After much deliberation and a little bit of angst, we decided not to put up our Christmas tree this year. We wouldn’t have had a lot of time to enjoy it because we are heading to Austin to spend Christmas with the Funny Grandson, etc. And truthfully, we are just too weary to make the effort.
But Banjo Man lit up a tree at the end of one of his stone walls last weekend. This picture was taken before yesterday’s storm, but it’s pretty shining on the snow, too.
Let the season begin…
Oh, does Banjo Man love to shop here!
One Saturday afternoon while My French Friend Janou was visiting, we headed up to the city to Federal Hill for an Italian lunch and some Italian shopping and and Italian Wine Tasting.
Gasbarro’s does this almost every Saturday afternoon.
We tried at least seven different wines and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
I amused myself by reading the descriptions on the bottles. Here’s the one that made me laugh out loud.
Graham crackers??? Spiced cranberry??? Really????
I didn’t buy a bottle. But it made me laugh so I probably should have.
Yesterday afternoon’s view from the office as the storm began.
Okay, I get it: it’s winter.
Sigh.
So far we’ve had snow, sleet and rain. And lots of wind. The forecast is for a few inches of snow this afternoon and tonight and into tomorrow morning.
Pretty puny storm compared with the western part of the United States. Here on the coast we get a lot of those “wintry mix” forecasts from the weathermen.
So this is Cyber Monday and I have a gazillion emails in the inbox this morning from companies wanting me to order something–anything–at 20-40% off. From quilting fabric (which I have too much of) to CBD creams (which I have never ordered online) to Michael’s (a coupon a day until the end of time) to…Kohl’s.
Now Banjo Man is fascinated with Kohl’s. Early last week I had a “40% off everything” coupon emailed to me, plus I had $30 in Kohl’s Cash that had to be used. So I asked Banjo Man if he needed anything at Kohl’s before my $30 expired. His face lit up.
“I could use a couple of turtlenecks,” he crowed. “I’ll drive you!”
(I love it when he says that. I can spend my limited energy on driving OR shopping, but doing both is exhausting unless it’s first thing in the morning when I’m exceptionally peppy.)
So as soon as his work day was over, off we went. First stop was Home Depot to check on something to do with wood (I have no idea what–I zoned out and waited in the car) and then to an Italian grocery store a client had told him about–I zoned out and bought a cookie–and finally to Kohl’s.
We split up, as I was looking for a skinny down vest and doing a little Christmas shopping. I found my vest right away (on sale of course from $70 to $29.99) and ended up agonizing over buying a robe for my mother. I texted pictures of the robes to my daughter for her opinion and then I broke into a sweat, because my mother is notorious for not liking anything. I had already purchased four white turtlenecks for her (she likes those) so I gave up on buying a robe and went to find Banjo Man.
He stood at the end of an aisle, a bunch of clothes in his arms, a sheepish expression on his face. He loves clothes.
The guy at the register was amazed at my 40% off coupon when I pulled out my phone and showed it to him. Our haul of a down vest, three sweaters and three turtlenecks ended up costing $53. As I explained to an incredulous Banjo Man, if you took out my $30 vest, his new clothes cost $23.
So last night on the couch he saw a 20% ad for Kohl’s plus Kohl’s Cash Back ($15 for every $50 spent) and started doing the math. I added that I had $15 Kohl’s Cash and a $10 coupon, which just about sent him over the edge. Visions of sweaters and kitchen appliances danced in his head.
“This means if we spent $100 it would only cost us $25.”
I pointed towards the front windows where the sleet was hitting.
“We are not going anywhere tomorrow,” I said. “Do you hear the wind? Have you looked outside? Haven’t you heard about the wintry mix?”
Oh, the disappointment! He’ll just have to put on a new turtleneck and a new sweater and let the last of the Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday pass him by.
Stay warm, everyone!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Thanksgiving 2019.
Yes, we had a happy group around the table!
We’d all had our doubts as to whether this would happen this year, but everyone pitched in and made it work! I never even had to sit down on the couch and rest. Can you believe it? Fabulous!!!!
I was determined to do as much ahead of time as humanly possible. Banjo Man set up the tables on Sunday. Nancy and I decorated them on Tuesday. My French Friend Janou and I had made and frozen the potato and spinach casseroles last month.
Mayme would bring appetizers and a sweet potato casserole. Wendy was to arrive with my favorite green bean casserole. Ginny would bring three–three!–desserts. Oh, the joy!
Which left the turkey, gravy and stuffing. I combed Pinterest for recipes and advice on making dressing in the crock pot and creating do-ahead gravy. I bought a 14-pound Butterball turkey and two 8-pound generic turkey breasts. The whole turkey would be roasted on Wednesday and the drippings from it would make the gravy, which I would make on Wednesday and then reheat in my little crock pot for Thursday’s dinner. This would eliminate getting up early to put a huge turkey in the oven on Thursday (hurray for sleeping late!) and I wouldn’t be standing at the stove stirring gravy at the last minute.
Oh, it was a good plan. Until…the turkey had no juice. Seriously, there was maybe 2/3 cup of drippings and 1/3 cup of fat. I had basted it with plenty of butter, but where did it go? That’s a mystery.
This had never happened before. I cobbled together a gravy with Swanson’s chicken broth and a homemade roux (a Pinterest tip) and it wasn’t all that good. I cried.
Then I asked Banjo Man to cut up the turkey so we could get rid of the carcass and put the legs, thighs and breasts in a pan to be reheated on Thursday for anyone who wanted dark meat or we ran out of white meat.
When I returned to the kitchen he informed me that the legs and thighs were undercooked.
This had never happened before either, not in 49 years of turkey-cooking. What the hell was going on? I had used a thermometer, I swear.
So now I was looking at a pan of lousy gravy, undercooked and dangerous thighs and legs, plus cooked breasts touching the undercooked food on the platter.
It was 7:00 at night and I was getting delirious. I cried again. Banjo Man suggested I go to bed.
I refused to leave the disaster site.
Banjo Man then suggested putting the legs, thighs and wings in a pot and boiling them for a new pot of gravy. I took it one step further and put them in a crock pot with water and cooked those suckers all night long. I put the breasts in the freezer to think about another day. And then I went to bed, doom and gloom and self-loathing following me down the hall.
I am not kidding.
The next morning I had a better attitude. The two giant turkey breasts went in the oven, cooked nicely for two and a half hours and–surprise!–produced vats of juice. I made the gravy the way I had always made the gravy and it was delicious. The addition of the broth from the turkey parts made all the difference, I’m sure.
Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful. The foods, friends, family? I am filled with gratitude. It was such a special day.
WHAT I LEARNED FOR NEXT YEAR:
I will never cook another whole turkey. Breasts are the way to go. I had taken a poll ahead of time and learned that everyone liked white meat the best so doing it this way didn’t disappoint anyone.
I’ll buy turkey legs and/or wings and cook them in the crock pot for juice. I can do it ahead and freeze the broth because you can never have too much.
I will cook the dressing in the buttered crock pot again. It was great and freed up a section of the oven. I used Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix and added chopped and sauteed onions, celery and apples to it, along with chicken broth.
I will no longer try any Pinterest gravy-making techniques and will stick to my old-fashioned method, because I am old and old-fashioned and I clearly am in no position to conquer something new.
I will buy cartons of turkey broth (seen in Aldi’s) as a back up because crying over a turkey is really idiotic.
I served the gravy straight from the small crock pot, set on the island buffet, so it stayed hot. A big ladle made it easy for everyone to serve themselves without the gravy dripping from pitchers and gravy boats. I will definitely do that again.
I am going to have my tablecloths pressed at the dry cleaners. A little luxury, but well worth it.
So this Sunday morning, as the holiday comes to an end, there are still leftovers in the fridge. I make myself wait until after 11 am to heat them up and relive Thanksgiving dinner all over again. They are so good.
Thanksgiving really is one of the best holidays ever. We love it a lot.
The dessert table presided over by my father’s leather turkey decoration.
We’re ready! Turkeys are in the oven and the kitchen is clean. Wine is cooling. Drippings standing by to be made into gravy. Tablecloths have been ironed and the pumpkins are looking cheerful, as they always do.
We wish you all, our family and our friends, a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. May it be filled with great food, friend, family, laughter, joy and lots of leftovers.
Love,
More Pie and Banjo Man
I’ve received the Funny Grandson’s Christmas wish list and, as expected, it’s all about Dallas Cowboys football and football jerseys. He owns a Dak Prescott jersey and would really, really like another team member’s, too.
The kid just finished up his “flag football” season and hopes to play in a winter league. Apparently he’s a quarterback.
Oh, my goodness.
My French Friend Janou brought the hardest jigsaw puzzle I’ve ever seen with her to Rhode Island.
No straight edges or corners!
We spent several lazy mornings–and afternoons–patiently putting the pieces together. Our wolf is gorgeous.
We finished it! Let’s take a picture!
I’ve never seen such unusually-shaped puzzle pieces, but we loved the challenge…especially while drinking coffee and chatting. It has been a brutal year for both of us in very different ways and it was good to be together as we took a lot of deep breaths and wondered what the future would hold.
Another adventure was a stop at Denny’s for a late breakfast after my ultrasound in Providence.
Check out the mugs:
MFFJ also enjoyed trips to Aldi’s, Job Lot and several beaches. Sometimes I stayed in the car so I wouldn’t slow her down. She went home with a suitcase full of Christmas presents, a handful of smooth white rocks and half a clam shell!
Our biggest jaunt was to Foxwoods Casino, the largest gambling casino in North America.
First we had to remember where to park, as the valet parking was unfortunately unavailable.
Good advice.
Daughter Nancy kept an eye on us.
Taking a selfie is never easy.
None of us won any money that morning and the highlight of the day was lunch.
As it should be.
I hadn’t been to Foxwoods in thirty years and it will most likely be another thirty before I go again. But it was fun to see something new and we felt as if we were in a foreign country. And only 42 minutes from the house.
Our typical evening routine: couch, wine, fireplace, tv and comfy clothes.
So today Banjo Man and I are talking about Thanksgiving and waiting for the big game at 4:30 this afternoon. The Patriots play the Dallas Cowboys and it should be a great game. The rain is pouring down with no sign of stopping until later tonight. The ball will be wet. The field will be slippery. Which means a lot of crazy things can happen.
I will be on the couch stitching “sleeves” onto the backs of two quilts that I hope to have hung before Thanksgiving. It’s time to add some color to blank white walls. I’ve hung antique quilts before but never my own, but Banjo Man says it’s time they came out of the closets.
We’ve been listening to a New Orleans Christmas cd (I know you’re groaning that it’s too early for that) and we might have even done some dancing together in the living room this morning. Who can resist, “It’s Christmas Time in New Orleans”?
Not us, apparently.
My oldest child is 47 today.
47.
He had a play pen, wore cloth diapers and watched Captain Kangaroo on television.
Today is my chance to dig up old photos of him and relive those early years, if just for a few moments.
Here is Birthday #2, shared with his Grandma Winslow and Banjo Man (sporting the fancy facial hair–good Lord!).
Age 1: sharing a giggle with Uncle George.
Age 3: enjoying the loot from Halloween.
So Happy Birthday, Ben! As you enjoy your own family, know that your parents are thinking of you all day today and remembering the joy of having you for a son–yesterday, today and always.
“The older I get the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first – a process which often reduces the most complex human problem to a manageable proportion.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Speaking of manageable proportions…
Three days ago My French Friend Janou extolled the advantages of owning a leaf blower to Banjo Man.
He put down his rake and listened. Then he drove to town the next morning to buy himself one of these magical pieces of equipment.
With his new tool, he has cleared the driveway and the back patio and has moved onto the lawns. In just a few hours.
We had never understood the principle behind a leaf blower. Aren’t you just blowing leaves into the street or into someone else’s yard? Maybe. But we live in the woods. There is no street, no neighbor’s yard to consider.
It’s just us. And a bazillion leaves to remove from the gardens and the lawns.
The task of raking leaves had become more and more daunting each year. Banjo Man would fill 100 garbage cans with leaves and haul them to the “leaf hole” in the woods to decompose.
Now I realize that leaf removal isn’t one of those problems Dwight Eisenhower would consider “complex”, but it is an annual nuisance and a pretty big chore even though Banjo Man loves being outside on chilly fall days.
I think he owes MFFJ a big thank you and a glass of wine. Or two.
I wonder what other “Ancient Rules” Dwight pondered.
Banjo Man and My French Friend Janou made dinner together. It was a beef soup of some kind and there were many differences of opinion as to what should go into the pot. So it was a rather hilarious thing to listen to from my spot on the couch.
I was so glad I was on the other side of the room and not remotely involved. Hey, I wasn’t even going to eat it! Since my No More Cancer medication I’d lost my appetite for beef. Give me a piece of cheese for dinner and I’m happy.
Yesterday Janou and I headed up to Providence for my ultrasound, which came out just fine but took forever. And then we stopped at Denny’s for a very late breakfast on the way home. Janou loved Denny’s.
Everyone loves Denny’s.
It was raining. I took a nap when we arrived home. And a few hours later Banjo Man and Janou were in the kitchen together.
Yes, it was hilarious.
Tonight Banjo Man is making scallop salad and baking salmon. I know Janou will help him. They will have a good time.
And I will be on the couch. I have more energy during the day but after about 4 pm I’m pretty much done and ready to put my feet up.
I don’t think anyone misses me in the kitchen.
Fourth of July
Glen the Banjo Man
LIVE at the Dump
is there any more pie? 