Humbug to crisps

I've made my last fruit crisp.  No one eats fruit crisps in this family and I am not wasting anymore cooking time over the subject. Many people in this family have a sweet tooth, but not for crisps of any kind.  So, the end.

The dish that drew the crown yesterday was the mushroom rice. Even though one member would not touch a mushroom with a ten-foot pole, The mushroom rice dish is gone! And now frittatas are hot around here.  They are always popular with Brooks and Alyssa, but now without their presence, the frittatas disappear as well.

I am struggling through Lee Child's newest book--maybe Reacher should go away.  I am also mad that I bought Patterson's new book even though he supposedly wrote it himself, I am still skeptical. (I don't like Patterson's books that he writes with other authors.)  I can usually tell when he writes and then stops and someone else takes over, or at least I tell myself that as I lay down the book for good without finishing it.

Once in England, The Gilberts and I were on an antiquing outing in the countryside.  As June would put it, we were feeling peckish, so we stopped for a bite at Little Chef.  This was probably twenty years ago and I still remember what I had but not what it was called and I am still trying to make this wonderful treat.  It was the size of a pancake dripping with butter and toasty.   Not a crumpet, and June said it was a toastie just yesterday. It was more like toast only round, lightly toasted in color and soft and the size of a pancake.  I have been on Little Chef's site and have written to them.  I doubt they will write back, but hey, give it a go. I don't know what it is about things that I ate in England.  I remember them so well but rarely know how to duplicate them---example, Biscuit Cake. A cake with cookies baked into the batter.  The Queen's favorite cake.  I had it once at an antique show in London and have been trying to make it since.  Sigh. To no avail.

Santa is packing the sleigh, I hope he has something nice for all of you.

Nate's travels

Many of you know my grandson, Nate, who travels the world three months out of the year.  He returned a day ago from California to pick up his backpack and he starts his journey today, heading to ski and visit with his brother in Colorado.  Then it is on to Hawaii (surprised he is going back there after the incoming missile scare last year) where he is meeting a girl from Australia whom he has traveled with before. That is as far ahead as he thinks on these adventures, but he takes fabulous pictures so you might check out his Facebook website in a couple of weeks to follow his travels.

So many tasty treats to choose from today but it is the mushroom rice dish that gets attention today.  Andy fears mushroom so he won't be eating that, but he did dive into the breakfast frittata that I made today (so did Beth and Nate.) So that's gone now.  I have to arrange the fridge soon because company's coming and I have to be organized.  Right now it looks like a jumble sale site.

Yesterday, December 14th  it was 58 degrees and sunny so Andy and the dogs had a sit out taking in the warm rays. Hoping for more before winter really sets in.


Nate and Eva

Cranberry and pear crisp

Andy and I got a nice box from Harry and David sent to us by Danny and Nancy. We had just finished off a Harry and David box of pears and discovered then that in two days they would all be ripe at once.  Soooo, when the new box arrived I had to come up with a recipe using pears.  I had some orange and cranberry sauce in the fridge that I had just made so I decided to combine the two for a crisp.  I had also just made my granola that Andy and Brooks and Johnna like, so I used some of that for the topping.  It turned out rather nice if you like crisp.

Then I noticed some very large potatoes that needed using and I saw in the fridge the almost empty bag of cheese shards, three different kinds in one bag, that I bought at Sam's.  If you haven't bought that handy, delicious pack, you are missing out.  I am using it on nearly everything that calls for cheese. Any way, I made scalloped potatoes with pancetta and green onions topped with the 3 cheese shards and that too turned out rather pretty and delicious. If you make it, your taste buds will shift with the three blend shards of cheese; wham there's the Asiago. Yum, there's the nutty Parmesan. And, ahhh, yes, the Romano...smooth
 You will taste them all.

I hate it when everyone is on a diet, especially during the holidays.  So I just cook it, eat some, give the rest away.  I am not going to cook around diets.

Baking slump

I have not baked one Christmas cookie this season. Gasp. That seems almost illegal.  But no one seems upset by it, they are all focused on losing weight, so in a way, it is a blessing that my mixer has not seen batter for a long time.

I have been so busy keeping dogs alive that I have not spent much time in the kitchen.  But time is up and company is coming.  Alyssa, Brooks, and Carly will all be here for a Christmas meal and I have bought the standing rib roast.  It is big, but since it is the only meat, I hope it will suffice.  I am keeping it simple so I can enjoy the day too.  Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, a vegetable to be determined and the arugula and multi-cheese shards salad dressed with Marzetti's simple lemon dressing.  Mike and Nate will be in Colorado with Adam skiing and enjoying each others company. I hope Matt and Stacy and Madeleine will be here for the meal as well.

Brooks is being deployed in January. So I want to make things nice for his stay here.

Other than that, things are moving and breaking but still pleasant no matter what is happening. Life is good and I am looking forward to writing 2019.

December 2018 slipping away

Why is it my kitchen utensils disappear when no one else cooks in this kitchen except for Thanksgiving?  Pam and George graciously gave me a pair of Cutco scissors a couple of years ago and they are the best item in my kitchen--or they were until they disappeared.  I've searched days for them and Beth, who usually knows where a crumb is hiding, can't find them either. One time I found my favorite knife in the golf cart with other yard work tools, but you can bet that knife is still in my kitchen. Well, I ordered new Cutco scissors and will find a hiding place just as I did for my carving set which was also a gift from Pam and George and he is the only one to use the set when he is king of Thanksgiving carving.

I am to bed early tonight.  I don't think I have to worry about Winston dying anymore.  He is still in the weeds, but so much better. Oops, I said I would not dwell on that, but he is on my mind. As for TV shows keeping me up, why is it programming goes to pot around Thanksgiving and gets no better until January?  I was all set for Downtown Abbey last night and one of those paid advising programs was on WOSU and they were asking for money over and over and over. Now the program won't appear again until January.  Don't they know we have to relax a bit in the evenings and some people stay home once in a while.

I made a really good pot of mushroom beef soup before Beth left for New Orleans, where by the way, she is having a great time with her family.  Andy is afraid of mushrooms, so I have it all to myself.

We are outside decorated within an inch of our lives.  People like driving by here on their way home to see the lights.  Sometimes they leave nice notes about the decorations in our mailbox or send a card about it through the mail.

It is dark and 5:08.  My PJs are calling.  Even though our bedroom is torn up and being painted, I long for the bed tonight.

Hello December

It is near the end of 2018 and I am glad.  I don't want to wish away my time on earth, but this year has been something not to be repeated. I am happy that the humans in the family are all well and happy and healthy enjoying many events to come in the future.  There is much to be thankful for and I feel guilty whining about anything for I have a great life.

Winston, the dog that was mauled by a coyote in our backyard is high on drugs but home now and up every once in awhile wagging his tail and eating and drinking.  That is a wonderful sight.  I will shut up about him now because I have spent far too much time on giving you updates that I am sure you grow weary of reading. (I think he will make it.)

Nate starts his three month travels mid-December.  I only know he heads first to Colorado to ski with his brother.  Adam has a job offer already straight out of Pike's Peak so we are thrilled about that.

Beth is in New Orleans today until Tuesday to help her family and to visit.  We miss her already.

We have only the two big wreaths to put up and we are done with the decorations for Christmas.  I have to buy the standing rib roast for a Christmas meal when Alyssa, Brooks, and Carly return for a few days the day after Christmas.  Mike will be with Adam and Nate skiing, so we are scattered this year. I am sure Matt and Madeleine will be here some of the time to keep us happy.

The rain, the rain... we are totally soaked here at Many Branches sopping in fact. Better than the wild fires and the earthquakes, that's for sure.

Happy decorating and may your Christmas be the best one yet.

Doris Lechler

2018 Humbug

I cannot believe this year.  The topper is that yesterday a coyote mauled poor Winston right into the hospital emergency vet clinic.  This is the second coyote and the biggest one that we have traipsing through our backyard in the same path as a herd of deer.  Yesterday he became bold and moved to the pool area and our three dogs were outside.  The next thing I heard was a squeal and Winston was down. Had I not screamed and cried and yelled making the coyote look up for a second in time for Winston to run bleeding to the house with 2 broken ribs and a series of bite punctures on his under carriage he would have been a goner.  He spent the night in the hospital and is home now, but not moving, eating drinking or walking.  They wanted to operate but the xrays did not show internal bleeding so I opted for another approach.  I hope it works. Well, that's a cheerful note is it not?

We tucked Winston into bed and went to Sam's.  I want to tell you about a discovery that we made on the trip before this one. It's a big bag of shaved blend Asiago, Parmesan, Romano all natural cheese for salads and more.  It is great with fresh arugula and Marzetti's Simply Dressed dressing.  On this salad is crispy fried prosciutto crumbles. Yum.

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Doris Lechler
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It's been awhile

 Hello all.  It has been a long time since my last blog entry.  I have battled strep throat and pneumonia and got well in time to host twenty-five people for Thanksgiving day. We had two meals but the subject of the evening was how we cooked one of the turkeys.  One 20 pounder went in the roaster and came out perfectly but the other was so surprising you might not believe how it came out.  I saw the Pioneer Woman do a turkey the way her mother always did the Thanksgiving bird and it worked!  Heat your oven to 500 degrees.  Place your turkey in the 500 degree oven for one hour. Turn off the oven without ever opening the oven door at any time, leave the turkey to cook in the residual heat for six hours. After six hours you have a perfectly browned turkey that is juicy and cooked to perfection. Do not try this with a turkey that is heavier than 16 pounds. (We don't know what the heck would happen if it were larger.) I love it when new ideas work out.

Thanksgiving day was beautiful, but cold so we had several card tables set up for  euchre.  I was on fire! It must have been the bloody Marys or the bubbly.  I could do no wrong when it came to cards that day no matter the partner.  The bloody Marys had another twist; the vodka was laced with horseradish and came from a small country brewery in Kentucky.  It lent a nice touch to these already delicious drinks.  (Luckily they left us the bottle.)

Another fun adventure was Alyssa came home from New Orleans to shop for wedding dresses.  I didn't think I could go because of the cough and sluggishness, but go I did and we had a wonderful day AND we found the dress! The first bridal appointmen (yes, they do that nowadays) was the place where we found Vera Wang.  As soon as we entered at 10:00 we had  glasses of champagne in our hands--well, they did, I had orange juice because of the medication.  Six of us were there to yea or nay the dresses modeled by the beautiful Alyssa.  When she came out in the Wang we all screamed and she knew, after the first five gowns, that she had found the dress.  However, she had an afternoon appointment to keep, so I took everyone to lunch. We then went to the second shop knowing full well that we had found the dress at the first shop.   She tried on three or four gowns but it is hard to compete with Vera when it comes to bridal gowns.  I think it is so strange that Vera Wang wears only black.  I have never seen her in anything else yet she turns out very nice gowns and rings but does not treat herself to color in any form.
Alyssa is getting married in Italy in October of 2019.

Well, that is not all that has happened!  Alyssa's brother, Brooks, has gotten engaged to a delightful girl and he is beyond the moon in love.  Brooks is an Army Ranger and is being deployed to the Middle East (WHY ARE WE THERE?????) in January for nine months.  Besides, he is not allowed to get married before Alyssa--that's a rule.  So 2020 spring AND I think they are getting married at Many Branches.  Can I do it again?  I hope so.  We had David and Johnna's wedding here and it nearly killed me, but this time We will provide the place but her family will have to do the rest and there is a lot to do for a wedding and reception.

So, things are humming along.  Andy is doing well and still taking classes at Ohio State.  Nate is about to start his winter journey around the world starting in Colorado where he will ski and visit with his brother who is graduating from Pike's Peak this December.  Mike is going out to spend Christmas with them so we will be scattered doing the holidays this year.

I am sure there is more to tell, but this will get you caught up.  I wish you all happy holidays and a very Merry Christmas.

Beth Bettencourt Lechler is with Doris Lechler.
15 mins · 

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Doris Lechler Brooks and I were on fire!
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