Facing the Public Speaking Demon

Chefdruck's Tasty Tuesday

Ever heard the expression what doesn't kill us makes us stronger? This is one of those weeks for me. My husband Steve called me on Monday morning and his first question to me was, "Are you alright? That was a pretty crazy night." I paused, wondering if I had completely missed something truly memorable. Then he continued and made me feel better about our sex life, but worse about my sanity, "You were sleep walking most of the night. You must be really nervous about something." I didn't have to dig deep into my subconscious for the cause of my stress.

I signed up for two public speaking opportunities this week. I'm not phobic about public speaking, but it's not something I do easily either. Today I had to visit Bella's class and do a thirty minute presentation about Ansel Adams. I know next to nothing about art but that didn't stop me when I volunteered. As a result, I was petrified at the thought of looking stupid in front of my seven year old and all her friends. I crammed like a madwoman last night and got through the class without any child throwing things at me or pointing out my ignorance. I have Ansel Adams to thank, really. His pictures are so amazing that I could have been picking my nose and they wouldn't have noticed.

One down, one to go. This morning the first graders seemed pretty terrifying, but now I'm nervous all over again when I think about tomorrow. I'm a guest on Chatterbox Radio, a show on blog talk radio with my sister. We're talking about surviving the holidays in an interfaith household... for an hour. You can even call in and ask us questions! Tune in at 10AM EST - it should definitely be entertaining.

During weeks like these, I'm not very focused on my cooking and have little to share on Tasty Tuesday. Last night I hosted my writing book group and had zero time to prepare anything. My secret weapon in situations like these is Trader Joe's. I love their frozen apps and desserts. Last night I served two new items and two tried and true. The Brie and Rasperry in Phillo apps and the cheesecake chocolate brownie bites were new. The spinach dip and the chocolate chip cookies were old favorites. Everything looked great and tasted great. Normally I like to show off my own stuff - but every once in a while, I have to rely on the stash in my freezer.

Next Tuesday I'll be back with some cookie recipes because it's holiday baking time!