I realize I like to plan things maybe a little too much. I realize that others are not as planning-oriented as myself. I know that I should be tolerant of others and their desire to wander through life willy-nilly with not a thought to a major holiday meal coming around the pike in less than 3 weeks.
But I am running out of patience for those slacker types of people. If I go to the effort to call you and email you and invite you to my table and to stay in my home, would it KILL you to respond? Would the earth stop spinning on its axis if you, oh say maybe, you know, PLANNED more than 24 hours in advance?
It doesn't make any sense to me. Because the people who do this are the very. same. people. who always claim to be so fucking busy that they have to plan their lives a whole year in advance to get a day off of work or whatever. If you need to plan a year in advance to take a day off, I think you already know if you are going to be free for Thanksgiving or not. If you just don't want to tell me "No thanks, we are waiting for a better offer and just don't want tell you this" I can see how this strategy might be the one you would use. But come on, a little consideration. I asked you here because we love you and want to spend one day being thankful that you are in our lives and for you to be so rude as to not even reply kind of makes me feel my gratitude for your presence might be uncalled for?
Boy, I hate feeling this way. Especially since I am participating in the "Let's be thankful for one thing each day" facebook status thing for the 3rd year running. And this year I have chosen to only list people, not things. I am having a really hard time being thankful for twits with no manners.
I guess it really only matters for me to know how many to set the table for and whether or not I need to buy a gigantic turkey and double the side dishes or not. But it still irks me. I told Mr. Big Ed last night I really felt like calling them all back and rescinding the invites. He is much nicer and more diplomatic than I am and thinks we should just send a blanket email to all the slackers and say something along the lines of "hey, we haven't heard from you and realize you are probably busy with other plans and just haven't called. We will miss you around the table this year. Maybe next holiday?" I don't know whether that is really nicer or just kind of passive-aggressive.
Regardless, I still have to make the same plans, the same lists, menus, etc. whether I do it for 6 or 26. And I have been working on the menu and lists. Last year's menu was such a hit that I am planning to do almost the exact same one this year. I will leave out a few things that were only so-so, and bring in a few winners from the previous years.
Here's what I have so far:
Roast Turkey with Maple Herb Butter and Gravy. This is from the Bon Apetit 1994 Thanksgiving issue. Here is a link to last year where I posted the recipe.
New England Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Dressing (from the same issue of Bon Apetit)
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Bacon
Mashed Yams in Orange Cups (this is also from Bon Apetit, different year)
Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint (Here is the link to where I posted that recipe last year)
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Ham and Pecans
Edamame Succotash (pretty much edamame, corn, parsley and a bit of bacon)
Rolls
Desserts (haven't picked them out yet)
How are the plans going for your Thanksgiving dinner? Do you plan? Are you a planner? Do planners like me drive you as crazy as the slackers drive me? Any ideas on how I can avoid these issues for the next round of invites to the tamalada and Christmas?
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Saturday Stuff
Yes, I am up at the crack of dawn. Yes, it does suck. I am not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. But my little tiny Rachel Pie had a crack of dawn flight this morning so we had to be at the airport 2 hours before that crack of dawn flight, which meant I had to be up even earlier than that!
I am back home from the airport and drinking my morning tea and thinking about going back to bed. It's always sad when people leave, but most especially if it is one of my kids. That's the hardest thing.
Thanksgiving day was really nice. The food was fabulous, the company was spectacular, and the conversation was great. The only bad thing that happened that day actually happened to my poor s-i-l, who was making a few of the dishes and bringing them over. She was loading the food in the car and dropped one pie on top of the other one. And bam, just like that! There was no pie. That's pretty flipping sad, is what that was.
So I trotted on over to Luby's and picked up a few pies and was back in no time. No harm, no foul. Except for all the time and ingredients and effort she had put in were in the garbage.
Now we tried some new recipes this year and some tried-and-true ones and here is the scoop on them:
New England Maple Herb Butter Turkey and Gravy (t and t recipe) ***** (that's 5 stars)
This is always fabulous. The recipe is a few days back if you want to scroll back and find it.
Dressing with Sausage, Apples and Cranberries (t and t recipe) *****
Same thing here. I make this because it goes perfectly with the turkey and gravy recipes above. And this year it was just sublime. Love this dressing.
Cranberries with Grapefruit and Mint (new to the rotation) *****
This was so good, I can't even tell you. I did make it twice, rather than doubling it. Sometimes recipes just don't double well and I didn't want to screw up all the cranberries and have to start over, so I just made single batches twice. I can't even think of a thing this stuff wouldn't be good on.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Ham and Pecans (new recipe) *****
We doubled this recipe, but did half with ham and half without. We had a guest who is from Saudi Arabia and doesn't eat from the pork so we split it up this way. It was really good. We went around the table and critiqued each recipe so I could make notes on which to keep and which to ditch, and everyone agreed the sprouts were awesome.
Butternut Squash with Tangerine Juice and Sage (t and t recipe) ****
Everyone loved this and went on and on about it, but I thought it was only a 4 star dish. I am not sure exactly what was missing for me, but it was not quite top-notch.
My s-i-l made a sweet potato dish that was very savory and spicy rather than the usual sweet stuff and it was really good. She also did some homemade Parkerhouse rolls, and a corn dish. Also, along with the poor smashed pies she made this Apple, Cranberry, Pineapple crisp recipe that we made last year. It was just delicious. That one might be 4 and 1/2 or 5 stars.
We served champagne (Korbel Natural), iced tea, jamaica and water. Jamaica (pronounced Hah - MY - Kah) is a beautiful tea served iced from Mexico that is made of dried hibiscus blossoms. It looks a lot like cranberry juice in the glass. Just gorgeous color. It is loaded with vitamin C and other good things and is a diuretic and so is used as a diet aid to help flush things out of your system. It tastes good, it's good for your body, it is pretty, I mean, what more can you expect out of a beverage?!
That's my review for this year's recipes. Someone please remind me next year to find this post so I can remember what to do and what to tweak and which ones to kick to the curb.
Yesterday we did our traditional trip to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. They do an annual shopping extravaganza called the Peace Market that is so much fun. It is essentially an anti-Black Friday thing to do. They invite artisans from all over South America and Mexico and local artists to come set up booths and sell their wares. In addition, there is wonderful food and live music. It is like the best little street fair you ever attended. I had such a good time and I bought some great things. As a matter of fact, I will probably go back today with a friend and see if there are any treasures I missed the first go-round. I promise to post some photos of my new goodies, all recycled, or made from recycled stuff or just cool and original. No plastic or crap involved is what I am saying!
It has been a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I was dreading it and didn't even realize that until we got into it. Probably because of Grandma dying last Saturday, but I didn't make that connection until Thursday. When we were sitting down to the Thanksgiving dinner I said how sad I was that this was my first holiday without her and that we needed to all remember her because we were eating off the beautiful dishes she had given me.
Grandma gave me a set, a huge set, of antique Franciscan Desert Rose dinnerware. Her uncle worked in the factory in California where they made these dishes. They are kind of a rustic pattern and each one is hand-painted. Not like now. Franciscan was bought out by some English fine china company and is made there now and each piece is perfect and identical to the last piece. I don't like the new stuff near as much as the older, more charming pieces. Anyway he worked there way back in the day and he was able to buy the seconds for a song. So he collected a set for each of his nieces. And that is where Grandma got hers. And get this, she never used them. Never. She carried these boxes and boxes of dishes around with her since the '40s and never used them. Doesn't that just beat all? Ever since she gave them to me I have used them every single Thanksgiving. I will try and remember to post some pictures of some of the really cool serving pieces I have of this set.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and I hope to do the same. It sort of seems like a weekend after a weekend, doesn't it?
I am back home from the airport and drinking my morning tea and thinking about going back to bed. It's always sad when people leave, but most especially if it is one of my kids. That's the hardest thing.
Thanksgiving day was really nice. The food was fabulous, the company was spectacular, and the conversation was great. The only bad thing that happened that day actually happened to my poor s-i-l, who was making a few of the dishes and bringing them over. She was loading the food in the car and dropped one pie on top of the other one. And bam, just like that! There was no pie. That's pretty flipping sad, is what that was.
So I trotted on over to Luby's and picked up a few pies and was back in no time. No harm, no foul. Except for all the time and ingredients and effort she had put in were in the garbage.
Now we tried some new recipes this year and some tried-and-true ones and here is the scoop on them:
New England Maple Herb Butter Turkey and Gravy (t and t recipe) ***** (that's 5 stars)
This is always fabulous. The recipe is a few days back if you want to scroll back and find it.
Dressing with Sausage, Apples and Cranberries (t and t recipe) *****
Same thing here. I make this because it goes perfectly with the turkey and gravy recipes above. And this year it was just sublime. Love this dressing.
Cranberries with Grapefruit and Mint (new to the rotation) *****
This was so good, I can't even tell you. I did make it twice, rather than doubling it. Sometimes recipes just don't double well and I didn't want to screw up all the cranberries and have to start over, so I just made single batches twice. I can't even think of a thing this stuff wouldn't be good on.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Ham and Pecans (new recipe) *****
We doubled this recipe, but did half with ham and half without. We had a guest who is from Saudi Arabia and doesn't eat from the pork so we split it up this way. It was really good. We went around the table and critiqued each recipe so I could make notes on which to keep and which to ditch, and everyone agreed the sprouts were awesome.
Butternut Squash with Tangerine Juice and Sage (t and t recipe) ****
Everyone loved this and went on and on about it, but I thought it was only a 4 star dish. I am not sure exactly what was missing for me, but it was not quite top-notch.
My s-i-l made a sweet potato dish that was very savory and spicy rather than the usual sweet stuff and it was really good. She also did some homemade Parkerhouse rolls, and a corn dish. Also, along with the poor smashed pies she made this Apple, Cranberry, Pineapple crisp recipe that we made last year. It was just delicious. That one might be 4 and 1/2 or 5 stars.
We served champagne (Korbel Natural), iced tea, jamaica and water. Jamaica (pronounced Hah - MY - Kah) is a beautiful tea served iced from Mexico that is made of dried hibiscus blossoms. It looks a lot like cranberry juice in the glass. Just gorgeous color. It is loaded with vitamin C and other good things and is a diuretic and so is used as a diet aid to help flush things out of your system. It tastes good, it's good for your body, it is pretty, I mean, what more can you expect out of a beverage?!
That's my review for this year's recipes. Someone please remind me next year to find this post so I can remember what to do and what to tweak and which ones to kick to the curb.
Yesterday we did our traditional trip to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. They do an annual shopping extravaganza called the Peace Market that is so much fun. It is essentially an anti-Black Friday thing to do. They invite artisans from all over South America and Mexico and local artists to come set up booths and sell their wares. In addition, there is wonderful food and live music. It is like the best little street fair you ever attended. I had such a good time and I bought some great things. As a matter of fact, I will probably go back today with a friend and see if there are any treasures I missed the first go-round. I promise to post some photos of my new goodies, all recycled, or made from recycled stuff or just cool and original. No plastic or crap involved is what I am saying!
It has been a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I was dreading it and didn't even realize that until we got into it. Probably because of Grandma dying last Saturday, but I didn't make that connection until Thursday. When we were sitting down to the Thanksgiving dinner I said how sad I was that this was my first holiday without her and that we needed to all remember her because we were eating off the beautiful dishes she had given me.
Grandma gave me a set, a huge set, of antique Franciscan Desert Rose dinnerware. Her uncle worked in the factory in California where they made these dishes. They are kind of a rustic pattern and each one is hand-painted. Not like now. Franciscan was bought out by some English fine china company and is made there now and each piece is perfect and identical to the last piece. I don't like the new stuff near as much as the older, more charming pieces. Anyway he worked there way back in the day and he was able to buy the seconds for a song. So he collected a set for each of his nieces. And that is where Grandma got hers. And get this, she never used them. Never. She carried these boxes and boxes of dishes around with her since the '40s and never used them. Doesn't that just beat all? Ever since she gave them to me I have used them every single Thanksgiving. I will try and remember to post some pictures of some of the really cool serving pieces I have of this set.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and I hope to do the same. It sort of seems like a weekend after a weekend, doesn't it?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Cranberries
I know, you probably have your menu lined out, your recipe and ingredients ready or have already bought the can-o-jellied cranberries. But just in case you haven't, get a pen and paper and write this down. I made this last night and after it cooled and thickened up, Mr. Big Ed tasted it and declared that I needed to make a second batch. One would not be enough! We all tasted it and agreed, this is some good stuff.
Good tasting, 4 ingredient fabulousness. What more could you want?
Without further ado, from the 2008 November issue of Bon Appetit I give you:
Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint
2 large pink grapefruits (we all know that Texas Ruby Red, Star Ruby are the best, please buy them)
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups cranberries (or 10 oz.) **The bag is 12 oz. just use it.
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (pink-yellow outer layer only) from 1 grapefruit in strips. Cut peel into 2-inch-ling 1/8-inch-wide strips (about 1/2 cup). Squeeze 1 cup juice from grapefruits.
**Note I started doing this as directed and then realized that I own a citrus zester and grabbed it and made short work of this. Love that zester!
Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add grapefruit peel; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is soft, about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup grapefruit juice and cranberries; bring back to boil. reduce heat and simmer until berries burst, about 10 minutes.
**Note: My berries both times needed a little more time to be done. Probably between 15 and 20 minutes.
Transfer to medium bowl. Stir in mint. Cover; chill until cold. Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
That's it, easy peasy. And delicious.
Good tasting, 4 ingredient fabulousness. What more could you want?
Without further ado, from the 2008 November issue of Bon Appetit I give you:
Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint
2 large pink grapefruits (we all know that Texas Ruby Red, Star Ruby are the best, please buy them)
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups cranberries (or 10 oz.) **The bag is 12 oz. just use it.
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (pink-yellow outer layer only) from 1 grapefruit in strips. Cut peel into 2-inch-ling 1/8-inch-wide strips (about 1/2 cup). Squeeze 1 cup juice from grapefruits.
**Note I started doing this as directed and then realized that I own a citrus zester and grabbed it and made short work of this. Love that zester!
Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add grapefruit peel; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is soft, about 15 minutes. Add 1 cup grapefruit juice and cranberries; bring back to boil. reduce heat and simmer until berries burst, about 10 minutes.
**Note: My berries both times needed a little more time to be done. Probably between 15 and 20 minutes.
Transfer to medium bowl. Stir in mint. Cover; chill until cold. Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
That's it, easy peasy. And delicious.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Randomness and a Recipe for Joann
You know how I have mentioned my trees? I have lovely large live oak trees in my yard. There are approximately 30 of them in the front yard alone. The whole neighborhood was built up around the oaks. There is a tree in my across-the-street-neighbor's yard that is one of those historic oaks that is hundreds of years old. Mine are babies at probably 100 years old. They are gorgeous and they create a fabulous canopy over most of the front yard.
This time of year you know what having 30 live oaks in your yard means? It means any time you go outside you are getting pelted with acorns. And I mean pelted! It's as if the trees are winding up their branches and pitching those little bastards right at you.
My son, Sparky has a new car that he drives and an old car that he looks at. He used to drive the old car and now he just looks at it. Anyhoo, they sit one right in front of the other at the top of our circular drive and when the acorns hit them you can hear the difference in hitting the old car made of thick solid metal (BAM) vs hitting the new, lighter-weight car with lots of plastic (ping).
So Mr. Big Ed and I were sitting out front on our steps the other evening enjoying the sunset and watching the cats frolicking around the yard and playing hide and go seek, and BAM!!!
One of those damn acorns fell right on me and hit me in the face. Not just in the face, but fell between my eyeball and my eye glasses. Then it bounced off my eye and on to the lens and then rattled around like it was in a pinball machine and dropped out the bottom on to my cheek before I caught it.
Can you believe that? Neither could I. What the hell would be the odds of a random acorn just happening to fall off the tree at the exact minute that I was sitting in the exact spot and leaning at the perfect angle for it to hit between my glasses and my eyeball?
Now that I think about it, I wonder why I didn't just run right out and buy a lotto ticket or something!
If we decide to stay here rather than sell everything and buy some property and go off the grid for our retirement home, I have decided that I am going to get myself a bb gun, probably pink, and keep it filled with rock salt. And I am going to sit on my front steps and watch people drive by. Jack asses who drive way too fast like that damn Fed Ex man who just sped by are going to get shot at. Nice considerate people are going to get me holding up a sign that says Thanks! with a thumbs up sign beneath.
I am going to be like Robert Duvall and Michael Caine in Second-hand Lions
Yep, that will be me. But with a pink gun. And probably with Ernest T. Bass as my side-kick.
Isn't Ernest T. Bass a handsome sidekick?
Did I mention that I have gotten Ernest T. a DNA test? June Gardens over at Bye Bye Pie has done this for her 2 dogs and so I thought it would be nice for Ernest T. to know what his heritage is. Other than just dropped-off-in-front-of-the-house-like-he-was-disposable mutt dog. So, I ordered the kit. It comes in the mail and basically it is two really long handled mascara brushes and an return mailing envelope to send back the mascara brushes after you swab out the dog's saliva. It has been TWO LOOOOOOONG WEEKS since I swabbed and mailed and we are all on pins and needles to find out Ernest T. Bass' DNA.
Here's the thing, in perusing the DNA people's website there is a Dog Breed Library. And in going through the library to see what 170 breeds they use to find your dog's DNA, I found a breed that I would swear Ernest T. has in abundance in his blood. These dogs look like all of Ernest T.'s kinfolks for sure!
Take a look here:
Can you tell which one is my Bassie? He's the one on bottom. The other dog is not.
Now look at this comparison.
Ernest T. Bass on top, unnamed Presa Canario on bottom. Don't you hate it when people cut dogs' ears? Shame on them.
Ok, so now that you have seen the Presa Canario breed and you have seen that Ernest T. does indeed resemble these dogs, guess what?
This isn't one of the breeds that they test for! Who knows what breeds are going to show up! It will be a mystery, that's for sure.
And now for something completely different . . . . . .
A Thanksgiving Recipe for Joann!!!
This is my tried-and-true go-to recipe for turkey and gravy. I have used many different ones but always come back to this one. I don't think you can make a better turkey and gravy than this. This comes from the Bon Appetit 1994 Thanksgiving issue. You can sometimes find these at the Half-Price Books or at estate sales.
Roast Turkey with Maple Herb Butter and Gravy
2 cups apple cider
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (I always use 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh marjoram chopped
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 14-lb. turkey, neck and giblets reserved (I always get a bigger turkey)
2 cups chopped onion (never use them, don't like them)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery with leaves
1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
Gravy Ingredients:
3 cups combined canned low-salt chicken broth and pan drippings from the turkey
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 small bay leaf
2 Tbsp. apple brandy
Boil apple cider and maple syrup in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. (This always seems to take longer than 20 minutes for me) Remove from heat. Mix in half of the chopped thyme, half of the marjoram and 1 1/2 tsp. of the lemon peel. Add butter and whisk until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
Can be prepared to this point up to 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 375 F. (I have started using my electric roaster for the turkey and it cooks so much faster than the regular oven) Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. See if you can get your hands all the way up to the thighs under the skin. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter under skin. Rub 1/4 cup of the maple butter all over the outside of turkey. Reserve remaining maple butter for gravy. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. (You may want to tuck the wing tips under as they tend to brown faster than the rest of the bird) Arrange onion, celery, carrot and reserved turkey neck and giblets around turkey in pan. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 Tbsp. of thyme and remaining 1 Tbsp. of marjoram. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
Roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp. to 350 F. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 F or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 2 hours 25 minutes for unstuffed turkey or 2 hours 55 minutes for stuffed turkey. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey with aluminum foil for 30 minutes; reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
For Gravy:
Strain pan juices into large measuring cup, pressing on solids with back of spoon. Spoon fat from pan juices. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Mix 3 Tbsp. of reserved maple butter and flour together in small bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk paste into broth mixture. Add chopped fresh thyme and bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
Brush turkey with any remaining maple butter and serve with gravy.
This is so delicious you will want to sit right up and slap your mama. Enjoy!
This time of year you know what having 30 live oaks in your yard means? It means any time you go outside you are getting pelted with acorns. And I mean pelted! It's as if the trees are winding up their branches and pitching those little bastards right at you.
My son, Sparky has a new car that he drives and an old car that he looks at. He used to drive the old car and now he just looks at it. Anyhoo, they sit one right in front of the other at the top of our circular drive and when the acorns hit them you can hear the difference in hitting the old car made of thick solid metal (BAM) vs hitting the new, lighter-weight car with lots of plastic (ping).
So Mr. Big Ed and I were sitting out front on our steps the other evening enjoying the sunset and watching the cats frolicking around the yard and playing hide and go seek, and BAM!!!
One of those damn acorns fell right on me and hit me in the face. Not just in the face, but fell between my eyeball and my eye glasses. Then it bounced off my eye and on to the lens and then rattled around like it was in a pinball machine and dropped out the bottom on to my cheek before I caught it.
Can you believe that? Neither could I. What the hell would be the odds of a random acorn just happening to fall off the tree at the exact minute that I was sitting in the exact spot and leaning at the perfect angle for it to hit between my glasses and my eyeball?
Now that I think about it, I wonder why I didn't just run right out and buy a lotto ticket or something!
If we decide to stay here rather than sell everything and buy some property and go off the grid for our retirement home, I have decided that I am going to get myself a bb gun, probably pink, and keep it filled with rock salt. And I am going to sit on my front steps and watch people drive by. Jack asses who drive way too fast like that damn Fed Ex man who just sped by are going to get shot at. Nice considerate people are going to get me holding up a sign that says Thanks! with a thumbs up sign beneath.
I am going to be like Robert Duvall and Michael Caine in Second-hand Lions
Yep, that will be me. But with a pink gun. And probably with Ernest T. Bass as my side-kick.
Isn't Ernest T. Bass a handsome sidekick?
Did I mention that I have gotten Ernest T. a DNA test? June Gardens over at Bye Bye Pie has done this for her 2 dogs and so I thought it would be nice for Ernest T. to know what his heritage is. Other than just dropped-off-in-front-of-the-house-like-he-was-disposable mutt dog. So, I ordered the kit. It comes in the mail and basically it is two really long handled mascara brushes and an return mailing envelope to send back the mascara brushes after you swab out the dog's saliva. It has been TWO LOOOOOOONG WEEKS since I swabbed and mailed and we are all on pins and needles to find out Ernest T. Bass' DNA.
Here's the thing, in perusing the DNA people's website there is a Dog Breed Library. And in going through the library to see what 170 breeds they use to find your dog's DNA, I found a breed that I would swear Ernest T. has in abundance in his blood. These dogs look like all of Ernest T.'s kinfolks for sure!
Take a look here:
Can you tell which one is my Bassie? He's the one on bottom. The other dog is not.
Now look at this comparison.
Ernest T. Bass on top, unnamed Presa Canario on bottom. Don't you hate it when people cut dogs' ears? Shame on them.
Ok, so now that you have seen the Presa Canario breed and you have seen that Ernest T. does indeed resemble these dogs, guess what?
This isn't one of the breeds that they test for! Who knows what breeds are going to show up! It will be a mystery, that's for sure.
And now for something completely different . . . . . .
A Thanksgiving Recipe for Joann!!!
This is my tried-and-true go-to recipe for turkey and gravy. I have used many different ones but always come back to this one. I don't think you can make a better turkey and gravy than this. This comes from the Bon Appetit 1994 Thanksgiving issue. You can sometimes find these at the Half-Price Books or at estate sales.
Roast Turkey with Maple Herb Butter and Gravy
2 cups apple cider
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (I always use 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh marjoram chopped
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 14-lb. turkey, neck and giblets reserved (I always get a bigger turkey)
2 cups chopped onion (never use them, don't like them)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery with leaves
1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
Gravy Ingredients:
3 cups combined canned low-salt chicken broth and pan drippings from the turkey
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 small bay leaf
2 Tbsp. apple brandy
Boil apple cider and maple syrup in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. (This always seems to take longer than 20 minutes for me) Remove from heat. Mix in half of the chopped thyme, half of the marjoram and 1 1/2 tsp. of the lemon peel. Add butter and whisk until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
Can be prepared to this point up to 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 375 F. (I have started using my electric roaster for the turkey and it cooks so much faster than the regular oven) Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. See if you can get your hands all the way up to the thighs under the skin. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter under skin. Rub 1/4 cup of the maple butter all over the outside of turkey. Reserve remaining maple butter for gravy. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. (You may want to tuck the wing tips under as they tend to brown faster than the rest of the bird) Arrange onion, celery, carrot and reserved turkey neck and giblets around turkey in pan. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 Tbsp. of thyme and remaining 1 Tbsp. of marjoram. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
Roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp. to 350 F. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 F or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 2 hours 25 minutes for unstuffed turkey or 2 hours 55 minutes for stuffed turkey. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey with aluminum foil for 30 minutes; reserve mixture in pan for gravy.
For Gravy:
Strain pan juices into large measuring cup, pressing on solids with back of spoon. Spoon fat from pan juices. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Mix 3 Tbsp. of reserved maple butter and flour together in small bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk paste into broth mixture. Add chopped fresh thyme and bay leaf. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
Brush turkey with any remaining maple butter and serve with gravy.
This is so delicious you will want to sit right up and slap your mama. Enjoy!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Me and Gregg Allman
What do I have in common with Gregg Allman? Well, first off neither of us are angels. And secondly, we both ramble. He's a ramblin' man, and I have a ramblin' mind. Ha!
Let's enjoy looking at the Gregg Allman of my youth, shall we?
I absolutely adored him when I was in 8th and 9th grade. The very first t- shirt I ever bought that sported a picture of someone was Gregg Allman. It was black. Nowadays, the black has faded to a funky brown/purple/olive color. How would I know this about a shirt made back in 1973? Because I STILL have it! It lived in my cedar chest with my favorite pair of torn-up, paint-spattered, worn-in, cool-patch wearin' Levis for many many years. Then my teen-aged Rachel Pie person spied them and heisted them for her very own use. So the Gregg Allman t-shirt is still in use. All these years later. One of these days I will dig out the shirt and the jeans and take pics for you. Then you can say "Hey Lisa Pie, your ass used to fit in THOSE jeans?" And I will say what every other person on the planet says, "Yes, it did. And I will have you know that I thought I was fat and went on every flipping fad diet that came down the pike". What the hell is wrong with girls that we all think we are fat when we are perfectly made and beautiful?
Anyhoo, the reason I woke up thinking about Ramblin' Man is because my mind was seriously all over the place. So I will just start listing things as they occur to me.
1. You all know how much I adore Matt who dances badly around the world. I have signed up to be notified if and when he shows up in my neck of the woods so I can gather people and go dance with him at some fabulous local sight. And he is out right now filming for the next video! And he is in this hemisphere! The chances are good that this might be the year we get in!!
2. It's almost Thanksgiving. Today is actually Nov. 12 and no one loves to decorate for Christmas more than I do, but I restrain myself until after Thanksgiving. And last night I was driving home from Childbirth Ed class and what did my wandering eye spy? One of the other homes in my neighborhood already had lights up. And I thought "well maybe they aren't really Christmas lights. Maybe they are just generic decorative lights." I slowed down and looked and guess what? There were not only lights on the house, but in the trees, bushes and . . . . .
AND they also had 3 of those fake trees with lights and decorations in a cute little grouping in the yard! Holy Way-to-jump-the-gun Batman!!! Talk about early!
The good thing is, no matter what I do now, I wasn't the idiot who put my lights up first. : ) Love that.
3. Thanksgiving Menu is made! Shopping list is made and the to-do lists are being worked on. This is all good. And . . . . I was able to get the group to agree to try some new recipes. I love it when that happens. So I am here to share with you the cranberry recipe I am going to try. Now, be forewarned that I have never made this. But if I am willing to try this out on my family without test-driving it first, you should to. : )
From the 2008 Bon Appetit Thanksgiving issue:
Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint
2 large pink grapefruits
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups cranberries (about 10 oz.)
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (pink and yellow outer layer only) from 1 grapefruit in strips. Cut peel into 2-inch-long, 1/8-inch wide strips (about 1/2 cup). Squeeze grapefruits to get 1 cup juice.
Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add grapefruit peel; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is soft, about 15 minutes. Add grapefruit juice and cranberries; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries burst, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Stir in mint. Cover; chill until cold. Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
***My notes: First off, I am completely irked by the title. I have read enough cookbooks and recipes to know that a cranberry RELISH is one where you use them raw and grind them in the food processor with other ingredients. Cranberry SAUCE is when you cook them and let them burst and thicken the mixture. So if this is good and I deem this a keeper, I will change the name. Other than that, how fabulous does this sound? I swear I can smell it already just from the written word! No pics necessary.
4. I sent off for Ernest T. Bass to have his DNA done and find out what mixture of breeds caused this particular dog. He is such a handsome fellow, but everyone swears they see something different in him. So I thought I would spring for the test and find out. And while I am patiently waiting, and patiently clicking on the website hourly to see if they have the results yet, I was perusing a dog breed website. In addition to pure breeds they also have a category of the new "Hybrid breeds". These are like those purposely made Labradoodles, not just your average mutt dog. And I came across the cutest picture of puppies ever. Check this out:
Awwww. Have you ever seen such cuteness? Squishy, squishy, you must want to smoosh them! These are called BaShar pups. Half Basset hound, half Shar Pei. Hilarious is what those are. Absolutely precious.
Enjoy your weekend!
Let's enjoy looking at the Gregg Allman of my youth, shall we?
I absolutely adored him when I was in 8th and 9th grade. The very first t- shirt I ever bought that sported a picture of someone was Gregg Allman. It was black. Nowadays, the black has faded to a funky brown/purple/olive color. How would I know this about a shirt made back in 1973? Because I STILL have it! It lived in my cedar chest with my favorite pair of torn-up, paint-spattered, worn-in, cool-patch wearin' Levis for many many years. Then my teen-aged Rachel Pie person spied them and heisted them for her very own use. So the Gregg Allman t-shirt is still in use. All these years later. One of these days I will dig out the shirt and the jeans and take pics for you. Then you can say "Hey Lisa Pie, your ass used to fit in THOSE jeans?" And I will say what every other person on the planet says, "Yes, it did. And I will have you know that I thought I was fat and went on every flipping fad diet that came down the pike". What the hell is wrong with girls that we all think we are fat when we are perfectly made and beautiful?
Anyhoo, the reason I woke up thinking about Ramblin' Man is because my mind was seriously all over the place. So I will just start listing things as they occur to me.
1. You all know how much I adore Matt who dances badly around the world. I have signed up to be notified if and when he shows up in my neck of the woods so I can gather people and go dance with him at some fabulous local sight. And he is out right now filming for the next video! And he is in this hemisphere! The chances are good that this might be the year we get in!!
2. It's almost Thanksgiving. Today is actually Nov. 12 and no one loves to decorate for Christmas more than I do, but I restrain myself until after Thanksgiving. And last night I was driving home from Childbirth Ed class and what did my wandering eye spy? One of the other homes in my neighborhood already had lights up. And I thought "well maybe they aren't really Christmas lights. Maybe they are just generic decorative lights." I slowed down and looked and guess what? There were not only lights on the house, but in the trees, bushes and . . . . .
AND they also had 3 of those fake trees with lights and decorations in a cute little grouping in the yard! Holy Way-to-jump-the-gun Batman!!! Talk about early!
The good thing is, no matter what I do now, I wasn't the idiot who put my lights up first. : ) Love that.
3. Thanksgiving Menu is made! Shopping list is made and the to-do lists are being worked on. This is all good. And . . . . I was able to get the group to agree to try some new recipes. I love it when that happens. So I am here to share with you the cranberry recipe I am going to try. Now, be forewarned that I have never made this. But if I am willing to try this out on my family without test-driving it first, you should to. : )
From the 2008 Bon Appetit Thanksgiving issue:
Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit and Mint
2 large pink grapefruits
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups cranberries (about 10 oz.)
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (pink and yellow outer layer only) from 1 grapefruit in strips. Cut peel into 2-inch-long, 1/8-inch wide strips (about 1/2 cup). Squeeze grapefruits to get 1 cup juice.
Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add grapefruit peel; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is soft, about 15 minutes. Add grapefruit juice and cranberries; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries burst, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Stir in mint. Cover; chill until cold. Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
***My notes: First off, I am completely irked by the title. I have read enough cookbooks and recipes to know that a cranberry RELISH is one where you use them raw and grind them in the food processor with other ingredients. Cranberry SAUCE is when you cook them and let them burst and thicken the mixture. So if this is good and I deem this a keeper, I will change the name. Other than that, how fabulous does this sound? I swear I can smell it already just from the written word! No pics necessary.
4. I sent off for Ernest T. Bass to have his DNA done and find out what mixture of breeds caused this particular dog. He is such a handsome fellow, but everyone swears they see something different in him. So I thought I would spring for the test and find out. And while I am patiently waiting, and patiently clicking on the website hourly to see if they have the results yet, I was perusing a dog breed website. In addition to pure breeds they also have a category of the new "Hybrid breeds". These are like those purposely made Labradoodles, not just your average mutt dog. And I came across the cutest picture of puppies ever. Check this out:
Awwww. Have you ever seen such cuteness? Squishy, squishy, you must want to smoosh them! These are called BaShar pups. Half Basset hound, half Shar Pei. Hilarious is what those are. Absolutely precious.
Enjoy your weekend!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thanksgiving Planning
I am approximately 1 week behind in planning our Thanksgiving dinner. But we nailed down the menu, recipes and started the shopping list last night. In case you didn't know this about me I am extremely anal retentive and a bit OCD, and if that weren't enough to drive most people away, I am also the Queen of List-Making. Oh, how I love the lists!
So, planning and prepping for a big holiday shin-dig is what I do best. I am going to share with you how I do this and you can either take an idea or two that might help with your own holiday planning or use it as evidence against me when they send the men with the butterfly nets to haul me off.
First off, you need a yellow legal pad and a pen that works. On the first page up at the top title the event and the year, i.e. Thanksgiving 2010
Then list the guests invited so you have a head count and know how many of each thing and whether or not to double recipes, etc.
After that I start listing the dishes to be made. Example:
New England Maple Glazed Turkey and Gravy
Dressing with Sausage, Apples and Cranberries
Next to each item I then put where to find the recipe. (Bon Apetit 1994, page 78)
The next page is the Shopping List. As I am looking at the recipes, I write down every item I need to buy.
But I have found that instead of writing it as 1/2 cup butter, if I do this "Butter, 1 stick" then when I am on the 3rd recipe that calls for butter I just put "+1 1/2 sticks". At the end I just add up total amts of butter to buy. I hope that made sense. It did in my head.
While I have the recipes out I go ahead and label the next few pages thusly,
1 week ahead
3 days ahead
2 days ahead
Day before
Thanksgiving Day
Because most good recipes will say "can be made up to this point 3 days in advance" or something like that. Then I put that step in the appropriate page. It really helps me to stay focused and keep on task to get as much done as I can ahead of time. Plus on the 1 week ahead I can put Grocery Shopping, Set the table, Polish silver, or whatever and not leave stuff till the last minute.
The last couple of days of prepping I always have a clean spot on the counter where all the recipes are stacked up with the legal pad o'lists. Since my kidlets are pretty well grown and usually have a friend or partner or someone over, it is easy for people wandering through to just look at the list and choose something to do and take care of it. I like to think that they appreciate handling something on the list and not having to ask me "what next?, now what?"
The other good thing about doing this type of list-making is that I can always refer back to who was here for which holidays, what recipes worked and what was a flop.
There you have it. Lisa Pie's List-Making Plan. What do you think?
Do you have little tricks you do to help keep you sane and focused? Please share! I am always refining and updating my lists.
So, planning and prepping for a big holiday shin-dig is what I do best. I am going to share with you how I do this and you can either take an idea or two that might help with your own holiday planning or use it as evidence against me when they send the men with the butterfly nets to haul me off.
First off, you need a yellow legal pad and a pen that works. On the first page up at the top title the event and the year, i.e. Thanksgiving 2010
Then list the guests invited so you have a head count and know how many of each thing and whether or not to double recipes, etc.
After that I start listing the dishes to be made. Example:
New England Maple Glazed Turkey and Gravy
Dressing with Sausage, Apples and Cranberries
Next to each item I then put where to find the recipe. (Bon Apetit 1994, page 78)
The next page is the Shopping List. As I am looking at the recipes, I write down every item I need to buy.
But I have found that instead of writing it as 1/2 cup butter, if I do this "Butter, 1 stick" then when I am on the 3rd recipe that calls for butter I just put "+1 1/2 sticks". At the end I just add up total amts of butter to buy. I hope that made sense. It did in my head.
While I have the recipes out I go ahead and label the next few pages thusly,
1 week ahead
3 days ahead
2 days ahead
Day before
Thanksgiving Day
Because most good recipes will say "can be made up to this point 3 days in advance" or something like that. Then I put that step in the appropriate page. It really helps me to stay focused and keep on task to get as much done as I can ahead of time. Plus on the 1 week ahead I can put Grocery Shopping, Set the table, Polish silver, or whatever and not leave stuff till the last minute.
The last couple of days of prepping I always have a clean spot on the counter where all the recipes are stacked up with the legal pad o'lists. Since my kidlets are pretty well grown and usually have a friend or partner or someone over, it is easy for people wandering through to just look at the list and choose something to do and take care of it. I like to think that they appreciate handling something on the list and not having to ask me "what next?, now what?"
The other good thing about doing this type of list-making is that I can always refer back to who was here for which holidays, what recipes worked and what was a flop.
There you have it. Lisa Pie's List-Making Plan. What do you think?
Do you have little tricks you do to help keep you sane and focused? Please share! I am always refining and updating my lists.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Did you know??
Did you know that you could send in a picture of your child, your dog, your very own self, or anyone you want and they will put that face on M&Ms? And they will make a batch for you in any color combinations your little heart desires? If you go here you can scope out that info.
Did you know that you could also choose to make a batch of M&Ms with your team colors and logo?
Did you know that you can create your very own personalized pair of Converse All-Star Chuck Taylor hightops? As cool as the Chucks are already, imagine how cool they could be with you as the designer! Now you don't have to dream about what if the awesome pink shoes had lime green insides and purple laces. Create them yourself right here. Love these!!
Did you know that with Pocketmod you can carry all sorts of small lists around with you in your pocket and not have to carry large bulky calendars, sudoku books and such? This is one of my favorites!
Did you know that there is an organization out there that will go in and clean homes of cancer patients? Yes, there is. Cleaning for a reason is that group. What a fabulous idea. You may want to bookmark this group and keep them in mind for referrals.
Did you know that Saturday night we move our stupid clocks back one hour? (I hate Daylight Savings Time. I think it is a lame ass idea and we need to dispense with it.)
Did you know that Christmas is 48 days away?
Did you know that Thanksgiving is only 20 days away?
Did you know that your friend Lisa Pie is just a fount of (mostly) useless knowledge and trivia?
Have a fabulous weekend!
Did you know that you could also choose to make a batch of M&Ms with your team colors and logo?
Did you know that you can create your very own personalized pair of Converse All-Star Chuck Taylor hightops? As cool as the Chucks are already, imagine how cool they could be with you as the designer! Now you don't have to dream about what if the awesome pink shoes had lime green insides and purple laces. Create them yourself right here. Love these!!
Did you know that with Pocketmod you can carry all sorts of small lists around with you in your pocket and not have to carry large bulky calendars, sudoku books and such? This is one of my favorites!
Did you know that there is an organization out there that will go in and clean homes of cancer patients? Yes, there is. Cleaning for a reason is that group. What a fabulous idea. You may want to bookmark this group and keep them in mind for referrals.
Did you know that Saturday night we move our stupid clocks back one hour? (I hate Daylight Savings Time. I think it is a lame ass idea and we need to dispense with it.)
Did you know that Christmas is 48 days away?
Did you know that Thanksgiving is only 20 days away?
Did you know that your friend Lisa Pie is just a fount of (mostly) useless knowledge and trivia?
Have a fabulous weekend!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Gratitude
Does anyone remember last year? I participated in a thing where each day of November, not just Thanksgiving day, you post something you are thankful for on your facebook status. Somehow it totally escaped me this year and I got a reminder about it from my s-i-l. Good thing it is only the 4th of the month today, so I can play catch up!
I have so much to be thankful for that it should be dead easy to come up with 30 things for this month.
My Grandma that I just spent a month with, has had a stroke and is in critical condition and being evaluated right now. We are still inside that 48 hour window to see how much they think she can recover from this. I know this is horrible, but there is still so much to be thankful for in this particular situation. First, that someone was with her when it happened and was quick enough to recognize the signs and call the paramedics immediately. Secondly, the paramedics were treating her inside 30 minutes.
And right now? I am mostly really grateful for the month I just had with her. I cried and cried the last night there and kept feeling like it might be the last time I see her. I hope not. But if it is, I can also be at peace with that. I feel like I did what I could to help her and show her how much I care. I am grateful for that opportunity.
Even if you don't play along on facebook, maybe just say to yourself each day something you are grateful and thankful for. It helps on those days when it is damn hard to find that one thing amidst the pile o'crap you are up against.
And I am so thankful for each of you who take time out of your day to pop over here and see what excitement I have come up with to share with you. Thank you for doing that. Comments from you really make my day. Some days they may be the only conversations I have and I am truly grateful for them.
Enjoy your Thursday!
I have so much to be thankful for that it should be dead easy to come up with 30 things for this month.
My Grandma that I just spent a month with, has had a stroke and is in critical condition and being evaluated right now. We are still inside that 48 hour window to see how much they think she can recover from this. I know this is horrible, but there is still so much to be thankful for in this particular situation. First, that someone was with her when it happened and was quick enough to recognize the signs and call the paramedics immediately. Secondly, the paramedics were treating her inside 30 minutes.
And right now? I am mostly really grateful for the month I just had with her. I cried and cried the last night there and kept feeling like it might be the last time I see her. I hope not. But if it is, I can also be at peace with that. I feel like I did what I could to help her and show her how much I care. I am grateful for that opportunity.
Even if you don't play along on facebook, maybe just say to yourself each day something you are grateful and thankful for. It helps on those days when it is damn hard to find that one thing amidst the pile o'crap you are up against.
And I am so thankful for each of you who take time out of your day to pop over here and see what excitement I have come up with to share with you. Thank you for doing that. Comments from you really make my day. Some days they may be the only conversations I have and I am truly grateful for them.
Enjoy your Thursday!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thankfulness and Gratitude
One of my facebook friends posted a suggestion that we each put one thing we are grateful for each day until Thanksgiving. I thought this was a fabulous idea and have been doing so. I kinda wish I had thought of this myself and had started even earlier! It's interesting to see the things that others list that they are grateful for.
Let's be honest here, we have so much more than 90% of the rest of the world. If we aren't thinking about it and being thankful every day we are undeserving triflin' asses, aren't we?
We could start right at the top and be grateful for:
1. Being fortunate enough to be Americans and the lucky few on earth who have more freedom and opportunities than everyone else.
2. Clean potable water. Enough said.
3. Food. And wonderful choices of anything grown anywhere in the world available to us anytime. So what if it's not strawberry season, it is somewhere and they are willing to ship them to us. For a price.
4. Infrastructure that allows us to have electricity, gas, sewage, garbage pickup at the flip of a switch. Turn off some of that stuff and see how far outside the box you have to think to come up with an alternative.
5. Public Libraries. This is a wonderful resource that many other countries don't have. Some of my happiest memories from childhood are in libraries.
Okay, I don't want to get all preachy, I just wanted to share some reasons for thankfulness and gratitude this season. Feel free to share your top 5 list here as well!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Really Good Finds
You know how if you go out searching for a particular item you never find it? Really, if you are looking for something it seems you can't find anything! Well, I happened to stop in to one of my local Goodwill stores and I wasn't looking for a thing, so what does that mean? It means that is exactly when you find stuff!
I got a brand new, never worn before, pair of bunny slippers for 1.99. Now I do need a new pair of slippers and I tried these on and they fit and they are cute as can be, so I got them. I never wear outside street shoes inside my house, so I have slippers on my feet 90% of the time. I would love to get to the point where I have a set of slippers by the front door for everyone to wear when they come in, just like the Japanese. It is comfortable, it instantly makes people feel like they are at home, and it keeps outside dirt and crud being tracked all over your floors. Win, win, and win.
I love finding things when I am not purposefully looking for them. The thrill of the unexpected, I guess. Ebay has taken a LOT of the fun out of collecting. Instead of finding one really fun unique item on a trip you have saved up for all year, now the whole world is available on your computer screen anytime you want. It is convenient; just not as much fun.
So, when I was at Goodwill I kept noticing all the things there that I currently have in my own home. You know what I mean? Same thing at antique stores and estate sales, I always notice the things they have that I already have. What does this mean? Do other people think that stuff is now crap and needs to go away? Is my stuff now vintage? Is it collectable? Should I start watching how much it goes for?
I also went in to my favorite used bookstore and asked about their policy on taking items. They sell books, albums, movies, books on tape, that sort of thing. And get this, due to the economy being in the toilet they no longer BUY your books; now they only give in-store credit. wtf? She told me, "Yeah, people were coming in here trying to sell books so that they could buy FOOD. So we changed our policy and just give credit now. But it's WAY better because we give like, twice the credit we used to. So this is really good for you". Okay . . . . . Now I really wanted to say WTF? If her customers are so hard up that they need to sell books to get food, why is this something she thinks they should ban and make it even harder on them? Double the credit is only good if you can eat the book! I completely failed to get the logic on this one. And you know what? When the economy does turn around, you think those customers who were turned away will come back and start spending money in this store? I don't. And I wouldn't blame them. I was actually thinking of lightening my shelves of some of the old VHS tapes, DVD's that we don't watch any more and getting rid of some more books. But my motivation is to increase my savings account, so doing business with this store won't accomplish this goal. So I will check out another store and see how that goes. Sadly, I think my favorite used book store might not be my favorite any more.
Anyhoo, I got way off topic there. What I did find at the bookstore that I wasn't looking for but was really happy to find is 2 issues of Bon Apetit that are the November Thanksgiving issues. I have been collecting the Thanksgiving issues for a number of years now and make a HUGE production every year of reading them all and planning a whole new menu for Thanksgiving dinner. The trouble is the November issues come out in the end of September and by the middle of October they are gone. And I have missed some of them. But there were a whole slew of Bon Apetit and 2 of the Thanksgiving issues I don't own. So, for less than 4.00 I have a ton of new Thanksgiving recipes to work with for next year.
Tonight is Mah Jongg game night so I am off to scope out the new Bon Apetit magazines to see if there is a fun snacky thing to make and take. I think I will put on my new bunny slippers and sit on the couch and look at the Bon Apetit and enjoy an hour! It's a good day!
I got a brand new, never worn before, pair of bunny slippers for 1.99. Now I do need a new pair of slippers and I tried these on and they fit and they are cute as can be, so I got them. I never wear outside street shoes inside my house, so I have slippers on my feet 90% of the time. I would love to get to the point where I have a set of slippers by the front door for everyone to wear when they come in, just like the Japanese. It is comfortable, it instantly makes people feel like they are at home, and it keeps outside dirt and crud being tracked all over your floors. Win, win, and win.
I love finding things when I am not purposefully looking for them. The thrill of the unexpected, I guess. Ebay has taken a LOT of the fun out of collecting. Instead of finding one really fun unique item on a trip you have saved up for all year, now the whole world is available on your computer screen anytime you want. It is convenient; just not as much fun.
So, when I was at Goodwill I kept noticing all the things there that I currently have in my own home. You know what I mean? Same thing at antique stores and estate sales, I always notice the things they have that I already have. What does this mean? Do other people think that stuff is now crap and needs to go away? Is my stuff now vintage? Is it collectable? Should I start watching how much it goes for?
I also went in to my favorite used bookstore and asked about their policy on taking items. They sell books, albums, movies, books on tape, that sort of thing. And get this, due to the economy being in the toilet they no longer BUY your books; now they only give in-store credit. wtf? She told me, "Yeah, people were coming in here trying to sell books so that they could buy FOOD. So we changed our policy and just give credit now. But it's WAY better because we give like, twice the credit we used to. So this is really good for you". Okay . . . . . Now I really wanted to say WTF? If her customers are so hard up that they need to sell books to get food, why is this something she thinks they should ban and make it even harder on them? Double the credit is only good if you can eat the book! I completely failed to get the logic on this one. And you know what? When the economy does turn around, you think those customers who were turned away will come back and start spending money in this store? I don't. And I wouldn't blame them. I was actually thinking of lightening my shelves of some of the old VHS tapes, DVD's that we don't watch any more and getting rid of some more books. But my motivation is to increase my savings account, so doing business with this store won't accomplish this goal. So I will check out another store and see how that goes. Sadly, I think my favorite used book store might not be my favorite any more.
Anyhoo, I got way off topic there. What I did find at the bookstore that I wasn't looking for but was really happy to find is 2 issues of Bon Apetit that are the November Thanksgiving issues. I have been collecting the Thanksgiving issues for a number of years now and make a HUGE production every year of reading them all and planning a whole new menu for Thanksgiving dinner. The trouble is the November issues come out in the end of September and by the middle of October they are gone. And I have missed some of them. But there were a whole slew of Bon Apetit and 2 of the Thanksgiving issues I don't own. So, for less than 4.00 I have a ton of new Thanksgiving recipes to work with for next year.
Tonight is Mah Jongg game night so I am off to scope out the new Bon Apetit magazines to see if there is a fun snacky thing to make and take. I think I will put on my new bunny slippers and sit on the couch and look at the Bon Apetit and enjoy an hour! It's a good day!
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