Day 2 Day radishes

November 30/sin and baking

The Women’s Bake Sale at church is coming up.  Although I am 69, I think of the Women’s Bake Sale club members as  “older.”  Hum.  This year I want to put in a good effort. A few of the women are ancient, and they can no longer hold up their end of production.  The club pays for supplies for the church for the whole year, and let me just say, we do want toilet paper.  Paper towels are good too. 

You can bring what you want, but in fact, they know what will sell, and what won’t.  Pies are the best.  Fruit cakes are out, and no one will buy cookies.  Bread is also good.  I discovered the Lost Recipes cook book recently, and it is full of mainly depression recipes, like mile high bologna pie. If that is not a stitch. The book had a cake called Hot Milk Cake.  I made a few for the sale.  And I came across a chocolate, walnut, cherry, chocolate chip recipe.  What is not to like about that?  I have done this to amusement myself.  But now I have to figure out how to see the things which have been stated, will not sell.  I have decided to write little stories and attach them to the cakes. But the learning curve on tag making is steep.   

I leave now for the St. Ignatius group where, I repeat, we are all sinners. Is it a sin to amuse yourself making little fruitcakes.  In fact, this is satisfying my ego.  Now. . .  do I think  of this baking venture as something a little wonderful, or is it a sin to not do what the old ladies want?

November 28/Siiiiiiin

I have, what I am hoping, is a new friend. By friend, I mean someone you sort of keep in touch with, you would be willing to do something for, have lunch with, and in general, thinks the way you think, with enough difference make you think in new creative ways. This friend also attends my liberal Episcopal Church. 

Here at home, I am in the middle of the St. Ignatius project and we are embedded in sin. I had forgotten why I am a Protestant, and not a Catholic. I have a lot of trouble getting down there with sin. I think it does not apply to me.  I sin, but I am not taking on all of poverty, racism, war. I have trouble taking on sins of collective responsibility. To me, political points of view and solutions so vary, that even thinking one way, or another can be called sin. But I do believe in evil.

Meanwhile my friend who is wintering in Arizona is going to a country/western Methodist church in Arizona. She says they have great bands. This week she is studying intercessory prayer. She says her lesson is , that not to pray for others, is a sin. This, I can get a handle on.

A  daughter has just called in making a few corrections in the above.  Isn't that nice. 

November 27/ Teeth

This could be your first Christmas card. I took these pictures thinking they might be my Christmas card. But my husband is in a lousy mood today, so I am sure that he does not think it funny. But if you do get an actual Christmas card with these pictures, act surprised. I have been having my teeth repaired. Over the years they have gotten shorter and shorter. This is not the final project, but very close. And my teeth will be protected. But after you read this blog, try to sing, “All I Want for Christmas Is My New Front teeth“. If you are too young to know this song, you were not around in the fifties. Rather than be banished to the cellar, he went to have oil changed on a car.

November 26/ And the winner is. . .

I am not sure whether I would prefer dying because I did not go to the gym, or die from going crazy because I am so behind.  I chose not going crazy.  And in the three hours it would have taken to go to the gym, have a bite to eat, and pick up a few groceries, I have cleaned a lot off my plate. But I started with eyeliner. 

Below is a picture of the Thanksgiving brussel sprouts.  I fixed a netted sack of brussel sprouts because I thought one son-in-law liked them.  After two days there were about as many left as you see in the pan, although the recipe was very good.    Buy as small of sprouts as you can,  toss them in olive oil and sauté them in a pan.  Some of them should get really brown. In a way it was good that I fixed them.  The moaning and groaning was table talk sport.  The children were very finicky. “We don’t eat wild rice, don’t give me any green beans, yuck no cranberry relish, we will have stuffing (there was precious little of that), and not too much turkey.” 

For a woman who finds cooking, tiring and somewhat dull, Margaret, outdid herself.  The turkey was perfect.  And the gravy was all time, with lots of lemon zest in it.  She should not have tried so hard, because now she is stuck with turkey and gravy. 

Everyone wanted pie.  The cranberry pie was no one’s first choice.  The hands down winner of pie category, was pecan.  Recipe from everyday food.  And people liked the pumpkin.  Why change when Libby’s is great.   But as predicted, most ate cranberry pie the next day.

November 22/ Thanksgiving

Above are my Thanksgiving pies. I made five pies, and I have to say it took far longer than I anticipated. I was tired, and my goal for the coming women’s bake sale at church is eight, but for that I am going to have to make more of the same flavor. These pies/tarts are Libby’s pumpkin, maple pecan, and cranberry. The cranberry is an unknown, but it seemed festive. While no one may eat it for Thanksgiving, I am sure they will force themselves to try it the day after.

I am a blessed woman. Today I am very thankful for many, many things. But this Thanksgiving I am giving a special thanks for my sister who has made my holiday.

My daughter NoName is celebrating Thanksgiving in Shanghai on Saturday. She has ordered a turkey dinner from a hotel. Thanksgiving means nothing to the American school, although one granddaughter had an American meal this week in her class. One reason the festivities are brought in, is that only a chicken will fit in her oven. Happy Thanksgiving to those overseas.

november 20/Thanksgiving

Today is the last day to finish my Christmas project, with free shipping, so I am not spending much time here.  I am very excited about Thanksgiving.  What makes us so excited about a turkey dinner?  Maybe it is the food. I do not have the same expectations of New Year’s.   We dress slightly fancy, we have lots of desserts.   I am making pumpkin, pecan, and cranberry pies, plus a pie for a neighbor. Plus I will make gag balls (brussel sprouts) for one son-in-law.  For the other son-in-law I am making mustard green beans, and I do not even know what they are.

I like being part of a group, I like the chaos. I even like the guys going off to watch part of a game.  The kids are exuberant, expectant, which means they are not yet teenagers.  I can debate on the timing of the wild rice and the turkey.  That last is because I have the position of senior member. 

This year I am very Thankful.  And I hope that you are too.  Do not forget in all the chaos the part about saying thank you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

And a special thanksgiving to our family in China who will be celebrating Saturday night. 

November 19/ UW vs. Cal

I did not watch the Univ. of Washington game vs. UCBerkley game on television. My husband went with two sons-in-law to the game. It had been planned for months. For weeks my husband got his rain costume together: new jacket, new hat, and my retired rain gardening pants.

One son-in-law got his doctorate at Washington. The other son-in-law graduated, with my daughter, at Berkeley, and my husband got his law degree there. The first game the family group went to, was at Berkeley. That day we met the aforemention "other son-in-law" to be. He  had gotten into a fight after the game with a Washington fan. I made my husband drive the young man to the hospital to get his slashed hand stitched.  This was from climbing a barbed wired fence in his escape from the opppsition. At least it was a diversion from having to listen to the winning Washington son-in-law gloat.

There was always much gloating by my son-in-law over all the victories. Situation reversed, so would I. Added to this, my daughter , his wife, also gloated, big time. Time and age have tempered it. Yet fourteen years have passed, and we still carry our baggage. In recent years we watch this game on television. This year my husband got the tickets, because this year the odds were, there was a good chance that Cal might win. Sticking to tradition, Washington won the football game.

But this year my husband made the Jumbo-Tron. He was displayed as the most disgruntled Cal fan. And I am told, they kept the camera on him for a long time.

November 15/ The next person you hear could be an angel

I am feeling pres…sured .  Here at the house, I am only doing my husband’s birthday party.  No Thanksgiving, except for taking pies.  No Christmas at my house, only support dishes.  But now I am traveling with my conscience, or “God speak”, which now I have  to follow through.  My St. Ignatius group is going forward, first we examined ourselves, but now we are coming to the “pay attention to God” part.  I seriously am very worried about the upcoming sacrificing part.

Hearing God speak, I signed up for writing to solders. It was Veteran’s Day, what can I say.  Fortunately, I do not have my instructions yet, so I have not had to do anything, although I did buy a GET WELL card which cost $4.00, I saw that when I went to the check-out counter.  I am supposed to send five cards a week.  I think I will have to come up with some card alternative. 

But I have also signed up to make pies for the Women’s bake sale.  Could be fun if I do take squirrel. 

And I am creating a project for my family for Christmas.  Today I got a email saying if it was completed by November 22, I would get free shipping. Put the pressure on! I just got started, and I am gone for the weekend. 

But what I am trying to say here, is that if I was not trying to hear “God speak”,  I would not be participating in these projects. God knows how anxious I become, when I try to do too much, or multi task.  I am hoping he is willing to help me out with my nerves, and time management.  Now here is a real test of faith. 

November 14/ a birthday for an older person

A month ago today was my 69th birthday. My daughters Meredith and Margaret said they would come up to my house and bring everything for dinner. Meredith called, and asked if I wanted French or Italian. I said French. They came up the night before and cooked all day, the French meal: puff pastry canopies for drinks, roast pork, green leaf salad, and mashed potatoes that had a cup of olive oil in it. In the late afternoon the rest of the girl’s families arrived. My son-in-law brought his industrial strength torch to caramelize the crème brulee. The dinner was fantastic.

They bought a cookbook by Anne Willan, French Country Cooking, which is a beautiful book and has infused me with French cooking thoughts and plans. It was a perfect evening. The children were great (although one child woke with night terrors, the first any of us had ever seen). The children handed me flowers and the three year old’s face was so enthusiastic, it is a life memory.

But the best part of all, was the girls being there during the day, sans family. I am long being over being by myself with them, and I love the expanded family. However being by yourself there is the possibility that you might finish a thought and conversation without interruption . Secondly there is the chance to linger over a topic and work it over, and explore it further. There is the comfort of reliving past history. This was a gift.

The above photo is the pork roast, not some sort of dinosaur as my daughter suggested. 

November 13/Pie oh My, and more

One thing just leads to another.   As I wrote, I am in a pie craze.  .  Pie craze has led to a lot,including pounds.  I have bought books. I order them on line and then wait eagerly for them to arrive in the mail.  I love sweet pies,but then I discovered savory pies.  Last night was turkey pie with a cornbread crust.  Quiche is beyond the beyonds.  I made a lamb pie that friends said equaled upscale restaurants. I just love it when I can impress someone.  Savory pies are helped by pie funnels to keep the crust off of the soggy filling.  Hunting for pie birds is a sport unto itself. I am making a friend pies for Thanksgiving, I am making the pies for our family Thanksgiving.  A friend is coming over to help me make pies for the women's group at church bake sale.  Should I send something crazy like squirrel pie?

But for you, dear friends here is little tip about pie crusts.  And I think it will work with whatever recipe you have.  I have only tried it with a food processor.  Work the butter/Crisco/lard in with only 2/3 of the flour, being sure not to over work the fat.  Then add the last third of flour, and mix only briefly.  Then what ever the amount of water your recipe calls for, substitute half with vodka. The other half of vodka is for the cook.   Be sure to pulse it until it comes together, but you don't want it to ball up around the blade. 

Cook's Illustrated gave a firm recipe for this technique.  The alcohol burns off. This pastry seems much easier to roll.  If your crust has been in the refrigerator for over 30 minutes, be sure to let the dough warm up slightly, as this will help with the cracking.