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Road Trip: State College - Pickles Tap Room

I cannot believe February is almost over! It brings us closer to that season of year I love -- road trip season! I have always loved my long weekends and day trips. Yesterday my husband, Pat, and I took a trip an hour east to State College, Pa., where we did a little mall shopping and a Sam's club trip (on hungry stomachs!)


Then we headed downtown for a bite. My first pick, Baby's, I decided did not suit my diet -- milkshake, burger & fries in a 50's diner is just too tempting. My second pick, Cafe 210 West, was closed (!), so we landed at Pickle's Tap Room on Allen Street. Pat stuck with the burger and I got a turkey grinder. The 60 miles we traveled must cross over the virtual continental divide where "submarine sandwiches" are no longer called HOAGIES, but GRINDERS.

Bento Supplies Arriving & Funny Japanese Translation ;)

A few of the Bento accessories I ordered have come in -- and my favorite, favorite are these hard boiled egg shapers. Shell the egg when it's piping hot after being hard boiled and close them in the mold and douse the whole mold in cold water for 10 minutes. It comes out perfectly formed. Photo doesn't show the detail, but they are so freakin cute!

Other things to point out: this is an actual Bento box -- it is tinier than I expected and then stacks in 2 tiers, with the giraffe lid on top, and is fastened with an elastic strap. The little pink cat dish holding the yogurt raisins is made of silicone. The tiny bottle you see on the salad is actually shaped like a little pig, and you suck up dressing or soy sauce for your meal. I am guessing it holds about 1/2 ounce.

Finally I used metal mini veggie cutters to make green peppers into stars and flowers. The boxes for the egg molds and cutters came all written in Japanese - including instructions. (I figured out the eggs online.) But the Japanese were so kind to translate an ad for the cutters in English.

It reads: "It's going to spread out in a mouth that memories of childhood it's a sweet."

There ya go! Bon apetit!

Linking to What's for Lunch Wednesdays

Day of Dance: Remembering Hal Garvin

Today we celebrated Day of Dance for Heart across the nation. In DuBois, it means children and adults unite under a red heart banner to enjoy dance ensembles, ballerinas, lyricals, belly dancers, cloggers, and those who just like to move to the music. Put me in the latter category. I was there with my Zumba family. (That's me on the far left!)

I don't have what I would consider any innate athletic ability; I would characterize my moves less graceful and more, maybe, controlled, learned and deliberate. Like many girls growing up, I took dance lessons. Those lessons, combined with years of music instruction, makes dancing for health come a little easier to me. I've been taking or teaching some sort of aerobic dance since 1989. It's enjoyable, great exercise, mood-altering (for the good!), and I love the mental challenge of learning "the moves."

I have Hal Garvin to thank for that. Hal taught dance to girls and boys in the area for the better part of 3 decades. We took lessons at the old YMCA, where Hal and his partner George had a reel-to-reel and a decent sound system. We danced to old Broadway tunes and disco, and Hal chain-smoked the whole time. I was a little tap dancer. Shuffle, ball-change, thankyouverymuch.

In the spring, we got to choose which numbers we would like to perform. I was allowed to pick two or three. Oh, what deliberation for a 7-year-old! We ordered our costumes,which were always elaborately adorned with sequins, satin or feathers, and put on a show! Once, Hal fixed my broken tap shoe by taking a drag on his cigarette and using the glow to melt and reattach the plastic closure. I danced with Hal for 4 years.

After college I worked for a while as a reporter for the local paper, and I saw a flier for Hal Garvin School of Dance spring recital. It was to be his last. The years of smoking had caught up to him, I had heard, and he wasn't well. It was about that time that I learned that Hal's partner, was Hal's partner. That's a big statement for DuBois, Pa., in the 1970s.

So I did what any investigative journalist would do -- I called my Mom. Did she know Hal was gay when she sent me for lessons?

"Yes, I did," she said. "But it didn't matter. He was the best."

Ah, Mom. I love you. You are so wise and gentle.

I called up Hal Garvin and introduced myself as a former dance student, now reporter, interested in writing a feature article for an upcoming Sunday edition. Hal and George invited me to their home, which they called "Widdershins." Loosely interpreted, Widdershins means going again the norm, and as you look at it, it also reminds me of a word that might mean,"Greetings," or "Old Bones." I sat with my old teacher in his office.

"I remember you as a chubby girl," he said.

So his memory was still good.

Hal told me his life story. My recollection is that Hal performed on Broadway, and was quite respected. I saw stunning black and white photographs of Hal in his heyday. Indeed, a dancer's body. I was also surprised to learn that Hal and George made all of those costumes. There was the sewing machine and bolts-ful of sequins. I have dug high and low in my house to find the clip of the article I wrote -- had to have been the mid-90s. I cannot find anything online about Hal Garvin. I even tried to reach out to George at the studio where he works today, and sent an email to Hal's niece, so I'll keep trying. If anyone knows any more details, please comment.
But I do remember Hal said he came back home to Penfield to take care of a sick family member. And so, the Hal Garvin School of Dance began right here in rural Pennsylvania, with our own Broadway instructor.

Because of that, I hear the beat, and steps are easy to pick up on the fly. I have enjoyed paying it forward and sharing my love of dance with others. Dance settles my sometimes restless mind, and I have somewhat of a healthy body image... for being an old chubby girl.

And my life lessons from Hal, and from Mom, go a little deeper. Widdershins, everyone.

My New Elle Magazine is Here!!

January marked an exciting time of periodical change! I had let all my magazine subscriptions expire (heck, it's easier than a name change - the bane of my newlywed existence) ready for a fresh crop. The winners: Country Living http://www.countryliving.com/magazine, House Beautiful http://www.housebeautiful.com/, and Lucky http://www.luckymag.com/magazine I was also gifted Elle http://www.elle.com/, I suppose so I could sigh in unison with one of my Girlz as I thumb through the Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren couture. Elle arrived today! Hello!

Clear the room, volume down -- time to study the new arrival. To me, each magazine is a vault of ideas. Which ones will call to me? Gotta do that, gotta cook that, gotta read that, and oh, my, gotta love that shoe. But seldom has any magazine sent me straight to the Ross Park Mall or online with a smoking hot credit card in hand. Say it with me: it's about "adapting." Who knew a flannel gray pant looks fantastic with a metallic copper top? Wow, hey I have both of those! And how fresh that lavender blouse looks with a white blazer, hmmm, SCORE! I got that too! Dog-ear that page so I don't forget.

But I would forget. Where did I see that article on making plant pots by pouring cement into a hole in the ground? What was the name of that paint color I saw? The raspberry torte recipe? The piles of magazines stacks would be canvassed again. A huge time killer. I can't throw those away... there is something in there that I NEED!!!!!

So with a $10 bill I started a fashion inspriation scrapbook. I do not care what you call me for doing this. Anal. Martha. Must be nice to have all that free time. Yeah, whatever, BRING IT, Sisters! But let me just say, that a once-thru read, with a pair of scissors on the couch and in 30 minutes I have 3 nice additions to my book that a little glue stick can lick in about 60 seconds flat. I've also started a folder for home ideas and I have an overstuffed binder of downloaded and clipped recipes (uh, yeah, triple punched or page protected and organized by tabs, guilty!)

Whenever I'm suffering from the closet doldrums, as I'm apt to do this time of year, I grab my pretty book. And THAT brings me some delight.

Red-Headed Asian Bento!

TGIF! Tomorrow's Bento features an Oriental theme with porkloin, slaw with sesame oil & almonds, and sticky rice, featuring the "red-headed Asian," (that's a private joke that my dear Husband would find humorous - his personal Holy Grail) with a Nori bowtie. Yogurt with blueberries and a Weight Watcher's treat that really does taste like thin mints! By the way, if you're counting, that's 13 WW Plus Points, but the whole Bento will cover me for lunch plus morning & afternoon snacks! Mmmmm Bento!

Tea with the Girlz

Lisa invited me to join a little group of girlz to lunch at the Strawberry Tree in Curwensville, Pa. What a treat! It reminded me how Mom would make my brother and me a sweet little lunch during Saturday "Manners Class" at the Dixon Farm.

We split the two-tiered sampler featuring delicious curried tuna, smoked turkey and ham salad sandwich triangles, some cheese & crackers, veggies, and you can see all the delectables we could taste for dessert.

Each of us got to select our own teabag from a cool wooden box, and we steeped them in personal teapots.

What a memorable afternoon with those girlz! (So here's a little distinction -- when I write "girlz," I mean any of my dear adult girlfriends. Some are truly like sisters!)

I loved this two-tiered plate, how 'bout it, and can you see the punched tin chargers and that adorable violet sugar bowl? I was really inspired to host tea myself!

Bento Boxes - New Obsession!

A classmate opened the door for me to this little world of Bento Boxes, a Japanese tradition of making little lap lunches with cute containers, food shaped like animals, people, scenes. The cute factor scores big points with kids, who snarkle down flower-shaped veggies, and polish off Hello Kitty rice balls with chicken and snowpeas.
I ordered 2 Bento boxes online, along with some food shaping tools - some of them even straight from Japan! Meanwhile, until their arrival, I made due with some dollar store finds and a Rubbermaid container.
It's taken me anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to make a Bento so far, but I have enjoyed the time in the kitchen, and even made a lunch for my husband on Saturday. One Bento I made while talking to a friend on the phone! The small portions will help me watch calories, and a lot of the food I've pulled right from the 'fridge -- all those little leftovers and opened packages, going toward a healthy lunch! I'm hoping it will ultimately help us save money - I end up throwing away so much food when only cooking for 2, and many times I end up buying lunch instead of taking the time.
Yeah, so it takes a half hour out of my evening -- but let me tell you, it has been a blast making these so far! Streatches my brain to think about how I can make food in an artful way, and hey, maybe a little nesting nature coming through (??)
This Bento features a cream cheese/green chili roll up, salsa, chili, mini corn muffins (baked while I made dinner), pepper strips, plantain, peanuts and little strawberry cookie sticks for dessert! it filled me up so much, that I saved the chili for dinner.
More to come on this delightful new hobby!