Gator Pam

Ooo... We have snow today on the Eastside of Seattle!

My landlord is headed out to shop. I asked if he had a plan in mind for something for dinner. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "You know what protein base I prefer to use on this date." I had to think about it for a minute but then said, "Oh, yes. We'll be having something with ground pork."

Rabbit! Rabbit!! Rabbit!!!

Thanks all!

To all FEMALES 50 years old and up... most of us are going through the next phase of our lives. We're at that age where we see wrinkles, gray hair, extra pounds. We move a little more gingerly yet still smooth, with that "glide in our stride and a little less dip in our hip." Some of us are fully retired, many are semi-retired and still working. We have run households, paid the bills, dealt with sickness, sadness, having children, loss and everything else life has assigned us. We've slipped and fallen many times, but we have gotten up many more. We are Survivors... we are "Warriors in the Quiet"... we are Women ...like a classic car or a fine wine. Even if our bodies may not be what they once were, they carry our souls, our courage, and our strength , and Love! We shall all enter this chapter of our lives with humility, grace, and pride over everything we have been through, and we should never feel bad about getting older. It's a privilege that is denied to so many. Here is to all of you..... My age is 63 today!

May his memory be a blessing. David Crosby, Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash Co-Founder, Dies at 81 https://variety.com/2023/music/news/david-crosby-dead-dies-byrds-crosby-stills-nash-1235495467/

63rd birthday week started yesterday. I didn't do anything yesterday, but I'll sort through my email and see what offers I may want to take advantage of. Many of them are good through the end of the month, so my actual birthday on Saturday will definitely be covered.

This is my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. If one is comfortable doing so, the first time you see someone you know in the new year,no matter how late in the year. However, if one needs justification to do so, keep this list in mind around the date of January 1st: "So 5 months ago!" - Islamic New Year "2 months ago!" - Diwali "Three weeks early!" - Lunar New Year "36 days early!" - Tu Bishvat "Almost 3 months early!" - Balinese, Zoroastrian, Ugadhi, and B'hai New Year "Nearly 4 months early!" - Sinhala and Tamil New Year I'm sure there are others I missed. We can celebrate new beginnings throughout the year; a fresh start is always welcome when change is called for.

For those following the Julian calendar, such as several of the Orthodox churches...

I had the best comeback I've heard yet to The Three Wiser Women meme posted elsewhere today: "Were they all named Maggie?"

Blessed Epiphany

Rabbit! Rabbit!! Rabbit!!!

Happy New Year!

Just returned from shopping up most of Christmas dinner. Fairly simple this year, being just the four of us: Standing rib roast Red wine, Beef marrow bones, and Beef shin au jus Garlic mashed potatoes Vegetable TBD I'm leaning towards creamed spinach for the vegetable, but not everyone is a fan. So, we may go with pressure cooked artichokes with hollandaise sauce. In the past I've done Yorkshire pudding with rib roast, but again, not everyone is a fan. Whereas, we all like the garlic mashed potatoes. Christmas brunch will most likely be one of the many overnight French toast casseroles I've shared recipes for here over the years.

A Blessed Yule!

I'll be busy at sunset tomorrow, so here's wishing you all Happy Hanukkah! חֲנוּכָּה שַׂמֵחַ Hanukkah Sameach!

Yum!

Hanukkah starts the evening of the 18th. I don't really have anything special planned, although I may make latkes to serve with apple sauce or sour cream and purchase some jelly doughnuts. Christmas Eve will probably be my Jewish appetizing version of the Feast of Seven Fishes. Christmas morning will be one of the overnight French toast casseroles I've posted over the years. Christmas night will be standing rib roast with garlic mashed potatoes; other vegetable to be determined. How about you?

Rabbit Rabbit! Rabbit!!

Thanksgiving Monté Cristo Sandwich I made my usual Bennigans copy cat method, but I made some slight changes to finish off more of the planned overs. Instead of a third slice of bread inside the sandwich, I used a whipped egg to bind some planned over stuffing, shaped it into a patty equal to a slice of the bread I was using, and pan fried it until it held together. Once that was layered over the bottom level of the sandwich, I used some cold gravy on top of it as my spread before putting the turkey on the top level. I follow this recipe for the basic method, although I divide by 3, as half a sandwich is enough for me with the other half to share or package to be rewarmed for another meal. The rest of the cranberry sauce for dipping. https://iamhomesteader.com/monte-cristo-sandwich/

Only items bought so far were from the Grim Oak Press Black Friday sale. I purchased a limited edition of the second and third novels in Stephen R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever: The Illearth War and The Power That Preserves. I wanted a copy of the limited edition of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight, but it was my first time doing this sale, and I was too slow.

Yesterday's bountiful meal. The spread, starting from the far end and working counter clockwise: Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce. I'm pretty sure this is the version Cristal gave me. I've added a sprig of fresh rosemary, a 1" piece of fresh ginger cut into coins, and an eighth of a cup of bourbon to the recipe over the years. Platter of carved turkey. Brenda's pumpkin bread. It was made yesterday and we couldn't wait... Crockpot stuffing. George's green bean casserole. Sweet potato casserole. The thermos is how I keep the gravy warm. We screw off the top and pour it directly out of the thermos, instead of using the spigot in the top. This year I made Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's recipe which uses roasted garlic and onions blended with some of the stock and drippings to thicken. The texture was perfect and the taste fantastic. Now, if it stays pourable when chilled, instead of becoming gelatinous, it's the perfect gravy recipe for me. My plate before gravy... ...and after. A slice of pumpkin pie with fresh made whipped cream piped on top.

Purty turkey, cooked to temperature, not to when the "pop-up" indicator says it's ready.