The results

Borscht: Rave reviews from the friend whose parents immigrated to the US from Belarus in the early 1900s. Family also enjoyed. Must be something about there being a pound and 1/2 of butter in the recipe (I held back on that one).

Ham: It was ham, and it was appreciated.

Prime Rib: Excellent reviews for my first time out. The biggest challenge for me is paying attention to the muscle grains to be sure to cut against it. Only a few slices were in error. Today, wonderful sandwiches. I need to take better watch of the time and temperature of the center in the future.

Potatoes: Great reviews. Secret: like apple pie, the key is diversity in species of potatoes, usually three different types ... butter and cream (not milk, but cream). I also use Kosher salt in my cooking, but I don't know if that makes a difference.

There you go. A good small dinner party of about 11 people, and all went well.

Oh, and the pumpkin bread worked out great as gifts and something to have around.

Christmas memory

It's been seared into my memory, and this is the voice I hear when I read the KJV of the Christmas story.



My gift to you this Christmas Eve day.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Made yesterday

2 normal loaves of pumpkin bread.

16 mini loaves of pumpkin bread.

1 large batch of borscht.


To make tonight:

Caramel pull-aparts using freezer rolls.
Rub for prime rib

To make tomorrow:
Prime rib
Ham
mashed potatoes

Oh, and to straighten up the living room

Christmas day dinner begins today

Oh no, we're not gluttons or anything of the sort.

It's just that I got a crazy idea in my head that Christmas dinner (1 p.m. Tuesday) should have:

Prime Rib
Ham
Borscht
Mashed potatoes

Really.

So I purchased the prime rib yesterday (egads!) and need to make the borscht today so it can sit for a day or so in the fridge, enabling the flavors to mix and settle together.

If you don't know borscht it's a Ukranian/Russian soup. The recipe that I use is a vegetarian one with cream and butter. The staple vegetables are beets and cabbage. To that is added tomatoes, carrots, and assorted others. I think I'll be putting in some shredded zucchini in this as well. It's served best with fresh bread, so that'll be something I make on Tuesday morning.

The prime rib will be the first time I attempt to make it, so I'll see how it goes ... hence the ham back up.

Here goes ... dinner for 15 or so coming up!

For the 'girlfriends'

It's called blupper (breakfast, lunch and supper).

Thank you.

24 : 1994

Another "just a link" post, but by "just a link" I mean "just embedded video". Oh, and I've only seen, maybe 1/2 of a "24" episode.

Enjoy.

"We just received a VHS tape. It could be a lead."

Titleless.

April 2000.

Me? 25.
Chickadee, seven years less than what she is today.

Freshlly married, first born on the way. I was communting from Olympia to Renton, she was working at a newspaper.

And ... my brother went in for surgery. Nothing small. It was to be a 6 to 8 hour surgery to remove a tumor.

It lasted 10 hours longer than the estimate.

Then there was the ICU, the waiting, the visits. My first time getting pulled over since our honeymoon.

Today, a call. This time it wasn't my dad, it was my brother. With his gentle meter, well thought out (he knew it was coming) message, he told me (with confidence and brotherly assurance) that it is back. But it would certainly be only a few hours. It won't entail any ICU or prolonged hospital visits.

I pray this to be true.

Its been a long, long week around here.

"I'm sick"

So we've had a bout these past three weeks with illness...stomach, head and chest type things.

Now Ms Youngest goes about the house saying, "I'm sick ... my tummy hurts."

All day long.

Fun.

what I'd like to do

I would like to learn how to can.

Really, Kerr or Ball jars, rings and sealing lids. Big pots of boiling water and stuff to put into the jars.

I'd can tomatoes.

Soups

Sauces

Fruit

Jam

and
Jelly, too.

The key, though, is that I would actually use the stuff too. Lazy cooking nights might be healthier and easier with a bunch of food in jars hanging around.