A not-so-interesting story

Dear Joey,

There are many things I am not good at that you may or may not be aware of.

I'm not good at showing restraint when there's a brownie nearby. I am not good at keeping my purse organized, which has since translated into being unable to keep the diaper bag organized. I am not good at changing out of my pajama pants until well after twelve o'clock, and I am not good at painting my toe nails.

But, there are many things I am good at, like reading a book from cover to cover in one day, or sticking with my favorite brand of mascara, or making a good cup of coffee in the morning, or dressing both girls and myself in stripes on the same day without being aware of it, or even painting my nails the same shade as the Jell-O I made last night--without realizing it.

I know that's a weird thing to tell you, but it's true all the same. It wouldn't be a big deal except for this: I paint my fingernails about as often as I make Jell-O (read: just about never), and yet somehow I did both within the span of 24 hours, choosing to use the same bright shade of red for both. (Is it weird that I find that interesting?)

Anyway, I was motivated to paint my nails this morning because it had been three months since my last pedicure, and there was a bottle of bright red polish that happened to be sitting in my line of sight when I found a spare moment to actually do my nails. I was motivated to make Jell-O last night because I knew you would be asking me what was for dessert almost immediately after we finished dinner.

But we were out of nearly everything, and the only real option for dessert was the box of Strawberry-Banana Jell-O that was sitting in the pantry. But I really didn't want to make it because if I did, then alas!-- what would I have for dessert? 

I'm more of a chocolate dessert eater. If it's not chocolate, it's just not really all that worth it, in my book. That's sort of how I feel about nail polish: if you're going to do something, do it right, and in my case, going and having my toenails done for me is "doing it right." But alas, with no resources to go have my nails done for me, and with nothing in the house for dessert except for Jell-O, what options did I have?

So on with the Jell-O I went, choosing to make it with applesauce like my mom used to do. The end result was actually quite pleasant, much nicer than the end result of my botched nail polish job. It was tart and sweet, and not too sweet, with an interesting texture that I found much nicer than regular Jell-O. Plus, it was a pretty shade of red. 

Now that I've told you this story, I can't believe I bored you with it. Thanks for humoring me and making me feel like even the not-so-interesting stories are worth telling.

Love, Scratch

Applesauce Jell-O

I'm sure any flavor Jell-O would taste great prepared this way, but I really liked the way it turned out when using Strawberry-Banana flavor. It's tart, it's sweet, it's light and refreshing, and it has a bit of redeeming nutritional value from the applesauce (small as it might be). Plus, it's simple to make.

Ingredients:
1 3-oz pkg Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Method:
Dissolve the Jell-O completely in the boiling water. Stir in the applesauce, cover and chill until well-set, about 4-5 hours.