11.30.2006

Up to 2003. Boy they were little . . .

11.27.2006

Third day in, over 15 hours of video . . . We're into the '90's now, First Baby is sixish, Bubba is a toddler, Boy is a baby, DH is a student and watching this is making me hungry. Remembering poverty, always being hungry but making sure the little ones had enough food and warm clothes. Watching them grow and change, tape by tape, year by year. It really reminds me that although parenthood can be stressful, exhausting, frightening, it is also so sweet, so wonderful, so very very short. It blows my mind, it does
.

11.25.2006

DH's new (obsession) project is to transfer 20 years worth of family movies on VHS and 8 mm onto DVD before they degrade as all film does. So, to that end, we watched 10 hours of family videos today as they were being recorded onto DVD. It's so awesome seeing the spawn when they were babies, then toddlers. We've only gotten up to 1989 and I'm wiped. More tomorrow . . .

11.24.2006

I spent a good portion of the day napping. I was so tired from cooking yesterday. I did knit a little of Amy's shawl and took a bite out of the neverending laundry. It was a good day.

Behold The Veggie Turkey - Is It Not Glorious?

11.23.2006

Coffee, cornmeal craisin muffins and the beginnings of maple pecan pie. The pumpkin pies are baking, the turkey is coming to room temperature and the mincemeat pear pie and Abby's apple pies were finished early this morning. Guests coming soon, lots of cooking and baking left . . .

11.23.2006

Mincemeat Pear Pie and Apple pies are done - aren't Abby's Apple pies beautiful? I am too tired to bake any more - I'll finish the Pumpkin Pies and Maple Pecan Pie later this morning after I catch five or so hours of sleep.

11.19.2006

My checklist and timeline is complete:

One week before Thanksgiving
•• Plan the menu. Prepare and review shopping list. Buy nonperishable items.
•• Ask Greg if we can borrow his crock pot. Come up with third crockpot without committing crime.
Four days ahead
•• Start defrosting a large turkey (15-20 lbs) in refrigerator on rimmed baking sheet.
•• Compose shopping list, and purchase nonperishables.
Three days ahead
•• Make cranberry sauce, and store in the refrigerator.
•• Stuffing calls for stale bread; cut and cube bread, set cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet to dry. Bag when done.
One day ahead
•• Shop for perishables.
•• Make pies.
•• Clean and press the table linens. Prepare serving pieces, glassware, etc.
Thanksgiving Day
•• 9:00 A.M. Remove turkey from refrigerator, allowing it to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Prepare stuffing up to eggs and broth.
•• 11:15 A.M. Preheat the oven.
•• 11:30 A.M. Put the turkey in the oven to roast, basting every half hour.
•• 12:00 P.M. Finish preparing stuffing. Make giblet stock. Prepare veggie gravy.
•• 12:30 P.M. Assemble Veggie Turkey. Refrigerate until 3:45 P.M.
•• 3:00 P.M. Make the mashed potatoes and the sweet potatoes. Keep warm in the crock pots.
•• 3:30 P.M. Garnish desserts. Prepare whipped cream.
•• 4:00 P.M. Check the temperature of the turkey. If the temperature reads 180 , remove from oven. If not, check every 15 minutes until bird is done.
•• 4:15 P.M. Let the turkey sit for 30 minutes prior to carving. Tent loosely with foil to hold in heat. Prepare turkey gravy. Bake Veggie Turkey and stuffing. Prepare green beans. Make turkey gravy. Open red wine.
•• 5:00 P.M. Call everyone to the table.

11.19.2006

Planning out the finer details of Thanksgiving, the grocery list, the timeline.

Warm kitty+ 27 degrees = contentment.

11.18.2006

This week was a pretty challenging one for both DH and I. Some jobs, such as doctors, lawyers and therapists have a higher level of long term stress than others. To survive, you have remain 'objective' and turn work off when you leave the office, but it is very difficult to do so, particularly if one tries to retain any humanity at all or treat one's clients with empathy or compassion. I suppose the job wouldn't be nearly so stressful if I could just focus on squeezing every penny I could out of people and not give a shit about them, if I wouldn't care about how black my heart and soul got. And then I could go on expensive vacations, payoff my house, have lots of toys. Doesn't really seem worth it though. The being a bastard part, I mean. I'd hate to have to look in the mirror. Or live with myself.

At any rate, last night, DH and I decided to go down to the city (in this neck of the woods, 'the city' can only mean NYC), to the friendly little bar we discovered several years ago (a throwback to another era) and visit our friends.

It's been a really long time, DH has not been down since July and I hadn't been since February. I am so, so glad we went - and I had so much fun that I just had to sit down and write even though it's so late - or early - and we just now got back.

We left around 8:30 last night, encountered little traffic and got down there around 11ish. There was some construction on Houston Street, so what would normally take 5 minutes took almost forty just to go a few city blocks. But, being the city, there was plenty to look at as we were sitting, creeping along. Taxi drivers to vehicularly spar with, fashion models to eye, billboards to laugh at, young professionals interacting(trying to get laid, trying to impress). A veritable cultural anthropology/sociology lab. I got big crushing hugs from our friends, Lisa the bartender, Elo the bouncer and pool savant, Jason the federal professional and pool savant, and even Nikki the bartender was quite friendly - she actually said 'hi' to me and, for the first time ever, made eye contact with me(she's only nice to women she's interested in). Lisa bought us several rounds, we played good music on the jukebox and had impromptu sing-a-longs to Jam and Sex Pistols songs with strangers, we walked around in all the hustle and bustle, hung around on the street and talked and had some utterly awesome mexican food at a little hole in the wall called La Esquina. When I say awesome Mexican, I mean real, authentic food, not the New England idea (Taco Bell). Shredded beef, not hamburger; cilantro; warm corn tortillas, not flour; real chilis, not some runny sauce made from supermarket chili powder - sheer heaven. Having grown up in southern California, I haven't had real Mexican food for 11 years - the last time I was in California(that time I stopped by Gallegos and smuggled home 5 dozen corn tortillas in my suitcase - wish I had brought more). I mean, for Pete's sake, the only way I can get masa harina out here is if I buy Carol Shelby's chili mix - I get about a tablespoon in each package - it's just sad. Very sad. My sister used to mail me dried chilis to make sauce. So, I was quite thrilled, to say the least. My mouth was in heaven. Now, all I want to do is go back and eat there some more.

So, we left about five this morning (after most of the other bars close at three or three-thirty, we get to hangout in the bar as a 'local') and got to see a beautiful sunrise when we got close to home. And now, I am going to go snuggle with my honey and doze for a few hours.

11.11.06

Planning out the Thanksgiving menu. This year, my brother-and-sister-in-law and neice will come down, and maybe first baby and her man will attend as well. Still waiting to hear back on that . . .

So, so far, the menu looks like this:

MAIN COURSE
Maple Glazed Turkey
Turkey Gravy
Vegetarian "Turkey"
Veggie Gravy
Traditional Herbed Stuffing
Sweet Potato Puree
Mashed Potatoes
Slow Sauteed String Beans
Spiced Squash and Maple Puree
Cranberry Relish
DESSERTS
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Coffee
Tea

I am writing up my timeline - when I'll buy what and cook what. My plan of attack should be done in a day or so. Then we'll have to see how much real life gets in the way!

11.08.2006

Stop taking my picture

11.05.2006 True to form

Tonight was the Bonfire we had planned for months and invited 38 friends to. Just before people began to arrive, and just after sunset, we lit the bonfire. Dark comes quickly here now, so within half an hour, the fire was beginning to catch and grow, and with 30 people milling about, chatting, eating, drinking, all were having fun. Then, true to form, one of our friendly week-ender neighbors (lives in the big city) called the fire department, frightened because they saw a fire in the woods. I mean, when you see a fire through the woods, with people standing near it, moving about, and you hear music coming gently through the trees - well, it means that there is a forest fire, especially after a solid week of drenching rain, and you should be very scared, right? The fire department made us put out the bonfire. Completely. Would not leave until it was completely out. What a drag, what an embarrassment. Well, we had a little fire in our little chimenea on the deck, and some fun was had. Boy, though, it really smacked me in the face how much I HATE IT HERE and want to get the %&@* out of here.

11.04.2006

Harvest Bonfire tonight - twenty foot high by twelve feet wide pile of brush and logs await to be lit after sunset. White chili and homemade mac'ncheese are done, cider simmers with spices, apple pies are done and cooling, brownies are baking.

We woke to this on the ground:












Can't tell what it is? Here have a closer look:

Yes, that's right, it is snow.

This is our third snowfall this fall. And it is barely November. Do ya think we'll have another brutal winter? Hmmm . . .

11.03.2006

A few posts ago, I was showing the sweater pieces I was knitting for DH - and then I stopped knitting because I needed a consult with the Yarn Goddess. Said consult took place last night and this is what DH's sweater now looks like:



As you can see, Boy and TigerLilli are helping with the frogging process. Yes, that's right - I've had to frog the whole bloody thing. Because DH is 6'2" and 204 lbs, the Yarn Goddess determined that the size L would not fit well and I should be knitting an XXL. Egads.

We are having a Harvest Bonfire tomorrow, so I must be off to cook like mad. Like mad.