Way, way back...

One of my favorite musicals is 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat'. And if I ever get a chance to try-out for a part in it, I would go for the narrator. I love the whole idea of the narrator. Someone who is telling the story. And they start it..."way, way, back, many centuries ago, not long after the Bible began...." It is so much better than "once upon a time."
I like the concept of eternity - so long ago that the Bible had just begun - Garden of Eden time. One of the verses I have been finding re-appearing in my life over and over lately is Exodus 3:14 and echoed in John 8:58. God the I AM. Jesus the I AM and little old me with the audacity to say I am. Because of God and his gift to all of us, I am. I am a child of God, yesterday, today and for all time. The eternity. It is what makes me feel safe. I do not really understand those who fear the infinite. Who feel small next to it. Because of the GREAT I AM, I do not fear. At least not for my immortal soul...fire....now that's another thing. :D

Linda over at 2nd cup of coffee offers us this Thanksgiving edition of the Random Dozen...if you check out her site you will see an adorable picture of her pooch in his turkey-day attire.


1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?
Yes pretty much. Though we are having new folks here and they are bringing some new foods for us.

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")
My husband and daughters

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.
Faith

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.
For many years we were part of the Macy's Parade family. This meant that the dinner was really on Friday for us. I have this memory of my children riding the reindeer from the Santa float while we were waiting for dinner to be ready. They played all around the floats. Each year there were more and more kids and it became our family...when we stopped going, it was a great loss for us emotionally. This year hubby will be there, but the rest of us are still missing it. (these are the reindeer!)

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?
I will groan from over-eating.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?
the dog will get some of the gravy on his food - but that is all

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?
YES we absolutely pray. Sometimes we hold hands, sometimes not. And who actually does the praying varies each year...it is VERY spontaneous. (this is one of my favorite Norman Rockwell's)

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?
I will NOT be watching, but is may be on the TV because some of the guest like it.

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?
No oysters

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?
moderately so

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?
As far as I know there will be custard, pumpkin, chocolate and cherry.

12. Do you feel for the turkey??
Nope. They are smelly, stupid birds. The wild ones are much more interesting and also tastier.

Children

Well, DD 2 just left to return to college. She was here for about 46 hours. And she wears me out! She has such enthusiasm and joy; she HAS to share it with everyone. She just shared the plot of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus in about 8 minutes with full actions and voice changes. It is one of probably 4 Shakespeare plays I have neither read nor seen. Her version was great and I am sure that I would recognize it in a heartbeat! :D She was bouncing up and down the living room and soaring up and down the vocal scales... it is amazing to me that this fantastic creature has anything to do with my gene pool. Her father's yes, mine, not so much.

UPDATE
She just called - 2 and a half hours after leaving - seems the buses do not run on Saturday evening...so she was stranded at the stadium parking lot. Finally got campus security to drive her back to her dorm. Always drama with this one...and the OTHER one majored in theater!

Random Dozen #12

Lid over at 2nd Cup of Coffee is at it again. Here is her latest challenging Random Dozen meme.

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?
I am about as sports oriented as an orange. On the other-hand I do have some 18 different kung-fu and tai chi forms...so. Ballet would have been my first choice, but not I enjoy the ShaoLin forms so I guess I will work on mastering that...only some 300 more forms to go :D
2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?
I research, my hubby researches and then we go with our guts.
3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
We moved too much... let's see, Ann School-Shanks-Center . Those are the ones I can remember and it doesn't sound too exciting - I hope my agent has a better idea!
4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
Favorite food. Music is too integral to me....my kids maintain I have my own sound-track since I am ALWAYS humming.
5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
Green
6. Your favorite tree is?
I love trees...I love the lone tree in the middle of the field that has a great silhouette in the winter. I love the welcoming branches of an oak that begs kids to play in it...and down in Buenos Aires at the cemetery where Evita is buried, there is an ancient live oak tree that is HUGE. I love it. And, of course, there is the great 'upside down' tree at Kenyon College.
7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
about 9. My family consults me, but I consult my bro-in-law for really tech stuff.
8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
nope. We keep washing out hands and trying to prevent, but with one in a college dorm, I am holding my breath.
9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
Analytical - I have to know why. Remember the little kids who ask 'why?' and when you answer them they say 'why?' again and again...that is me.
10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
I don't really know much about koala, but you usually see pictures of them alone, so I guess that would be me. Doesn't this one look like he is getting ready to do kung fu with his staff! :D

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
A few. I have one from high school and a few from college. But remember my mentioning the moving when I was growing up...well before Facebook and Twitter, you had to actually WRITE letters with a pen/pencil and paper. And it took forever to get a reply. So friendships tended to fizzle out.
12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?
My assumption is that whichever lane I get in, it will stop. There will be a price check and a problem with the check they are writing and the manager will be at lunch or whatever! I just plan to take my time and visit with the others in line and if by some miracle I am not in line for more than 10 minutes, I think how lucky the day is and maybe I should get a lottery ticket. (I never do! :D)

Fall into Flavor 5

This is the last week for this meme. I like that it is short and therefore 'do-able' in my mind! :D Thanks Lid at 2nd cup of coffee.

This is the first cake I ever made. I was 11 and my grandmother had died a few months before. I wanted to make this to help my mom feel better. My grandfather helped me. The original recipe called for melted lard and when I added it to the mix, I started to cook the eggs. Grampa helped me beat those eggs into something else. And the cake came out OK in spite of it all. Years later my aunt wondered why my cake tasted more chocolate-y than hers when we used the same recipe. Well when we compared, her's said 6 tablespoons cocoa and mine said 6 HEAPING tablespoons! She swears her mother was trying to keep it a secret.
Aunt Ruby wasn't actually an aunt, at least not of mine, but rather the aunt of one of my gramma's friends. She must have made a great cake cause this is sure a favorite in our clan.

Aunt Ruby's Devil's Food Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup lard*
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a cup add milk to equal 1 cup)
Sift together:
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 heaping tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
Add last:
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cup of boiling water

* if you use vegetable shortening, you will need 1 cup shortening PLUS 1/4 cup oil

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 straight edged cake pans.
Cream together sugar, eggs and lard. Add milk and dry ingredients alternating till thoroughly mixed. The batter will be very stiff at this stage. Add the vanilla and boiling water last. (it is nearly impossible to half this recipe - I always forget and add a full cup of boiling water and then have to add all the other ingredients!) You can also use hot coffee instead of the boiling water for a mocha flavor. Divide batter in the 3 cake pans and bake till a toothpick comes out clean. About 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow cake to fully cool before frosting it.

Frosting (OK I admit, I usually use canned frosting - this cakes takes at least a can and a half to cover it all.) But if you want to do the whole thing yourself, here is the traditional frosting my Grampa taught me that first time.
2 sticks softened butter
4 cups confectioner's sugar (the old recipes say XXX sugar)
4 tablespoons cream (a tad more if needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons cocoa
Whip sugar, butter and cocoa adding cream as needed to make it smooth. Add vanilla. Place one layer of cake on a plate and frost top, add next layer and repeat, add last layer. Frost sides first then the final top. Serve with a glass of milk!
This is my FAVORITE birthday cake!

Time for 2nd Cup of Coffee's Random Dozen.

1. What was the last song you listened to?
I don't listen to a lot of music. The last song I sang was 'Climaclinafeegle-fugle-ashenbeckenbeaglebugle-earaspecking-mountainblooming bird' a camp song

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?
We bought a recliner once, on a great sale. But we got a new credit card with it and put it on the card. By the time we paid it off, we had paid so much more than the recliner was worth...lesson learned.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)
I met my hubby-to-be in college and knew he was the one. I wanted to get married pretty soon after that. He insisted that we had to finish college first, and he took 7 years!!! But that gave us time to mature and make a real commitment that has lasted 31+ years. So I think it was a good thing.


4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?
Every year. For many years from the grandstands in NYC. Hubby dearest has worked for the Parade Studio off and on for 30 years. He is there now...I am not :(

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.
To every season turn, turn, turn.....from the song and Ecclesiaticus.

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G?
Butter...I love it...on toast, in brownies, shortbread, on mush, whatever....things go better with butter.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?
Turkey drumstick!

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?
Favorite childhood book - Pinocchio - the original NOT Disney's version. To read to kids, hmmm, we read the Harry Potter books out loud. I enjoyed doing it that way.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)
Lots of things...the rule in our house is 3 or more makes it a collection. Mut the one I have the most of is elephants. I have hundreds and I was going to post a few, but my daughter seems to have 'borrowed' by photo importer so I can't download them from the camera. :( It reached the point years ago that I started telling people not to get me any more unless the were really unusual. I had no idea how many REALLY unusual ones there were! :D


10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?
Wrapping paper mostly, but I have resorted to bags for some of those impossible to wrap gifts.


11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?
We moved a lot while I was growing up, but in the early elementary days we lived in a small town. I walked to school. My best friend would come over after school and we would play in the upstairs of the old barn on the property. It had a window on the second floor with an apple tree right outside it. We would swing out the window and climb down the tree. There was also an apple orchard in the middle of the block of houses. We played in there too. Once a friend's father was burning some branches and offered to let us cook marshmallows. My mother said no, but I did anyway. My friend caught her marshmallow on fire and started waving it around in an effort to put the flames out. It flew off the stick and landed on the top of my hand. It burned a lot and I ran into her house and put it under cold water (which turns out to have been the right thing to do, but I was just trying to make it feel better.) I couldn't tell my mother, since she had forbidden me to toast the marshmallows. So for 2 days I covered the back of my hand with my other hand and gritted it out. Finally my mom forced me to show her my hand. She was cool. She just cleaned it up and put some ointment on it. I think she felt I had suffered enough! I had!

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish??
Nope. I do throw them back, and I wish them well, but I don't worry about those my cousin catches and cooks up for us.

Fall into Flavor 4

OK I missed Monday and will only make Tuesday by the skin of my teeth - IF I type really fast, but here ya go.

Minted Walnuts. These are a favorite of my mother and Dad used to make them every year. (and he ate them too :D) But he has been gone for 6 years now and it has fallen to me to make them, since I like them too.

1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon oil of peppermint
10 large marshmallows or 20-25 small ones
4 cups walmut halves (or at least large pieces)
2-4 drops green food coloring, optional

Spread a sheet of wax paper over a cookie tray and set it aside. Combine corn syrup, sugar and water in a heavy sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Cook to 240 degrees F using a candy thermometer. Add the food coloring while it heats if you want to use it. Remove from heat and quickly add peppermint oil and marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows dissolve. Add walnuts and stir till all nuts are coated. You have to do this fast. Pour unto wax paper. Immediately separate the nuts apart using 2 forks. Allow to cool completely and store in a sealed container.

When you try to separate these there will be strings from the marshmallows. I used to love watching Dad do this. It looked so pretty with the 'wires' of candy coating. They should become dry to the touch as they cool, if you cooked them long enough. If not they will be sticky, but still taste great.

Time once again for Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee's meme.

1. It's early morning, about 2:00AM, and you're driving home. You come to a red light and sit there. There is no one in sight for miles around. Do you wait it out or run the light?
Honestly, usually, but I have gone if I was in a huge hurry or if I was afraid that stopping that long might make me fall asleep.

2. If you had the chance to re-do the last 24 hours, would you change anything?
I would make it so my husband was employed locally and was HOME.

3. When you reply to someone's comment on your blog, do you reply in your comments or go to her blog and comment? (Or email her)
Still new to this and I don't think I have done this yet...

4. Your favorite Disney movie is:
Mulan

5. Do you recycle?
Yep. everything that I can in this area. Even though we have to take it someplace, no pick up here. Though I admit to not composting in the winter - too cold, ground too hard.

6. Games of strategy or games of chance?
Strategy every time. I like to feel I won on my own.

7. Do you have any recurring dreams?
Just one and it has happened maybe 5 times in the last 25 years. It is a discomforting dream and I really wish I would never have it again!

8. What did you learn from your first real job?
To smile and be friendly to people. They like you for it and make your life much more pleasant.

9. Do you buy or borrow most books?
Husband unemployed equals borrowing books - I am a BIG fan of libraries!

10. What fashion trend of the past did you say you'd never wear again but did?
I really can't think of one.

11. When do you start Christmas shopping?
The day after Christmas, I usually buy the next year's cards and maybe wrapping paper etc. But gifts I buy all year long. As I see something. There is a shelf in my closet that is covered in presents and I write them in my diary (in the back) so I don't forget to give something!

12. Have you ever been so happy that you literally jumped up and down for a few seconds? If so, what was the occasion?
ABSOLUTELY! I believe in sharing my happiness at all times. The most recent was a new stapler at work! :D

Fall into Flavor 3

Well for this week's entry into Fall Into Flavor, I had my recipe all in mind. Only earlier in the week I dropped my recipe box! It is a large one, about 3X5X8 and I have a LOT of recipes in it! All the cards went helter-skelter across the floor. I still haven't got them all sorted out and re-filed. (maybe later this evening?) Anyway, I knew the one I wanted was on a day-glow orange card. As it turns out, are a bunch of others. Took me a while, but I finally found it and here it is!

Pizelles

First you MUST have a pizelle press - either electric (my preference) or one of the old cast iron ones. If using the iron ones you are on your own for timing and how to heat them...never did that, so I don't know how they work. While looking for a picture of these cookies, I discovered there are all kinds of stove-top griddles/irons, so anyone can make these!

Preheat pizelle iron while mixing ingredients.

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
6 eggs
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons almond or anise extract (or 1 tablespoon anise extract and 1 tablespoon anise seed)
3 1/2 cups flour
Cream sugar and butter till smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Add baking powder, salt and extracts. Add flour last.
When the griddle is hot, place a walnut size* ball of dough in the center and close the lid. These cook in a minute to a minute and a half. You will have to time your own griddle. Remove with the tines of a fork and cool on a rack. They will be crisp when they are cool. This recipe makes a lot! They freeze great.

How big is a walnut? That is what the recipes says so I was trying to think what would be more universal. Maybe a ping pong ball? Experiment, see what works for you. I have 2 griddles and usually make 2 batches, one almond and one anise. Hope you like them! (PS I 'borrowed' this picture from the internet - I won't make mine till closer to T-day! but they really do look like this)

2009 Giving Thanks Challenge

In honor of the month of November, which boasts a most wonderful holiday, Leah from South Breeze Farm would like to encourage all of us to join her for the 3rd Annual Giving Thanks Challenge! All you have to do is post one thing you're thankful for each day somewhere on your blog. It doesn't even have to be an actual thought-out post. Just start making a list on your sidebar if you want - somewhere you can see it every day to encourage an attitude of thankfulness.