he came back with instant banana pudding, probably because I mentioned I was making banana pudding even though I’d texted that I wanted vanilla. So now I have two boxes of instant banana pudding sitting in the drawer. Any suggestions?
Finally, my younger daughter made it out of the store with the right stuff and, just a couple days ago, I made it again, this time the right way from start to finish, whew! (Except now I’m looking at my photos and I realize I used a 5-ounce box of pudding when it was supposed to be only 3.4 ounces so I guess my pudding was stiffer than it should’ve been? Dang, instant food is hard.)
I’m kinda sick of banana pudding now (though not so sick that I didn’t just eat another serving — photos make me hungry) so last night I took a bunch of it over to my parents and my mom made such a fuss that you’d of thought I’d brought her the moon.
I recently read a piece somewhere about the thrill of taking comfort food to potlucks. Most people show up with their quinoa salads and hummus, the article said, but it’s always the Doritos and rice krispie treats (and the banana pudding) that get eaten first. There’s something so homey about the easy classics (which I don’t know much about, clearly, but I am learning) so why not just go with it sometimes? It’s easy “cooking,” and the guaranteed (and outsized) appreciation and adoration does wonders for one’s ego.
So listen. Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a box of mini Nilla wafers, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a box of instant (INSTANT) vanilla (VANILLA) pudding. Stash them away in the back of your pantry where they will while away the months, just waiting to be called into service and make you a star.
Go easy on the bananas and wafers: “layer” means a single layer. The pudding is king — don’t dry it out or moosh it up with too many crackers and bananas.
The bananas need to be just barely ripe; they hold up better this way. Also, I think they’re best sliced quite thin. They will get brown, over time, in the pudding, so if this bothers you, dipping them in lemon waters helps prevent discoloration, or so I’ve read….
The pudding can be eaten immediately, if you like, but after a few hours, the crackers will soften and become cake-like, and the banana flavor will permeate the pudding. Up to you!
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1½ cups cold water 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding 2-3 cups heavy whipping cream ½ teaspoon vanilla 4-5 bananas, barely ripe 1 11-ounce box mini Nilla wafers
Beat together the sweetened condensed milk with the cold water. Add the pudding mix and beat some more. Cover with plastic, transfer to the fridge, and allow to set up for at least four hours, though overnight is even better.
Once the pudding is set, beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Fold approximately 2 cups of the cream, whipped (or, if you used 3 cups of cream, then 2/3 of the whipped cream) into the pudding, reserving the remaining cup or so for dolloping, or decorating.
To assemble, put a single layer of Nilla wafers in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Dollop over half of the pudding and spread smooth. Put another layer of Nilla wafers (reserving some for decoration, if you wish), and then a layer of banana slices. Spread the rest of the pudding on top. Optional: decorate the top with crushed wafers and whipped cream.
Store the pudding in the fridge, covered, or devour immediately.
