Festive Food Floof! Hearts!
2 years ago
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Festive Floof! Valentines plans.....
Comments (48)Well my dinner plans didn't pan out. SO requested that I make this mishmash dish with no name. It is essentially yellow rice, shredded cheese and "mexican" chicken with peppers and onions. So, since I couldn't really make that heart shaped, I improvised. Tiny heart shaped casserole to the rescue! This tiny little dish was big enough for his portion,and I was satisfied that it was heart shaped. Don't worry. I wasn't stingy with the cheese, there is more underneath the chicken....See MoreFestive 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 Food Floof! The perfect plate!
Comments (27)My plate of favorites would include white and dark meat turkey, rustic (made with unpeeled potatoes that are not mashed until they no longer resemble potatoes) mashed potatoes with a bit of whole milk and butter, kasha (buckwheat) stuffing, fresh green beans with mushrooms, turnip puff, cooked carrots with a hint of maple syrup and browned butter, turkey gravy for the stuffing and potatoes, and a raw fruit salad with a touch of lime juice and honey. I’m not much of a dessert eater, but I like a creamy lemon pie with a crushed animal cracker crust, usually called North Carolina lemon pie, I think. I may have to make one tomorrow. I first had the kasha stuffing when I went home with a college friend for T-day and have made it since then. Wonderfully flavored with everything you’d put in a bread dressing, it is a delicious alternative to a festive feast. Buckwheat is gluten free for those that are interested, by the way....See MoreFestive Food Floof! Christmas Treats!
Comments (44)Lizbeth: For my Green Chile Pinwheels, I use one drained, 4-ounce can of chopped green chiles (Hatch or Bueno are my preferred brands for quality). Here's my recipe for my Biscochitos. Biscochitos Ingredients ¨ 3 cups butter (originally called for lard) ¨ 1 1/2 cups sugar ¨ 2 large eggs, beaten ¨ 1 teaspoon anise extract ¨ 3 teaspoons vanilla extract ¨ 7-8 teaspoons anise seeds ¨ 1 teaspoon salt ¨ 1/’4 cup brandy ¨ 5 cups all-purpose flour ¨ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ¨ 1/4 cup sugar + 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon for topping Directions: 1) Cream sugar and butter. Add in beaten eggs. 2) Next add in the anise and vanilla extracts, anise seeds, salt and brandy. Mix well. 3) Mix in the flour and baking powder. Roll out your cookie dough, thick or thin depending on your preference. 4) Cut into star or flower shapes with cookie cutters, and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Move to cookie sheets. 5) Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 12-15 minutes, BUT WATCH THEM! Bake only until golden. Browned cookies will taste terrible! ** This baking time is for our high altitude here at 6,000 ft. You may need to adjust it for lower altitudes!...See More- 2 years ago
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