What's Poppin'?

It was an afternoon for popcorn.

I had got back from a run in my neighborhood and was starving. It's not fair that you wind up ravenous after working out to lose a few pounds, but whatever. I had some butter flavor microwave popcorn and some white cheddar seasoning, so I was ready.

Then the Dear Daughter and one of her besties came in, and after a few handfuls, I handed the bowl off to the girls for munching. That shows a lot of love, because popcorn has always been one of my favorite snacks. Not necessarily at the movies, because it is steak dinner expensive over there, and while walking past the concession counter, I saw huge bags of pre-popped corn.

I'm sorry, but if I am going to pay crazy money for popcorn, it should be fresh, and the butter on it should be butter and not butter-flavored oil.

They were talking about catching a movie soon, since they want to see "The Hobbit" and the new "Hunger Games" movies when they come out. They'll probably want popcorn even though it is overpriced, and I will probably buy it for them. Love, people, love.

Here are a couple of popcorn snacks for you to enjoy with those you love. First, the spicy one, then the sweet:

Taco Popcorn

Pop one bag of butter flavor microwave popcorn. Pour in bowl. Shake half an envelope of taco seasoning over, or to taste, or use Mexican seasoning. Cajun seasoning is also good.

Source: Southern Living and experimentation

Caramel Corn

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
8 cups popped popcorn

Heat oven to 200. Combine first four ingredients and boil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in soda and remove from heat. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Bake in large pan for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on wax paper or foil to dry.

Source: Foodnetwork.com

Tea party

I didn't write this morning because (a) I was enjoying the furnace making my bedroom toasty and (b) the Dear Daughter is running for student government vice president and has a speech today. She asked for bacon and eggs, so of course, I went to cooking instead of writing.

That's worth putting off a few hundred words for a little while.

If she runs for president of the United States one day, I will make her an omelet before her first debate.

She's a member of the tea party. That's right. Her platform includes a plank on making sweet tea available in the cafeteria.

At least I am raising her right, with the proper appreciation for sweet tea.

Of course, I don't see this happening with sugar-sweetened tea. It'd be Splenda or Nutrasweet or something in that tea, but not sugar. Sugar in the middle school cafeteria these days would be like opening a beer in the middle of lunchtime there. People would lose their minds equally.

Back when I was in school, there was a Coke machine in the lunchroom, and they were only 20 cents. I get nostalgic just thinking about a peanut butter sandwich and a Coke in a glass bottle.

Anyhow, she's in a crowded field of 20 candidates, but at least she's fighting the good fight for sweet tea.

By the way, even though it is cold out, I will tell y'all how to make sweet tea, because people north of Atlanta don't have a clue.

Fill a saucepan with about two cups of water or a microwavable pitcher. No need to get too exact on the amount of water.

Bring it to a rolling boil.

Drop in six individual tea bags or three family-size ones. Wait.

After a while (again, not super exact with this, maybe 10 minutes), remove and squeeze out the tea bags.

In a gallon-size pitcher, add about 3/4 cup Splenda or 1 cup sugar (we go with Splenda because I want to wear skinny jeans) and pour tea over it. Stir. This is key, as you want the tea still hot enough that it will dissolve the sugar. This is where a lot of people screw up sweet tea. It needs to be like a tea syrup. Otherwise you have a bunch of sweetener stuck at the bottom of your pitcher, and that is just nasty.

Then fill to about halfway with cold water and stick in the fridge. That is how I do a batch of sweet tea for my family. There's no recipe, but apparently, it's good enough to make the Dear Daughter's list of campaign issues. Sweet tea to the people!

Up early writing ... with coffee

So today I decided I would write. These books don't write themselves, you know. Given that the youngsters have to be up between 6:30 and 7, and I have to be at an 8 a.m. meeting, then my only morning writing time was at 5:30 a.m.

I know that sounds awful, but I have coffee.

My alarm went off at 5, and I was practicing my positive thinking by visualizing and meditating. That sounds better than falling back asleep and dreaming. I can visualize all day long but unless my hands are on the keyboard, words will not happen, so I got up, said a thank you prayer and went off to turn on the coffee maker, or dispenser of magic juice.

I was tired enough that I spooned coffee grounds into my cup instead of Splenda, but no worries. The magic juice, once in my cup, had me up and typing away by 5:40.

I really didn't want to stop but before long, it was that gray area of 6:45, when people really need to get moving. It is that time between me softly saying, "Rise and shine, kids," and screaming, "GET OUT OF BED!!!"

Anyhow, I'm plugging away at my second book while my editor reads the first one. Let's hope he likes it.

New shoes!

So last night, I got liquored up and bought some running shoes.

Kidding, but only a little. It was Diva Night at my favorite shoe store, Fleet Feet in Ridgeland, MS, and I got to taste a couple of wines, a moscato and a pinot noir, both by Red Tree from Colony Market in Madison. And I had been planning for quite some time to replace my running shoes. Even the Dear Daughter, when seeing the soles of them, said, "Wow! You need some new shoes!" If they were tires, they'd have been bald.

But a nice pinot noir takes a little of the sting out of the price. Running shoes are expensive. It is one of the things that kept me running, even after quitting a few times. I had some $100 shoes, so you can't waste something like that. You have to take them and wear them out.

To me, $100 is a lot for shoes. My power pumps for work come from Tar-jay. $30 max.

But good running shoes are cheaper than injuries. My faves are the Adidas Supernova Sequence. The pair I got last night, marked down 15 percent, is my fourth pair. They are the most comfy shoe I have ever worn. They are more comfy that my own feet.

Here's a commercial for them. Mine look very similar to the kind the guy is putting on, but I bought a women's pair:

And I also have to include my favorite running commercial ever, Nike's "I Would Run To You." I don't run in Nikes but am sorely tempted to after hearing this little ditty. Plus her outfit rocks and the lyrics are hilarious. "Baby, I could die without you ..."
"Baby, I could die ..."

Halloween green

Holy smokes. I am working on a story on Halloween festivities, and I found this little tidbit of info: The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $2.6 billion with a B on Halloween ... COSTUMES!

That is just for the costumes! That is not including the outdoor and indoor decor, the pumpkins, the inflatable six-foot ghost or the fun size Snickers!

Add all of it together, and it comes to $6.9 billion. That's a lot of green for Halloween.

We're trying to keep our costs down, but we'll still have candy for the trick-or-treaters. That expenditure is getting to be less and less, though, as in our metro area, trick-or-treating is falling aside for festivals and trunk-or-treats. There's more partying going on, it seems, and more spending, and more people dressing up everyone from the kids to the parents and even the dog. But less random trick-or-treating.

BTW, our cats will not be dressed up. The cuteness is not worth the scratches we'd get.

Here are some ways we've kept the spending in line over the years:

• Shop after Halloween for the next year. Just don't store things so well that you hide them from yourself. It's happened at my house.

• Share costumes as hand-me-downs with family or friends. They are usually in good shape since they're only worn once or twice.

• Shop for candy at the last minute. We do this because otherwise, the little goblins at my house would eat all the candy up. We'd still be shopping at the last minute, only the second time to replace what was eaten the first time.

• Fill up your Crock Pot. I love making a "Witch's Brew" or what would be called chili or taco soup any other day of the year. The Crock Pot keeps it warm so no worrying about food getting cold, and it is easy and it is cheaper than take-out, which can be a temptation when you have trick-or-treating at the end of a work day. And there is usually enough left for me to take to work for lunch the next day.

• Keep the outdoor decor in line. Sure, I love to have fun, too, but I also have to store everything for the other 11 months of the year. We've found that a pumpkin or two plus the porch light is enough decor for us. Spend on what makes you happy. For us, it's never been the decor. It's all about the Snickers bars.

• Share the wealth. I have neighbors who pool their Halloween candy and sit outside to distribute it together and enjoy a visit and seeing the trick-or-treaters.