2008.12.29
Back in the saddle again
I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season so far. I missed our banter while I was away from the blog. Looks like I was a tad bit early in my announcement that Geonetti's Specialty Subs was open, but they are open now. Maybe I'll head down there for lunch today.
If your holiday was anything like mine, you may feel the need to eat salads all week, though. We had so many cakes, cookies and pies at my father's house that cakes, cookies and pies were greatly devalued. I never even made it to the pumpkin or pecan pie and didn't eat any pound cake or chocolate bourbon cake. I only had eyes for the raspberry coconut cake and the lemon bars. The best mouthful of food I had all Christmas long, though, was a perfectly roasted prime rib my dad made for dinner one night.
I didn't get my KitchenAid mixer, but I did make out well with a new 6-quart, oval-shaped crock pot with a warm setting, perfect for big roasts as well as keeping appetizers hot. Santa also brought me an expandable salad bowl and a soap pump from Pampered Chef, as well as a miniature colander for berries and a jar of marinated artichoke hearts the size of my head. Santa knows what I like.
But with all that delicious food and all the preparations, Christmas still just wasn't the same. My hubby fell ill with a nasty intestinal bug early Christmas morning and didn't get to eat much of anything all weekend. A few of my co-workers were also struck down. That taught me not to pile so many hopes on one day out of the entire year. It's probably better to pray for healthy friends and family members so that even average days can feel special. When hubby is 100 percent, I'll fix him a nice dinner and we'll celebrate, whether it's a holiday or not.
What was your best mouthful over the long weekend? Did anyone get a spectacular foodie gift for Christmas or Hannukah? Fill us in.
When I travelled home to TN I finally got to feast on some good German food. I ate my weight in Jager Schnitzel, german potato salad and some yummy cole slaw. The Schnitzel also made a delightful breakfast biscuit! It took an 8 hour drive but I had my German food.
Comment by Corrie — December 29, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
Most of my gatherings are informal family affairs. I normally either put ice in a cup or let people get it out of the freezer. The last formal gathering I had, I borrowed an ice bucket from my mother-in-law. So I'm happy to say that I got an ice bucket for Christmas. Acutally, I got two. Anyone have any ideas how to use two ice buckets or should I take one back?
Comment by Dana — December 29, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
I got my Grill Pan for my electric stove so I can grill indoors with those great grill marks! Also got a mandolin slicer also. I had a great Christmas! Now if I just could find time to use them.....
Comment by Tami — December 29, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
Dana, buy 2 different bottles of wine!
I didnt get any cookware, but I did get a couple of gift cards, so maybe I'll go get that food processor I've been salivating over. We had a nice pork roast the Tuesday before Christmas, then Christmas Eve we went to my sister-in-law's who also had 2 pork roasts for dinner. Mom also made some delicious stuffed shells, a roast turkey breast, ham, the usual sweet potatoes, etc. Hubby's office manager gave us a homemade rum cake, moist with dark rum and fruit and nuts. It didn't last long.
Comment by Kathy — December 29, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
I took a survey and my husband said without a doubt it was my coconut pie with the homemade graham cracker crust. My grandson said it had to be the peanut butter swirl. My favorite gifts were: commercial quality 1 and 1/2 dry measuring cup, commercial quality spice measuring spoons and jumbo size muffin or cupcake cups. They are not as large as Kroger's, but I figured bake a bunch, freeze them, and when someone at work or a friend has a birthday, present them with their own giant, decorated cupcake. Much more economical and fun! I have plenty as my son had to order a case.
Comment by Sharon Cornthwait — December 29, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Kathy, I used my Dad's new processor at Christmas and it was so quiet -- nothing like the screaming '70s version that unsettles Howard so much when I use it. Maybe one of these days I will upgrade.
Sharon, that is a GREAT idea about the birthday cupcakes! All you'd have to do is thaw one out and frost it and voila! Such a cute gift, and very thoughtful.
One of the other delicious finds this Christmas was that Stollen from Bread Craft bakery. It was just loaded with raisins and nuts and orange rind. Very tasty.
Comment by lindseynair — December 29, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
Not to stir this whole Ukrops thing up again but I went for my first official shop Saturday. Now I have been in there before once to just check them out and another time with someone else. I must say these were the friendliest people I have come across in a very long time. The lady that got me my shopper card was friendly and smiled. The person at the check out was friendly too. Unlike Kroger and Walmart where the people don't even say hi and have a look on their face that says they don't want to be there. I too like the fact that they don not have displays in the isles that you must navigate around and are especially a headache when there are other people on the same isle. Again I say the prices are no worse than Kroger and in some cases cheaper. Perfect example: I got a 4 piece fried chicken out of the cold case and it was already under $2 and on top of that it was discounted 33% so I got it for just over a $1. I have never found a deal like that at Kroger and even Walmart. They even had name brand soda for .79 a 2 litter. I haven't seen them that cheap in a long time. Kroger puts them on "sale" for 1.49 and calls it a deal. This was a normal shopping trip for me and I got through the checkout quickly unlike Kroger and Walmart and for under $17. If I had gone to Kroger it would have been over $20 I feel. Ukrops please stay and keep up the good work.
Comment by Mike D — December 29, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
Lindsey, you stole my thunder with the mention of stollen. I bought mine from On the Rise and ate like royalty at my Mom's house. I went back to On the Rise this past Saturday and spoke with one of the owners about the beautiful stollen and delightful cardamon bread. I always saddle myself with bread from On the Rise when I go out of town to visit friends and family. No one ever complains!
On Christmas, my Mom made a sweet ham with homemade raisin gravy along with a roasted turkey breast. By the time we finished, we could barely move. Let's hear it for salads!
Comment by Amy — December 30, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Glad you got a stollen. My son-in-law went to pick up the one Lori ordered when he got off work and they had closed. When he went back the next day, they had sold out. I was really looking forward to that. Oh well.
Comment by Kathy — December 30, 2008 @ 10:22 am
I believe the peanut butter fudge I made, for the first time, was the best. I did have a little help from my wife.
Comment by Greg Prillaman — December 30, 2008 @ 11:07 am
Mike, thanks for the update on your Ukrop's experiences. Stir away! This will be a topic for some time, I think.
Amy, I would love to know more about the On the Rise stollen. Was it made with marzipan or with chopped nuts in it? What kind of fruit did they use? I'll have to check out their version next Christmas. I wish they sent out special e-mails so folks could keep track of what's baking over there besides the usual offerings.
Your mention of raisin sauce for ham brought back memories. My grandma always made that. It is soooo delicious. They have a good recipe for it on some boxes of cornstarch.
I'm impressed that you made fudge, Greg.
Comment by lindseynair — December 30, 2008 @ 11:19 am
My best food at Christmas was a 12 lb peppered ham that I mail ordered from Petit Jean meats. It was delicious and well worth the price. I fed 8 adults and 2 kids and gave lots to my guests to take home and still had half a ham left. The peppery crust added a great kick to the potato soup I made the next day. I will definitely be ordering from them again next Christmas. No foodie gifts, we cut way back on our gift giving this year. Oh wait, my son in law brought me some homemade lasagna, I'll count that as a gift!
My daughter went to Ukrop's to get dog food, as it's the closest store to me. Having lived in the DC area for a while, she was a little taken aback by the friendliness of the workers there.
Comment by Debbie — December 30, 2008 @ 2:27 pm