Thursday, December 27, 2007
I'm cooking Christmas dinner.
That's right. Two days after Christmas and we're finally having Christmas dinner. Just one of the circumstances that turned our Christmas curious.
Not that we didn't have dinner on Christmas. I'd bought what was called a quarter HoneyBaked Ham® (no bone, sliced) so that I could serve Mom her very favorite breakfast (after pancakes, that is, which didn't seem like a good idea, considering all the refined carbohydrates I expected to slosh through her system that day, although I added the breakfast accompaniment of Wildflower Bread Company's cranberry scones, of which I am endlessly envious and haven't yet managed to duplicate), ham and eggs. As the day progressed, despite the mounting oddities, the one item that had been a resounding success from Mom's point of view was the ham at breakfast. About the time I needed to begin preparing what I'd planned for Christmas dinner, Sauerbraten, Mom announced that she'd "just as soon" have ham again for dinner.
No problem. The roast could marinate for a few more days. How, I asked, would she like the rest of the ham prepared?
"How about ham and cheese sandwiches with MCS's pickles (MCS had sent us some jars of her much appreciated home made Bread & Butter pickles for Christmas, yet another favorite of Mom's; when we opened the package right after breakfast Mom insisted on having some)?"
That was doable. I assembled ham and cheese (Cheddar and Jalapeno Jack for Mom, aged, grated Parmesan for me) between slices of sourdough bread slathered with whiskey mustard and skillet toasted the sandwiches. With the pickles, it made a perfect Christmas dinner, especially considering what had gone before.
Dinner was followed with a light dessert, also not on the original menu. I'd planned a See's Apricot Delight Cake. I'd noticed it while I was ordering some very special candy for Mom's stocking. The cake recipe sounded delicious, so I ordered the type of candy it required and made sure I had all the ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly, which is a miracle for me. Unfortunately, the recipe was a dud. The cream cheese/candy filling sunk to the bottom of the upside-down Bundt pan as it baked and fused to the pan. When I attempted to drop the cake out of the pan (after the requisite hour of cooling) the cake broke in half. The cake part baked up nicely, but the filling part had turned into a gooey glue that I had to scrape out of the pan. The entire production went down the garbage disposal. On Christmas Day, though, I got an idea to bake up a batch of Date Bars, a delicious family recipe from waaay back that put standard oat crust date bars to shame. My plan was to serve these (which I did bake on Christmas) with French Vanilla ice cream and home made rum-date sauce. After dinner, though, Mom wanted, "just a little something sweet", so I okayed her foray into her box of special candy. Amazingly, although she loved it, she ate only one piece. I was surprised. I even told her that it would be okay if she had more since I'd doubled her glipizide dose, but, "...no, that was enough." I never fail to be amazed at her sugar restraint since she developed Type 2 diabetes in 1999 and slowly but surely changed her sugar habits.
So, we're having our originally planned Christmas Dinner tonight, Sauerbraten and Date Bars with ice cream and rum-date sauce, tonight. I just finished the dessert sauce...oh, my, it is the sauciest of sauces!
In case you're curious, the Sauerbraten recipe is straight out of Joy of Cooking, the 1997 edition. I followed that recipe exactly, as well, right down to the marinade, except that I did something my mother used to do when cooking pot roast: I added the chunked companion vegetables I'd planned (not the vegetables that flavor the braising liquid) to the braising meat throughout the cooking cycle. They'll be removed just before I make the sauce. I followed the recipe on this one, too, because, although I may, at some time, have had Sauerbraten, I don't remember it so I figured I'd better not get too creative with the cooking. From all indications, the main dish will be delicious...as will the dessert. I'll publish the recipes for the Date Bars (you won't find this recipe anywhere else, I don't think; I suspect that the woman who passed it on to us created it) and the rum-date Sauce (not my recipe) later, over at the cooking section. I'll add links from here to there.
I think the meat is just about ready to harvest, which means I need to get busy, awaken The Mom from her nap and make the gravy (yes, I'm going to use crushed gingersnaps, as the recipe recommends...even though the idea of cookies in a main dish gives me pause).
Good idea to put my feet back in the journaling water by writing around what's been going on. I think I'll be dunking myself further...
...later.
Not that we didn't have dinner on Christmas. I'd bought what was called a quarter HoneyBaked Ham® (no bone, sliced) so that I could serve Mom her very favorite breakfast (after pancakes, that is, which didn't seem like a good idea, considering all the refined carbohydrates I expected to slosh through her system that day, although I added the breakfast accompaniment of Wildflower Bread Company's cranberry scones, of which I am endlessly envious and haven't yet managed to duplicate), ham and eggs. As the day progressed, despite the mounting oddities, the one item that had been a resounding success from Mom's point of view was the ham at breakfast. About the time I needed to begin preparing what I'd planned for Christmas dinner, Sauerbraten, Mom announced that she'd "just as soon" have ham again for dinner.
No problem. The roast could marinate for a few more days. How, I asked, would she like the rest of the ham prepared?
"How about ham and cheese sandwiches with MCS's pickles (MCS had sent us some jars of her much appreciated home made Bread & Butter pickles for Christmas, yet another favorite of Mom's; when we opened the package right after breakfast Mom insisted on having some)?"
That was doable. I assembled ham and cheese (Cheddar and Jalapeno Jack for Mom, aged, grated Parmesan for me) between slices of sourdough bread slathered with whiskey mustard and skillet toasted the sandwiches. With the pickles, it made a perfect Christmas dinner, especially considering what had gone before.
Dinner was followed with a light dessert, also not on the original menu. I'd planned a See's Apricot Delight Cake. I'd noticed it while I was ordering some very special candy for Mom's stocking. The cake recipe sounded delicious, so I ordered the type of candy it required and made sure I had all the ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly, which is a miracle for me. Unfortunately, the recipe was a dud. The cream cheese/candy filling sunk to the bottom of the upside-down Bundt pan as it baked and fused to the pan. When I attempted to drop the cake out of the pan (after the requisite hour of cooling) the cake broke in half. The cake part baked up nicely, but the filling part had turned into a gooey glue that I had to scrape out of the pan. The entire production went down the garbage disposal. On Christmas Day, though, I got an idea to bake up a batch of Date Bars, a delicious family recipe from waaay back that put standard oat crust date bars to shame. My plan was to serve these (which I did bake on Christmas) with French Vanilla ice cream and home made rum-date sauce. After dinner, though, Mom wanted, "just a little something sweet", so I okayed her foray into her box of special candy. Amazingly, although she loved it, she ate only one piece. I was surprised. I even told her that it would be okay if she had more since I'd doubled her glipizide dose, but, "...no, that was enough." I never fail to be amazed at her sugar restraint since she developed Type 2 diabetes in 1999 and slowly but surely changed her sugar habits.
So, we're having our originally planned Christmas Dinner tonight, Sauerbraten and Date Bars with ice cream and rum-date sauce, tonight. I just finished the dessert sauce...oh, my, it is the sauciest of sauces!
In case you're curious, the Sauerbraten recipe is straight out of Joy of Cooking, the 1997 edition. I followed that recipe exactly, as well, right down to the marinade, except that I did something my mother used to do when cooking pot roast: I added the chunked companion vegetables I'd planned (not the vegetables that flavor the braising liquid) to the braising meat throughout the cooking cycle. They'll be removed just before I make the sauce. I followed the recipe on this one, too, because, although I may, at some time, have had Sauerbraten, I don't remember it so I figured I'd better not get too creative with the cooking. From all indications, the main dish will be delicious...as will the dessert. I'll publish the recipes for the Date Bars (you won't find this recipe anywhere else, I don't think; I suspect that the woman who passed it on to us created it) and the rum-date Sauce (not my recipe) later, over at the cooking section. I'll add links from here to there.
I think the meat is just about ready to harvest, which means I need to get busy, awaken The Mom from her nap and make the gravy (yes, I'm going to use crushed gingersnaps, as the recipe recommends...even though the idea of cookies in a main dish gives me pause).
Good idea to put my feet back in the journaling water by writing around what's been going on. I think I'll be dunking myself further...
...later.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
I've been feeling a desperate need for snow, lately.
Although the northern and eastern part of our state has gotten a fair amount, Prescott has not. The sun has been annoyingly unabated and brilliant, here. Since early November snow has been promised, then the promise has disappeared. So, while web surfing, I found this engaging little snow script, captured the images and the script and have added both to this section of my journals. I'll be adding it to the others, as well, within the next few days. I've seen a lot of snow scripts on the internet. This one actually makes me feel as though it's snowing (with a little help from an open window here and a dimmer switch on our overhead light there). I read a suggestion on a now forgotten website that as the seasons change, an interesting trick is to change the image the snow script uses in order to distribute falling leaves, etc. I'm grinning about some of the possibilities for sprinkled images and might give that a try.
Mostly, lately, I've had that familiar Buddhist fable in mind. You know it: The one about the two monks, belonging to a sect that prohibits the touching of women, about to cross a river, on the banks of which is a woman who needs help crossing. One of the monks carries her across the river. Once the monks complete their crossing and the woman is deposited, the monk who denied help to the woman grouses at the other as the two continue on their way. In response, the "guilty" monk says, "Ah, but I left the woman on the bank of the river. You're still carrying her."
It seems I'm carrying a variety of "women", not the least of which is an actual woman, my mother, much further than is probably necessary and am experiencing some difficulty because I can't figure out how to put any of them down.
Funny, because almost hourly when I'm awake, as my day progresses, I mentally write in this journal, keeping up a running commentary on what is happening and how I'm feeling about it. When I get to a point, though, where I can fire up the computer and record the commentary, the words evaporate in bewilderment.
So, in case you're wondering, that's why I haven't actually been here much, although I've been here "spiritually" almost constantly. I even surprised myself by dreaming, about a week ago, about writing here! The dream was immensely satisfying...awakening from it was frustrating.
How's The Mom doing? I'm not sure. That's another perplexing aspect of these last few months. On the surface she seems okay, but I'm suspicious. Perhaps she is simply reacting to my fairly apparent confusion. Christmas turned out to be an unsettling day...remind me to tell you about it.
Hmmm...I notice that my fingers remain familiar with the keyboard, even anxious to skitter from letter to letter...maybe I'll be getting back here sooner than...
...later.
Mostly, lately, I've had that familiar Buddhist fable in mind. You know it: The one about the two monks, belonging to a sect that prohibits the touching of women, about to cross a river, on the banks of which is a woman who needs help crossing. One of the monks carries her across the river. Once the monks complete their crossing and the woman is deposited, the monk who denied help to the woman grouses at the other as the two continue on their way. In response, the "guilty" monk says, "Ah, but I left the woman on the bank of the river. You're still carrying her."
It seems I'm carrying a variety of "women", not the least of which is an actual woman, my mother, much further than is probably necessary and am experiencing some difficulty because I can't figure out how to put any of them down.
Funny, because almost hourly when I'm awake, as my day progresses, I mentally write in this journal, keeping up a running commentary on what is happening and how I'm feeling about it. When I get to a point, though, where I can fire up the computer and record the commentary, the words evaporate in bewilderment.
So, in case you're wondering, that's why I haven't actually been here much, although I've been here "spiritually" almost constantly. I even surprised myself by dreaming, about a week ago, about writing here! The dream was immensely satisfying...awakening from it was frustrating.
How's The Mom doing? I'm not sure. That's another perplexing aspect of these last few months. On the surface she seems okay, but I'm suspicious. Perhaps she is simply reacting to my fairly apparent confusion. Christmas turned out to be an unsettling day...remind me to tell you about it.
Hmmm...I notice that my fingers remain familiar with the keyboard, even anxious to skitter from letter to letter...maybe I'll be getting back here sooner than...
...later.
