Not As Planned

Not much happened yesterday that I thought would happen. We all have days like that and we can choose to either beat our heads on the proverbial brick wall or go with the flow and decide to be happy and enjoy the day anyway. Really. We get to choose. We can choose frustration, self-blame, and anger or we can choose appreciation, laughter, and the realization that an alteration in our plans isn't that big a deal.

I was going to have a big cookie baking day. Had the butter out on the counter softening first thing. Then before eight o'clock, I got an e-mail from my baby quilt website designer (aka my daughter) reminding me that it was Tuesday and we had neglected to post the Monday Featured Quilt of the Week on my quilting blog. (We've set up a link on the website that takes you to Monday's blog post and the featured quilt of the week.) Oh . . . heck. What was I thinking? Obviously, I had NOT been thinking.

I told her I'd get the post written as soon as I could and put it in Draft where she could access it and add the required pictures which she had to take off the website. (I don't have access to them . . . nor the technical expertise to do that operation.)

As soon as I had written the post, I notified her via e-mail that all was in readiness for her and could now be completed.

Then I realized I had to go to town to mail a package that needed to go out pronto. Rats. So I made a list of other stops to make as long as I was in town, bundled up, started the car, scraped the ice off the windows (it was only 10°) and headed into town with nine (yes, 9!) stops on my list.

Arrived back home shortly before lunch time to discover that the blog post wasn't up yet. Hmmm. That was strange.

Put the butter back in the refrig and made us a little lunch. The mail I picked up on my way home contained the last of the Christmas presents I was waiting for so decided to get them wrapped which I did in the afternoon. Also put tags on all of the gifts which I hadn't been able to do before because I couldn't find the leftover tags from last year for love nor money. (Bought new ones in town.) So all of the ones I had previously wrapped got pulled out from under the tree and proper tags added. But the unbelievable thing is I now have all presents wrapped. December 9th and the task is done. Complete. Finished. Can't believe it. That's the earliest I've ever had that job finished.

Well, okay, the above is a teeny white lie. There are three presents for me from my dear husband that still haven't arrived. You see, I have a terrible time spending money on myself and Roy has a terrible time picking out something I will like . . . especially clothing which is what I really needed and decided I wanted for Christmas. So I stalled and diddled around for ages but finally picked out two shirts and a scarf from a catalog and ordered them. And when they do arrive, I will be wrapping them myself. It's not that he isn't willing to do it but it's such a painful operation to subject him to. And a great waste of wrapping paper because he uses so much! No need for him to do it when I know what the presents are. So I'll wrap those last three myself when they show up.

Our first big snow of the season that we prepared for and were told to expect yesterday and today . . . hasn't appeared yet. We didn't see a flake all day yesterday. Sounds like it may stay south of us now. Less to shovel and move around but the temperatures are getting low enough that we need the insulation on septic tanks and drain fields.

What happened to my quilting blog post that Chicken Mama was going to get up? Turns out that shortly after she e-mailed me in the morning, she lost satellite reception and has been without a working computer since then. (Her day did not go as planned either, I'm sure she would tell you!) Sigh. Oh well.

So not a Christmas cookie in sight yet but the day certainly wasn't a wasted day. Just different than what I had planned. Dare I say I'm going to bake today? Maybe I won't announce that's my plan and I'll just try to sneak it in when Fate isn't looking.

A Good Day

I feel better now. The house is decorated for Christmas AND the tree is up. I feel better now.

This year I've really been looking forward to turning on the tree lights when we get up in the dark and then again in the late afternoon. Near total darkness is upon us at 5 PM now.

I guess I've been a bit lazy because as of yesterday morning, the Thanksgiving decorations were still out and about . . . and it's unusual for me not to put them away the weekend right after Turkey Day. But I did get a lot of things done last week that had been "hangin' fire" for too long. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

But now throughout the house the oranges and browns of the Thanksgiving/fall decorations have given way to the reds and greens of Christmas. And I must admit tonight I'm feeling a lot more in the holiday mood since the house is decorated for Christmas.

We have another half size tree again this year. No choice but to have a small one because of our small living space. But if all goes as planned and we get our remodeling done this coming summer, a year from now we just might have room for a bigger tree . . . one that actually can stand on the floor instead of on top of a cabinet.

The light snow covering we got last week is still on the ground. The forecasters are saying our first real snow of the season will be arriving tomorrow and Wednesday with perhaps 6-8" accumulation. The second week in December? I guess it's time.

Lots of cookie baking on the agenda for this week. And present wrapping. No excuse now that I have a tree to set the presents under. I did all my shopping via phone or Internet this year and I'm still waiting for a few things to arrive. Only ran into one back order that won't make it for Christmas. Not a bad average.

Gotta go warm some soup for dinner now. Wild Rice with Turkey for Roy and lentil for me. Maybe a little dish of homemade applesauce for dessert . . . since no Christmas cookies have made an appearance yet.

C's Quasi-Cabbage Rolls

A couple of months ago, a good friend and I were reminiscing about food our mothers used to make. I was salivating over memories of my mom's cabbage rolls . . . which she didn't have a recipe for, nor did I ever watch her closely enough when she prepared them to replicate the procedure. My loss. Sigh.

Anyway, C said that she frequently makes a dish that reminds her a lot of cabbage rolls but is much simpler and can easily be whipped up for a quick dinner provided you have leftover spaghetti sauce to use.

Set your spaghetti sauce heating over a low flame while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. I suppose you could use a marinara sauce or vegetarian sauce but I'm sure the flavor is more like cabbage rolls if you have some form of meat in the sauce.

Finely shred as much cabbage as you'll need to feed those gathered around your table.

Saute the cabbage in a nice amount of butter. I like to add a sprinkling of fennel seeds (I love fennel) but caraway seeds would be good, too. Salt and pepper the cabbage when it's cooked.

Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese for use as a top garnish. (Fresh really is better!)

Put cooked cabbage on plate, ladle on some sauce, and top with a nice garnish of Parmesan.

It really does remind one of authentic cabbage rolls. And so much easier! Mmmm, wouldn't some garlic cheese bread and a glass of Chianti go well with this?

Why Did It Seem Like Saturday Today?

Boy, is my time clock whacko. For some reason, all day today I've been feeling like it's Saturday. Don't know what to attribute that to but maybe it will make it seem like I've got extra time this week?

Our temp was only 14° when I got up this morning. And even though we actually had sunshine (hooray!) for most of the day, the thermometer didn't go above 20°. The wind didn't help things feel much warmer either. Each time either of us went outside, we came in with much the same sentiments. "Gosh, it's cold out there!" You can tell our blood isn't quite thickened up enough for winter yet.

First thing this morning I got the season's second batch of fruitcake in the oven. For a special holiday twist, I added dried apricots and cherries this time around. (I hadn't purchased dried cherries before and received a jolt of sticker shock when I did.) But, hey, it's Christmas! (Hope they taste good in the fruitcake.)

My freezer's supply of soups has sunk to a new low lately so I've been feeling some pressure to rectify that situation. Yesterday I got a double recipe of Wild Rice with Turkey stored away and this morning I made some Beef Barley which is now in the freezer. After lunch I started a huge pot of Bean Soup and will add some leftover ham for flavoring. (I looove Bean Soup!)

Started another couple gallons of kombucha. (I'm still going to do a post on kombucha, MaineCelt. I promise it WILL get done eventually.)

This year I've vowed to wrap Christmas presents as they arrive in the mail. How's that workin'? Well, let's say I'm a wee bit behind already. Maybe tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow. I'll definitely get on it tomorrow. (Somebody hold a big club over my head, please.)

I'm having to BUY eggs for my holiday baking, and it's just killing me. Our chickens are still on strike. We're getting an egg or two a day but not nearly enough for our own needs. That's what we get for not ordering new chicks early this past spring. They would already be laying by now and the "old girls" would be in the freezer. The two or three batches of chicks that our good mama hens hatched this summer won't be ready to start laying for another month or so.

Earlier today I did a post over on my quilting blog showing a really cute apron I made. If you're interested, take a little side trip over there and have a peek.

Thank You, Good Turkey

I always make my own broth from a cooked chicken or turkey, and I had a whoppin', big ol' turkey carcass to work with after Thanksgiving.

First I sit at the table with a nice glass of wine and spend some quality time with what's left of Tom (Tomasina?) Turkey picking the bones and getting off all the meat I can. This meat gets wrapped and goes in the freezer for future meals. (My mom used to LOVE the job of picking a bird carcass. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit this trait from her so whenever I have to do the job, I can't help thinking of her and sending a plea skyward, "Mother, where are you when I need you?")

Meanwhile, back at the carcass . . . and wine. I put everything in the soup pot: gristle, bones, skin, yucky looking stuff I have no desire to eat. After all, that's where so many of the nutrients are, and I don't want to waste one bit of it.

All goes into my biggest stock pot. I asked for (and got) this pot for Christmas last year from my husband. I think it cost about $700 (that might be a slight exaggeration). When it's full of bones and water, I can't lift it. (Don't laugh at the picture. It's one of the better ones I've ever had taken.)

I fill the pot to within a couple/few inches of the top with cold water. Then I throw in some chunked up veggies to flavor the broth. For this big batch, I used three big onions, six stalks of celery and five carrots. I also sprinkle in (no measuring involved) any herb or spice that goes with fowl. Parsley, tarragon, sage, marjoram, rosemary, thyme . . . whatever strikes your fancy. Also salt and pepper, of course.

Two or three days of slow cooking (covered) . . . all day . . . simmers all the goodness out of the bones and into the broth.

Finally, I let the whole kit and kaboodle cool and strain it before putting into quart containers for the freezer.

What a haul! I got two and three-quarters gallons from this batch. That will make many pots of flavorful, nutritious soup for us. And it really does taste sooo much better than anything you can buy in a can or mix up from granules and water. Trust me. It does.

(Notice the candles in the above picture? Leftover from Thanksgiving Dinner. I never did get all five candles to stand up straight in the holder. Ah, yes, total class and ambience.)

Hello, Winter!

I've been waiting this morning for some sun to peek through so I could get better pictures . . . but I'm thinking it ain't gonna happen as the forecast is for 3-5" of more snow today.

Yesterday afternoon we got our first snowfall that truly covered the ground, and it seems it has decided to stay.

These pictures were all taken from upstairs in Roy's office. Yesterday the pond was snow-covered, but this morning all we can see is skim ice. And no ducks. Our wild mallards have finally packed up their bags and headed southward. Guess it was time. High time actually.

The garden beds and part of the field garden shown here are definitely settled into a winter resting time. (I could have taken these pics in black and white, couldn't I, for all the color we see right now.)

Some of the fruit trees with raspberry and blueberry patches in the middle background.

There's a particular "different" feel now that we have a little snow cover. Very appropriate for December, I would say. Uh-oh, I still have the Thanksgiving decorations out. And it's only a mere three and a half weeks until Christmas. (Sorry, did you not want to hear that?) We got our little Christmas tree this past weekend so I don't have many excuses for not getting on with yuletide decorating. Blast out some bouncy Christmas CDs, and let's get on with it!

Happy December!