Festive Floof! Resolutions!
amylou321
2 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
Related Discussions
Festive floof! Celebrating then and now.
Comments (8)I liked Christmas as a child, but once I became an adult, it was more stressful than anything else, and my mother took it too seriously. She felt compelled to have everyone together for Christmas, and this became more difficult when the family got larger and had other places to go. I left home at 18, and so after that, I returned as a guest. I have no holiday traditions of my own, although I used to celebrate the summer solstice when I lived in Venice, as that was a good time to have a party there. When I did visit my parents for Christmas and/or Thanksgiving, I would do much of the cooking, partly because my mother did not like to do it and partly because I was better at it, and my nieces especially appreciated it. I found exchanging gifts to be more stressful than enjoyable, and so I did not like that as an adult. We sometimes played board games, and I did enjoy that. As a child, we alternated having Christmas at my parents' house and at my maternal grandparents' house. My mother was an only child, and so her parents were always with us at holidays. My father had two older brothers and an older sister, and we never celebrated any holidays with them. His sister had moved to New Mexico, and we almost never saw her at all. His two brothers had married two sisters, and so they were very close to each other but not to us. Since their children were double first cousins, they were much like one family (and closer to each other in ages). My father's family was not big on Christmas, partly because his sister had converted to Jehovah's Witness (because of her husband), and she had converted my grandmother. I believe that JWs do not celebrate Christmas, as I remember, but my grandmother was not the typical JW. In fact, being inventive (with a couple of patents under her belt), she had created her own version of the religion, probably from her imagination, which was far from conventional. No one knew where she got her ideas, but she did enjoy going out and witnessing. However, when the other JWs found out what she was telling others, they tried to get her to stop witnessing, but to no avail. I was told not to listen to my grandmother because she was "off her rocker," but I found her stories entertaining and imaginative. My grandmother owned the waterworks in town because my grandfather (who died before I was born) and his father had dug a bunch of artesian wells, and so the people in town pretty much had to put up with her, even though they thought she was a bit crazy. She never forced people to pay their water bills, and so my father had to do that for her. She thought water should be free. Anyway, my father's side of the family did not celebrate Christmas in a conventional way....See MoreFestive Floof! Feast Photos!
Comments (25)PM, the ”hard” in hard sauce refers to whiskey, but is often brandy or rum, and I felt no compuntion with the liqueur. Your great-grandmother's recipe sounds interesting, One ancestress of mine was in the WCTU. She would have approved! I wonder if it was a Prohibition era thing. Mine was the whipped pumpkin gravy, which was made with a but of butter and cream, and impressively stable (no drippings)m just thinned a bit and heated with the GM. Not the traditional butteriness and booziness of hard sauce, but a similar texture and sharp enough with the GM. For the bread pudding, I did add a few shakes of Vietnamese cinnamon and a shake and a half of cloves to the custard to unify things, but the spices from the rolls (fenugreek and some others) and the pumpkin filling, sweetness frome the latter, a whiff of salt frome the former, and the pistachios, whick pretty much kept their coatings. There was also a lot of butter in both the rolls and the babka. The most amazing bread puddings come from irreproducible breads!...See MoreFestive Floof! Trees!
Comments (23)morz8 ^^^^ -- There is a fabulous artificial tree (IMHO) called the Noblis Fir -- notice this specific spelling please. I have had a 7-foot one of these, bought online, for the past six years. It is perfect. Like you, I prefer a tree whose branches are spaced and open enough for my ornaments (which must "hang' properly, and fill all the way into the center trunk, NOT lay along the outer plane of the branch tips!!!). This tree is exactly what I wanted -- I personally loathe the sheared look. (grin) https://www.grandinroad.com/un-lit-noblis-fir-christmas-tree/698014 (the photo looks odd as the branches have not been "fluffed" which is an easy accomplishment) Above is one link for a current source of the Noblis Fir -- and it is on sale now! If it is the right size for you, get it now for next year... =) At the going rate this year for a natural real tree, this is a bargain as the cost will amortize nicely thru the years ahead. FULL DISCLOSURE NOW of my personal eccentricity: Bought mine six years ago. The first year, it was a delight to decorate and easy to tweak the branch placement. It came pre-lit, but I added more, all white. And then went to town using tons of my ornament collections. Over-done? Some would think so, perhaps, but not to me! When I finished, I stood back and admired the gorgeous thing. And promptly decided I could not improve on this perfection, SO IT HAS BEEN LEFT IN PLACE, FULLY DECORATED, EVER SINCE. LOLOLOL. Fortunately, the living room is very large, so the tree does not impact the overall space the rest of the year. It still makes me happy every time I see it. And I don't have to lug out the decorations every year, nor put them all away again. BONUS! At almost 77 years of age, and less than 4"10". I am totally keeping this tree as it is for the rest of my life (with a bit of dusting as needed). In fact, I doubt I could take it down anyway, as after all this time I cannot remember where the the specific ornament boxes are located by now. That will be a job for my children & grandchildren to deal with after I have shuffled off this mortal coil. (Hee-hee -- payback for all the times I had to pick us their stuff and put it away) Would love to hear your thoughts on this artificial tree, morz8!...See MoreFestive Floof! Thanksgiving 2023 plans?
Comments (40)Oh man, it all looks delicious. At first I was concerned, then I saw the pink bowl for the stuffing and the pink pan holding spinach dip and all was right with the world. It's amylou, it's gotta have something pink. I think George has taken the correct measures, LOL. He looks a lot like my 25 pound cat, Spark. Orange cats gotta do orange cat things, you know. My Thanksgiving won't be until next Saturday, that's when Ashley has the girls and Makayla can come home for dinner and all other family obligations are fullfilled by all. Elery and I joined the neighbors at the B&B for dinner, the chef there did the cooking and I provided some of the "raw" ingredients. Well brined free range Amish turkey, nearly 30 pounds, some apple/cranberry stuffing, green bean casserole with no C of M soup, just some nicely seasoned white sauce and crunchy pan fried shallots, mashed potatoes from our Kennebecs in storage, gravy, fresh cranberry relish and dinner rolls, dessert was a really nicely spiced apple cake with cream cheese frosting. A couple of cups of coffee, chatting with friends and rooting for the Detroit Lions (who, true to tradition, lost), made a lovely day. Having lost my mother and my brother within the last year it was actually good to have something completely different. I'll start my cooking about Wednesday... Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Annie...See More
Related Stories
LIFE6 Easy Design Resolutions That Can Bring You Joy
Try one of these pain-free changes to mark the start of the new year
Full StoryHOLIDAYSShow Us Your Diwali Celebrations at Home
We’d love to see how you’ve prepared your home for Diwali. Your photos could appear in an upcoming Houzz feature
Full StoryHOLIDAYSHouzz Call: Share Your Personal Holiday Traditions
What winter rituals mean the most to you and yours? Post your stories and pictures
Full StoryARCHITECTUREAn Architect's Wish List for the New Year
Have a better relationship with your home and neighbors this year with these forward-thinking ideas
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES6 Rockin’ Red Plants for Winter Gardens
Use the bright berries or branches of these cold-climate favorites for outdoor garden interest or container arrangements anywhere
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES10 Popular Design Trends to Carry Into the New Year
A designer shares the looks that are likely to stay in style in 2016 and beyond
Full StoryHOLIDAYSCelebrate! And 5 More Ways to Make the Most of This Weekend
Say goodbye to 2017 with a decluttering sprint and thoughts about what you really want from your home next year
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: How to Deal With Noisy Neighbors
Before you fly off the handle, stop and think about the situation, and follow these steps to live in harmony
Full StoryHOLIDAYSChristmas Cleanup Tips for the Not Naturally Organized
Dreading the postholiday chores? First let yourself unwind. Then grab some boxes, a few supplies and this easy guide
Full StoryARTNew Digital Art Frame Gets Put to the Test
Our writer sets up the EO1 at home, then invites artist friends over for a look — at images of their own work. See what they have to say
Full Story
salonva