Author: Dackel Princess

Another Christmas is Past…..

I hope everyone had a great, happy and healthy Christmas. I hope your food was good, the presents great and the company you celebrated with even better!

It was just Hubby and me with our pups today and this was nice. Quiet and calm. I made a recipe for herb crusted prime rib of beef, with twice baked potatoes, butternut squash and boiled onions. I am waiting for that to digest before I attempt to eat dessert.

Meanwhile, I must tell you all about my favorite gift. My dearest friend Uschi, sent me a book from Germany. It is by my favorite artist Martin Blank. He draws pictures and write books about wire-haired dachshunds. His drawings make me think of my Greta and of course my old girl, Shubi.

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If you have a chance, go on over and take a look at his web page. It is in German, but click around and you will see some of the best drawings and I know they will tickle your heart!

The day is dying now, as the sun sets and the temperatures drop. I think it’s time for Hubby to lay a fire in the hearth and get ready for that New England Pumpkin Pie.

Herb-Crusted Standing Rib Roast

1 (4 1/2-pound) standing rib roast, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, cracked
2 teaspoons salt, divided
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sliced shallots (about 2 medium)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon butter

Preheat oven to 450°.

Place roast on a rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle roast evenly with pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; rub with mustard. Combine shallots and garlic in a mini food processor; pulse to coarsely chop. Add rosemary and thyme; process until finely chopped. Rub shallot mixture evenly over roast. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350° (do not remove roast from oven). Bake roast at 350° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Combine beef broth and red wine in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 15 minutes). Take about 1/4 cup of this mixture and pour into roasting pan, swirl around and pour all the juices into the saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in butter and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve with the roast.

Maribeth’s New England Pumpkin Pie

Pastry for a 9″ pie crust
1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
1 c. white sugar
3 whole eggs, beaten
1 tbsp. molasses
2 tbs bourbon
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
Whipped cream for serving
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Keep pie crust chilled until ready to use. Combine cream, milk and sugar in a small saucepan and heat slowly over low heat. Do not boil. Combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt in a bowl; slowly pour in the hot cream mixture, stirring constantly. Pour into pie crust and place in preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes or until set. Stick a toothpick into the center of the pie to see if it is done; it should come out clean. Let cool; serve with whipped cream.

Getting It Done

I was singing,

“Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin’, ring ting tinglin’ to
Come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
The snow is fallin’ and friends are callin’ “you-who”
Come on it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with, you”

as I sat wrapping gifts. After a half an hour, I stopped and grabbed the phone.

“Hello? Do you have any classes for remedial package wrapping?”

They didn’t. So I sat there looking at packages I had wrapped and packages to be wrapped and I realized I was screwed! It is just not my strong suit. Oh, I try. I carefully cut the paper, I try hard to line everything up, and I desperately try not to tape myself to each item. In the end, I have tape stuck to my elbow and eye brow! Don’t even ask me how it gets there.

I looked at Fritz. “You want to try?”

He looked at me, with laughter in his eyes and got up and left the room. So it was me, and miles of Santa Claus wrapping paper and my tape.

I tried to calm down by reminding myself that it is, after all, the thought that counts, right? But then I looked at the square little packages with the ill fitting paper and I can feel the tears well up inside.

I had turned on Martha Stewart’s program and they were decorating packages with live holly and icicles that they made from paper mache! I wondered then, what was wrong with me, that I couldn’t even tape two pieces of paper together to form a straight line?

I am gift wrapping challenged.

I stopped and sat there once again looking at the wrapped and unwrapped packages. I simply refuse to use gift bags unless I am under the gun time wise. I love to see people ripping the paper I have so carefully tried to tape together.

So what’s a girl to do? I know I can never hope to be Martha Stewart, and there are still a few more days left until Christmas, so I’m not out of time, I’ll simply have to suck it up and hope that my family loves me enough to forgive the poorly wrapped presents.

Can someone pass the tape?