The Morning After

First let me say for those of you who joined in the dressing recipe discussion: the cornbread half of my dressing was delicious. I made the cornbread with masa flour and left off the white bread - gluten free for Dean and a small portion for just the two of us. Otherwise the recipe was the same. I did add lots of broth to make sure it was very moist, which it was. And of course gravy. Very tasty!

One day before Thanksgiving I had been skimming the news on my phone and saw recipes for using Thanksgiving leftovers for breakfast. The easiest was eggs in dressing. So this morning, I made it.

Very simple. Spray your muffin pan. Press dressing into the muffin cups. Add some cheese on the bottom. Break in a small egg. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 375*. The recipe suggests you can add bacon on the bottom but I just put it on the side. Delicious. 

Learnings: 1) a larger muffin cup might be better giving more room for the egg and whatever else you add (cheese, bacon, whatever)

2) Dean and I prefer the poached egg and I think you might use a beaten egg with the cheese and herbs and bacon scrambled in like a quiche

3) if your dressing is moist, you could add other breakfast ingredients as you mold it into the cup. 

I was surprised at how light it was. I had eaten a Lot of carbs yesterday - most of them good carbs but lots. I wasn't sure I could eat any more especially this early on the morning after. It was light and tasty and I do not feel overly full to start my day. If you have a houseful of people (or just the two of you) for the holiday and want an easy breakfast to help use up your leftovers, I highly recommend this one.

In Defense of Children

I do not usually post twice in one day and when I found this in a mystery I am reading and also saw another political post about "a child molester", I had to do it. 

from The Price of Murder (Sir John Fielding) by Bruce Alexander - pp 65,66

“ . . . the vicar quoted from Saint matthew, Chapter 18, verse 6. 

‘ But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’

Then, pausing but a moment to look each of us in the eye, he continued, signaling by some lightening of his tone that he no longer quoted scripture but spoke now as himself: ‘It should be understood that this the most frightening passage of any in the gospels. I know of no harsher words to come from the lips our Lord than these. Whey then did he save them for those who commit crimes against children? The answer should be plain to us all. Because such as they are quite unable to defend themselves. They must depend upon the generosity of others for their defense.”

Thanksgiving, 2017

Today I am thankful for simplicity. I love a big family gathering. I have been a guest and a host to numerous Thanksgiving dinners that included family and friends, a huge turkey, pans of dressings, bowls of gravy and enough food to feed us all for days. I loved it all. 

On the other hand, if you asked me what Thanksgiving is my most memorable, I will tell you of a time when both daughters were gone from home, I preached at the interfaith Thanksgiving service and then we came home to steak and Caesar salad. 

This will be another one of those years. We were invited and were unable to travel that far. We invited and they couldn’t travel that far or already had plans. And so tomorrow it is just us. Dean wanted to smoke a turkey so the meal will be rather traditional, just made in smaller portions than usual. I’m experimenting with dressing made with just the cornbread; one baked sweet potato shared between us; and no given time to indulge in our feast. We will eat when the food is ready. I may set an elaborate table. I may not. Dean may take his plate to the tv to watch football and I will enjoy a new book I have just now ordered on Kindle. 

Throughout it all, we will be grateful. Grateful for the love surrounding us from distant family and friends. Grateful for life and health and energy. Grateful for simplicity. 

May your Thanksgiving be as simple or as noisy and boisterous as you desire and may you be grateful for all your blessings. Thank you for stopping by and sharing time with me here. I am grateful for you too. 

Seventy-five and Forward

With Dean’s birthday and mine coming up soon, I have been reflecting on 75. Seventy-five is a rather impressive age. Three quarters of a century. An age when in the past people were old and feeble except of course for those who weren’t. Again I look at the books I read, noticing it first in my Agatha Christie’s when I was about 60. Old people, dying people are in their late 50’s or early 60’s. Seventy was out of the question. Today at 75, people are very physically active. The ski slopes opened yesterday and Dean was there. As a generation we hike, we travel, we do yoga, tai chi, play tennis ~ people our age are very active both physically and mentally. Friends who teach are just now retiring and of course my father was still practicing law when he died at the age of 85. 

With age comes wisdom too ~ at least for some of us. It manifests itself in ordinary and also deep ways. We are able to mentor in the ways of the world. Maybe it takes our grandchildren to help us with newer technology, but we are still learners at the same time we teach and offer insights. We still look forward although the aim doesn’t have to be a big event or project. We take classes. We read. And today we are more active politically than we have been because we want our grandchildren to enjoy the diversity and equality we fought so hard to obtain. 

Maybe we go to the doctor more often than we used to but on the whole we are doing well with continuing health and interests and wisdom in the world. We look back to all the stories we can tell and we also look forward to the good times, the fun times, the learning and the teaching as the future unfolds around us. Seventy-five is a good time to be alive. 

So Grateful for our Dog!

Well, it was a little bit disconcerting. Oso went on a barking jag about 2 this morning. By the time I woke up, he was in the living room moving across parallel to the deck. Back to the bathroom and finally one last bark and back to bed. There had to have been something on the deck. It wasn’t a bear because his bark was a grounded (all four feet on the ground) baritone. A bear would have elicited a tenor bark and levitation (all 4 feet off the ground). Must have been a raccoon. 

So he went back to sleep and as I was already awake, I decided to go to the bathroom. The bathroom felt chillier than usual. I looked at the door onto the deck and it was open about 9 inches. Something had tried to come in!!! oops. Time to repair that lock. I put a stick on the floor by the frame, kept there so animals won’t open the door but we rarely use it unless we go out of town. Thank you, Oso, Protector and Defender of the realm!!

Chocolate Perfection

Bought this at World Market the other day. Tried it for the first time last night. Oh My Goodness!

This is "drinking" or "sipping" chocolate. It is rich, thick and deserves to be served in a demitasse cup. Unfortunately I gave mine to my daughter several years ago. I'll wait until my Christmas china with smaller cups come out of storage on December first and enjoy it then. Meanwhile, if I make it again, I will just go with a regular cup. 

It calls for 3 Tbs (or more) of the chocolate mix to 1/2 cup of water. I started with 4 Tbs. It was Wonderful and my writing skills do not do it justice. I suggest if you like dark chocolate, go to your local World Market and purchase this extraordinary drink. Do your best to sit in front of a fire but if that is not possible, at least snuggle up with a really good book and enjoy the sensation. 

"He's the Man!"

I have been with the Little Man several times this summer and noticed that he really likes machines and working. I decided he needed a truck. When we came to his house this week, we discovered there was a pool being dug in his back yard. All the more reason for a truck. I found a good old fashioned Tonka dump truck. Simple, uncomplicated.

Big sister started him off, showing him how it all works.

And then the Little Man took over.

Strong boy!

Pile them up in the truck.

"I can do it!"

"I did it!!"

"I'm the Man!!"

A Halloween Coup

It was a great party!!!  Mandy had chili - someone brought mac ’n cheese (which was delicious under the chili), someone brought a cheese and meat platter, and Mandy and the girls had made chocolate chip cookies. Oh - and someone brought lemonade which I was the only one who drank. So grateful. Dave stayed home and gave out candy and I went with the girls and Mandy. The neighborhood was Full of kids and folks with fire pits burning in their driveways, and lots and lots of candy. 

So here was my coup of the evening. Mandy and Dave had set up a large screen with Looney Toons Halloween cartoons (Tom and Jerry) playing. They put out chairs and blankets and let people sit and watch. So I have finished my rotations with the kids and am standing outside when  a couple of teens arrive. I give them candy, they notice the cartoons, I tell them they are welcome to sit and watch. They thank me politely and leave - talk to three more of their friends who are waiting on the sidewalk and come back and take me up on it. They must have stayed for 30 minutes. At one point I took out popcorn, told them a movie needed popcorn but they had to share. They passed around the bowl, ate it all, had a great time and left, thanking us (Mandy was back by then) profusely. I think it made their evening. It certainly made mine.