Ripe Not

The "ripe now" sticker on the avocados causes me a lot of trouble. The restaurant guy has solved the mystery. It is a trademark, not a notification.

People keep pinching them to see if they're ripe, The nearly ripe ones end up being so bruised they are often too disgusting to eat. 

I have learned to reach to the back or under layer of the stack to find hard green ones. Put them in the fruit bowl for a few days. Avoid squeezing them. When the stem can be easily pulled out they are ripe and keep for a few more days in the fridge. No bruises!

I am going to send Ernest 3 months of heirloom avos from the Avocado Diva. Fresh from the trees! 

An avocado a day would be lovely. It doesn't always have to be guacamole.
Avocado on toast, on eggs, in a BLT, in fruit salad, on pizza, or like yesterday just eaten out of the skin with a little vinaigrette.

A month's worth of ideas!

Snow Day

I asked Ernest to send me some snow pictures and I got a couple like this.

"It's a winter wonderland," he exclaimed on the phone, and planned to go out to play. I'm so grateful one of his friends had a camera. 

That would be Ernest as the attacking Ninja on the left. 

Meanwhile I'm going to pretend I have a snow day as Amazon just delivered this trove of treasures. 

The Circle of Clutter

It seems I can't deal with one thing until I have dealt with something else. I hardly know where to begin.

Since the Christmas decorations are still out of the closet, I dug around in the back and pulled out 4 large boxes of my aunt's travel slides that have been in there for 15 years.

(from this...)

In the trash! A few trays were not labeled so I did quickly look through them. Treasure - some slides of my wedding in '83 and a few others from '75, plus a couple of my small town in 1955! I guess it's time to get out the scanner.

(to this...)

So there I go, starting something else.

The Partial Family Picture

Ernest was here for 4 weeks and I kept announcing, "I need a family picture," but we would put it off and so of course it never happened.

I did manage to corner him and Frank the day before he left. Homer is the most easily manipulated of our cats (i.e. the slowest) so he was dragged into the picture.

Ernest swears he hasn't grown any more. Maybe it's just the positioning in the picture and his puffy hair. Or it could be that Homer's weight is dragging Frank down.

The Usual Bye Mom Picture

So I have confessed I am a worrier, but I seem to be a selective one.

I was worried we wouldn't get to the airport in time. But we got there quick enough (2 hrs 15 minutes with no traffic). Ernest checked in with a bit of time to spare (before the 45 min before flight limit). After we left him, he found out there was a flight delay which caused a missed connection and a reroute. He spend six more hours at the airport.

I didn't seem to be at all worried about that. He's been around the world and on mountains. He can deal with an airport.  I hope he got a nap. His luggage beat him back.

He called last night. Yes, of course he wanted something, but it was nice to talk to him anyways! Classes are good. He has a long weekend to visit his sweetie.

I've been worried about his feet in cold weather as the only shoes I ever see him in are canvas converse but he assured me he could wear his his hiking boots if it got too bad.

The Joy of Maps

We had an estate sale at my father's house last fall.  He didn't have anything really valuable. Most people were out for something cheap. Don't get me started on the Bitch and the Barcalounger.

He was a collector of information. One thing he had a lot of were maps. I think he kept every map he ever had. And the maps seemed to draw the most responses from people.

Late the first day, a family arrived as we were closing up. Well, of course we let them in. They spent quite a while in the study. I was outside, so I did not get the full experience, but their young daughter (age 10?) loved maps. If her mother had allowed, she would have taken them all and papered the walls of her room with them.

A young couple was about to move away from California. They found a 1957 map of the state, and other maps of places they had either been to or planned to visit.

Another couple with an adorable baby also had memorable finds. The husband found topographic maps of places he had hiked. Most amazingly, the wife found a large picture map of Poland (I don't think my dad even visited Poland) which had the towns her grandparents were from -- towns that didn't normally even appear on maps.

Driving Away the Worries

I've been a chronic worrier all my life. My mother always told me I had a worried look on my face as a baby. Thanks, mom.

Yes, I do lie awake worrying about many things I cannot control. It's not fun. Thinking about worst case scenarios is not conducive to sleep. 

On the bright side, I have never worried about taxes or Ebola.

I discovered something that can drive the worries out of my head: show tunes! I watched Into The Woods twice in one day (the movie and the DVD of the Broadway show) and guess what, the earworms drove all worried thoughts out of my head that night.

So maybe an evening dose of show tunes will do the trick?

I am partial to Sondheim. Got a favorite show tune? Let me know!

We're Going to Need a Bigger Snake

The plumbing story part two:

Handy cleaned out the trap in the upstairs bathtub (through the hole in the wall) but blub blub blub. No noticeable improvement.

We called a plumber, who wasn't too interested. I think they only like to deal with the emergencies. Days later a guy showed up, laughed at Handy's redo, and said we should tear out a wall.  We were supposed to get another call back this weekend but no nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Handy bought a better (drill-powered) snake and solved the problem himself.  Ernest ran water in the tub upstairs and said he'd never seen it drain so fast.

Really, learning to do your own plumbing is where it's at.

Resolution

I think this is my one resolution for the year. 

I started slowly on this path last fall. 

Overwhelmed by stuff coming into my house, from both my father's and m-i-l's houses, as well as my own collection, I had a garage sale and Handy delightedly took two truck loads to the thrift store. 

He had a laugh because he saw several of these cat scratchers like we had just bought. And guess what, ours went on the next load. 

I might try to sell a few things on eBay, like the expensive Ehrman Tapestry needlepoint kits I never got around to making. 

I never got around to a couple small upholstery projects so I called in the professionals and now after many years they are finally done. So maybe that's a second resolution. Delegate. 

Cleaning out the mind is harder! I'm working on it. 

I Couldn't Help It

It's not what you think.

Oh, Homer. You know I am still yours, heart and soul.

Please don't get your fluffy panties in a bunch. I can't help it if a dog decided to sit on me.



And have a nap.



My lap is mesmerizing, is it not?

This is Louie, who lives at my m-i-l's care home. He used to just bark at me but lately he's decided my lap is ok. He may secretly be a cat inside.

Recreating Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Warning, this post includes dairy, gluten and fat!

I can't say I've ever eaten the famous biscuits at Red Lobster, since I've only been there once, but I impulse-bought a pack of their mix.

Lots of ingredients. 

They tasted great though. It's the garlic butter you dump on after they are baked.

I thought I'd try to replicate the recipe. I've made Bisquick biscuits with cheese before, but they were always a bit heavy. Some internet research let me to cut in some butter with the dry ingredients, like a scratch biscuit or pie dough. (By the way, I have converted Frank to the joys of food processor pie crust. Ernest remains old-school on that matter.)

My Cheddar Bay Biscuits

(Makes 12 large biscuits because the guys said to make extra)

3 c. Bisquick

1 t. Old Bay seasoning

1 cube butter

1 c. grated cheese*

1 1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix together Bisquick and Old Bay. Cut in butter using your preferred method (food processor or pastry thingy). Add cheese and toss till cheese is mixed throughout. Mix in milk. Form 12 biscuits on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make garlic butter.

1 more cube butter (I didn't say these were low-fat)

2 T chopped parsley

3 cloves minced garlic*

When biscuits are done, top with garlic butter.

*I'm not entirely sure of these amounts because Handy was responsible for the prep. He tends to go overboard.

They got a good reception.

So I used up the box of Bisquick for this. When I bought more, wouldn't you know it, look what was on the box. So yes, you could probably use less butter! However, fresh garlic and parsley are certainly an improvement.

Holds

I'm surprised I haven't hit the new library hold limit until now. 

What to do, what to do?

I think I can save a list. Or save them as want-to-read on Goodreads. 

There didn't used to be a limit, but then there was a $1 per hold charge. Now holds are free but there is a limit. I didn't mind paying. I thought it was a small price for the library personnel's extra work. 

Goodreads says I read 146 books last year. My own count is 147. So I challenged myself to read 150 in 2015. If I spend a little less time playing mindless iPad games...

I Did It

I did it.

Now I've got to get up in half an hour for my traditional viewing of the Rose Parade. 

Resolution: take a nap later today!

Happy New Year!

The Annual Report

Well, that title brings back memories of the old insurance company days.  I spent 15 years in one of the best work environments. Not many people can say that. We're having a reunion next summer. 

On the 2014 balance sheet of life, there were debits, but the credits outweighed.  

My father passed away and my mother-in-law had a stroke.

But my lovely M-I-L is improving slowly. Her most recent milestone is being able to wear her glasses and read a real book!  

Seeing my dad's house with many unfinished projects spurred me to get a few more things finished around our own home. 

Handy and I crossed off a few things on our bucket lists: The ROAD TRIP, which I left hanging on the blog, so maybe I'll recap that in 2015. He got himself a guitar and I started taking piano lessons.  I am just about to order Rosetta Stone for Italian. 

Frank has a job.

Ernest has college. 

Homer has a second chance in life. 

Definitely a credit balance for the year. 

Happy New Year! 

We're Going to Have to Get Out Some More Tools*

Handy has two weeks off but he hasn't been bored since he lucked (or perhaps unlucked is more accurate) into a major project.

Ernest told us he couldn't turn on the upstairs shower. Well, it hasn't been used since he left. In the process of fixing that, Handy decided to do something about the eternally slow drain. Unfortunately, it ended up even slower. Or actually completely plugged. They couldn't even get a snake through it. So the next step was to take off the trap. 

Hi, Ernest!

That giant hole in the wall/floor/ceiling was already there behind the dry wall. This house has scary construction. Anyone who's watched This Old House knows you shouldn't saw through beams like that. 

The pipe couldn't be unstuck or unscrewed so, no surprise, Handy sawed through it with the sawzall. Then out came a grinder and a shop vac. I may have missed a few more tools as they appeared from the garage. (*The post title is a direct quote from Handy.)

Since this was all happening on Christmas Day, the reassembly has to wait until today. 

Here's Ernest from the other side. 

Christmas Tree

I asked Ernest to wrap some lights around a tomato cage for me, in preparation for one of my alternate trees.  He picked the longest strand of lights and wrapped in a pattern. I liked the minimalist look, so I left it that way.

This is what it looks like without my glasses.

A smallish traditional tree, although the ornaments are non-traditional.

And finally, Pink and Sparkly makes a repeat appearance. Ernest did not believe we could fit all the ornaments. This time I was the one with the engineering plan.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve

Gary said it, "You must be so happy to have the young genius back home for a bit :)". Yep, that's it in a nutshell. That's all I wanted.  I'm actually seeing more of him than I thought, as 2 out of 3 climbing trips seem to have fallen through. The first week he spent a lot of time at Hogwarts, as his friends were still there. This week he seems content to hang out with us, helping around the house and sharing the xBox with his brother. I think a trip is on between Christmas and New Year's. 

We're doing our celebrating tonight, since tomorrow we have a luncheon to attend. 

I'd better get cracking in the kitchen. There is pie to be made. 

(Yes, I know this looks like a Thanksgiving picture but we're having the same menu so it works for me.)

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

Ernest came home from the east coast craving salsa and good avocados.

Little by little we are discovering there were a few other things he missed. He made a special request for ricotta pancakes last weekend. They are my favorite, he enthused. I won't even eat ordinary pancakes any more. Ernest made an emergency trip to the store before breakfast to buy ricotta, since I didn't have any on hand, that's how much he likes them. I usually make them with ricotta left over from lasagne or calzones.

I don't know where I got the recipe, or I would give them credit. The original was a little skimpy for 4 voracious people so I increased the proportions.

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes

1 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

If the ricotta is really watery, you can strain it, but I usually don't bother.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Mix ricotta, milk, egg yolks and vanilla in a smaller bowl.

Beat egg whites until stiff.

Stir wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, then fold in egg whites.

OK, here's where I don't have instructions because I am not the pancake cooker in the house, only the mixer. Someone else usually does the griddle work. Cook them like you would any other pancakes, I guess!

Enjoy.




Now I have ricotta leftover from the pancakes! What else can I make? This Baked Ricotta spread looks good!

Super Deluxe

After a long wait, Tino's Italian Grocery has reopened in a new location. So I made a reason to go to to the big town the other week. Supposedly it was to pay the deposit for new windows, but between us it really was all about the subs. 

Handy knows more of the Italian Grocery's history than I do. A family-run Italian deli in a small house, it was bought out by the county and moved into a housing development. There, a wall outside was testament to the deliciousness: oil and vinegar stains on the sidewalk where people sat to eat. 

I didn't get there often enough to recognize the rest of the family but Tino was always there. After he passed, there was a division. Someone got the location, but the children got the name, the Facebook page, and the original sandwich signs. 

Handy's lunch date fell through and he texted me, offering to meet me there. But I was already in line! So I delivered a Super Deluxe (with everything) to him.

I took mine home and you can see that Homer was very interested. But I was very hungry so I did not share. He had gobbled his meager kibble allotment right before I sat down to eat, so I wasn't too sorry for him. 

Homer thought he might have better luck when Frank was feasting. 

Nope. Only the oil and vinegar dressing left on the paper. 

We have another trip to town today, for Homer's vet appointment, so he's going to have to suffer in the crate a little longer so we can pick up another round of Super Deluxes. I guess I'll have to give him a nibble this time.

No Need for Concern

I'll admit, I was a bit worried about Tiny's reaction to Christmas trees. She is such a curious cat, always poking her tiny nose into strange new places.

But she seems to be ignoring the trees (I'm up to 3 now, photos coming soon.)

She did helpfully hold down the Christmas tablecloths.

You mae have seen Homer's photobomb on facebook.

 Sigh, she says.

(Photos by Frank.)