Dackel Princess

Chestnut Stuffing

As I have been telling you all, chestnuts are just my favorite things in the world. Especially at Thanksgiving. Today I roasted them and then made the stuffing.

Preheat oven to 400º
Soak chestnuts in bowl of boiling water
for about 30 minutes.
Drain.
With scissors of knife put an X in the top
of the rounded portion of chestnut.
Roast chestnuts on cookie sheet for
25 minutes. Put in dish towel and crack shells.
Peel. Enjoy!!!!

All peeled.

Meanwhile,

Stuffing

1 Big bag of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing
1 cup chopped onion               1 Tbs. Sage
1 cup chopped celery                1 Tbs. Savory
1 Tbs. minced garlic                2 Tsp. salt
1/2 cup minced carrot             1/2 tsp pepper
24 chestnuts                           1 stick butter
chicken stock                        1 Tbs. Parsley

Melt butter, saute chopped vegetables until tender. Mix all ingredients with chicken stock until moist. Cool before stuffing your turkey.

All done!!!

Pearl Onions

Hubby peeled the Pearl Onions, and tomorrow I will steam them. Yum! Pearl Onions are so sweet!

To peel pearl onion and boiler onions, we recommend using this simple and easy method:

Immerse onions in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. (You can also use your microwave to heat the onions.)

Place onions in cold water and allow them to set for a couple of minutes.

To peel, simply cut-off the root portion of the bulb and squeeze gently. The onion will literally pop out of its skin!

Pumpkin Bread

Here is a recipe that Hubby just loves. It’s flavorful and easy.

4 eggs, beaten                                                   2 t. baking soda
3 cups sugar                                                      1/2 t. salt
1 cup cooking oil                                                 1 t. cinnamon
3/4 cup water                                                      1 t. nutmeg
3 1/3 cups flour                                                   1 t. ginger
No. 303 can pumpkin (1 1/2 cups)

Combine and mix all ingredients well – the mixture will be very liquidy.
Pour into 2 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. (slightly less for the smaller pans)
This freezes beautifully. It is also delicious toasted.

Cranberry Orange Relish

This was very easy and tastes yummy!

I’ll also serve normal cranberry sauce.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish

1 (12-oz) pkg Ocean Spray Cranberries

1 unpeeled orange, cut into 8ths and seeded

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (I use Splenda) 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place half the cranberries and half the orange segments in food processor. Process until evenly chopped. Transfer to bowl and repeat with remaining cranberries and orange segments. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Thanksgiving Prep Work

Today Hubby drove me to buy all the fixings for our Thanksgiving meal. It was my first trip out since getting sick. I thought I was ready for it, but by the time we got home an hour and a half later, I was dragging.

But, we did get what we needed, including the freshest turkey that they had. With plump breasts and chubby thighs, our turkey looks like a chefs dream! We also bought the chestnuts for the dressing, the Yukon Gold Potatoes, some Pearl Onions, and fresh cranberries to make the cranberry relish with. Of course we will be eating our home grown butternut squash and an apple pie made with our own apples.

Oh I shiver in anticipation of our Thanksgiving meal! I’m not sure that anyone loves Thanksgiving as much as I do! It is simply the best. It was the first thing I learned to cook and I do cook it often. Of course you cannot always get the chestnuts. They seem to only be available in November and December.

When Nat King Cole sang about “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” he sure knew what he was singing about!

Wednesday we will do as much of the prep work as we can. Hubby is always such a help with peeling and chopping things. I’m so lucky to have him.

***************

In other news, I heard from Calvin’s new family and he is being well loved there. He has settled in and has a blood hound sister looking out for him and playing with him. I love it when my puppy buyers write and let me know how the little ones are doing. The house does seem oddly quiet now and we do miss them.

Preparing For Turkey Day!

Recipes have been read, lists have been made and the planning of our Thanksgiving meal is well underway. I’m still undecided about the pies. I am definitely making an apple pie, but I have been craving a pumpkin pie too, so I may make both!

One thing I am planning is our family’s traditional Chestnut Stuffing! Oh how I live for that! I’m not sure I mentioned that a couple of weeks ago I bought a few chestnuts, roasted them in the oven and just ate them. Oh my, they are so good!

I’m also going to make fresh cranberry relish this year. A friend gave me a recipe and will be making that.

Also on our menu will be mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed candied butternut squash, peas, gravy, bread and butter pickles, and some sort of table bread or rolls.

I love cooking and baking and I’m looking forward to doing all of this. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year!

In fact the family legend is that I was born a week early just so I could get my turkey dinner!

That sure sounds like me!

A Thing Of The Past

I woke to absolute quietness, which in turn made me think that something was amiss. After all, the puppies are never this quiet unless they are getting into to something they shouldn’t, like the night they escaped the puppy room.

Sleepily, I pulled on my robe and slippers and headed out to check, and there I saw it…an empty puppy room!

Consciously I knew they were gone, but in those first moments of wakefulness, I had totally forgotten. I smiled a sad smile, and turned and made the coffee.

Later, as I poured my first cup, I looked over at the vacant room, and in my minds eye, I could see those beautiful brown eyed babies watching me.

It’s always like this, the first few days after all the puppies have gone. Hubby and I were growing dangerously close to Curt, and we both admit to missing him quite a bit today.

Meanwhile, I have scrubbed the room, repainted a few spots and late this afternoon returned the table and bench to their rightful places, and rehung our jackets on the wall pegs. I have pretty much erased all the signs of puppies in there.

All of this made me feel tired, so after I finished putting things away, I made some tea and then sat down to relax.

Yes, this granny can relax until next summer when I do it all over again with Anneliese!

Good-Bye Curt!

It was the end of Greta’s litter today, as Curt left us to go to his new home. Gail and Faye came to pick her up and bring him home to his new family. There are several dogs and a teenage boy to keep him company there.

Curt liked them both right away. He was adorable and we lay a track outside so I could show them how he tracks the blood to find the deer hide. The little bugger did pretty well, but once he got the hide in his teeth I could not get him to let it go! Oh that Curt is a stubborn one!

I completely forgot to take pictures, but Gail sent me these two beautiful ones of her with her new boy! Thank you so much Gail! I look forward to many, many more!

So the puppy room has been cleaned, and tomorrow I will move the furniture back in, as well as our coats, and life will return to normal. Whatever normal is when you have 4 dogs of your own!

Catch-Up

On Monday I visited my cousin Janet to celebrate my birthday. The surprise was on her, as my sister also joined us! It was so great for us three cousins to sit around talking, reminiscing and sharing the day.

Janet had to have some surgery a couple of weeks back, but she is looking fabulous now!

It was also great to see my sister, who I do not get to see very often.

My sister made me a cake for my birthday. A red velvet cake and it was so delicious!

It was a a great visit with two of my favorite people!

Today I received a package from “down under” in Australia. It was a birthday present from my friend, Bernie. He sent a wonderful book of Australian Poetry.

Thank you so much, my friend. I love it! Both the poems and the pictures are fabulous!

And during all the excitement we tried to have Curt out as much as possible. He is such a sweetie, but unfortunately he bugs Anneliese, so we have had to be very careful with him when he is around her. I did take this picture this morning though and I think it shows just how adorable he is!

I’m feeling a little better and I think the antibiotics have taken hold. Good thing. I do not like being sick!

Have a great weekend everyone!

It Came In The Night

I wasn’t going to bring this up, but since I am currently down and out on my chair, I thought it would be best to fill you in.

I had a splendid birthday! I heard from my family, and friends from all over the world wishing me a happy day and letting me know that I am thought about, and loved!

Really, it was just the best birthday a middle aged woman girl like me could have. I thank each and every one of you for making my day so wonderful!

And then it happened. One and a half hours after my birthday ended, I got sick. It’s not the H1N1 Virus, just a little pneumonia! I had been restless all night in bed, and had trouble with my breathing. So, when I got up on Wednesday I knew a visit to the doctor’s was in the cards.

When I arrived at the office I’d been instructed to put on a mask and use the hand sanitizer so I wouldn’t infect anyone. As soon as people see you with the mask, you can just see their eyes widen and their bodies stiffen in fear. I felt pretty lousy before I went into the office, but all those people pulling away from me as if I had the plague! made me feel like a leper!

Once I was seen and unmasked by the doctor, I left with prescriptions in hand and headed home. I gave the prescriptions to Hubby, who took them to our local pharmacy and got them filled.

Since then I have been, quite happily in my pajamas, watching the TV and drinking juice. I have stayed warm, napped often and done nothing whatsoever productive.

Perhaps when you are ill, that’s what you are supposed to do.