All the Difference

I have two hospice patients right now.  Both men, both in their 90s, both WWII vets, both with attentive and loving families.  But one man has various heart and diabetes issues and lives in a full nursing home.  The other is in end-stage dementia at home.

And there is all the difference.

The longer I work in hospice, the less I like nursing facilities.  I can't assign blame, though there is enough evidence that it is warranted.  Not that it would help to blame.  But the staff is overworked, the patients are lonely and bored and often overmedicated, the facilities are so crowded and so noisy, and the families very frequently absent.  It's like factory farming our old people.  And we've all seen those awful videos of miserable, suffering cows, chickens, and pigs.

And at home, my patient is in his own quiet room, with a daily attendant to handle physical needs in the morning, and his family there in the home (today, baking Christmas cookies) with the support of his hospice team.

Now, I don't know the difference in price exactly, but I do know that the man at home has a stay-at-home daughter-in-law and the man in the facility has working children and grandchildren.  I've heard that the home-option is not wildly more expensive, if you have the people and the space.  Which is a challenge for so many.

My patient at home is actively dying--I probably won't see him again, though I'm going back in just a few days.  But it is peaceful.  I sang Christmas carols to him while the lights glowed on the little tree on his dresser.  His own tree, mind you, which he'd had for years.

My nursing home patient is still really active and fairly mobile for a hospice patient; we have great conversations . . . as long as I am careful not to make him late for lunch!  He starts looking at his watch 45+ minutes early.  I will see him again soon, too.  And I'll know that, especially in his case, my presence makes all the difference because of where he is.

I don't think I need tell you which one I'd prefer to have at the end . . . .

Piano Guys and Gals

This morning, Sis lay down on our piano bench and played "Old Susanna" upside down--just like Mozart in the movie, Amadeus.

Why?

Because she was inspired by the Piano Guys concert we attended last night.

Similarly, Bud was practicing cello first thing this morning, even thumping the body and spinning his instrument.

All because of the Piano Guys.

Bud also loved that they played "his" song from the Peanuts Gang . . .in a nursing home (they showed a video), just like he will on Sunday with the piano club.

I'm not sure when we first heard of them.  I think perhaps it was a FB video of a Star Wars cello duel. 

But pretty soon, they were everywhere.  Mama seemed to come upon them separately, knowing a video where the musicians pluck and bow the inside of a grand piano.  One of the young ladies in our piano club played some of their songs, including "Waterfalls" and "Secrets."  And our piano teacher then mentioned that they were going to be in concert nearby.

So we got tickets.  And went last night.

They were fabulous!  Mixing Christmas carols with pop tunes, original compositions with well-known tunes, sometimes played traditionally, but more often than not, played more originally with loops, thumping, plucking, using their heads, elbows, and even toes and feet!!  Though it was well past their bedtimes, the kids were enthralled.

And all Mama and I could think of was Mormons.

See, unbeknowst to us, the musicians are members of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS.)  As you probably know, the wealthy and powerful (and growing) LDS church contributed funds and power to overthrowing California's Proposition 8, regarding same-sex marriage, which they are firmly against.  On a personal level, I know only one Mormon, who is also against same-sex marriage; we've discussed it briefly--in my house, of all places.  She has stated that she respects the love I have for my family--and so we manage, as co-Girl Scout leaders.  Conversely, I respect her beliefs and support her right to them . . . up to the point that she wants to take away mine (as far as I know, she isn't a social activist per se.)  It's a tenuous friendship, where we try to stay far away from these issues.  A real case of agree-to-disagree.  

Anyway, I tend not to support organizations who actively support conservative causes, i.e. Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Chick-fil-a, Domino's, Wendy's, Cracker Barrel, ad infinitum.  And so at the very first, I was a bit disappointed that some of my money, by way of tithing, must have gone to the LDS coffers.

And as I sat and listened to their beautiful music, I reflected on how prejudiced I would be if I lumped all Mormons under one roof or dismissed them out of hand.  I know it's not a monolithic group, ranging from the Fundamentalist LDS polygamists to a strong believer like my GS co-leader to the LDS feminists and even those who support gay rights.  What did I really know of the Piano Guys?  Besides their amazing talents?

Well, they made one Mormon joke--about "that's one wife per person, something you have to explain if you're Mormon"--and testified a few times (which mostly fell flat here in Connecticut.)  It dawned on me how secular CT really is, especially the circles I run in.  As a kid, I'd hear prayers to Christ at football games; there are always a few celebrities thanking God at the Oscars and Super Bowl.  But that's about it.  And, considering the proselytizing culture of LDS, it was pretty mild at the concert--just some gratitude, some witnessing of the divine that we all can feel "no matter your beliefs," one said.  I don't even think there was a table of information anywhere. 

But I still thought about it and apparently Mama did, too.  When we discussed it later (after a brief but convoluted discussion with the very sleepy kids), Mama quoted Pema Chodron on how we're all looking for enlightenment and that we should recognize that in each other; if we are bothered by other people's searches, it's probably because we're not there yet either (or something to that effect; it was late for me, too!)  As UUs, we covenant to support and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all people. And I really want to live that, even when it's somewhat challenging.  Because I do have a knee-jerk reaction about religious conservatives, perhaps particularly Mormons because of their recent political successes and increased visibility.  So, it's a practice for me, particularly to focus on the individual, not making assumptions on some stereotype of the group they belong to (like my GS friend, who is in many ways, besides religion, my doppelganger--they were at the concert, too! )--just as I want myself and family to be treated as people, not stereotypes of lesbians or Asians or Texans or whatever label fits preconceived notions. Also to be treated with respect and kindness and compassion, regardless.   It works for me and my co-leader, for whom we are each the other's teachable moment, I think.

And, I suppose, even if I am opposed politically, personally, it is best--to borrow a biblical phrase--to turn the other cheek.  I would not want to turn around and do what I don't like in return.

Though sometimes, if I do feel a bit attacked personally or in general, besides remembering the UU principle, I comfort myself that conservative LDS are losing the culture wars, much the same way Mitt Romney lost the election (even if we do seem to be backsliding, having a serious backlash to liberal politics in some realms.)

And so I sat back and enjoyed the music, especially as we all sang "Silent Night" together at the end.  Because it is that shared humanity, which we affirmed together, that matters most to me.  And we all have our own paths to it.

(Though, Mama and I agreed, if the Piano Guys used their platform and campaigned against us, per se (like Cracker Barrel used to), we probably wouldn't be buying anymore tickets or CDs.)

Watch This!

This is what we went to see tonight, an early Christmas present--the Piano Guys, yes, with one who plays a cello.  Watch a few videos and I'll tell you all about it later.  If you only watch one, do the third one.  We all had a great time and were inspired to practice and play our instruments.

Good Night!

Brothers

Day 3 and doing better.

Going by the nicknames of Mojo and Tabby sometimes now.

By the way, both cats might have a *slight* catnip addiction.

They're Here!

Our new cats arrived safely on Saturday, after a long ride through rain from NYC, then a pokey visit to the vet--with shots!--and finally coming to our basement, their new home while they adjust.

Patron

Mojito

And they're trying, after the first day of pretty much hiding.  The black cat,  Mojito, is definitely braver and more curious.  He now wanders around and comes for pets, purring the whole time.  The tabby, Patron, is much more reticient and even skittish, hiding in a less than 4" crawl space under the bookcases.  (Note:  We didn't name them--a 30s something single man did!  Hence all the alcohol.)  But even he now will come out to stare at me from a distance when I visit.  And they've both eaten and used the litterbox (appropriately, even!), so we know they're moving around when we're not down there.  They love those yellow catnip bananas and have actually dragged them around the basement--we'd put the two soaked ones on the stairs to dry but the cats hauled them back to their bookcases to lick some more!

Still it's a big adjustment.  The kids are being great with staying quiet and moving slowly, understanding that we can't just hang out down there all the time.  Sis especially is very interested in the new cats. I think it will be quite awhile yet before we even consider introducing them to our other cats, who are quite angry that they can't get into their basement.    We're keeping their original owner in the loop because he is so clearly distraught by having to give the cats up (due to family issues and allergies.)  I think if he could have found a way (short of a second Manhattan apartment!), he would've kept them.

So, off to a slow but increasingly positive start.

But it's still better than a shelter.

Countdowns

Not to Christmas, though our Lego Advent continues (our home one has slowed to a crawl.)

Because we're getting ready for the cats, who come TOMORROW!!!!

Yep, the big boys will be here midday.  The house is, mostly, ready.  There will always be things we find to do.  And we're as ready as we'll ever be.

Last night, their owner came by to meet us, see where the cats will live, and answer any questions we had.  He obviously loves his cats and has thought a lot about all of this.  The kids had questions about nicknames and favorite toys. Patron is called "Fatty" and Mojito is "Black Cat."  They like feathers and foily balls and catnip, just like our cats.

And they'll be here tomorrow . . . .

Aren't I Cat Enough?

Why do you need more cats??

Advent Activity: On the First Day of Christmas

And so December starts, with all the early celebrations of Christmas.  The kids were very excited about their Advent calendars yesterday, each receiving a Lego calendar.  And they gave me something too:  a mini-figure of action heroes/mutants Wolverine and Cyclops to add to the Christmas village as we count down to my birthday! So I'm guessing the theme is superheroes??  Not sure.  I'll have to wait and see, just like them.

We don't have the Advent socks up yet, but the activity was making paper chains.  Sis made the first, long garland, which we hung between our living and dining rooms and then Bud added a shorter one, hung in counterpoint to the first.  Festive.  When the tree goes up, it will stand in front of the window in the dining room, framed by the chains.



The tree.  We haven't put the tree up, so busy with prepping the basement and house for the new cats who arrive this coming Saturday.  We've decided to pare down the decorations, opting to use paper origami creations and our cookie cutter collection to decorate, both of which are more cat-friendly than tempting non-edible ornaments.  This way, our new cats whom we don't know yet and our old cats who will probably be in a heightened state of agita won't hurt or be hurt by the tree decorations.  We hope to put it up in the next day or so.

Because, for us, Christmas will be early.  See, Goo is a doctor now, his first year as a resident, and he is not off on Christmas, he recently learned.  We had considered splitting Christmas with him and my in-laws into two smaller celebrations, but the kids roundly objected.  And so we got a dispensation from Santa to have him come early for Christmas, the weekend before.

Which means, we now are going to Texas a couple of days early to spend some extra time with our family there.

So, if I had already thought the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas was short--only 3 school weeks and preparatory weekends--it just got much shorter!  (And the kids are asking if they can open the extra doors on their calendars early!!!)

But to quote Olaf, "All good things, all good things."

Black Friday Bread

I saw this recipe on FB sometime over the weekend, from the King Arthur Flour people.  With lefteover mashed and sweet potatoes and stuffing AND no plans to go out much less shop over the weekend, I knew I could make this bread.    However, the instructions say not to use a dressing cooked inside a bird or even moistened with meat stock, so my chicken-broth-based cornbread stuffing was out.  So I made a sweet-mashed combo.  With all purpose instead of bread flour, cutting the milk as they suggested.  And I put it in my bread machine instead of making it by hand.

All of which is to say, it didn't come out quite as it should, due to my adaptations, but it shows real promise.  The flavor was good and there was definitely enough moisture, but it was kinda heavy and didn't cook all the way through on the regular cycle (I forgot to run the whole wheat cycle, which would've been better.) Next time, I'll probably run it on the dough cycle and then bake it off on my own, maybe even in my cast iron skillet, making a flatter loaf.  But there is a slight sweetness and a great color.  And it toasts up nicely.

I wonder if using maple syrup for the sweetener would've gone well with the sweet potatoes?  Who knows, I have more leftovers.  I just might try again.


Black Friday Bread

1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
2 tablespoons soft butter
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup prepared stuffing*
1 cup mashed potatoes, white or sweet

*For safety’s sake, use stuffing that neither baked in the turkey, nor used meat broth as its moistener.

Can you substitute unbleached all-purpose flour for the bread flour, and/or the whole wheat flour? Sure; reduce the amount of milk to 1/2 cup, adding additional milk or water if the dough seems dry and stiff. Your loaf may not rise as high.

As mentioned above, feel free to substitute the mashed ingredients of your choice for the stuffing and potatoes. Mashed root vegetables (turnip, sweet potatoes, squash, parsnips) are good; as is applesauce.

Oh, and one more thing: taste the bread dough once it’s mixed, but before kneading; you may need to adjust the salt, depending on whether or not the add-ins you chose were salty.

See all instructions at KAF

Music Mystery

My piano lessons are going swimmingly.  I'm playing several fun ditties--"Cuckoo Clock," "Beautiful Brown Eyes," and "Alpine" something-or-other, from my Adult All-in-One Piano book.  And I've added several Christmas carols to the mix--"Jingle Bells," "Joy to the World," "Jolly Old St Nicholas," "O Christmas Tree," and "Deck the Halls."

But occasionally my mind wanders back to music I played 20+ years ago the first time I took piano lessons, for two or so months, after college (I think it was.)   They weren't great lessons; he was a young and unchallenging teacher, not really stressing that I learn to count or keep time.  But we rushed through all the major keys and I photocopied lots of songs I liked.  There were a few that stuck with me--"Musette" by Bach, a piece called "The Knight and the Lady," and this other piece, which sheet music I had lost (which I swore had a picture of a castle on it.)  I could sort of remember the tune, but not enough to play it, mainly because I don't play that well and I don't easily parse music into notes.

I looked in our books and online and finally realized that the book the music was in was John Thompson Modern Piano Course, which also had the aforementioned "The Knight and Lady.".  And when I showed Mama the cover on Amazon, she said she had  used that book as a child!  Which of course meant she still had it; I found it in a minute, down with the other piano books in the basement bookcase.  I flipped through it hurriedly, passing "The Knight and the Lady" but not finding the piece with the castle I remembered (there was a castle drawing, on another song.  See I'm more visual than auditory.)

I remembered that it might have been in one of the old costume dramas that I love, something based on Jane Austen . . . was it perhaps a minuet?  Did Margaret Dashwood play it?  Did Lizzie Bennet, only tolerably?  No searches yielded much help.  (But I liked this.)

So I went to the piano and began to fiddle with it.  Amazingly, I seemed to catch the cadence and soon had an idea of how it went, maybe even remembering playing it.  Mama wrote the notes down as I called them out, really simply:  e f e g g,  d e d f f, c c d d e, g f e d.  It sounded real, better than I could have made up in my head for sure, but she didn't recognize it.  And so I let it slide.

Until we came upstairs and I googled, "how to search for sheet music by notes" and came up with Musicpedia, which has a "Name that Tune" search.  I typed in my song with the notes Mama wrote down and kept trying to search.  And odd songs were coming up in the search results.  But I had all half notes.  And that isn't really what they are.  So I tried to guess when they were quarters and half and such, to make it sound like a melody--amazingly, the website let's you play what you come up with so I could tweak it.  But it took a long time to make it sound as close as I could recall.
 
And about an hour into this effort of tweaking and adjusting, it came up with this:

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: piano sonata No. 11 in A K331, 1st movement
 

I was off two notes and in the wrong key, but it looked promising.  But my computer wouldn't play the melody from Musicpedia, so I found Mozart's sonata on YouTube:

That's THE SONG!!!!!

And guess what?  It is in the Thompson book!  Called "Air by Mozart," only there's not a picture of a castle.  (I guess my visual memory failed me where my auditory one didn't.)

But it is on the page opposite "The Knight and the Lady."

Talk about an earworm.

But I'm just absolutely astonished that a.) I could figure out the tune well enough to search for it (yay for my piano lessons!) and b.) that the computer could make sense of what I typed.  Isn't the internet amazing??

Advent Activities Fifth Anniversary

The kids have already started asking about our Advent Activities socks and so I need to get our list going.  In searching through old lists, I realized we started this five years ago, in 2009. How time flies! See the lists here--2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.)  It has become the family tradition I had hoped it would, with many of the same activities.  So here is this year's list . . . to be amended, of course.

1. Build gingerbread houses
2. Host cookie party (Dec. 19)
3. Make holiday wreath
4. Stay up late, a la Solstice Camp Out
5. Fondue dinner
6. Make a snowman (weather permitting)
7. Deliver gifts to vet, pediatrician, etc.
8. Family game night
9. Dinner by candlelight
10. Watch "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas"
11. Make cards for teachers, babysitters, etc.
12. Watch "Doctor Who" Christmas episodes
13. Choose family holiday charity (seals?  owls?  cat project?)
14. Deliver ELF bags to friends in need of holiday cheer
15. Make treats for animals (birdfeeders? local shelter?)
16. See Piano Guys in concert
17. Piano concert at senior center
18. Celebrate my birthday
19. Go to Cookie Cafe.
20. Buy stockings for the new cats.
21. Sew buttons on Christmas stockings.
22. See Hobbit:  Battle of Five Armiesi
23. Go to NYC to see Rockefeller Tree, Saks' windows, and Teuscher chocolates, etc.
24. See Into the Woods

Extras (just in case):  make fudge, have a welcome party for new cats, make paper chains/decorations, watch Geminid meteors (Dec. 13/14), make Elf doughnuts, make thank-you notes for after Christmas, make scarves for community coat closet, drive around looking at lights, caroling by phone, make reindeer food, write letter to Santa, read A Christmas Carol.

The Art of the Draw

We went to an art demo and book signing by Jan Brett this morning . . . at the IKEA, of all places (I guess it was the Scandinavian tie-in.)  Organized by RJ Julia Bookstore to benefit Read to Grow, the event was well-organized and fun.  There was a huge Hedgie character walking around, two Santa Lucia maids, books for sale--and even her painted rock-star travel bus outside that we posed in front of!  

Brett herself spoke and drew for upwards of 45 minutes, encouraging all of the children there to embrace their individual creativity, as unique as their own fingerprints.  And she gave a lesson on how to draw a bunny--basketball body, egg-shaped head, almond eyes, not a cotton tail, shading the edges, using prismacolor markers for blending; she takes an hour an inch, I think she said, and finds inspiration all over the place.  The resulting work is that bunny above.  Sis was ecstatic, especially when Brett brought out her own "bun-bun" and showed the audience.  

We waited awhile, in orderly and calm fashion, to have our copy of The Animal's Santa signed.  It went faster because we ran into our friend Miss M who works for Read to Grow.  She used to play with the kids when they were very little--puppet shows and fairy houses at the beach, baking cookies at her house; we've even been to a concert or two of her band.  We don't see her as often anymore--we changed churches and she's had a long run-in with cancer--so it was especially good to chat today.

And eventually it was our turn.  Sis very happily chatted with Brett about wanting a bunny.  Brett told her she had wanted a horse when she was young and finally got one when she grew up.  They posed for a picture and then we were off. . . . to buy foodstuffs in the IKEA marketplace

A delightful, inspiring morning.

Owling

We've heard that the snowy owls are back in the area and so, tonight, we headed out owling.  After reading how to be quiet and scan low to the ground since snowy owls fly low looking for prey, we dressed warmly and brought the binoculars Pop gave us.  But we were not layered enough for a stiff wind and temperatures below freezing on the beach.  Still, we spotted seagulls, ducks, and geese, and a very pretty sunset.  But no owls.  Probably too windy. We ended the evening with hot chocolate.

But we'll try again.  

Pink Friday

Pie for breakfast. Leftovers.  Turkey stock simmering.

Puzzles.  Qwirkle.  Legos.  Crochet.

Our traditional first carols--"Christians and Pagans" and "All I Really Want for Christmas." Piano music. Sonos holiday playlist.

Maybe a movie later.  And/or going to look for snowy owls. 

A pretty perfect Thanksgiving Friday.

Our Groaning Board

Hoping you and yours had a great, grateful Thanksgiving!

We did . . . and we had SNOW!  Not any accumulation, but fluffy flurries and real snowfall for hours off and on.

And so much food, obscene really:
Texas trash chex mix
baked brie
cinnamon dough roll ups
turkey
cornbread dressing
oyster dressing
gravy
giblet dressing
canned cranberries
*cranberry relish
NPR Mama Strindberg's cranberries
Grandmother's pickled beets
rolls
*creamed spinach
brussel sprouts (actually leftovers from Mama's office dinner)
green bean casserole
*sweet potato casserole
*mashed potatoes
*mushroom stromboli
rolls
lime jello salad
chocolate pecan pie bars
*apple pie
*cherry pie
*blueberry pie
pumpkin pie

We didn't make it all ourselves, despite my starting cooking on Monday.  Because my sous chef, Goo, had to work at the hospital, we ordered out several of the dishes, in small amounts, to try (marked *.) We wanted to cut down on the work and have enough leftovers to send to the new doctor.  We did.

Some of those other dishes were made by the kids.  Sis helped with the chex mix and then made cinnamon dough roll ups with my leftover dough for the brie.  She put so much cinnamon sugar on the inside that they turned to delicious sugary goop.  Bud, in consultation with Mama, had decided to make oyster dressing and giblet gravy--he spent half the morning in the kitchen helping out--toasting 15 slices of bread, tearing them up, shredding the turkey neck and organs (he drew the line at hard-boiled eggs in the giblet gravy, though, despite it being something my grandmother used to add--I guess so we could know which gravy to avoid!!  Alas, I don't have her recipe, so Mama, who was in charge of Bud's cooking, used the one in the NYTimes.)  And he was so excited and proud.  And, when dinner came, he ate and ate and ate, loving his creation.  Best.  Thanksgiving.  Food.  Ever.  So I think we have two new additions to our regular menu.

Sis photobombs the mashed potatoes

Of course, we all had to say what we were thankful for before passing plates.  Family, friends, food, health, satisfying and supportive employment, current and incoming cats, and their gifted class.  And the really big knife Mama was wielding on the turkey.

The kids played Hex Bugs with Ma and Gong, spreading track all over the living room floor (Gong had bought them their first bugs a few years ago, at the Liberty Science Center.)   Bud played Christmas tunes on the piano.  Later, they played a frog origami game, trying to knock each other's paper frogs off the table by ramming them with their own, all by blowing on them (one breath each turn only, but it could be sustained.)

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time out in the flurries, watching the first snow of the season come down (yeah, all of New England got snow yesterday but us.)  The kids kept trying to catch the flakes on their tongues.  They even managed to hit me with a few mini-snowballs.  And I got a great picture of geese overhead; you can almost hear them honking!   In the evening, I enjoyed staring up and seeing the flakes materialize above me out of the night air, swirling like I was flying through a tunnel.  I still love snow.  (We even started a new "first snow" ritual:  watch Frozen!)

And I like Thanksgiving, too.



Today's Poem-A-Day from Poets.org

When Giving Is All We Have

Alberto Ríos, 1952

                                              One river gives
                                              Its journey to the next.

We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:

Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.

You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me

What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made

Something greater from the difference.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Cheater's Giblet Gravy
4-6 cups gravy (either from the traditional batch or canned/purchased)
turkey giblets
drippings
salt, pepper, turkey stock/bouillon, to taste

Remove giblets from turkey carcass.  Simmer in water until cooked.  Shred and add to gravy, with any additional drippings from the roasting pan.  Season to taste.

Mama Hungry

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Lucy Buffet's Oyster Dressing

• 12 tablespoons/1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
• 1 (8-inch-square) baked and cooledcornbread, preferably on the sweet side
• 15 slices white or wheat bread, toasted and cooled
• ½ large white onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• ½ large green bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 2 dozen freshly shucked or jarredoysters, preferably Gulf oysters, drained and coarsely chopped (reserve the oyster liquor)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, preferably Crystal
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 ½ teaspoons truffle salt or sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by 13-inch baking dish.
2. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl. Tear toasted white or wheat bread into very small pieces, add to cornbread, and toss to combine
3. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and bell pepper; sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove cover, add broth, and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook mixture for 1 more minute, then remove from heat, add to bread mixture, and stir to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together oysters, lemon juice, hot sauce, parsley, sage, salt and white pepper. Add to bread mixture and stir well to combine. If dressing seems too dry, add a little oyster liquor and up to 1/2 cup more chicken broth; mixture should be very moist.
5. Pour dressing into greased baking dish. Cut remaining 4 tablespoons butter into small pieces and scatter over top of dressing. Bake until top and sides are browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
6. from NYTImes

Canned Beet This!

Having started shopping last week and cooking on Monday, today I'm doing some fun prep while I'm waiting for it to snow.  (In fact, I think it might have just changed to snow now!  It'll probably change back and forth a few times.)   Yesterday, I made those delicious chocolate pecan bars, plus 7 Up LIme Jello Salad, Mama's cranberry horseradish relish, and even some Texas Trash/Chex Mix with the kids. Today I made some granola for breakfast and put up a jar of Grandmother's Pickled Beets (well, that sounds more impressive than it is.)  We have a bit more to do tonight and then all the regular cooking tomorrow.  Should be great.  And so, I'm enjoying the calm before the storm--both literally and proverbially. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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Grandmother's Pickled Beets

beets (2 cans beets, drained; or equivalent raw beets, peeled, sliced, and simmered until tender, 30-60 minutes)

1 cup vinegar

2/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Please beets in big jar.  In saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt.  Boil 5 minutes until hot.  Fill beet jars.  Do not cover.  Let cool to room temperature; cover.  Set in refrigerator overnight.  Ready to eat in 12-24 hours.

my paternal grandmother

Block Island Blanket

Not happy with my Block Island merino as a crocheted piece--it was too stiff--I ordered some huge knitting needles and got to work.  In two days, I had my small lap blanket all done, reminding Mama and me of the steely blue colors of our Block Island vacation.  And the knit stitches and variegated sections remind us of the waves, sky, hills, and rock walls.

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My Block Island Blanket

50mm circular knitting needles

160 yds super chunky merino yarn

Cast on 30 stitches.  Knit the entire skein, stopping when you have 4-6x the length of a row leftover.  Bind off.

Mommy Hungry

Raising the Bar

Pecan pie is the favorite of my father-in-law and so I make a pie every Thanksgiving.  I like it well enough, though it is a distant second behind pumpkin or even Lime Jello Salad (but who are these people who make strawberry pie second only behind apple on Thanksgiving??)  And so I usually have most of a whole pie leftover.

This year I want to try something new:  pecan pie bars, which I've seen in several places.  I've also seen chocolate pecan pie increase in popularity over the years.  And so this year, I'm going to combine them--chocolate pecan pie bars!  The chocolate apparently cuts the sweetness of the corn syrup, which is good.

Though, I think it will still mainly be my FIL who eats them.

(Except for the half of the batch that I'm giving to Mama Teacher for her FIL, also the only pecan-pie eater in her family.)

My Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Crust

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at cool room temperature*
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional, or the flavor of your choice; eggnog flavor makes a delicious holiday shortbread
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• *Since butter is such a critical element in these cookies, we recommend you use a top-quality butter. Our test-kitchen choice is Cabot.

• 1) Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease 9 x 13" pan If you worry about the shortbread possibly sticking in your particular pan, line it with parchment, and grease the parchment.
  2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, then beat in the flour. The mixture may seem a little dry at first; keep beating till it comes together. If it absolutely won't come together, dribble in up to 1 tablespoon of water, until it does. This is a stiff dough.
  3) Press dough into prepared pan, smoothing the surface with your fingers, or with a mini rolling pin.
  4) Use a fork to prick the dough all over; this allows any steam to escape, and prevents the shortbread from bubbling as it bakes. Prick the dough in a random pattern, but it looks nicer pricked with some kind of symmetry.
  5) Bake the shortbread until it's a light golden brown across the top surface, and a deeper golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes.
• 6)  Allow shortbread to cool while you make the pecan filling. 

Filling

• 1 ½ cups pecan halves (170 grams)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (56 grams)
• ¾ cup dark corn syrup
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (5 grams)
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Preheat oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast nuts, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.
2. Make the filling: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth; cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together cooled chocolate-butter mixture, corn syrup, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared shortbread crust. Arrange pecans over filling. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the filling is just set when the pan is jiggled, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
4. A combo from King Arthur Flour and the NYTimes