I’m still on medical leave, and I’ll be reinstated soon. I can’t wait!! I LOVE being a Flight Attendant, and I LOVE my job! Sometimes, I’ll look at all the open trips for the next day, or I’ll peruse Facebook and check out my friends’ posts about where they’re going. In the meantime, I’m having to recalibrate my senses: balance training exercises including ear-body coordination. This is supposed to make my senses stronger and help avoid motion sickness.

Apparently, I had some inner ear damage from a trip in which my ears would not pop. I remember it being rather painful, but it went away, so I didn’t think it was anything major. Upon initial descent and the pressure change, I was suddenly stricken with severe motion sickness. In the future, I’ll be carrying Afrin nose spray to clear my head in case my ears do not pop. Please make sure you learn the Valsalva maneuver to help pop your ears. I’ve always done the “force yawn,” but this wasn’t enough. When traveling, be sure and drink lots of water, eat well, and ensure your ears pop. Be as healthy as possible!

Speaking of healthy (ha!), let’s learn a new casserole recipe! I’ve been cooking a lot for my husband, and this is one of our favorites – delicious comfort food! After cooking a meal, you can easily divide portions into various containers: glass and aluminum mini loaf pans. They work great in ovens, and the glass is great for microwave ovens as they don’t melt like some of my cheaper plastic containers. Just store them in the freezer, then put it in your lunchbox. As time goes by, it will thaw. By the time you get to your hotel, it’s ready to heat up!

CHICKEN NORMANDY
Ingredients:
1 16-oz. package Pepperidge Farm herb cornbread stuffing (golden yellow bag)
1 can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 can cream of chicken
1/2 cup melted butter
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (can use rotisserie)
1/2 cup celery
1 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except mushroom soup and cheese. Spread in 13 x 9 dish. Spoon soup over mixture then top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. May be made the night before and refrigerated.

I’m still at home – trying to recover from whatever I have that’s making me feel so lightheaded and dizzy all the time. I’ve been having to extend my sick call, and I also filed for FMLA. This is the Family Medical Leave Act which allows me to stay home as long as needed without penalty. I’m depleting my sick bank with every call and every time scheduling gets to my number. I’ve been on Facebook watching my friends get good trips over Christmas. My classmate, Courtney, spent Christmas in New York City – one of my favorite layovers! She went ice-skating in Rockefeller Plaza and sang at a Korean karaoke bar! I’ve seen others post getting HNL (Honolulu, Hawaii) as we have that destination out of CLT for December. Trips can change every month and/or at any time, so keep an eye out on our destinations out of CLT!

In the meantime, I spend a lot of time cooking at home. Tonight, I used up some ripe bananas and baked a loaf of Banana Bread. I got this recipe out of my Huntsville Entertains cookbook, but apparently I added 2 other ingredients. After it cooled, I sliced it into pieces and stored them in a container. One thing I love is toasting it in the mornings, spreading some butter on top, sprinkling it with cinnamon sugar, and just savoring the flavor! Of course you can wrap it in foil, pop it in any oven for several minutes, then top it. Bon appetit at 35,000 feet! 😉

Ingredients:
2 tsp milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
3-4 ripe bananas
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients, pour into a 9 x 5 x 3 greased loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes & let cool on rack. Enjoy!

This past week, I sat OPR (On Premise Reserve) and got a call for an easy 2-day. One leg to ATL (Atlanta), long overnight, then work one leg back the next day. I’ll take it!! I love fewer legs and long layovers! On our final descent into ATL, I began to feel motion sick. I can usually combat this by keeping my head and eyes looking upward, focusing on the light, and fanning myself keeping cool. This time was different…

Upon landing, I suddenly broke out into a cold sweat and ran to the forward lav (lavatory/bathroom) then vomited profusely. The lav seemed to be spinning, and I began to feel as if I’m blacking out. My crew sat me in 1C (seat #), and I swear I saw the bulkhead wall spin to my right, slow, stop, then spin to the left! I was shaking, freezing, dizzy, nauseous, and trying to not pass out! Basically, the paramedics were called and they took me to the ER to run blood and urine tests ensuring I didn’t have any strange infection or anything of the sort. Everything came back negative, and I felt good enough to leave.

I made it back to my hotel, and my company wanted to make sure I got better, so they let me stay at my hotel as long as I needed. They were kind of enough to send me straight home, too. With one sick call, I can take off the rest of my duty days. Then, I’ll have my off days, and I can extend the call through another set of duty days. One sick call can let me stay home for about 3 weeks without a doctor’s note, but I have plenty of documentation. When flight crew are infectious or sick enough, we need to stay home for longer periods of time. We are in a tube at 35,000 feet, and flying can be hard on the body and not sympathetic to those not feeling well.

I believe I’ve grown a natural immunity overall to general sickness as I’m not sick very often. Currently, I’m awaiting my doctor’s appointment to see if I have vertigo and take the steps to getting better. I’m wanting to fly for Christmas as the good trips are usually open! I want to go to HNL (Honolulu, Hawaii) as we got it out of Charlotte for the month of December!! We’ll see… I have to get rid of this dizziness…

Meanwhile, back at home… I’m having to take it easy as I’m still not 100%. I can ride in the car a little bit but not for long. I’m trying to get my appetite back, so I’m making yummy stuff to eat such as my favorite chocolate cookie recipe! I got this online:
Hershey’s Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Cream butter & sugar in large bowl. Add eggs & vanilla, blend well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Do not over bake, cookies will be soft. They will puff during baking and will flatten upon cooling. Cool on cookie sheet about 1 minute, then move to wire rack to cool.
Yields: 4.5 dozen

Crew Chew note: I make a dozen at a time. I refrigerate the cookie dough in an airtight container. Lasts about a week in the fridge, so you can have a fresh batch each time! 🙂

For Thanksgiving, I did not go anywhere spectacular, but some of the flight loads were light – which I love! 🙂 Our company was nice enough to have Thanksgiving meals delivered to our plane and our Vice President of Inflight Services gave us Red Velvet Cake Cookies with a “thank you” note attached! I don’t have the recipe to any of these, but I am going to share a delicious holiday cake. Hold on… 😉

I wanted to say that I’m thankful for “senior mamas!” I absolutely LOVE flying with them! These are the women (men would be “senior daddies”) who have been flying for 30+ years. The more senior they are, the more fascinated I am! Many have flown during the final age of glamour and their stories are very interesting. The thing I like most is how knowledgeable they are. They know all the little tips and tricks we don’t learn in training. For example: I was cooking meals and was fighting with the trays that wouldn’t easily slide out. One senior mama told me to simply give it a little lift, and it slides right out. She was right! Then, my coffee maker wouldn’t brew, and one told me to simply get the air out by pumping out the hot water a few times. She was right! I could go on with more examples, but rest assured that if your flight attendant is a “senior mama,” you can trust that you’re in excellent hands!

Now for the recipe… My awesome cousin, Patricia Wallace, gave me this recipe years ago, and I have no idea where she got it. This is THE cake I make for special occasions and holidays! It’s always a big hit also because of how moist it is – the hint is using instant chocolate pudding mix!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I like Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Fudge)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package (5.9 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup Kahua liqueur
1/2 water
THEN:
6 Tbsp Kahlua liqueur
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Combine first six ingredients in mixing bowl and blend well. Pour into greased and lightly floured 9 1/2″ bundt pan. Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Combine 6 tablespoons Kahlua and confectioner’s sugar. While cake is still warm in pan, poke holes in cake; pour liqueur mixture over. Allow cake to cool in pan at least 2 hours before removing.

My variation:
After 5 minutes, I put a plate on top and turn pan upside down, so it’s onto the plate. I drizzle the sugar/liqueur mixture over it, then sprinkle with some more confectioner’s sugar.

Get ready to for everybody to ask you for this recipe! 🙂

The holidays are upon us, and that means time with family and loved ones for most people. For me, it means getting to fly on major holidays which I love! Why? Because the senior people usually want to stay home, so they’ll drop their good trips. Last year at Christmas, I flew my first trans-oceanic/Atlantic (TA) flight. I got to choose from Rio de Janiero, Sao Paulo, London, and Frankfurt. I let my husband choose, and he chose London! I had an amazing time, and our flight had about 100 open seats! Major holiday + light flight loads + great trips from which to choose = Super Happy Me! 🙂

I’m on duty Wednesday – Sunday (Nov. 26 – Dec. 1), and I’m about #100 for at least a 3-day trip starting Wednesday. IF I don’t get to choose a trip and ride daily for Wednesday, that means there’s a greater chance that my number will be really low for Thanksgiving. The lower my number for future, the better my chances will be for choosing a trip. For example, the #1 person at the top of the list will choose from all the trips. #2 person will choose next, then so on. If there are more than 100 positions open, I can choose something. If not, then I’ll be on call for daily all day on Wednesday hoping to not get tagged. At 1500 (3:00 pm) on Wednesday, they’ll call to cover the trips that begin Thursday. By that time, I could be #15 or so which means a greater chance of good choices!

While I was home, I was definitely in the holiday spirit. This also means holiday foods!! Let me share a great Cheese & Sausage Ball recipe I finally perfected. I made a couple batches with varying amounts of ingredients, and here is my favorite combination:

Preheat oven to 425.
Ingredients:
1 pack of Tennessee Pride regular breakfast sausage
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients by hand until it forms a sticky dough. Make 1-inch round balls and drop them onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Enjoy! 🙂

The flying season is finally slowing down! I was joking with my flight friends that I miss sitting around and that we’re flying too much! 🙂 Last year, June, July, and August were the busy season, then it slowed down significantly starting September. I flew around 65 – 80 hours each month, then slowed down to about 40 hours. Each day is approximately 5 hours, so a 4-day trip is typically 20 hours. This year, I flew around 65 hours for September and October. Wow!

When I came home for my off days, my husband surprised me with an early birthday present – an iPhone 6 Plus!!! Last year, he got me a MacBook Air which is GREAT for travel. He has an iPhone, Mac desktop, and iPad mini. I’m finally going nearly all Apple – with the exception of my tablet. Maybe that will turn into an iPad mini someday, but I’m very happy with what I already have, of course! Then, there’s the learning curve… 🙂

Speaking of apple…. I decided to play “cleaning out the fridge,” so I made a “green smoothie.” I had a bag of spinach and needed more roughage in my diet, so I added some fruits & vegetables. Now, “green” doesn’t have to be “gross,” and I’m surprised at how energetic this smoothie made me feel! Here’s what I threw in my trusty Vitamix:

Ingredients:
1 cup ice
2 cups spinach
1 apple (cut)
1 avocado (peeled & pitted)
1 orange (peeled)
2 bananas
1 mango (sliced)
1 cup seedless grapes
2 Tbsp sugar in the raw

I put everything in my Vitamix, turned it up to 5 while mashing it down, then turned it up to 10 for about 10 seconds. Turn onto high for about another 15 seconds. It’s surprisingly sweet and refreshing! Enjoy!

Summer was the busy season, and for some reason I flew a lot during September and October as well. I really missed sitting around base, and I missed my friends! I wanted to spend time with Courtney McDonald, so we decided to visit the Carolinas Aviation Museum where they house the Airbus 320 (A320) plane that went down in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. There was a video to watch, and we both quietly shed a few tears. I honestly had no idea the magnitude of skill and quick thinking that was performed by Captain Sullenberger. I’ve always taken for granted that planes can land in the water, but with incorrect calculations, planes could be torn apart upon impact! Of course, the “miracle” was that there was not a single fatality!

Mariquitas with Avocado Dip

After enjoying some aviation history, we had lunch at A Piece of Havana – a delicious Cuban restaurant in Charlotte, NC (CLT). My goodness!!! I forgot how tasty it was there! Courtney immediately ordered an appetizer called Mariquitas with Avocado Dip, which is basically plantain chips dipped in THE best “guacamole” I’ve ever had!!! If that wasn’t tantalizing my taste buds enough, I had the Vaca Frita which is crispy shredded beef topped with sautéed onions and homemade chimichurri sauce. The 2 side items I chose were Fried Yuca and Yellow Rice with Mixed Vegetables. They accidentally graced me with the added Cuban Style Green Beans that I ordinarily would not have ordered, but I will next time! The food was so good that I nearly wept tears of sheer dining joy!

If you’re ever in the mood for Cuban food and are in the CLT area, make sure you stop by A Piece of Havana. You might cry, too! 🙂

http://www.apieceofhavana.com/index.html

Vaca Frita

Yellow Rice with Mixed Vegetables

On September 27, my beautiful niece turned sweet 16! My sister got her tickets to the One Direction concert in Charlotte, NC on that same evening. Just so happens, I’m based in Charlotte, remember? I was able to bid that weekend off to take them around as my car stays there! I got released early and flew home the day before. That morning, we all flew together to Charlotte! I could not have worked that flight as it was operated by a regional carrier – US Airways Express operated by a contract carrier. Regional vs. mainline – we’ll discuss that later…

Because we were flying together, they were able to go through the crew line with me, and they rode the employee bus with me to my parking lot. They were able to catch a glimpse of what it’s like being a flight attendant!

Kristina brought her friend who was a FIRST TIME FLIER! They are pretty rare, and she had a great time! I love having first time fliers on my flight and am currently working on a “First Time Flier” certificate. 🙂

We dropped the girls off at the music pavilion, while Tracey and I got to have some “sister time!” We did a little shopping at the Concord Mills Outlet Mall and picked up dinner from Cheddar’s to take to our hotel room. We were tired and starving, and this dinner really hit the spot! I was definitely in the mood for comfort food and savored every delicious bite.

Let me tell you what I ate because it sure was tasty!! I had the Country Style Fried Chicken smothered in white gravy. My 2 sides were the Mac & Cheese and the Idaho Mashed Potatoes. I couldn’t find a full description online, but I will say that they were absolutely delicious! The mac & cheese was very creamy and had a lot of additional flavor! The mashed potatoes tasted like they had some garlic in them. They, too, were creamy and flavorful. I can’t wait to eat at Cheddar’s again. I’m going to have the SAME THING! 🙂

When we picked up the girls, they lost their voices because they screamed the entire night. ha ha! I’m just glad Kristina had a very memorable sweet 16th birthday. Also, I’m proud to say that she got a 100% on her driving test. The lady who issued the test said that in all her 30+ years, only 3 people have ever scored a 100. Kristina was the third person to do so. I’m a very proud auntie, in case you hadn’t noticed… 😉

On the morning of 9/11, I got tagged by daily. That’s OK because I could see that I was about next in line to be called. My concern was where I was going. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to a major city that could be a potential terrorist target, and to my relief, all I did was an Austin, TX turn (fly from base to Austin, then fly the plane back to base). That morning, I got to the crew room rather early and found a wonderful surprise! There was a flower arrangement in remembrance of all the lives lost on 9/11/2001. It brought tears to my eyes as I just stood for a moment…. remembering where I was when I first heard the devastating news… remembering how hopeless I felt not knowing what our country was going to do next… remembering how angry I was at terrorists…. and remembering how our country pulled together through that horrible time of crisis.

I checked in on the crew room computer, then went upstairs to wait at the gate. I also checked in at the gate and let the gate agent scan my badge. He informed me that at 0846, there would be the first moment of silence. This was the exact time the first plane hit the first tower. I was already heavy-hearted, but I still wanted to wait at the gate to observe this moment. I sat down and waited. Suddenly, a voice over the loudspeaker announced it was the first moment of silence and everybody stopped moving. It was as if time stood still. I couldn’t help myself – the tears began to flow. I quietly sobbed there at the gate. It lasted about 30 seconds, when I had to regain my composure. The trip was thankfully uneventful, and our pax were very quiet that day. I was glad to get through my flight as I prayed for peace in our country during this time.

Upon getting back to the crew room, I saw my classmate who was in between flights. She had a 2-hour sit and was eating something that looked and smelled delicious. Of course she let me sample some, and of course I fell in love with it! I asked her permission to post it on Crew Chew, and she was so thrilled that you can see the excitement on her beautiful face! Thank you, Kristy Casady for letting me share this. I can’t wait to make it and share your yummy recipe!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cans Bush’s seasoned black beans
1 pack diced ham
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt & pepper, cumin to taste

Directions:
Saute ham, onion, bell pepper in a little oil. Add spices to taste. Combine all ingredients, refrigerate, and serve cold!

My husband and I walked in the house and smelled the heavenly aroma of this fantastic recipe! I’m definitely a crock pot gal as the meat always come out so deliciously tender! I’ll be sharing this recipe in just a moment.

I’ve been off a few days and am going back to base tomorrow morning. I’ll be around #5 for future to call me, and I’ll be at the top of the list to choose from all the open trips. Yes, I’ll be flying on 9/11, but I’m hoping to choose something nice and easy – fewer legs and a long layover. The reason I’m going back so early is because our new boarding system starts on September 10, and our current system will be shut down the evening of the 9th in order to launch the new system.

Currently, we have seniority based non rev travel. This means, the more senior you are, the higher priority you have. Let’s say there are 4 open seats on a flight. I’m #4 thinking I’m going to get on. The 3 people over me have been with the company longer, so they get a seat over me. It’s 10 minutes before the flight leaves, and a flight attendant comes running to the gate, and she’s more senior than all of us stand-bys. Guess what? I just got bumped off, so I’m waiting for the next flight… As of September 10, it will be FCFS (First Come, First Serve) and will go by check-in time. It definitely levels out the playing field and gives all employees a fair chance, so we’ll see how this works…

While we wait to see how the new FCFS system plays out, I’m going to share this recipe. It’s easy to make and just as easy to take with you on trips. The creaminess keeps it moist when you reheat – even after you freeze it.

Ingredients:
4 – 6 boneless chicken breasts, halved (I use a batch of thighs as I like the dark meat)
2 (1 1/4 oz.) envelopes Good Seasons dried Italian salad dressing mix
4 oz. water
2 8 oz. Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
2 (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell’s cream of chicken soup

Directions:
Place chicken at bottom of crock pot & spread around. Combine Italian dressing mix & water, pour over chicken. Cover & cook on high 2 hours. Combine cream cheese & soup until smooth, pour soup mixture over chicken. Cook 2 more hours. Serve over pasta. (I like to use the Ronco egg noodles. It absorbs the sauce very well, and it’s easy to eat with a fork – perfect for traveling.) Enjoy!