Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Hurricane Party. And Bean Dip


Apparently we had a hurricane here in NYC this weekend.

This hurricane wasn't like Katrina in New Orleans or anything. This one was a lot of rain and some wind and a lot of really excited weather men, using the word "hurricane" over and over because it is waaaaaaay more dramatic than the word, oh I don't know, "rain".

Weathermen, I believe, must have the most boring job on the planet. They spend most of their days telling us the weather will be "partly cloudy, partly sunny, with a chance of rain". This is our weather in a nutshell. It is always "partly sunny, partly cloudy, with a chance of rain". The weather man is a bore in a TV-ready suit.

But give these weather people some rain and a little 20 mile an hour wind and they are talking "disaster preparation". All of a sudden, their two minutes slot at the end of the news, with their little cardboard, smiley-face suns dotting the big map, becomes a top-of-the-hour, 20 minute meteorological dissertation on how to ride out a hurricane.

They were so excited they nearly wet themselves.

So, we did what any self-respecting family would do if a hurricane was baring down on us and we knew the weather men were full of shit: We had a hurricane party. Which is a fancy way of saying we ate bean dip, drank beer (us not the kids) did a huge art project and then ate Dibs for dessert (Don't tell me you never heard of Dibs - if you've never had a Dib, you are completely missing out). Calling it a hurricane party made it feel more like an event and Lucy was so excited to see the hurricane up close that she decided to dance in it.

I wish I had photos of Lucy soaking wet and dancing in circles, waving her arms and kicking up her heels in the warm downpour, but I don't because it was all so spontaneous. I was transfixed, really. Stuck in one place, blown away by how she can turn anything into joy. Everything is an adventure. Amazing.


This is what I love about having kids. I never would have thought to run around in the hurricane in my underpants, laughing madly, enjoying this thing that seems like a fun day killer. But it was Lucy who saw it for what it was: pure delight.

Take that, weather people.

And let me just tell you, no one laughs like Lucy. It is the stuff of magical elves. The sound is like an untamed gurgle from some bubbly, wild spring deep inside her. She laughs with her whole body. It is pure joy and has been ever since she was a baby. It is my absolute favorite sound in the whole world. If you ask her what Mommy's favorite sounds are, she'll tell you: "Lucy laughing and Lucy singing". I guess I tell her a lot.

I have nothing else to offer you, so here's the very simple recipe for bean dip that we had at our Hurricane Party. I may have posted this before, I can't remember, but it's worth another go around. It's that easy and that addictive.

xo YM
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The Yummy Mummy's Hurricane Party Bean Dip

Prep time: 7 minutes, faster if you have the tomato, cilantro and onion pre-chopped

1 can of black beans (small white beans work as well, but black is better)
1 medium tomato
1 handful of chopped fresh cilantro
1 small onion, finely diced
Juice of half a lemon
(a little Jalapeno is optional, but go for it if you like a little heat)
1 generous dollop of sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except sour cream. Get everything mixed together well. Make a small well in the middle of the bean mixture. Add a generous dollop of sour cream. Garnish with a little chopped tomato and a sprig of cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

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14 comments:

Holly said...

I'm in W. Mass. and we "apparently" felt the hurricane too...I was kinda hoping for something a little more dramatic (which sounds horrible considering what happens when REAL hurricanes hit) we have such boring weather though... We're friends with the local weatherman and when we saw him last night it was all he could talk about :)Extra air time for him, a feeling of importance... like the world series of weather :P

Anonymous said...

This why we have heat index, not temperature and wind chill not temperature and 'hurricane' not heavy rain. Weathermen get bigger numbers to play with.

The weatherman in 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy' is right on, perhaps a little brighter than normal.

Lucy has greater working knowledge than 99% of those active in the US.

Anonymous said...

I just love to watch these "brave" weathermen broadcast in the midst of a fierce hurrican. Usually they're screaming something unintelligible while grabbing anything they can find enabling them to stand upright with their raingear flapping wildly in the wind.
This is the cue for the oh so concerned anchorperson to say something like: "Please Robert, stay out of harm's way".
So brave, so newsworthy, but mostly - so stupid.

SaintTigerlily said...

I remember when my sister (1 of four of them...sheesh) was a baby - she had this game where she used to come at my mom, or me, like she was a monster and "eat" (read: slobber all over) our chins while we would scream in mock agony. I don't think I will ever have a comedic audience that responded the way she did to that. There IS something about the laughter of kids that is just LIFE giving. I'm jealous. :)

Molly said...

We had the hurricane in DC too! Yeah, it really wasn't that exciting. It was pretty windy here though. One of our tomato plants blew over.

P.S.: your bean dip sounds delicious.

Melissa said...

Are you kidding me? The adorable face? Laughing? Again??

Are you TRYING to make my days brighter?

Are you TRYING to thaw my womb?

Jeez.

Anonymous said...

That's it! The weather guys are Ron Burgandy!

Thanks for that NTSC. That is sooooo our weather guy. Maroon blazer and all.

Saint Tiger Lily - Get through this wedding and you'll soon have a crazy brood of your own, chasing the pets and over-turning potted plants and spilling juice down under the seat cushions of the couch. Don't let the the elf-like laughing fool you. It's not all lolly pops and Hoho's, baby.

Melissa - I am a womb thawer by nature. I will not rest until you have been seeded. Just joking. I'm cool with your womb just like it is.

To the rest of you awesome folks - you guys have these weathermen nailed. So glad I'm not the only one who noticed!!!

Thanks for posting everyone!

xo Kim

lacrema said...

OK, so I don't know what Dibs are. I am in the wild west, though (Idaho), so we may not have them here?

krysta said...

mmm...dibs. my kids are always asking me to buy them but instead i make malted milk ball ice cream.

janelle said...

Lucy is my fave girls name! I had two lovely boys, but if I had had girl she woulda been a lucy!

Happy hurricaning!

Izzy's Mama said...

Dibs? Are they some type of scary ice cream surprise that I would steer clear of? Do tell!

Anonymous said...

Little girl laughter is one of the best sounds, I can hardly agree with you more!

My son and his cousin went out once and danced in the rain. I managed to capture it on camera despite being completely transfixed as you were with Lucy. That's a memory to sear permanently in your brain

Anonymous said...

Just wanted you to know that i love this recipe, I tried this one and my husband absolutely loved it!

Anonymous said...

I remember the blizzard of '96 when one of our local weather guys actually CAME BACK FROM VACATION just to cover it

but there was also the winter when the all-news radio station was issuing 'idiot alerts' for all those people who ignored the warnings to not travel during bad winter weather