Where the Crawdads Sing

I may forget many of the books I have read, but I won't forget Where the Crawdads Sing.  For some reason I loved that book and did not want it to end.  It was the author's first novel though she had written three or four books that are in a different language about her experiences.  I cannot wait to see what she comes up with for her next novel. Ending that book was like watching my favorite barn burn down. Now I've done it...when you start reading it you will think what on earth did she see in that book; what can I say, it was relatable.

Mid-January and it is like spring.  I will take a winter like this every year if you please. 

It's quiet here. Beth has taken a new puppy down to New Orleans to Alyssa, her daughter.  My poor little Bella was traumatized by that frisky Westie boy and she is glad, once more, to be the only dog in the house. I want to get another Yorkie, so if you hear of one needing a home or if there is a litter of them that you know of, I am very interested.

I hope you all missed the flu.  It is everywhere it seems and really saps it out of you. I know at least five people who have suffered with it.

Stacy has been bed-ridden and she has two babies with the croup.  I have made two soups for Mike to take to them tonight.  There is not much more that I can do for them.  Poor Matt is run ragged dealing with that and working full time. Young parenthood is not an easy time of life for sure.

Trader Joe's again

I am obsessed with Trader Joe's shrimp burgers in the frozen food section of the store.  They have been out of them for about a week and I feel like standing at their window looking in to make sure I know exactly when they will arrive.  Of course, Beth found them first and bought two boxes for me.  That won't be nearly enough (lol) but I appreciate her effort as always.  Beth first introduced me to them as she was standing in the dark manning the grill with shrimp patties.  I was drawn outside like a zombie sniffing the air and was led directly to the woman flipping shrimp burgers in the dark.  (It gets dark here about five o'clock, but the scene was still dramatic.)  I am making them today because Andy can't have food today. (He has a procedure tomorrow and so he needs to fast.) So, I can have them all.  Just kidding, he can have one once his test is over.

An early rise

My one remaining dog and I got up at 4 o'clock this morning. I needed coffee in the worst way and a sandwich.  Go figure. Josh's mother is coming to town for lunch and a visit. (Josh and Alyssa who just got married in Italy.) But that is not the reason for my early rise.  There is no reason other than I was finished sleeping. It may have something to do with the fact it is like spring out there even this early and it is supposed to get near 70 degrees today. We are having the best winter ever and I don't envy the snowbirds heading south.  We are torn, we love it here so much we hate to leave yet our bones need winter baking and we could do it, but haven't for a while.

I am setting up a chocolate babka and coffee bar for the visit.  I don't want to ruin our lunch out, but I thought a bite of something sweet after a two-hour drive might revive the traveler.

The Saturday cooking shows start about 7 o'clock so maybe Bella and I will go back upstairs and watch a few while we wait for daylight and activity beginnings.

I have no big cooking plans today.  We will see where the day leads.

Spring in January

We have a gentle rain and it feels warm today.  A January surprise for sure. I am doing self-maintenance today.  But, the main meal is on my mind as are shrimp dishes. I did not find shrimp patties as you know at Trader Joe's so I am figuring out how to do them on my own.  When I try any patty, it always fails to hold together. I fuss with them and turn them too soon which is the main part of the problem.  The taste is there but it looks like a dog's breakfast. Sigh.  So, today it is shrimp alfredo which is not a bad second choice. Speaking of Trader Joe's;  I have a great-granddaughter who loves Trader Joe's. She is three years old and when asked where she would like to go she always says Trader Joe's. I may pass the cooking baton to her in a few years because we obviously think alike. 

Oh goody.  Part of my maintenance is getting a new case for my phone.  I have had mine for years and now it is acting up.  I do hate a trip to one of those phone stores.  Getting waited on takes forever. Then it is on to the nails--I do love the hot foot wax and the leg wrap...sounds better and better so I am off.

Here's what's happening

We lost Posy yesterday.  Two dogs in four months is difficult to take. Both were over 100 years old in dog years but that does not make it easier. My nephew once said he always thought dogs would make good people and I agree. We are now down to Bella the Yorkie and she is a delight but the others are missed.

Last night Beth fixed me a shrimp pattie on the grill and it was great.  Today I rushed to Trader Joe's to buy several more packages of it in the frozen food section where the salmon patties are sold. Dang.  They were out of them due to a hitch in production and they are not expected until after January 15th when they arrive in the warehouse. Man. Well, I didn't leave empty-handed, of course, so there will be many fresh goodies to deal with this week. I bought a bag of multi-colored carrots and they are now roasting in the oven.  Everything was so fresh at Trader Joe's, Wednesday is a good day to shop there. Along with the carrots we will serve a marinated pork roast--one of those small, long, pork log like items that roast in no time for a quick supper.

Pet your dogs for me today and cherish them while you have them. We don't get to keep them very long.

The drill

After 34 years of asking, the railing to the basement was tightened up by a woman wielding a pink drill along with a bag of new tools. My ever-thoughtful daughter-in-law fixed it and it is secure. My son had given in to her long request of tools for a gift and this year he complied...along with a very expensive perfume.  We are tired of asking the men to hang pictures, seal cracks, mend fences and then waiting forever and it is still not done. Thank you, Beth.

Rickey Gervais was great last night as host of yet another pat-myself-on the back award show. I am sorry I missed it but enjoyed the news today as his comments were everywhere. At last someone spoke up.  He might now be done for, but he does not care.  Thank you Mr. Gervais.

Well, I am feeling 'cooking' today and am off to the fridge and freezer.  Andy is on his way home with bags of vegetables which I will greet with enthusiasm.  Love them. 

It will be easy for you to find the Rickey Gervais bits...read them all.  I almost missed some of them.

Note: On a very sad note we lost Posy this afternoon.  She has been in great pain. She was  14 and a half years old so we were lucky to enjoy her for that long.  Winston and she left us four months a part and we are down to one dog, Bella, who provides joy in our lives here at Many Branches.

Changes

I think we have finally found a place for the elevator.  We want to stay at Many Branches for as long as possible, so someday the stairs are going to be an issue.  Chair lifts are handy but ugly so I am dragging my feet about that. We have debated about every foot in this house trying not to bother windows and configurations keeping the house as it has been for eighty-two years having been built the year I was born. Today, I think we found a place that will fit the bill.  Pam, my niece, introduced us to Martin in Cincinnati and he came here a few years ago but we could not agree about where to place it.  Now I want him to come back to give him the job, but I have lost his information.  There is no end to it. I am sure it will work out because there certainly seems to be enough dealers in this field, but I want Martin.

I made deviled eggs today...lots of deviled eggs.  I am one who does not trust eggs, but my family really likes eggs in many forms and especially deviled. So, that is what I did in the food line today.

This week-end Beth and I are going to Walgreens to have pictures made from our phones.  I have eight large albums of pictures so no one can say I have not kept up the family history when it comes to recording events.  I have two just for weddings starting with Andy's parents.  Unfortunately, I have none of my parents getting married. So we will rely on Andy's

Where the Crawdads Sing

I just started this book and it is really good.  My niece told me about it and I got it on Kindle from Amazon...Where the Crawdads Sing.

We are back to slow easy days and that is why I enjoy January and February.  Nothing pressing just days of doing exactly what we want to do.  Except for Posy, everything is good.  She's down again after several weeks of tearing around the house like a new puppy, she is at rest all day today.  She's eating well, however, so that is good news.  She must have wrecked something while running like a nut and jumping like a kangaroo.

Although I am eager to cook, we must finish up several dishes that are in the fridge.  They can't eat fast enough to keep up with my cooking and now some are on diets...again.

Today I took ornaments off of two of the three trees.  It's always sad to see decorations come down but before you know it, you are dragging them out again. The ones I really hate to see go are the porch lights and the outdoor wreaths.  I am going to have them put up earlier next year so we can enjoy them longer.  We were kind of surprised at how fast Christmas came this year and were slow in getting things up. I also want to book a good restaurant for Christmas Eve early this year.  The one they went to (I was sick) was not good this year.  It might be nice to take a beach house for Christmas and have everyone come to the heat and to relax and get away.  I'll think on that too.

Happy 2020 everyone.  I look forward to it.

Yea, a quiet night~

New Year's Eve has never held appeal for me.  People try too hard to have a good time.  I like a nice quiet entrance to a new year and that is how it will be introducing 2020 at Many Branches.

I made a lovely fish stew today and we have nibbled on that and fresh salad all day.  Nothing special, but delicious.

If you are having a wild night, enjoy it to the fullest.  If, like us, you can't wait to get into PJs for a quiet movie night, enjoy that too.  In any case, Happy New Year 2020.

Seafood chowder today

The roast

The 8-pound rib roast is giving pleasure even days later. It was cooked perfectly and this is how I did it:  A week before I intended to cook it, I bought an 8-pound rib roast from Sam's.  It was perfect!.  I cut slits in the fat and buried garlic cloves in the slits along with some fresh herbs, salt, and pepper and then covered it with some olive oil. I  Rubbed it down well and put it in the fridge for a week. On the day I was to roast it, I took it out of the fridge and left it at room temperature for two hours. I preheated the oven to 500 degrees and roasted it for 20 minutes and turned down the heat without opening the oven door and roasted it for 1 12 hours at 325 degrees.  Check it after an hour with a meat thermometer and take it out if it reads 120 degrees. Tent the roast for 20 minutes (no longer) to rest.  When I cut the first slice, I knew it was perfect. A tablespoon of juice was all there was under the roast after resting.  The juices really do stay in with the high-temperature start and the tenting afterward.

Today we have eaten the roast in two different ways. I sliced a portion of it very thinly for Philley cheesesteak rolls.  The scraps from that started a delicious soup and just before serving some very fine slices slipped into position with a lovely soup result.  I still have a nice chunk left for more treats, but that's it so far.

I am feeling really well after my yearly doctor's visit and check-up.  I am still in the top ten of the doctor's healthiest patients. He is head of geriatrics at OSU and a wonder.

Done

Lovely, but glad it is over!  In 15 minutes it will be time to drag it all out again and start over.  Christmas comes faster every year and while I love it, I wish there were a few more months of not having to think about it at all. 

I am doing that rib roast right now.  The schedule that was planned did not work out for anyone, so there the rib roast was staring at me with chagrin.  I snarled back because the curse of the cough once again threw me against the wall during this very merry time of year. It has long worn out its welcome and I am debating what to do to avoid it again.  It is on me before I know what is happening.  One minute I am fine, the next five minutes tells the tale of the week to come.  Oh, well.  That's life. Hence a very fine rib roast with roasted potatoes and carrots awaits some lucky people, ready or not.  The house smells great but I bet the oven will need cleaning because I started it off at 500 degrees for 15 minutes and then changed temps. to 325 for an hour and a half. I never worried so much about a hunk of meat in my life.  I hated opening the fridge--well, I wasn't hungry for four days anyway, so I didn't look in there too often.  Beth, Carly and Brooks were here, and Andy too.  So they helped out.