Category: Holidays

On Thursday Hubby and I were out getting groceries and shopping, and we got to Market Basket, when we saw a green car near by. Inside sat Fritz’s twin! We went over and studied this dog, and he truly was Fritz’s doppelganger! He never barked at us either. It was almost as if he knew us!

Friday saw my friend, Barbie come up for the afternoon. I took her to a wonderful coffee shop near my home, where they make soups, salads and quiches, right there, and it all tastes wonderful! We both had the salmon chowder, and turkey sandwich! After that we headed off to do a little Christmas shopping.

Friday night was a Christmas Party given by friends here in town. I wish I’d taken my camera, so I could share the scene. The house was filled with Christmas trees and decorations and the food was splendid! I think Hubby and I saw everyone we know in town. What a fun evening we had.

Saturday was the birthday of Arnie and Anneliese, and we just spent the day playing with them, as well as working on our Christmas Card/letter. I wrote the cards, and Hubby printed up the letters. Now at ten minutes past nine on Saturday night all the Christmas cards are done!

I am hoping on Sunday to get our tree up and have Hubby help me with the lights. Then I can decorate it. I will let you know.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Hubby and I finally were able to sit down at 4 PM and eat dinner, on Thursday. My turkey took five hours to cook. Now the bugger wasn’t all that big, so I am thinking that the regulator in my old oven is not working worth a darn! Eventually the bird cooked and it was moist and yummy! All was not lost.

Anyway, while the turkey cooked I worked on the side dishes. I braised pearl onions.

Then sauteed brussel sprouts, onions, garlic and bacon.

Mashed the Yukon Gold Potatoes.

Heated up the butternut squash from our garden.

Before taking the chestnut stuffing out of the bird and into this serving dish. I did an outstanding job on the stuffing this year. I think it was the fresh herbs from my garden!

I set the table, then placed the food on it.

Lastly, here is my plate.

Once we ate, we had to clean it all up. Somehow I managed to use every pot and pan in the place and way too many dishes! Once I got them all washed and/or in the dishwasher I waddled into the family room and watched “Charlie Wilson’s War”. It was okay, but not one of my favorites. Still the acting was good.

So, another Thanksgiving is over, and once again, I am feeling very happy with sitting down and eating my favorite meal. There is nothing like a good Turkey dinner!!!

1. Let’s start with something controversial…dressing or stuffing? What’s it called at your house and what’s included in your recipe…cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts?

Nothing controversial here, Although we know what people mean, we both call it stuffing, and not dressing. Although Hubby came to me liking a sage stuffing he quickly (and me too) adapted my chestnut stuffing into a chestnut/sage stuffing.

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

I really don’t. I have never thought of myself as being anyone, but myself.

3. When were you last inside an airport?

When I went to Germany in 2010. I think it was in June. But we will be going on a trip in March 2012!

4. What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner?

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Mashed Butternut Squash. This was last years dinner!

5. What Christmas song do you dread hearing?

The grandma getting run over by a reindeer one. I hate that!

6. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money ‘in a tin cup’ that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

I always have money in my wallet for The Salvation Army. It is the one charity that I know does good for a large group of people!

7. Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food.

All the family Thanksgivings that I have shared, first with my birth family and cousins, then with my children and then with Hubby. One thing always was that my cousin Janet, who is close in age to me, always managed to sit next to me and we shared the food and usually managed to get into mischief! My older sister, Mel, was usually in charge of the Kids Table!

I do have to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite Meal of the Year. In my family people got to select what they wanted for their birthday meal, and not once would my mother cook turkey for me, as my birthday was the week before Thanksgiving! But, my sister gave me a surprise party a few years ago, and cooked turkey with all the fixings!

Here we are. Me, Mandy, My Uncle George (who is no longer with us, but whom I adored!) and my mother. My cousin, Janet is in the background.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have so much to be thankful for this year and I feel blessed. Everyone is in good health, they are happy and life, more or less is good.

I wish for you all, out there in blogger land, a very Happy Thanksgiving, and should you not be an American celebrating this day, I wish you a peaceful day.

So, I’m in the planning stages for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my most favorite meal of the year, and even though it will just be Hubby and me, I still plan to cook a complete meal.

Today, I started planning out the menu and making a grocery list. Oh, I can taste the turkey and stuffing already!

Here is the menu:

• Turkey. Fresh and roasted to crispy skinned perfection!
• A fabulous home made chestnut stuffing. I roasted chestnuts on Monday and they are the key ingredient to my stuffing! I wait each year for this and I am never disappointed!
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes.
• Mashed Butternut Squash, with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.
• Brussel Sprouts, with bacon and onions.
• Yummy turkey gravy.
• Cranberry orange relish.
• Fresh apple pie and vanilla ice cream!

Can we say, yum, a yum, a yum, a yum!!!

Today I will finish the shopping and on Wednesday I will do all the peeling and chopping. Then, on Thursday, I just need to cook everything up.

What are you all planning to do for the holidays? What are your “have to” items for Thanksgiving?

Our Memorial Day was full of bright, hot sunshine,  and Lobster!

My cousin Janet was here with her boyfriend, Dave and they brought some of the best Lobsters and steamer clams ever! The weather was good, but very hot! At one point I looked at the thermometer and it was 92 degrees (F)!

We walked down to a local Craft Fair and checked out all the booths and I bought some spices to use when I make dips. Then we walked home, feeling the heat more and more!

When we got back, Dave and I cooked up those lobsters, clams and some corn on the cob. I’d already made some potato salad. It came out okay, but not as good as usual. Oh well, the first batch of the summer season is usually not my best! But I did try.

Saturday was house cleaning and laundry day, and really, that was not too interesting. I got it done and in the evening I settled in to watch “From Lark Rise to Candleford” before going to bed.

Friday was also rather uninteresting, in fact so much so, that I can’t recall what I did! Oh yes, we went shopping and I got a dress for the Reunion this coming week. Now I am all set for that!

Have a wonderful Monday everyone and a blessed Memorial Day to all those serving in our military! Here is a short montage done last Veterans Day to honor our military!

Hubby’s Veteran’s Day from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

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Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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Easter was a good Day. Why is that? Well, all the food came out as planned, and I didn’t burn my house down! Let me back up to Saturday.

I started working peeling vegetables, making gelatin molds, and a new grape salad, which really made me happy. I started in the morning and by the time I cleaned up on Saturday it was well after dinner and we were just sitting down to watch From Lark Rise to Candleford.

Needless to say, I slept well on Saturday night, and woke on Sunday to the brightest sunshine and warmest weather than we have had in a long time! Ah how wonderful to have such a beautiful Easter morning! I exited the bedroom singing “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”.

Once again I found myself racing to get everything done for our Easter celebration with my cousin, Janet. She and her Dave and his daughter and two grandsons were due up at 1 to start the celebrations, and they arrived right on time!

I brought out the stuffed eggs and the New England Clam Dip, and we all munched on that until the rest of the meal was cooked, and ready to put on the table.

Now here is where things got a little exciting! Janet had put her delicious rosemary yeast dinner rolls on top of the stove to rise and covered them with a sheet of wax paper. Stupid me, went to turn on the burner in the back and when it clicked on, the flame caught the paper and the next thing I knew the wax paper was burning. I tried to blow it out, but that did not work, so I grabbed the paper and tossed it into the sink!

After that the rest of the meal’s preparation was anti-climactic! All went well and finally about 2:45, we sat down and ate our meal!

After dinner we walked around my yard enjoying the fact that the snow has melted and once again spring is trying to arrive!

Before sitting down and having coffee and cake.

Now I fear I will not be able to eat for a few days! Perhaps that would be a good thing! I know today, my WW diet was ignored through out the entire meal! But oh, those rolls and the cake were just fantastic!

What did you all do to celebrate?

Okay folks, it is nearly the end of April and it is Easter. So what happened here yesterday? This:

Yes, that’s right, it snowed! About two and a half sloppy inches of the wet, white, stuff! I simply could not believe it! Hubby worried about clearing the drive, but I simply took the pictures and then went back to preparing the food for Easter. I wanted to get the vegetables peeled, the dips made, the eggs stuffed, and an aspic made. And still it snowed on…

My shrub is okay. The buds are still tight.

The snow even fell and killed my pretty yellow flower!

I am so thankful for this Easter Day! What does it mean? Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! His triumphant Heavenly Day, Alleluia!

I send to you all our best wishes for a happy and healthy Easter. My God Bless you today and  every day in the year ahead!

And…here we go!

1. Pardon me, while I powder my nose.

2. The beautiful leg of ham we have for Easter is a good deal.

3. I was surprised to find that I really like gourmet cooking.

4. Having a barbecue (or cooking outside) is one of my favorite forms of entertainment.

5. Hi, my name is Maribeth and I’m an over-eater. That is what I said three years ago when I went to my first WW meeting.

6. Warm, breezy and peaceful summer afternoons.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to finishing up the laundry and vacuuming, tomorrow my plans include making the tomato aspic, peeling the potatoes and the carrots and also making the stuffed eggs and clam dip and Sunday, I want to cook the ham, get all the parts of the Easter dinner put together, so that I can enjoy everyone who will be coming up and sharing our table!

The Menu

Appetizers, Stuffed Eggs and New England Clam dip with chips.

1. Ham. Not my first choice, but Hubby and Janet love it and I love them, so ham it is! I have a nice piece of porky pig in the fridge for our dinner. I bet it will be delish!

2. I’m making it with a spiced cherry glaze. I know most people do it with pineapple, but I am sadly allergic to it, so we will have this glaze on the roast ham, and have a dish of pineapple for those that can have it.

3. Mashed potato. It is one thing I really love and gosh darn-it, we are going to have them!  I wondered about it and finally put it on the menu. I’ll weigh my portion, but I really want them.

4. A Tomato Aspic! This is a recipe I have gotten from a friend and it is not only low in points, but it is so good!

5. Either asparagus or peas, depending on the prices in the supermarket this week. I’m hoping asparagus!

6. Carrots. I love carrots, so I plan to wash, peel, slice and cook until they are tender crisp and sweet!

7. Pickles. I make my own Moon-glow pickles and I will have a tray of those on the table.

8. Rolls. served with butter and margarine.

9. An assortment of mustards. Does everyone like the same mustard with their ham?

10. Coconut cake. My cousin is making this and I can hardly wait!

11. A Grape salad. A pound of green and a pound of seedless red, a block of fat free cream cheese, and a container of fat free vanilla yogurt. 1/4 cup of either sugar or Splenda. Make the dressing first, then add to the grapes. Meanwhile, mix 1/4 cup brown sugar with a good fist-full of pecan, crunch together and toast. Cool and then toss on top of grapes. Chill overnight, and serve.

12. Drinks galore. Coffee, tea, water, soda’s etc.

13. Alka Seltzer! lol!