Kristin Harmel's Blog, page 7

Foodie Fridays: Low-Fat Banana Muffins

Those of you who know me well know that I love to cook — and I love to eat. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t go nuts; it’s not about stuffing my belly; it’s about savoring different tastes. In my opinion, the opportunity to savor the salty, the sweet, the spicy and everything in between is a gift. The time I spent living in France, and the time I’ve spent in Italy, have also given me a real appreciation for pairing wine with food . . . but more on that later.

In that spirit, I thought it might be fun to share a recipe on my blog each Friday. Some will be original; others will be recipes I’ve found elsewhere and enjoyed. I’m well-aware that I’m not a food writer (although in the back of ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS, I include five original recipes!), nor am I a trained chef, but I don’t think one needs any particular training to appreciate good food. So everything I include here will be easy enough for anyone to try at home.

First up, the simple recipe I tried yesterday because I had two bananas lying on my counter: Low-Fat, Sour Cream Banana Muffins.

These took less than 4 minutes to mix up and pour, and less then 20 minutes to bake. Here’s the link. Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/banana-muffins-i/Detail.aspx

Ramona and Beezus

I read all the Beverly Cleary books when I was a kid, so when I heard they were making a movie based on the books, I was thrilled, despite the fact that I’m no longer, you know, 8! But the movie — based on a book that was written 55 years ago! – blew me away. I went expecting something that would be mildly entertaining and perhaps reminiscent of my childhood, but instead, I cried — twice — and laughed so hard that I nearly choked on my popcorn.

It was funny and touching, and I pretty much want to move to movie-land and join the Quimby family. As Ramona would perhaps say, it reeled me in like a sea bass. Consider me hooked.

And you know what? The fact that Josh Duhamel (*swoon*) and John Corbett (*swoon again*) were sharing the screen wasn’t even the best part about it — although, I admit, they are very distracting. No, it was the adorable little girl who played Ramona (Joey King). What an incredible actress, and she couldn’t have been cuter!

It’s also incredibly refreshing to see a movie geared toward kids that relies on a sweetly innocent real-life storyline instead of CGI or mystic faraway worlds. I love those kinds of blockbuster movies as much as the next person, but I like to have my heartstrings tugged by the real world once in a while too. I worry that we sometimes forget the power of a well-told, simple story, and I’m glad kids are being reminded of that.

I’d HIGHLY recommend it. I saw it with my mom — perfect, since she got me started on the Ramona books years ago — but I’d see it again in a heartbeat. (Okay, maybe the second viewing would be primarily to gaze at Duhamel and Corbett. Don’t judge!)

Bachelorette auction

I’d love to say I can’t be bought. And I can’t — not really. But you can buy a date with me (or, far more realistically, the date package that will be auctioned off with me!) if you come to Orlando’s premier bachelor/bachelorette auction three weeks from Saturday, on Aug. 21, at the Ballroom at Church Street Station (in downtown Orland0).

I have to admit: I’m a little nervous. I’ve been told that people bid on the date packages more than they bid on the bachelors and bachelorettes themselves (in fact, most of the time, the winning bidders take their own friends on the included excursions instead of taking the person they’ve “bought,” which is just fine with me!). Still, there’s a little part of me that expects to stand on stage while listening to crickets chirping in the silence while no one bids on my date package.

If you’re in the Orlando area, consider coming out to the auction; you don’t have to bid on me, but hey, I’d appreciate a few shouts of encouragement — and the price of your ticket will go to a worthy cause. Here’s the info:

Tickets are $40 at the door (or $25 in advance if you buy them from me!), and proceeds benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

Join me in Jacksonville on Aug. 6

I’ll be selling and signing books at the wine & cheese party on August 6 for the UNF Writers Conference at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. You can still get a Friday-only pass to the conference (weekend workshop registration is closed for this year) for $119, if you’re interested in attending. (Deadline is July 30.)

The Friday pass includes your choice of 12 writing workshops, lunch with a keynote address from author Adrian Fogelin, a general session with bestselling author Steve Berry, and of course admission to the wine & cheese reception, where you can meet many of the authors who will be present at the conference. I was there last year too, and it was a great time; the group is smaller and more intimate than many other writing conferences, so you really get to know the other writers and students.

Check out www.unfwritersconference.com for more information, if you’re interested. I’ll be there all weekend! Hope to see you Friday, Aug. 6!

Good Deeds

Recently, my air conditioner went on the fritz (never a good thing in the midst of a Florida summer!), and the air conditioner repairman who came out to check it out told me that it was unserviceable, and because it was such an old unit, I’d absolutely need to get an entirely new air handler and outside unit – to the tune of $3,200 (a price that was echoed, give or take $400, at every other place I called). Basically, the unit was still cooling my house just fine — the only problem was that water was backing up in the pan and wasn’t draining — so it was an awful thought to realize I’d have to spend that much money to entirely replace a functioning unit.

I was a little skeptical, because it seemed that the AC repair guy had his mind made up before he walked in my door; he was talking new units before he even opened up my old one to see what was wrong. So I posted a status update on Facebook, asking if anyone knew of a reliable AC repair person I could ask for a second opinion before I shelled out $3K.

One of the people who replied to me was an old friend from high school name Chris, who had gone into the AC business. I hadn’t seen him in 13 years, and he lives 90 minutes away. Yet he offered to come take a look at my unit for me the next time he was in Orlando. He couldn’t figure out the problem immediately, but he promised he’d think about it. And think he did; he returned yesterday, cut open one of the pipes and found that it had entirely calcified inside, which is why it wasn’t allowing any water through. It took him less than an hour to replace the PVC piping leading out of the unit. And fingers crossed, miraculously, the air conditioner appears to be working perfectly once again. The kindness of a friend seems to have literally saved me $3,000 or more.

The reason I’m telling you all this is because it made my heart absolutely swell in appreciation. There was nothing in it for Chris; it was difficult to persuade him to take even a little payment for his great work. He did this fully out of the goodness of his heart — for someone he hadn’t talked to in a decade — simply because he’s a good guy, and he knew I needed help.

His good deed has really inspired me. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all went a little out of our way to help people? Not only did Chris save my air conditioner — and my wallet — but he also helped remind me of the power of doing good. It’s a favor I won’t soon forget. And it makes me want to be a kinder, more generous person too.

If you have a good deed you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it. Let me know here, or post your good deed story on Be Good to People’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/begoodtopeople. It’s a great organization that recognizes good deeds — and they’re sending Chris a “Be Good to People” t-shirt to recognize his kindness.

Let’s all help make the world a better place.

xo, Kristin