Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Toys – Thanks, Santa…
The girls have a toy box FULL of toys….but, Santa still brought them more!!! They all got new Kongs and Megan got a couple new balls – her favorite brand in a couple new colors. Then, “Daddy” (Ronald) and “Aunt” Lisa brought them each a stuffed animal toy! Of course, they also got some busy bones, too…
Stuffed animal toys don’t last long in our house — the ones that “Daddy” and “Aunt” Lisa brought were no exception! Ronald and Lisa came over the morning after Christmas and we exchanged gifts and had some bagels and coffee. They gave the girls their toys first and before we could finish our visit, the squeakers were out of two of the toys and stuffing all over the living room floor!!! I cleaned up the mess and pulled the rest of the stuffing out of the toys so that they were just limp rags that looked like stuffed toys – ha-ha! I put the third one up so that it will last a little longer….they still play with the limp rags – shaking and throwing them around the room!
The surprise over the past week has been Amy — Megan is the big toy player – she is constantly squawking on a ball and playing with her toys! Katie and Amy will act interested every once in a while – they did like the stuffed ones when they are new, but tear them up and lose interest and don’t show much interest at all in the less destructable kind. BUT — over the past week, Amy has gone nuts with toys!!! She takes her front paw and bops the toy to make it squeak and then leaps up about a foot or so in the air and spins around before landing (I still think there is a little Jack Russell in those two somewhere) – then she grabs it and shakes it all over and tosses it up in the air…she isn’t as relentless as Megan is, but she’s getting close!!! I don’t know if she’s showing off cause Mom’s here or if she’s suddenly gained an intersted in playing with toys — whatever is going on, it is sooooooooooo cute and funny to watch!!! ha-ha
Honeyed Pork – Crock Pot Version
A couple weeks or so ago, Lindsay posted a great sounding Honeyed Pork Chop recipe on her blog – Anyone Hungry?. In our comments to each other, we thought that the recipe might be really good done in a crock pot with a pork loin. Well, I fixed the crock pot version for dinner today and it was GREAT!!!
Here is how I used the recipe in the crock pot:
Click here for Lindsay’s Honeyed Pork Chop recipe
I bought a really nice pork loin and browned it in a skillet.
I cut the loin in 1/2 so that it would lay flat in the bottom of the crock pot and added the chopped onions on top and around the meat.
I made the sauce per Lindsay’s recipe and then made another 1/2 batch of the sauce. I poured the sauce over the meat and onions – it was just enough to just barely cover the meat. (my crock pot has a narrow round base, so it didn’t take a lot of sauce. if you have a bigger based crock pot – like the oval kind – you may want to make more sauce so that it nicely covers the meat)
I cooked it on low in the crock pot for about 8 1/2 hours.
I served it with peas, applesauce, and stuffing. The meat fell apart as I took it out of the crock pot and it turned into more of a pulled pork than a sliced roast. The meat was so tender and moist and had the most incredible flavor!!!
I’m sure the pork chop version is wonderful, too — but the crock pot version was amazing!!!
Try it — you won’t go wrong — it really makes a delicious (and very easy) dinner!
Movie Review – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — the previews were intriguing — the story was thought provoking — the thought of spending almost three hours with Brad Pitt was irresistible!!! So, Mom and I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button today – here is my review!!!
Who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to be young and possess all the knowledge and wisdom gained from a life of experiences and relationships? But, would you want to be born old and grow physically younger as you grow older in years? That is the concept of the wonderful story of Benjamin Button – an intriguing concept, to say the least!
Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button. Benjamin is born on the day World War I ended in 1918. His mother dies in child birth and his father is so distraught over her death and in shock over what he sees when he first looks at his new son that he takes him wrapped in a blanket and leaves him on the steps of an old folks home in New Orleans. Taken in by a young, single black woman, he is soon discovered to be quite “different”. A doctor in the home determines the newborn has all the medical issues and characteristics of a man in his 80s and predicts he won’t live very long. But, Benjamin proves him wrong and lives a very long life — aging backwards!!!
Over the course of almost three hours, we follow Benjamin’s life via the reading of a diary that he wrote to document his incredible story. The diary is read by a young woman reading to her mother, Daisy (portrayed by Cate Blanchett), who is on her death bed. Daisy was a life long love of Benjamin’s and was intertwined throughout his life. As the diary is read, we see Benjamin go from a withered baby appearing to not be long for this world, to a feeble old man riddled with arthritis, to a middle aged man going through the experiences of a teenager, to a virile young man in his elder years, to a child with dementia, and finally to a baby.
Brad Pitt does an amazing job of portraying Benjamin and making him totally believable and interesting. The expressions and wonderment that came through on his face were perfect! Here you have a man who looks old and experienced in life, but he is listening to the stories being told to him with all the amazement and wonder that a child would have. People who knew him knew he was just a child, but those he meets along his journey think he’s an old man and are amazed that he doesn’t have the life knowledge and experiences expected of a man of the age he appears to be. It was absolutely fascinating to watch him go through life interacting with the world around him!
Mom and I went to Lil’ Dino’s for a sub after the movie and we talked and talked about what we thought of the story and whether or not we would want to age in reverse, like Benjamin did. Would it be better to go through the pains of old age before you are able to understand the limitations it causes and then get younger, stronger, and able to take on the world after you gain the knowledge and experiences that would benefit you in your older years? One strong argument against this option that really struck me was him watching all his close friends and family die around him, knowing that he would continue on getting younger without them and watching his loved ones age while he grows younger! That was so sad to watch. So — the movie raised more questions than answers for this concept!! I’m not sure I have a strong opinion either way…..
As for those who think that the movie had no “meaning” – I think quite the contrary! It definitely served its purpose – to provoke thoughts and wonderment – to show that everyone has an impact on those they come in contact with and you don’t have to do grand acts to be “special” or to touch others profoundly – to show that everyone is worthy and capable of love, regardless of how different they are – and that life and relationships are precious and should never be taken for granted. That’s what I got out of the movie — that and the warmth and awe that took over my heart as I watched the story unfold. It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie – one I will likely watch again and again and again!!!!
I rate this one an A+ and highly recommend it!
Movie Review – Marley and Me – and Christmas Day!
Christmas Day – 2008 – was very special at my house! Mom was here….we had a lovely meal….and did my favorite Christmas Day activity: we went to see a movie! Here is my accounting of the day and my review of “Marley and Me”…
We started the day with breakfast and, if I do say so myself, I fixed some perfectly cooked eggs!! It turned out to be a beautiful day – warm and sunny! Mom commented that it didn’t feel much like Christmas and if you were here visiting from Western NY (near Buffalo), you would probably say the same thing! But, it was a really beautiful day! After breakfast, we got ready and went to the movies!
Mom and I saw “Marley and Me” at the Christmas Day matinee! This is a dog lover’s movie that everyone will enjoy! BUT — and this is a huge “BUT” — it is VERY sad and heart tugging!!! Take a box of tissues with you – you’re gonna need them – I don’t care if you never cry at a movie – I will take bets that you’ll cry at this one!!!!
The movie stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson – both do an amazing job in their roles. The emotions and genuine joy in their relationship to “Marley” are portrayed beautifully and realistically. The story takes us from Aniston and Wilson’s characters getting married, moving to Miami, adopting a yellow lab puppy, and on through the growth of their family and life of Marley. Marley is all puppy! He is destructive beyond all imagination by eating and tearing into tiny pieces everything within sight (Megan has officially been demoted – she has lost the title of “World’s Biggest Monster Dog”) and totally unruly — and it is soooooooo funny!!! Probably because I could feel their pain……ha-ha-ha-ha!!! The beginning was adorable, hysterical, and loads of fun. Then, I thought they grew Marley up too fast – I wish they had focused more on him as a puppy – and the middle bordered on beginning to get boring when it started to pick up again. The ending is incredibly sad – very well done, but intense and sad, just the same! We both really enjoyed the movie – it was a lovely story, great characters, and perfectly cast – but we also both thought that it left us with the feeling that it put a damper on the day. I sobbed out loud and it broke my heart to watch the ending of this movie. It did not, however, take away from my enjoyment of the movie overall…I rate this one an A- only because of the slow part in the middle and because I wish they had ended it on a higher note – don’t get me wrong, the ending was appropriate and touching, but I just wish they had taken it just a little further so that I left feeling a little more upbeat.
Then, Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking our Christmas dinner together….it was such a joy to have her here and cook with her! We had all our favorites — ham, sweet potatoes, asparagus, parsnips, fruit salad, apple sauce, and yeast rolls. After we ate and cleaned up, we decided a nap was definitely in order — so we snoozed for a little while. We capped the evening off with french vanilla ice cream topped with fudge and caramel and spanish peanuts while watching TV. It was a great day!!!
Movies left on our “to do” list for the rest of Mom’s visit: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Seven Pounds”, and “Four Christmases”. We took “Australia” off the list because beginning today it is only showing at 9:35 at night and is an almost 3 hour movie — too late for us!! ha-ha We’d also really like to see “Doubt”, but it isn’t playing in Sanford – if that changes before Mom goes back, we just may have to put it on the list!!!!
Movie Review – Cadillac Records – and more…
Mom and I went to see Cadillac Records today. This movie is based on the true story of the rise and fall of Chess Records and the launch of the careers of great blues and rock ‘n roll legends Muddy Waters, Etta James, Chuck Barry, and Little Walter and writer Willie Dixon.
The cast is amazing – Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Beyonce Knowles as Etta James, Dante “Mos Def” Smith as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter, and Cedric The Entertainer as Willie Dixon. The music was incredible — great blues classics that brought out chills and tears as it reached down deep into my soul…. Beyonce excelled in the role of Etta James – she is beautiful, an exceptional singer, and an accomplished actress – she expressed every emotion with impeccable skill…I have enjoyed her in every film I’ve seen her in and this was, by far, her best job and most intense role.
The story took us through the efforts of Leonard Chess as he went from an immigrant’s son working as a junk dealer, to his dream of being a club owner, and finally to his start of Chess Records. Chess partnered with Muddy Waters to start up the recording company and launch the careers of Waters and others. The story also chronicles the lives and struggles of those that took their place in music history through their association with Chess Records – the successes, the failures, the addictions, the relationships, and…..the cadillacs!!!
Mom and I both thoroughly enjoyed this movie – the music, the story, the acting, everything – very well done and extremely entertaining! A definite “A” rating on this one — double thumbs up — if you like classic blues and early rock ‘n roll, you should see this film!
Before the movie, we went to Cafe 121 and had Classic Bacon sandwiches – bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cheese (on Mom’s, not mine) on wheatberry bread — YUM!!! Since we were going to the movies, I didn’t get my favorite caramel apple cider drink to take with us and didn’t have the chance to turn Mom onto it — but, I will get some before she leaves to go back home!!!
We came home after the movie, relaxed a while, had dinner, and opened our Christmas gifts! Tomorrow (Christmas), we plan to have a holiday breakfast, go see a movie (we are trying to decide between “Marley and Me” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), and come home to make a lovely ham dinner together! What a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we are having…….
Tuesday Thoughts
I haven’t written much this week because I have been busy enjoying my time with my Mom! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I’m so very happy that she is here to share it with me!
Her trip down was nerve racking for both her and me! She few out of Buffalo airport on Friday. The flight was supposed to leave at 10:45 am and arrive in RDU at 1:20 pm. Well, about 10:00 she called me and told me not to leave for the airport until I heard from her because they were announcing that all flights were delayed and may be canceled!!!! You see, a blizzard had hit the area that morning and was getting worse by the minute! An inch of snow an hour was falling and visibility was near zero! They weren’t allowing any planes to land, so there were no planes to load up for departure! They finally announced that a plane had arrived and was heading to Baltimore (her layover city) and they were going to see how many they could get on it from the various flights from BUF to BWI that were delayed. She got on the flight around 2:00-ish and arrived in RDU at 4:15 or so — three hours after her original arrival time!
All the time she was waiting to find out what was going to happen, she was sitting in a very uncomfortable wheel chair and hadn’t had any breakfast or lunch! Needless to say, by the time she got to RDU, she was irritated, in pain, and extremely hungry! So – we went to Bob Evans and had a very nice dinner and conversation to help get us both relaxed and settled! Once we got home, we were ready to start our visit and enjoy the two wonderful weeks we have together! On Sunday, we went to the final performance of “The Winter Wonderettes” at the Temple Theater. We really enjoyed that! Today, we went to the grocery store and got food for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals.
I made two trips to All Animals to see Dr. Cindy this week! On Sunday, when we got home from the theater and dinner, we noticed Katie was limping really badly and wasn’t acting like herself at all – obviously in pain and not feeling well. I checked her leg and there was a small hole tear in it and the whole lower portion of her leg was swollen. Monday morning didn’t show any improvement at all, so I took her in to have it looked at. There was some infection starting and obvious inflammation and trauma. Dr. Cindy gave her some antibiotics and pain medicine and told me to do warm compresses. As soon as all that kicked in, she began to act like herself, again. She’s still walking cautiously, but not limping as bad as before! So, that is doing the trick – I just hope it keeps improving! The second visit to All Animals was this morning – Megan and Amy had an appt for their annual visit – they are doing well, but gained some weight — so, we’ve got to watch that more closely! They don’t get any food other than their dog food (no table scraps or tastes of my food) – their food is already the “light” variety – and very few treats – more in the past week because of the addition of the Kongs, but even those aren’t much (I take 3 or 4 biscuits and break them up and split it between 3 Kongs and smear a little peanut butter – teaspoon or less – on the opening of each one — so each one doesn’t have much of a treat in them). So, I’m not sure why they are gaining weight, but, I will take the suggestion of cutting the evening portion of their meal down and see if that helps!
I didn’t put up a tree this year and I really miss it!!! I love having a Christmas Tree all decorated and lit up! But, I got so far behind on things that I couldn’t see going to all that work for just a few days or a week of enjoyment before I have to take it all down again!!! So, we decided to skip the tree and just go with decorating the mantle and accent tables. It looks really nice (the new photo at the top of my blog page is a cropped shot of the decorations on my library table), but I still miss my tree!!!! Now, if I can just get the gifts for Mom, Ronald, and Lisa wrapped before I have to give them to them to open, I’ll be OK…..ha-ha!!!! I have been such a procratinator this year!!! But, before Mom got here, I was busy with work and preparations for her visit – then, once she got here, I’d rather be sitting with her and chatting or watching a movie or something!!! So, it’s all good…..just different!
So, what’s up for the remaining week and a half that Mom’s here? Well, we have the holidays, of course, and we also have several movies on our “to do” list and a ton of just taking time to enjoy each other’s company! So……we’ll likely be busy and need to prioritize the “to do” list to see what are “must dos” and what are “let’s try, but it’ll be ok if we run out of time to dos”…..
Kong Power!
Nope, I am not referring to the movie icon King Kong – I am referring to those funny looking hollow red things that you buy for dogs! The girls and I have discovered the power of the Kong!
I bought a couple a long time ago and put the treat in the end and stuck a little bit of it out the opening and gave it to the girls to play with – well, they got the treat out quickly and tried to play with the Kong, but it didn’t squeak (an absolute drop dead requirement of any toy that has any hope of holding Megan’s attention), so that was the end of the Kongs – they were left in the corner of the room – alone – unloved! I put them in the toy box, but they were never pulled out by the girls… poor Kong!
Well, my friend Jennifer (of Life With Miles fame) and I were comparing notes on our dog’s activities one day and she suggested I try giving them Kongs to occupy them when I’m not at home. I told her I tried that once and it didn’t do much good and that I was concerned they might fight over the treats if I’m not there to supervise! She explained how she uses her’s and I decided to give it a try!
I got out the two Kongs I already had and bought a couple more — then, I took three of them and broke up 3 or 4 treats and stuffed them inside the Kong (didn’t leave them whole and sticking out, like the package suggests). Then, I covered the opening with a little peanut butter and stuck them in the freezer to freeze the peanut butter and make it last longer! Before I left, I got them out of the freezer and gave each girl one of their own and watched for a few minutes — well, they got to licking the frozen peanut butter and didn’t even notice I was leaving for work!!! When I got home, the Kongs were not only empty, but clean as a whistle!!! And the girls seemed happy and nothing else in the house was disturbed!!!
I have done this a couple times now and it seems to be working — AND — even when they are empty, now, Megan seeks them out to play with! She rolls them around and tries to stick her nose into the opening and pushes them around with her nose! They hold her attention longer, now! I run them through the dishwasher every other use or so and she still plays with them even when they don’t have any peanut butter residue at all……SUCCESS!!!!
I hope it continues to be of value! I have a new couch being delivered this morning! I picked a style that I think won’t promote chewing – cushions are similar fabric and type as the ones on the chairs that they have never seemed interested in (from a chewing standpoint – they love to curl up in them, though) – but, I don’t want to leave anything to chance!!!
The all mighty, powerful Kong is my new hero!!!
Megan – such a smart cookie…
I haven’t been blogging much, lately — been busy working, getting ready for Christmas (still not ready – so way behind this year), and my Mom’s visit! But I did have something I wanted to share…
I’ve written about Megan’s love of toys – balls that squeak, in particular. Well, she has taken her games with her favorite ball to another level!!! Last night, she was laying on the floor about 2-3 feet from my chair and was just laying there watching me. I noticed that her ball was right there at my foot. So, I gently nudged it so that it rolled over to her and landed right in front of her. She looked at it and looked at me and back at the ball and back at me — I could tell she was thinking hard about something!!! ha-ha-ha Then, she took her nose and pushed the bal
l so that it rolled back over to me!!!! I said “thank you, baby, you want it back now?” and nudged it with my foot back over to her again. She immediately took her nose and rolled it back!!!! I was impressed!!!! I thanked her again and rolled it back…..this went on for about 5 or 6 rounds until my excitement over this new activity got the best of her and she grabbed the ball and started dancing around squeaking it in sheer joy!!!
I was amazed — she never did that before — I didn’t teach it to her — she just saw me do it and thought about it and decided it might be fun — and it was!!!! And she seemed to enjoy it, too!!!! Don’t know if this was one of those one time things or if she’ll add this new game to her bag of fun things to do!!!
On another note — the living room furniture is all rearranged in a weird setting — I have a new couch coming from Dossenbach’s tomorrow morning and someone is coming to get the old one this afternoon. So, to make it easier for him to get the old one out of here, I pushed it over to the bar that separates the living room and kitchen and arranged the chairs in a cosy setting at the end of the living room and pushed the accent tables out of the way over in front of the TV…….this sent the girls into a frenzy — their living room was changed – their favorite seats were in different places – they were NOT happy!!! ha-ha-ha I told them that they had better enjoy the old couch as much as they can cause we’re getting a new one on Friday!!! AND – Megan’s favorite place to sit is on the over stuffed pillow back on the old couch – every day I come home and it is all packed down where she was up on it sleeping! Well, the new one has a narrow non-pillow type back — she’s not gonna like that much!!! ha-ha-ha
Who’s That In My Blog Surfer?
Over the past week or so, I have started getting random posts from blogs I have never visited showing up on my blog surfer!!! Does anyone know how to make it stop? I notice on the list of blogs that I have deliberately listed, the count for them shows up beside “wordpress.com” and when I click the “X” to remove it, nothing happens – it won’t remove! I, also, have clicked on “readomattic” to see if I can delete or block them and they don’ t have the same options that blogs that I choose to be there have!!! If fact, they don’t have ANY options!!! They aren’t offensive in anyway – just random regular blogs – but it is still irritating to go there and have to scan through to find if there are ones that I DO want to read!!! Uugghh!!! Any ideas????
Holiday Foods
Nothing says “holiday” like food! No matter what holiday you are celebrating, food is surely a big part of it and very much linked to both seasonal and family traditions. This post is all about the good and bad of holiday foods…feel free to leave a comment adding your 2 cents to the topic!
On today’s AOL Welcome page, one of the features was “Holiday Foods We Love to Hate”. They wrote about the results of a poll they took asking what typical traditional holiday foods people really didn’t look forward to. Here were their top 11 and my opinion on each one (I mostly agreed with them). After that part, I will list some of my family’s favorite holiday foods…
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Dry Turkey
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Agreed! I am not a big fan of white meat on a turkey (or chicken, for that matter) because it tends to be dry or get dry shortly after the initial serving. Unless you brine it or perfectly cook a Butterball in a bag, you’re gonna have a high potential for dry turkey. So, for me, just pass the dark meat, please….
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Over-Thought Stuffing
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Agreed! They talked about how stuffing with a ton of extra weird stuff like nuts and water chestnuts or sausage and oysters and stuff take all the simple goodness out of stuffing! I agree – all I want in my stuffing is bread cubes, chicken (or turkey) stock, celery, onions, and lots of perfectly blended spices. I have occasionally added a few raisins or cranberries, but that is rare and my limit for extra junk!
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Candy Canes That Aren’t Peppermint
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Um – I could go either way, here! I do like some of the other flavored kinds – like the blueberry or cherry ones. But the peppermint ones scream out “Merry Christmas”, so I probably agree with the statement in this context.
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Assorted Chocolates
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This one took some thought – I mean, come on – it is chocolate! Who cares what kind it is…… But, I settled on agreeing because of the word “assorted”! Afterall, there aren’t many assortments where you will have everyone liking every piece in the box (case in point – who invented those ones with the disgusting jelly centers that don’t have any recognizable flavor to them?) — and to the point they made on the subject, it brings out the worst in people who do the sneaky finger pokes or cracking open and fusing back maneuvers to find out if they are going to like it or not before they put it in their mouth! Just give me a nice box of all caramels and you’ll have a happy camper on your hands!
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Fancied Up Cranberry Sauce
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Agreed! Although in some circumstances, I do enjoy some nice cranberry chutney with chopped walnuts….when it comes to that special holiday meal with the perfect (dark meat) turkey, I like just plain old cranberry jelly (whole cranberry sauce is fine, too, but I prefer the jelly).
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Eggnog
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Agreed – several times over!!!!!!! OK, if you’ve read my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I have posted my home made eggnog recipe! Yes, I have made eggnog for my family and guests and they really do enjoy this recipe and often request it….but I don’t drink it! I have tried this particular recipe and, if I were inclined to drink eggnog, I would drink this version — but there is just something about the thought of drinking a glass full of raw eggs that is majorly revolting to me!
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Fruitcake
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Agreed – another major agreement!!!!! That bitter candied fruit and the thought of something that may have been made in the beginning of the last century and is still being passed around as a “thoughtful” gift raises a lot of issues in my mind!!! Whenever I have tried to eat fruitcake to be respectful of a hostess or gift giver, it was all I could to to keep from spitting it back out! YUCK!! Although – I do understand that there is a place near here that makes FRESH fruitcakes that are world famous and supposed to be absolutely fabulous — I don’t have the courage to try one for myself…..
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Giblet Gravy
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Agreed! Keep the internal organs out of the gravy! Either toss them out or, if you must, boil them up for your cat — the cat will love them, but they will stink up the house! YUCK!
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Gelatin Salads
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Agreed! I do like molded jello with cool whip mixed in it, occasionally, but it tends to be an extra dish taking up space on the counter (or table) that could be used for something really good – it really is a waste of space in a holiday meal.
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Mince Meat Pie
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Disagree! Now I have to disagree — I would agree if what you mean is the old fashioned version of mince meat made with fruits, suet, and beef or venison – that sounds horrible! But, the home made or canned mince meat that most people use today that is a spicy mixture of apples, raisins, rum, and wonderful spices is so delicious and one of my favorite pies!!!! I really enjoy a good mince meat pie and only really think about it during the holidays.
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Scalloped Potatoes
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Disagree! Although I usually don’t make them during the actual holiday meal, I do love to make them to use up the last of the leftover ham! I love scalloped potatoes and ham!! So, they are a holiday tradition for me – you just won’t likely see them until a few days AFTER the holiday is over!
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Now — for some of MY favorite holiday foods (aside from the normal turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberries, gravy, and mashed potatoes) – these are things that I grew up seeing on just about every holiday table at my Grandma’s or my Mom’s – and now usually at mine (except those that only they can make right…):
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Butternut Squash
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We like to cut it down the middle (lengthwise), clean out the pulp and seeds, and bake it in the shell – then, when it is all nice and soft and brown on top, we scoop it out of the shell and whip it with butter.
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A touch I don’t think I’ve ever seen Grandma or Mom do, but I like to do, is to add a tiny bit of cinnamon or brown sugar to it — not much, just a little bit to give it a hint of those flavors
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Homemade Apple Pie
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Living in the north east in the fall is perfect for anything with apples — our area has apple orchards all over the place!!! We’d get fresh picked granny smith or other tart apples and peel and slice them up for pies! Lots of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter layered in the fresh apples all piled high in the crust to bake down to make nice thick slices……….YUM!
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Grandma’s Apple Dumpling
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Speaking of apples…..this is one of those I alluded to above when I said some things only “they” can make right – well, this is one that only GRANDMA could make right! We can do the apple dumpling part, but it was the clear sauce that was poured over each piece as it was served that no one has ever been able to get to come out right!
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Baked Sweet Potatoes
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no explanation or comment necessary – except, where’s the butter, I’m ready for one right now!
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Lemon Meringue Pie
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Anything with Lemons was my Grandpa’s favorite and I took after him on that note…a nice high piece of pie with a real strong taste of tart lemons and a thick layer of meringue that would instantly melt away in your mouth as soon as you took a bite was a perfect cap to a holiday meal….
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Snack Trays
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While family gathers and the ladies are finishing up the meal preparations, you gotta have something to keep those hungry kids and guys outa the kitchen!!! So, we always had trays of munchies to eat while waiting for the meal — relish trays with assorted pickles, olives, pickled watermelon rind, etc.; veggie trays and dips; chips and dips; crackers with cheeses, pepperoni, summer sausages, etc….. it’s a wonder we still wanted dinner, but never failed to be starved and devour all the items served up for the main meal……
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Creamed Peas
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This is not something I was particularly fond of, but it was something Grandma always fixed — she was a farmer’s wife and they tended to put milk on everything! ha-ha She would make fresh peas and put them in a milk and butter sauce. Everyone liked them, but me – I’m not a fan of milk……
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I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but you get the idea……dinner at Grandma’s was always something special — a table full of family, food, and tons of love!!!! As we sat around the big dining room table, Grandma would look around at all of us and say “I wonder what the poor people are doing today?” We were, indeed, rich – definitely not in the financial sense, but in the family and love sense, for sure!!! Then in later years the dinners shifted to Mom’s house and Grandma, Grandpa, and some of the other relatives would all gather there for the same traditions, different house!!!
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