Sunday, December 25, 2005
"I don't know about you, but..."
...that's a direct quote from my mother; her way of prefacing an opinion upon which she wants either confirmation or argument. I'm using it with the following completion: ...I'm having a wonderful Christmas this year! I think Mom is enjoying hers as well. She certainly hasn't been able to forget that it's Christmas. I turned on the Christmas cable music channel soon after she awoke: I've wished her "Merry Christmas" and "Feliz Navidad" several times; teasing sung every Christmas song I know that's played (and a few I don't know but thought I could wing) to her. I've continued baking. The bread turned out today, after which I used the rest of the pumpkin in a concoction I call "Pumpkin/Apple/Walnut Bread", a quick leavened bread. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?!? It's cooling now. I prepared the crust for the last apple pie: This one will be an apple/toasted almond/dried raspberry pie. When that's done we'll have two apples left for baked apples...or, maybe I'll get ambitious and make a small cobbler or apple dumplings.
My intention, as usual, is to publish the original recipes. In case you're wondering, most of my baking this year has been non-original recipes, followed practically to the letter with minor adjustments for altitude. Since I haven't done as much as I was planning (which is just as well; since we have little storage room I've been giving most of it away) a lot of the experimenting fell by the wayside. I never got around to the fruitcakes, either, although my intention is to make those and get them out for Easter. I didn't even make my famous German Chocolate Chip cookies. I did make a couple of batches of Honey Bear brownies; I need to record the final recipe before I forget it. Anyway, over the next few days my intention is to publish both my mother's pumpkin pie recipe (which is, essentially, a pecan pie within pumpkin custard rather than sugar custard and so spicy it comes out brown instead of orange) and the pumpkin/apple/walnut recipe at the food site under the title, "I Came in on a Load of Pumpkins". I'll be publishing the magnificent apple pie recipes under the title, "The I Hate Apple Pie Apple Pie".
In case you're wondering, we don't get each other gifts for Christmas. We have so damned much stuff here that we don't need to be buying ourselves frivolities; we usually get a few of those from other's anyway. If there's anything we do need we just get it at the time we think of it. For obvious reasons, as well, I don't feel the need to give the gift of my time to her; I gift her with this every hour of every day. She is beyond giving the gift of her time to me except by simply allowing me free management rein in her care.
Two people called this morning to wish us Merry Christmas before I arose. Once I arose, I hit the busy button and didn't really want to stop what I was doing to call them back. Besides, this year, Christmas is really quite a wonderful affair for me. I'm feeling good, I'm not being overly hermitic (yes, "hermitic", not "hermetic"), Mom's doing well, and we've both been spending the day in quietly satisfying pursuits: She's been reading and chatting, I've been baking, singing and chatting. This is as close to my preferred way (for details see the first two paragraphs of In the Spirit of the Holiday) of spending the holidays as I can get right now, and I'm satisfied. I know Mom would enjoy visiting but, you know, she's enjoying herself anyway. A short bout of company is scheduled later this week, which should be fun for both of us.
The Mom is up from her short nap. She's sampling the pumpkin/apple/walnut bread, which seems a bit mild to me but she's enjoying it. It probably hasn't hit it's flavor peak, yet, which is should by tomorrow morning. In just a little bit I'll be putting together and baking the last apple pie. Considering what time Mom arose, dinner will probably happen between 2000 and 2100. It's all going to be extremely easy and flavorful. Perfect way to celebrate the holiday.
Later.
My intention, as usual, is to publish the original recipes. In case you're wondering, most of my baking this year has been non-original recipes, followed practically to the letter with minor adjustments for altitude. Since I haven't done as much as I was planning (which is just as well; since we have little storage room I've been giving most of it away) a lot of the experimenting fell by the wayside. I never got around to the fruitcakes, either, although my intention is to make those and get them out for Easter. I didn't even make my famous German Chocolate Chip cookies. I did make a couple of batches of Honey Bear brownies; I need to record the final recipe before I forget it. Anyway, over the next few days my intention is to publish both my mother's pumpkin pie recipe (which is, essentially, a pecan pie within pumpkin custard rather than sugar custard and so spicy it comes out brown instead of orange) and the pumpkin/apple/walnut recipe at the food site under the title, "I Came in on a Load of Pumpkins". I'll be publishing the magnificent apple pie recipes under the title, "The I Hate Apple Pie Apple Pie".
In case you're wondering, we don't get each other gifts for Christmas. We have so damned much stuff here that we don't need to be buying ourselves frivolities; we usually get a few of those from other's anyway. If there's anything we do need we just get it at the time we think of it. For obvious reasons, as well, I don't feel the need to give the gift of my time to her; I gift her with this every hour of every day. She is beyond giving the gift of her time to me except by simply allowing me free management rein in her care.
Two people called this morning to wish us Merry Christmas before I arose. Once I arose, I hit the busy button and didn't really want to stop what I was doing to call them back. Besides, this year, Christmas is really quite a wonderful affair for me. I'm feeling good, I'm not being overly hermitic (yes, "hermitic", not "hermetic"), Mom's doing well, and we've both been spending the day in quietly satisfying pursuits: She's been reading and chatting, I've been baking, singing and chatting. This is as close to my preferred way (for details see the first two paragraphs of In the Spirit of the Holiday) of spending the holidays as I can get right now, and I'm satisfied. I know Mom would enjoy visiting but, you know, she's enjoying herself anyway. A short bout of company is scheduled later this week, which should be fun for both of us.
The Mom is up from her short nap. She's sampling the pumpkin/apple/walnut bread, which seems a bit mild to me but she's enjoying it. It probably hasn't hit it's flavor peak, yet, which is should by tomorrow morning. In just a little bit I'll be putting together and baking the last apple pie. Considering what time Mom arose, dinner will probably happen between 2000 and 2100. It's all going to be extremely easy and flavorful. Perfect way to celebrate the holiday.
Later.
