This time of year, whenever I am in a gathering of women, I get transported back to the banks of the Magothy River in the 1970s. Why? Because there I realized that women do things differently when together but not really friend friends but friendly. Also, because that bit of summer tastes like a “revolutionary” sandwich of the day.

You see, a large group of us took swimming lessons in the Magothy river. While we learned crawl stroke, “Elementary backstroke” (a creation different from the backstroke the rest of the world learns), breast stroke, and to dive into the murky river–our mothers shared chatter and food.

One of the most coveted food items (on my part) and coo’d over foods the first summer of swimming lessons was a sandwich. A VEGETARIAN sandwich. (Well sort of, not sure if the Seven Seas Green Goddess dressing had anchovies or not)

Here are the ingredients:

Pocket Pita (known as Kangaroo bread or pocket bread in my area at the time)
cucumber slices
tomato slices (most likely tomatoes from Diehl’s produce stand or the garden)
sprouts
chopped green onions
lettuce (either buttercrunch from the garden or iceberg)
sliced green peppers
Green Goddess dressing

All the veggies arrived sliced and then the moms would slice the pitas in half to make the pocket, fill, top with dressing and eat.

Yes, that is it. Now, this is the sandwich that I would beg for after lessons…but was for grown ups. I still got to sneak a bite or two from time to time.

Every once in a while, it makes me pause to pick up green goddess dressing (which my kids think tastes like ranch) or stop and stare at the Kangaroo bread. Sometimes I will sneak one into my summer, but it just doesn’t taste the same without a group of gossipping moms, the grit of sand, and the kiss of the sun and river water on my face.

Ok, I owe a BlogHer wrap up post. I know. But, there are an increasing number of people who think I really owe the doctor a call. I am ignoring them for a bit. I am also ignoring the real wrap up post and the fact that this is a food blog.

Because, my daughter, Rebecca,

RJ at BlogHer

wrote this post: Blogher: there really isn’t anything I can say to describe it. Really.

This is the daughter that could mimic the AOL “You’ve got mail!” before she could really talk. This is the daughter who spent a childhood overhearing mutterings about terms and conditions, terms of service, and about all the world of online community has to offer…both the good and the bad. Click Michelle just read her post and I said to her that my kid knows community. She replied “Of course, she’s been raised with it like Cheerios.”  I suppose she has, but I also know that what parents do for a living remains mystical to children.

The mushy part at the end of the post…of course is sweet.

The part though that got me:

“I felt like a part of a community, a family, a group with one unifying cause. At the community Keynote, I sat next to perhaps the most inspiring woman, besides my mother, that I had ever met (she knows who she is), and I told her that, coming into blogging, I was concerned that I wouldn’t stand out, that there would be a million bloggers just like, or better than me. But, I continued, coming to Blogher, I realized that no one could be exactly the same as anyone else. Like stars in the sky, we each have a different light, and we each illuminate the world in a different way.   Whether we be mommy bloggers, life bloggers, book bloggers, or “miscellaneous un-life” bloggers, we each touch the blogging community and serve to make it better.”

That is what I want to take out of BlogHer. That is what I want to take out of BlogHer Con every year. That is what keeps me in online community year after year after year. That is what I want each of you to know about participating in online community-whether as a blogger, lurker, forums, groups, or message board person. Find and keep that magic. Make it brighter.

Yes, Rebecca, it is community. You are beautiful. BlogHers and BlogHims are beautiful. Thank you for reminding me of that again.

Thanks to each of you who took the time to spend with her this very busy weekend and for all of you out there who have helped us raise this amazing child, whether you knew you were part of her life or not.

And Rebecca, your blog is you and should be your love song FOR you. To share, to be that light, to invite more light and to remind yourself of who you are, who you were, and who you will be. Your heart has sung its love song to me since before you were born and every single day since…you becoming the person you can and want to be is all the love song I need to hear. That goes for your siblings as well, all of them.

This love is like mercury splitting off endlessly every time I try to nail it down. Anything, anywhere I would give everything I own away. Always I will sing picturing you singing right back to me  ~Melissa Ferrick (and of course, the song I so oft quote to you, mean for you, and sing with you)

My part of the BlogHer Community Keynote went so wonderful and I had a great time. Thank you to each of you who came up to me and told me it was fabulous, or made you cry or made you think of your mom or grandmother. Thanks to all of you who appreciated my twirls too. Thanks to all those other fab women who presented their speeches tonight. Thanks to the great audience. Thanks to the super sweet make up woman who helped me out down in the MediaSpa lounge place. Thanks especially to my children and Denise who challenged me, inspire me and love me…even when they don’t love my cooking. Thanks to Mama who taught me that I can do anything that I want to do and to be me.

In any case, if you came here looking for the post I read…thank you too. I hope you come and visit again.

Here it is: Love Song.

If you are interested in the dress…it came from Etsy…from the wonderful super fast and talented Audrey and Grace. (Thanks to everyone who voted for it on Kaboodle too. You helped me make a great choice) (added note: My mother bought the dress. The kids, the people who voted in the Kaboodle poll, and I picked it out.)

I am about to head out to BlogHer after working part of the day. It feels like I haven’t stopped working in a week due to getting things ready, visitors, and my usual crazed life. But I am feeling a bit devilish so how abut a Deviled Ham Dip to celebrate the beginning of BlogHer 09?

1 cup sour cream
1 can deviled ham (Yes, I really do love this stuff. Yes, the deviled ham in a can.)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt (leave that out if Denise’s mother is coming…she doesn’t do celery salt)
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and blend thoroly. [sic] Chill. Serve with assorted crackers, chips, vegetables such as radishes, carrots, cauliflower, celery or green onions for dipping. (Has anyone ever used a green onion to snag some dip at a party?)

From Dips, Dunks, and Cocktail Spreads By Mary Meade, Food Editor, Chicago Tribune, (Back cover is stamped Aug 20 1962 but no idea on when that was done or if it is accurate for dating)

My 19 yo has a cold. I added on Facebook that she probably needs feel better tea. She said she probably did. Unfortunately, I am not there to make it.

Just in case YOU need feel better tea-here is how:

Grab a pot. Add a 2 quarts or so of water and a number of tea bags roughly equal to the number of cups of water you used (ok I throw a dozen in). Add 1/2 can to 1 can frozen oj and three little cans of pineapple juice. Then throw in a couple teaspoons of whole cloves (helps with the sore throat) and some cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil. Add sugar to taste. (Usually around 1 cup)

Sassymonkey and her fake husband are here visiting Pre-BlogHer. In exchange for getting tortured by my children (um enjoying their brilliance) they brought Butter Tarts, Mars Bars, tortilla chips and just for me some cookbooks.

I randomly chose this recipe for Winter Surprise to share with you from the Ottawa Knowledge Services Treasure Trove of Tasty Treats and Tidbits. (December 2001 so not vintage)

This is remarkable Canadian recipe just because uh hmmm well it has Maple Syrup and we all know that Sassymonkey went to a sugar shack for the first time this year. (something about succumbing to the patriarchy to start visiting the Sugar Shack) All of that said, my family will love these I am sure. It has all of their favorites, well a good portion. I am not so sure about the serve with ice cream because I would serve them for breakfast. However, my children would dig the whole ice cream for breakfast thing. I will let you know how it turns out.

Winter Surprise

1 package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup maple syrup

Remove dough from package and leave it rolled up. Cut the rolled up dough into 4 to 6 slices

Place pieces face up in a Corningware dish (a small enough dish so that the dough pieces are huddled together)

Pour whipping cream and maple syrup over top.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 F. Serve with Ice Cream.

I suppose I should introduce myself for any BlogHers I meet this week or all of you I won’t meet this week. I am tempted to point you all back to my 10 Seconds post from 2007 when I introduced myself. It is all still pretty much true except my Runescape stats have seriously dropped in the past two years.

Ok, here goes:

The basics-My name is Tarrant. Pronounced Tare-ant. My mother will tell you it is just a family name and means nothing. Indeed it is a family name and I am the 10th generation stuck blessed with it. Baby name things will tell you it is of Welsh (though some say Gaelic) origin and means Thunder.

Some people-a lot of people who have known me online call me TW. No my middle initial is not W. It came from Denise, (Yes, THIS DENISE) my partner, referring to me as “That woman I am seeing” and then shortening it to Thatwoman, finally TW.

I will be speaking at BlogHer this year as part of the Community Keynote. No, Denise wasn’t on the judging panel and would have undoubtedly chosen someone else.

We have 6 children, permanent baby fever (at least until we think a moment about what it would take and what it would mean to have another child at our age.). The oldest three are grown ups (or think they are, even though they are still our babies.) and don’t live with us. These are “The Big Kids” though two of the younger set are taller and out-weigh the older set.

The younger three live with us. These are known collectively as “The Little Kids” even though none of them is little anymore–15, 13, and just about to turn 11. Two of them will be attending BlogHer this year. The 15 yo went in 2007 and has pined to go back since. The 13 year old has been begging since then too. The almost 11 yo wanted to go-badly-but isn’t quite old enough. (or young enough to go as a BlogHer baby.)

My mother moved in with us at the end of December for what was to be a 6 week find an apartment for her and my younger sister. My sister had a stroke as the plane landed in Chicago and will never be able to leave a skilled nursing facility (She had a number of health problems already). My mother can not care for herself on her own, so I am now a full-time caregiver. (Woo Hoo! Sandwich generation!) This also means I spend a few hours every weekend visiting my sister in the nursing home.

I am butchy, (but can rock the right dress), knit, cook, make the bed. Denise cleans and keeps us on track.

I work from home in online community for a major health website. It is a job I wanted for years and one I love.

I blog here more regularly than anywhere else, though I also blog at tummytroubles.blogspot.com and ramblewoman.blogspot.com when the spirit moves me. I should blog more often everywhere. I could be fabulous at it.

This one came from my great grandmother’s recipe box. It looks like it might have originally been found in the Mobile Register. It appeals to me tonight just because it is exceptionally warm here for us. Well, not us us, but for the area. I like that it explains how to make the evaporated milk whip…something I have found challenging. I also like that it is all pantry type of stuff…well if you can whip a graham cracker crust up in your sleep or have one on hand. (Microwave some margarine. Add to crushed graham crackers or cookies. Press into pie plate. All done!

Ice Box Pie

Juice of three lemons
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 small can evaporated milk
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
Graham cracker crust

Chill the evaporated milk in an ice tray until crystals begin to form around the edges. This makes it whip easily. Whip the milk, then fold in pineapple, condensed milk and lemon juice. Pour into pie plate lined with graham cracker crust. Chill in the refrigerator.

There you go. Easy peasy yummy dessert.

A lot of you will be in Chicago next week for BlogHer or thinking about Chicago. If you are coming, do find me and say hello! I would love to meet you/see you again.

When we first came here, we went to a little touristy town near here for a festival. We ended up in a shop that sold those tiny “souvenir” type of cookbooks for various areas. Of course, we had to pick up the Illinois Cookin’ one. The recipes are very homey. So many involved Ritz Crackers and raisins it has become a family joke.
This one though is a nice summer treat and easy enough for a child to make or help make, depending on age. I will be making it this weekend to use up one of the “free” cartons of vanilla ice cream we got when we bought our freezer.

Buster Bar Dessert

1 pkg Oreo cookies (crushed)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
6-8 oz salted peanuts, chopped (I use more)
2 cups powdered sugar ( I use about half)
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup chocolate chips (ok, I will use a cup or whatever is left in the open bag in the pantry-this is a great use for those “stale chocolate chips” that have gone a bit dry or funny looking because of the heat or have melted together and cooled at some lumpy point in your kitchen. Please tell me you have experienced this phenomena)
1 can evaporated milk

Mix Oreos with melted butter. Put in a 9 x13 pan, but don’t press in hard or pack. Stir ice cream until smooth and spread on Oreo crust. Freeze until firm again. Sprinkle peanuts on top of ice cream; freeze. In a small saucepan, mix powdered sugar, margarine, chocolate chips and evaporated milk; heat to melt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely and spread on top of peanuts and freeze until solid. To serve, soften for 10 minutes in refrigerator. (if you can wait that long)

From Illinois Cookin, B Carlson, 1994 (so not super retro–but I am betting the recipe is since I have seen it in many forms before)

Sorry, no retro food discussion, but there is a picture of a retro dress.

The Internet is abuzz with discussion of what to wear at BlogHer. It alway has been that way. In fact, it is the topic of one of my very first blog posts. The talk hit a fever pitch yesterday with the news that some guy named Tim Gunn will be there. Also, Carson from Queer Eye will be there. This troubled some people who think that Being taken seriously means not being concerned about appearance.

Ok, here is the deal…you can see exactly what I will wear at BlogHer: (yes, feel free to give lots of hearts to my styleboard and play at Kaboodle…not because you love me or anything but because it is one of my most favorite places online.–totally unsponsored love of Kaboodle)

What I Will… by tarrant

Sort of…you see, I usually end up wearing swag shirts…and usually a coffee spill or two. The two shirts pictured–my current favorite shirt from Threadless….not a swag shirt and the brand new Retro-Food shirt I made up at Zazzle when I created this year’s business cards. (I really might end up wearing my Saving Grace shirt from last year’s BlogHer. It has held up well to my wear and tear.) The dress from AudreyGrace won’t look quite like that one but close. The laptop bag will actually be swag from the 07 BlogHer conference and quite simply the most perfect laptop bag I have ever owned.

I am serious about my blog. But, BlogHer for me is…casual. I am a casual person. I work from home. I own a couple of business outfits that I will pull out should I speak at a different sort of conference or get called to travel to my day job. I could wear those.

I won’t. This is a blogging conference. I get to be who I am on my blog…ME. The person who blogs here is not a person who wears a power suit. It isn’t a dressy woman. It isn’t a woman who packs multiple pairs of shoes to go on vacation. It is who you will see on the style board. It is who you will see at BlogHer.

But, this will be my fourth BlogHer conference. I know what to expect. I know that people will wear clothes from all ends of the spectrum. From super business like…to super casual. No conference I have ever been to has had quite the array of fashion choices as BlogHer…including other large women’s conferences I have attended.

The first year I went, I was nervous about what to wear, but I had found what I thought were the perfect pair of shoes, so I was confident I could pull anything off. I didn’t wear most of what I packed. I did wear the perfect shoes…which WERE perfect except for the fact that I hadn’t actually ever worn them except to try them on and didn’t realize that 18 hours in them would kill.

The second year, I decided to dress for the cocktail parties because it would be fun. (The clothes were fun. The blisters from shoes I didn’t wear often-NOT FUN-meeting someone who noticed my bleeding ankle and offered me a band-aid-priceless. My son would also say the way I rocked the one dress was priceless.)

Last year, I didn’t dress for cocktail parties. I wore comfortable shoes and clothes.

This year, I will be wearing a dress on Friday night…on account of the Community Keynote. It is a dress I have daydreamed off and on about since getting this blog and attending this conference with this blog as my primary blog. I probably wouldn’t have gotten it this year except for the keynote…but believe me…we have been looking for THE Retro-Food dress for years.

Back to the being taken seriously. My son has sweated far more over what to wear to BlogHer this year than anyone else. He wants to project the right geek image. My partner will dig out a couple of pairs of pants and some clean shirts and throw them in the suitcase. She will probably wear her Blogher Chucks. The daughter going has a cocktail dress she thinks she wants to wear to the parties. (yes, my 13 yo daughter owns cocktail dresses. Don’t ask.)

My ex-husband has been known to carefully consider what image he will project before he opens his mouth with his clothing choices for conferences, seminars, etc. No, he doesn’t talk about it online (that I know of), but I know he thinks about it and talks about it (or at least earlier in his career talked about it) with his co-workers, mentors, and family. I know a common lament of new professors, male and female, is that there is no class in how to dress for success as young professors in grad school.

So, BlogHer Conference Attendees talk about it online with their “co-workers” (because that indeed is what other BlogHers are in a way), mentors, and family. They also may not attend many conferences or a totally different type of conference. They might need to know the practical details (Wear COMFORTABLE SHOES and that beautiful shirt that looks great on you but has the buttons that don’t stay buttoned and bug you–SKIP IT). They may want to project a certain image regarding their blog and don’t know quite how to approach combining their personal appearance with their blog’s topic, look, and feel. So, they ask. They fret. They show off. They share their knowledge.

Does that mean one sponsor booth with a “Booth Babe” is causing a step back in a woman’s right to be recognized online and taken seriously? Nope. It means that BlogHer is diverse and full of beautiful women (and every single one of them is beautiful) at varying places in their evolution as bloggers and conference attendees. It means a Tide/Bounce Booth Babe (Tim Gunn) looks and acts very different than a Nintendo Booth Babe or the traditional Microsoft Booth Babe at other conferences.