The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

 

[getaclue]

micro, scalloped potatoes, or even au gratin potatoes sounds good. Dd informed me that turkey is for Thanksgiving, but ham is for Christmas. I too may do scalloped, or au gratin potatoes with it. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Peep_Show]

About 29 degrees here this morning. The lawns have little ice crystals covering them, a field of crunchiness underfoot. DH spent yesterday chopping wood so that we can stock the woodpile up in Santa Fe. I hit the stores yesterday and scored on decorations for next year (20-ft twinkle light strings for a buck each.) This year we just have a little tabletop tree, but next year will probably be full-on decor as I'm in the rotation for holiday entertaining of various social groups. I don't mind the decorating, but putting it away brings on such a depression.

Seed catalogs are arriving by the bushel. Love looking at them! DH has declared his new favorite vegetable is delicata squash, a bush variety winter squash. Friends have raved over the watermelon radishes they've been gifted, so move over French Breakfast. The veggie compound will have early crops this year with peas, radishes, chard, kale and beet plantings. Hard to think about now, but it seems like March is just around the corner.

 

[bruceha2000]

It's dropping to 40 tonight. Brrrrrr!

Cold for there. 11°F this morning. We might make a high of 45°F on Friday, nothing even hitting freezing until then. Should be sunny on Tuesday though, that will be nice.

I just hope I feel like eating it!

Me too because it all sounds very good!

Last week we were sitting in the radio room when DH suddenly said, look out the window! I did and to my horror there was a HUGE red shouldered Hawk sitting on top of the chiminea that we have sitting out there. This bird was just a big monster and less than 10 feet from the window it was simply magnificent.

I told DH, just when I start to soften about letting the birds free range, Mr. Hawk shows up and slaps me back to reality.

Had to look up chiminea, OK it is an outdoor fireplace

 

[ronott1]

It's dropping to 40 tonight. Brrrrrr!

It is freezing here too!

No frost on the roofs but there should be.

 

[ronott1]

About 29 degrees here this morning. The lawns have little ice crystals covering them, a field of crunchiness underfoot. DH spent yesterday chopping wood so that we can stock the woodpile up in Santa Fe. I hit the stores yesterday and scored on decorations for next year (20-ft twinkle light strings for a buck each.) This year we just have a little tabletop tree, but next year will probably be full-on decor as I'm in the rotation for holiday entertaining of various social groups. I don't mind the decorating, but putting it away brings on such a depression.

Seed catalogs are arriving by the bushel. Love looking at them! DH has declared his new favorite vegetable is delicata squash, a bush variety winter squash. Friends have raved over the watermelon radishes they've been gifted, so move over French Breakfast. The veggie compound will have early crops this year with peas, radishes, chard, kale and beet plantings. Hard to think about now, but it seems like March is just around the corner.

Nice! Winter plans for the summer Garden!

 

[ronott1]

Morning Everyone, Tis the day before the night before Christmas. Hope every one has their last minute shopping done and all their packages wrapped.

@getaclue, I've considered it. Between the Welly and the BO's the Welly's have handled the Marek's disease better than the Orpingtons.The locally bred birds have showed such a superior resistance to the disease. There are times I'm tempted to try to cross breed my surviving Welly rooster to Farrah but I remember the agony of having to put them down and my courage goes to zero. I'd have to do some reading on genetics and how much resistance would be passed from the hen to the chicks.

Plans for today? Nada. Cookies are baked and in the freezer. I'm roasting Cornish Game hens for myself and a nice roast for DH. May throw a half a small turkey in the oven just so I'll have left overs for a few days for myself. I haven't decided on potatoes yet. Maybe go with something different like scalloped. Veggie and Hawaiian rolls.

I'm doing overnight cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

I just hope I feel like eating it!

I will start the overnight rolls Tomorrow night for Christmas Morning. I love them!

 

[bruceha2000]

It is freezing here too!

Um, Ron, Mr. NOAA says the lowest you will see is 40°F Tue and Wed overnight. Is he lying to us?

 

[ronott1]

Um, Ron, Mr. NOAA says the lowest you will see is 40°F Tue and Wed overnight. Is he lying to us?

We have a weather system coming through. We will be in the 40s to 50s until the weather shifts. Then we should see lows near 32 and highs in the 50s. Often we will have a brisk north wind then.

I am waiting for the Atmospheric Rivers to start!

 

[Peep_Show]

We've been invited to an "orphans" Christmas dinner this year, those unable to get together with family. Small bites (tapas) on the menu. There will be a charcuterie board, soup, bread, and I'm bringing fingerfood of dill pancakes topped with lemon creme fraiche and smoked salmon, plus polenta triangles topped with carmelized red onions, balsamic drizzle and bleu cheese crumbles. If I have time, I'll get a batch of amaretto truffles done (or maybe pepperment schnapps) for a dessert contribution. One of the couples owns a winery, so hopefully they'll bring a bottle or several of the good stuff! I'd make up a batch of eggnog, but everybody needs to drive home afterwards and, well, the recipe is basically holiday rocket fuel. (We joke that one glass and you join the party; three glasses and you are the party.)