From Mom.
again I ask: “a coloring book”? How old does she think you are?
A. I was a big Garfield fan as a kid. B. It’s a cheap gag gift.
[Emily Litella] oh, well, that’s different. Never mind. [/EL]
Hi guys.
Finally awake after my long winters’ nap. We’re back in TVLand now after spending Christmas day with my family. We had a nice time and the food was pretty good. I made the Pioneer Woman’s Caramel Apple Pie and everybody loved it. I also made a Ho Ho Cake (surprise, surprise) and it was good but the edges were a little crunchy since I made it from leftovers and didn’t have enough icing to cover the sides.
And, because TVMan loves me there’s this picture. :D:p Pretty cute, don’t you think?
Ruble, I’m glad that everything turned out ok with your MIL and that you have such nice friends.
Guten Morgen, mein liebste Mumpers! HRH and I have just awoken from our long winter’s sleep after a fantastic, hectic, crazy, wonderful Christmas!
We started the day with a Canadian-inspired breakfast (a family tradition of mine, started by my parents after spending the first 3 years of their marriage in BC in Canada) of fried eggs, hash browns, bacon (of the South Beach pressed turkey variety) and pancakes with maple syrup! It was Teh Yum! That was swiftly followed by much ripping and tearing of paper and HRH destroyed everything in sight and helped everyone else open their presents. Some time was then dedicated to skyping Grandma and Granddad home in Australia, before playing with new toys (she got some Play-Doh and molding/sculpting tools, an etch-a-sketch, some crayons and stickers, a colouring book (doggio, there’s no joke about colouring - it’s good fun), a fake My Little Pony (complete with long mane and tail and hairbrush), a new sleep toy (a soft, fluffy sheep with micorwaveable tummy insert, so he’s warm to cuddle) and some little plastic bangles/bracelets). Hubby got some new jeans, a new t-shirt and some cologne. I got some perfume and a diamond ring (yep - a girl’s best friend!).
We then raced out to the supermarket (open on Christmas Day - nice if you need it) to buy the last fresh ingredients for my contributions to the Christmas potluck. Raced home again and made asparagus with walnut & brie sauce and rocket (arugula), pear and parmesan salad with hazelnut chilli-butter dressing. I also made some chicken liver pate earlier in the week.
In between times, HRH fell asleep, so we then carried her and all the foodstuffs to the car and drove over to our friend’s house. Everyone who came made something else for the feast, so Tracy (our host) cooked the turkey and a bunch of side dishes, I made the asparagus and salad, plus the pate and some other dips and appetisers, another friend did the roast potatoes and parsnips, someone esle made broccoli and stilton soup, someone brought a chocolate fountain for the dessert. There was sooooo much food and it was all so good! We then partied and played and chased Tracy’s cat (well, HRH did that) until HRH’s eyes were falling out of her head. Came home and everyone was asleep by 10pm.
I will post some pics later once I download them to the laptop.
ruble, I’m glad your MIL is okay and your Christmas turned out alright in the end!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienatin’. YAWN
I didn’t post after I returned to da cave yesterday as I was tahred! Matter of fact I went to bed at 6:30 last night and got up at four this mornin’. It’s workday for me.
I got gift cards from Wally*World, Home Depot and Chick FilA. They’re all good for me. I like gift cards. Plus I have homemade bread courtesy of one of my nieces and some of mom’s fried apple pies which are teh num!
Ruble glad the MIL is ok. You got some good friends there!
Sounds like everyone who celebrated had a good Christmas.
Ok, gotta go feed rumbly tummy and need more caffiene!
Later Y’all!
Good morning, and Happy Boxing Day! 
Wow, sounds like everyone has had a fairly nice holiday even if there were a few bumps along the road for some (glad your MIL is okay, Ruble!). Lots of good food too–we had rib roast and yorkshire pudding last night so all was very good. And I must say that Mrs. Smith makes a very decent sweet potato pie!
I got a very soft and pink microfiber blanket - no snuggies were available - a watch, new slippers and some body oils/fragrances (and they smell great!). It’s Saturday here, but it doesn’t feel like Saturday for some reason. 
Hope everyone continues to enjoy their holidays.
Well, I survived Christmas. Had a rather good sleep last night despite the fact that it was in a strange bed, with slightly uncomfortable pillows, and the Christmas rope lights wound around a pair of bare shrubs bracketing the staircase at the front of the house shining through the window and making it a little less dark than I like. But then I was dog tired so I probably could have slept through a rock concert.
Had chocolate-filled pannetone for breakfast. It’s an Italian household, and the FIL is a legendary eater with no particular preference for what he eats when so long as he’s stuffing his face with something that tickles his fancy at the moment.
One more night and most of the entire day tomorrow and we’ll be headed back home. Hopefully the kitties haven’t torn the place apart by then. We left them plenty of food and water and clean cat litter so they ought to be okay.
Amazingly enough, I slept till 7:20 this morning! No doggies disturbing me or anything!! It rained all night, so most of the snow is gone, except for where we piled it up from shoveling. Our yard is mega-squishy and the area is under a flood watch. We’ll be above freezing for most of the week, adding to the saturation.
Speaking of rain, my plan appears to have worked. My car was largely de-salted as it sat out all night. That saves me a trip to the car wash. So yay for that!!
**FCD **and I went to Denny’s for breakfast, and like a dummy I didn’t look at my charge ticket when I signed it. I had put down for a $3 tip and for some reason, the girl checking me out put in $21.62!!! :eek: I didn’t notice till I came home and looked at my bank account (wanted to make sure a couple of scheduled transfers went thru.) Anyway, I talked to the manager there and he’s just going to put the difference in cash in an envelope for us to pick up. **FCD **is going to DC to an aquarium store, and I’ll ask him to stop by Denny’s on his way home.
I’m about to head to the basement and start cleaning my studio. My mom gave us a nice check, and I’m using my share plus the performance bonus I’m getting next month and I’m finally buying my slab roller. I decided to go ahead and get the larger, heavier one because of its warranty and the fact that it’ll handle more clay per pass. So once all the money is in my account, I’m buying my new toy. Much cool clay stuff will result. It has to! I’ll have a shiny new piece of equipment, right?? But before that happens, I have to de-clutter the studio.
First, tho, I should probably empty the dishwasher and clear all the stuff that we dumped on the counter last night. It’s a wreck!! Off to labor…
I think our the Christmas Day celebration at my house turned out. Everyone raved about the food, so that’s always a good thing.
We opened presents yet again, and got more swag.
My goodness, I received a lot presents this year, between the friends, my immediate family, and the moms and Dad, and sis and her husband.
Hubby got me a Kindle. I really like it. My daughter got me two sweaters, and my son got me a gift card for Penneys. My daughter’s boyfriend got me a big coffee mug, and some See’s chocolate, my Dad and stepmom gave me some cash, my sister and brother in law gave the hubby and I a gift card for dinner and a movie out, my MiL gave me a statue and some chocolate, and then finally there were all the gifts from my friends from the weekend before.
All in all, the celebration turned out nicely. I finally shut my mom down on her carping, and that made things better.
We drank many martoonies. Let’s see there were Lemon Drop, Pomegranite, and Chocolate Peppermint. All were very tasty.
I was glad when everyone left. I was soooooooo tired. My son came down, put his arm around me and said, “Mom, you so tired”. I told him I was. I read my Kindle for awhile, and then I went to bed.
Hubby woke me up early for some…well some. Then we got up and made coffee and here I am.
I don’t plan to do a damn thing today, except sit around in my jammies and RELAX.
Dotty, the asparagus with brie and walnuts sounds good. Recipe?
Ruble, I’m glad the MiL is okay. It sounds like you have awesome friends too.
Time for some more coffee!
Good morning, all!
Glad your MIL is OK, ruble. Also, you have excellent friends.
Sounds like your Christmas was fun, Dotty. I agree with Taters on the salad: recipe?
I got several cookbooks and one of the “This I believe” essay collections.
Also opened my annual photo calendar from Faraway Best Friend, which was amusing as I am in at least one picture almost every month (we saw each other twice this year, so she had lots of ammo). She’s been sending me calendars since her daughter was about a year old. It’s really cool to see the kids progress from toddlers to teens (my goddaughter is 15 :eek: ). It’s funny to see how the calendar has mutated from pictures of the kids to pictures of all of us.
Little brother left earlier and I’m vegging, watching Dan in Real Life and figuring out what else I need to do.
Back later.
Hugs.
GT
Evening all. Christmas recipes follow (both are meant to serve 8 people) …
Asparagus with Brie & Walnut Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chilli powder
125ml (4-5oz) pouring cream
100ml (3-4oz) white wine or chicken stock
150g (5oz) brie, skin removed and chopped
2 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
150g (5-6oz) walnuts, chopped
4 bunches (at least 1lb) fresh asparagus, woody ends removed
Method:
-
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook briefly to soften/colour garlic, then add chilli powder, cream and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add brie and cook until melted. Remove sauce from heat and add chives and walnuts. Season to taste, then keep warm.
-
Place asparagus in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove and refresh in a bowl of cold water, then drain well and place in warm serving dish. Pour sauce over asparagus just before serving.
Arugula, Pear and Parmesan Salad
Ingredients:
100g (3-4oz) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
500g (a generous pound) of arugula, washed
2 pears, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
200g (7-8oz) parmesan, shaved
2 Tbsp butter,
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Method:
-
Place arugula, pear and parmesan in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.
-
In a small saucepan, melt the butter then add the hazelnuts and cook over a gentle heat for 3 minutes. Add the chilli powder and cook for a minute or two, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. To serve, drizzle hazelnut dressing over salad.
Enjoy - we sure did!!!
Break time!! The back half of my studio is looking pretty good. I still need to sort and organize my tools, but that’s a sit-down job, and I was too busy sweeping, putting things away, throwing things away, wiping things down, and generally tidying. First load of jeans in the dryer, second load in the washer. I’m having some of my brother’s SO’s chocolate chip nanner bread - it’s OK, but not too impressive.
I just looked outside and my car is beeyouteefulll!!! The nice, steady rain all night washed all the salt residue off. It looks freshly washed! Yay!! I need to move it into the garage before I go back downstairs.
I forgot to tell you about the latest addition to our own personal Sea World: Chocolate Chip Starfish. There are 3 in there, but 2 are going to daughter’s classroom tank. They’re really fun to watch - them suckers move! Every time I go by the tank, I try to find them - they really get around! I always thought of starfish as being pretty sedentary, but they’re not. And that makes me wonder what **FCD **will be bringing home today. He did give up on the idea of a shark, since they require BIIIIG tanks and they tend to eat everything else around them.
That’s all I’ve got to share for now. The jars of underglaze won’t put themselves away…
OMG Dotty - those recipes sound Teh Yum!!!
Have they been added to the blog?
eta: that starfish looks kewl
eata: it’s really yucky outside - warm enough for the precip to be rain and it is washing away all the pretty snow.
Well, **FCD **came home with a box full of bags of water and critters. He got an anemone, a clown fish, an anthias, and some live rock pieces for his filter sump. Guess we know what his Christmas money was spent on.
we expect pictures of the tank with its new residents
Very cool starfish, FCM! I’m looking forward to seeing the other new residents, too.
And, yes, rosie, the recipes have been added to the blog.
Lunch was a yummy sandwich with leftover pork and fruit compote. I’m going to repeat it tomorrow, but with curry added to the fruit.
Gotta get going to run some errands.
Back later…
GT
Had some reheated home made lasagna in the world, and it was the worst damn lasagna ever. Bone dry, fatty meat, canned sauce. Yecch. But I ate as much as I could to be polite. But it made me hungry for the lasagna I made a couple of nights ago, and which there is still two thirds of a pan left. Not to toot my own horn, but I make some pretty excellent lasagna.
Had a nap, which gave me a headache for sleeping with my neck at an odd angle. Took a Tylenol. Now I’m sucking on a coffee-flavoured candy cane, which is yum. One of the dogs – a snorty pug – keeps giving me the eyes and trying to get over to my other side on the couch to get at it. Gonna have a repeat of yesterday’s Christmas dinner tonight, but with fresh made potatoes sans garlic (or without as much anyway) which should be good.
Definitely icky outside though. Had some freezing rain and now the tree branches are all sheathed in ice and the snow on the ground has a shiny crust. It’s rather pretty, but I’m glad I don’t have to be out in it.
Oh, I keep forgetting to share the highlight of Christmas. Three, count 'em, THREE Snuggies!!! My sister gave my daughter and SIL a pink one and a blue one respectively. And she snagged the leopard print one we brought for the gag gift exchange. She really loved it! :eek:
If there’s anything worse than a Chia Pet, it has to be a Snuggie…