She’s Here!

Introducing my granddaughter, Elizabeth Ann. She is named after me. I am so honored.

Carrie delivered a beautiful little girl Thursday morning and is doing well.   Although Elizabeth is two weeks early she is doing fine. She is a tiny little thing and so sweet.

Elizabeth Ann
Born: November 12, 2009
weight: 5lbs. 1 oz.
length: 19 inches.

True Faith And Allegiance

In honor of our men and woman, past and present, who-

“…support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

Thank You.

What The X-rays Revealed

Brian went the the orthepedic doctor yesterday armed-pardon the pun-with his x-rays. The doctor found a chip/fracture on his elbow. He has to wear a splint until he sees the doctor again next week. He also should be using the sling the doctor gave him but he says he hurts his neck. The splint is very heavy. I don’t know how he can stand the weight when his arm is at rest without the sling.

I didn’t mention that Brian is left-handed and that is the arm he injured.

With nothing else to post, I will end it here. :)

Bogged Down

At one time, Tom and I used to buy Boggs cranberry liqueur for the holiday season.  The company that made it closed down many years ago.

Years ago, before the internet, I came across a recipe for the stuff.   For over twenty years, I have been making it yearly for Christmas.

Every year, around Halloween, I start making my cranberry liqueur.

It takes approximately seven to eight weeks to set up before consumption.

After four weeks I bottle the liqueur and then I let it sit for another 3 to 4 weeks and by Christmas Eve it is ready to pour.

The long wait is well worth waiting.  It is so very very close to the taste of Boggs.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Brian injured his arm during the weekend end. Tom and I had been treated it as a sprain but to be sure Tom took him to see his doctor Monday. He ordered x-rays and we waited all day, until 6:30 that night to find out the results. The doctor said that he didn’t see any fracture to his arm, but may have a hairline fracture in his elbow and that we should call an orthopedic doctor that Brian’s doctors recommended. I called first thing this morning. The only time the orthopedic doctor can see Brian is this Thursday. That is when we will, hopefully, find out to what extent his arm is injured.

Happy Halloween 2009

Everything is ready for the little ghouls tomorrow night.  Brian and Nicky are looking forward to tomorrow.  Tom decorated the outside and I cleaned today and did some more decorating for Halloween.  Their costumes are ready and so are they.  Tom bought them some flashlights and a couple of little wind up trinkets.

Now they are saying that candy that is given out can spread the H1N1.  It comes to a point that one doesn’t know what to do.  Do we all stay home and cower in the house or do we go on with our lives.  It is all very confusing.

I forgot to mention that Carrie is doing well.  She isn’t having any more labor pains.  And, in case she does, she has some medication to stop the contractions.  Boy, it can get scary when the baby wants to come too early.  I am sorry that I didn’t mention it.  I know that a few of you have asked about her.

Earlier this evening, Brian tried to do a balancing act around the edge of my above ground planter, fell off and hurt his arm.  He complained a little this evening of it hurting him.  It is swollen or anything.  If he still complains tomorrow and we see any changes then we will call his doctor.  Geesh!

 

Food Meme

Connie, over at Connie’s Sandstone Haven and CC, recommended to me a delightful blog- Mermaid’s Treasures.  There she has many recipes and ideas.  Also, on her blog, she has a food meme that I was anxious to do.

Food Meme

1. What’s your #1 comfort food?
Pasta

2. If you were on a deserted island, what one food would you want to have with you?
Potato Chips. I am addicted to the things.  Yet, I haven’t eaten on in over a year.  I have a tendency to eat a whole large bag in one sitting.

3. What is/are your signature dishes? (What dishes are you ‘known’ for?)
Spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna.

4. It’s Friday night, you don’t know what to cook. You opt for…
Haddock. Fried or baked stuffed.

5. What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to food?
Bread.

6. What food can you absolutely not eat?
Anchovies

7. You need a drink. You grab a….
water or coffee.
Both. I only drink water, coffee or diet coke.

8. What’s the most decadent dish you’ve had?
Pollo alla Firènze (Florence style chicken)

9. What’s your favorite type of food?
Italian

10. Favorite dish?
A seafood platter with fried clams, fried scallops, fried haddock and fried shrimp.

11. If your partner could take you to any restaurant you wanted, which one would it be?
The Dinner Horn in my hometown of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I would get the seafood platter and a couple of Ward 8’s

12. Are you a soup or salad person?
Soup.  I love all kinds of soups.

13. Buffet, take-out or sit-down restaurant?
Sit-down restaurant.  It would be nice to have some one wait on me for a change.  We rarely go out to eat.

14. What’s the most impressive dinner you’ve ever made?
Umm! I’ve made a few. I can’t think right now.

15. Do you consider yourself a good cook?
At times.

16. Do you know what vichyssoise is?
Yes

17. Who’s your favorite TV cook?
I like Ina Garten, Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and of course Julia Child. Julia is who most of us remember as our first experience with cooking after our mothers and grandmothers.

18. Can you name at least three TV cooking personalities?
Yes. Ina Garten, The Galloping Gourmet, Julia Child. There are so many more. Can anyone else remember the Galloping Gourmet?

19. Homemade or homemade from a box?
Homemade.

20. Name 3 or more other foodies you are going to tag. Anyone can feel free to tag themselves for this!
If I were going to tag three they would be Connie…all of my blog buddies.

Life’s Curves And Blessings

Carrie had to go the hospital yesterday. She went into labor at five in the morning. She is 33½ weeks pregnant.  The hospital was able to stop the contractions after four hours and them sent here home.  She is on Terbutaline.  She is on bed rest  for the next 2 weeks until she is at least I 36 weeks along.

We are keeping Nicky for the two weeks that Carrie is on bed rest.  This morning, after we saw Brian off on the bus, Nicky drew some pictures for most of the day on big sheets of paper that I have.  He drew Sponge Bob’s pineapple house, Mr. Krabbs, Patrick and Plankton.  He also scribbled out two pools-one for me and him. He wanted me to write Grammy and Nicky over the pools. Of course his pool was bigger. *smile*

I pray that everything is going to be all right for Carrie and the baby.

Brian got his report card and made the honor roll.

Go, Brian! We are so proud of you.

Last  Thursday I made half of a recipe of Butter Cupcakes. The full recipe calls for five eggs. Not being able to half five eggs, I just used two extra-large eggs. They came out delicious. These cupcakes have a hint of almond flavor. I decorated them keeping Halloween in mind. I topped them off with a marshmallow creme frosting

I find that my presence is getting less and less here on my blog. I have been over on Face Book. My sister and Carrie are on Face Book and I go there often to interact with them. I do miss my blog and feel like I have neglected an old friend. Also, on the other hand, I haven’t had much to write about.

I am still working on the baby’s afghan for my soon to be granddaughter. I am doing a little on it each day.

Go, Tom Go!

It is the end of the long weekend.  These past three days were wonderful in that we didn’t have to get up in the wee hours of the morning and Tom did many of the choirs that needed to get done.

Saturday we cleaned the garage and yesterday Tom finished-off the garage by vacuuming and putting down new door mats and then he finished off the laundry.  Today, Tom cleaned the garage refrigerator (inside and out)  and used bleach and water to clean the seals. He took all the garbage cans outside and washed them then and that evening he cooked burgers on the grill and then did the dishes.  And what did I do while Tom was toiling away?

I made a Halloween Digital Quick Page/Scrap Page.  I am sharing it and if you want it you can click onto it and save it to your hard drive for your personal use.  The original is 705 x 913 pixels. I draw all the graphic using my computer mouse and my Paint Shop Pro.

I did a little crocheting on the baby blanket that I am making for my new granddaughter-to-be. Carrie doesn’t know about it yet. But she will as soon as she reads this.

Hi, Carrie.

I very much appreciate all that Tom did around here these past few day.

Thank you, Tom.

Whoopie Pies

In my previous post, I said that I was going to bring down the ol’ jar of fluff and get to cooking.  This afternoon that is just what I did.  I made Whoopie Pies.

The recipe says to drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheets. I used about two tablespoons for each pie and it was just the right size. One of my scoops that I use for cookie dough holds two tablespoon. I am not sure of the size but here is a comparison.

The middle scoop, in the photo on the left, is the size I used.

I stacked them on a cake pedestal just to take a photo, but I don’t suggest to keep them stacked as they have a tendency to stick together. I used waxed paper to separate them and then stored them in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Keep a napkin handy, as they will stick right to your fingers.

Fluffernutter

Nicky spent the weekend with us.  Friday, after Tom and I took him shopping, we gave him a peanut butter and fluff sandwich aka A Fluffernutter sandwich.  As you can see, he enjoyed his fluffernutter.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that we were able to buy marshmallow fluff here. It was something we New Englanders remember fondly.

Marshmallow Fluff also makes ‘wicked good’ Whoopie Pies-another New England childhood memory.

I also remember my father making  my favorite fudge-Peanut Butter Fudge-using marshmallow fluff. Even when I got older and married, I used to ask him to whip up a batch.  I was never a good fudge maker.  But my sister is good at making fudge.  I am going to try to make a batch of fudge and see if I can do it.  I have a microwave recipe, but it is not as good as the kind made on the stove.

This post is a walk down memory lane for me.   Also, it has inspired me to bring down the ol’ jar of fluff and get to cooking…er…maybe not.  :)

Wheat Skeets

Yesterday I made honey wheat hamburger buns. My idea was to make meat loaf burgers on homemade buns.

The dough on the left and the final product on the right.

They look pretty good in the picture but they tasted terrible and were too heavy and dense. While the dough was rising I wasn’t getting the yeasty dough smell…if you know what I mean. While they were baking I still wasn’t getting that smell of fresh bread baking.

When I took them out of the oven I noted how heavy they were. After I cooled them down, I tasted a smaller one that I made (I always make a sampler) and it had a metallic/chemical taste and smell to it.

I don’t know if it was the flour or the honey. I know that the flour isn’t expired. I keep wheat flour in the freezer in a container as it will go rancid quickly if not.

I just don’t know what went wrong.

“Hi, Tom?”

“On your way home from work can you stop and pick up some hamburger buns?”

Do You Know The Muffin Lady?

I have been fixed on muffins lately.

Last Saturday I made corn muffins with blueberries. They are just a basic corn muffin recipe (I used some buttermilk). Basic in the sense that mine are a little sweeter than the ones served down here.  My only complaint was that the corn meal wasn’t coarse enough.  It was too finely ground.  Carrie said that they weren’t sweet enough.

“Hi Carrie” :)

Today I made apple cinnamon muffins also using some buttermilk.

I caution that using just buttermilk in a recipe that calls for milk will make the batter very thick. If you are going to use some buttermilk in your recipes you will have to have a feeling for have to have a feel for know how the batter should be.  Did that make sense?

Yesterday, on ‘The Barefoot Contessa’ I saw her make Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins.  Now, I have just got to make those.  They looked so good.

More Shed Finds

I also found these in the shed the other day. I painted these prints, years ago, using watercolors. I got the idea from some magazine. I can’t remember the name of the mag. It was so very long ago. I wanted to redo my bathroom in a beach cottage theme and hang these prints there.

Again, the last print shows up as a dark gold, but the original is more of a light golden color. The other two are exactly same colors.

I never did get to redo my bathroom. I really wanted to know how these would look in a frame. So, yesterday, after scanning them, I brought them over to Paint Shop Pro and made these frames just to see how they would look framed. 

Maybe someday I will get to buy some frames and hang them.

For now they are back in storage, in a closet, in the house. 

Maybe Somewhere In Italy

With not having much to post about…

I found another painting I did in oils.  It was stored away in the shed.

After I scanned the picture, the buildings look orange.  In the painting, the building are more golden then they are orange.

I just couldn’t get the angles right on the buildings. Maybe I should have taken some art classes or geometry classes somewhere along the way throughout my life. *smile*

English Muffins

A couple of weeks ago, I watched Alton Brown make English muffins. During that episode, I remembered that I had some muffin rings. Years ago I made some and didn’t quite like them. Alton Brown’s recipe looked and sounded so much better.  So today I made a batch of his English muffins.

His recipe said to use a #20 ice cream scoop and place 2 scoops into each ring. That was too much batter to add to each ring. They came out too high and took too long to toast.

Tom tried one this evening and said they were too heavy and dense.

Oh, well.  The rings go back in hiding until I come across a better recipe.