Well, it's been a long, been a long, been a long time ....

.... since I blogged.  No excuses here.  (I hate those bloggers who tell you all their reasons for not blogging - I just had other things on my mind.)

Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day!  DH absolutely loves corned beef, so there is no reason at all that I only make it once per year.  Well, maybe one reason - the kids hated it!  They would tease me unmercifully in hopes that I would forego the annual ritual.  No way.  I was raised by a mom who celebrated every holiday imaginable regardless of ethnicity.  (We were probably the only pseudo-Protestant family who ate fish every Friday, pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and latkes during Hannukah.  Mom's goal was to celebrate every day.)

Over the years, I've gone from the traditional stove-top corned beef, to the crockpot version, to the Dutch oven version, etc., etc., etc.  Here is my tried and true, never fail, would even serve it to company version.  It was a success again tonight with DH.  Enjoy!

OVEN BRAISED CORNED BEEF BRISKET

4 pounds center cut corned beef brisket
1 lemon -- ends trimmed
1 onion -- peeled
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
6 whole cloves
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar

Trim and discard most of the surface fat from brisket. Rinse meat well under cool running water, rubbing gently to release its corning salt. Lay meat, fattiest side up, in a 2-inch deep, 11 by 15 inch roasting pan. Thinly slice lemon and onion and lay slices over meat. Sprinkle with peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Set pan on middle rack in a 325 degree oven. Pour about 8 cups boiling water around brisket, seal the pan with foil, and bake until meat is very tender when pierced, about 4 hours. Uncover and drain off all but about 1 cup of the liquid. If desired, reserve the lemon and onion slices and rearrange them on top of the meat. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and brown sugar; spread evenly over meat, on top of the onion-lemon mixture. Broil about 8 inches from heat until the mustard mixture begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a platter. Serve hot, warm, or cold; slice meat across the grain.

The only problem with this recipe in our house is that there aren't enough leftovers.  DH had thirds ... oh, my.

Merry Christmas!

I finally feel human again after fighting this bug for weeks.  Managed to get everything done for Christmas, even a little extra project for my SIL.  Tomorrow, we're off to Ventura County for the long holiday weekend.  Thankfully, our wild Southern California weather has returned to normal after six extremely wet days.  I can't remember ever having rain this intense for such a long period.

We'll have our traditional spaghetti dinner Christmas Eve at our daughter's house with most of the family.  I imagine the two oldest grandchildren will be beside themselves with anticipation and excitement!

Christmas morning, we'll again be at DD's house to exchange gifts and enjoy Flo's Serbian Eggs.  My favorite boss, Sylvia, shared this recipe with me years ago and it has become a family favorite.  We usually serve it with sausage, croissants, and fresh fruit.  For Christmas, there will also be mimosas!

FLO'S SERBIAN EGGS
6 eggs -- beaten
1 pound Jack cheese -- shredded
1 pound cottage cheese
1 cup Biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- melted
1 teaspoon dried onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together.  Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 pyrex dish.  Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
My sister is hosting Christmas dinner - roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans - yummy!  There will, of course, be cookies everywhere we go!

Does it sound as though Christmas in our family is all about the food?  Well, food plays a big role but it is really about being together and celebrating this most festive time of year.

My very best wishes to all of you for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for:

• my good health and the good health of my husband and family.
• my wonderful children who still want to spend Thanksgiving Day with me inspite of my reluctance to leave the kitchen, sit down and actually visit with them.
• my wonderful grandchildren who, hopefully, will force me out of the kitchen for a walk down to the park to play.
• my country.  Inspite of our problems, I would not want to live anywhere else.  We have the freedom to change or not to change.
• my home.  I have a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, a refrigerator full of food.  Most of the world lacks one or more of these simple things.
• my parents.  Although they are long gone, they gave me the foundation on which to build a happy, successful life.  They made me responsible, they educated me, they taught me right from wrong, and most importantly, they taught me the power of love.
• my marriage.  How many are still in love after 40+ years?  I am one lucky gal.
• my friends.  What can I say?  You are my joy when things go right, my salvation when things go wrong.
• learning and exploring.  Reading, travelling, trying new things out, being challenged -- this is what makes life so rich.

May you have a wonderful holiday with friends and family.  Turn the computer off, stay away from the tv for a bit, get out of the kitchen, and just enjoy being with the people who are important in your life.

Post-Op Benefits - Chapter 1

Two days ago, DH asked if I thought I should call the doctor to tell him that I am very tired and still in need of an afternoon nap.  My response was that I'm 64 years old and not going to bounce back as quickly as I did the last time I had surgery - in 1989!  Considering that I was pretty sick for two days prior to the surgery and had my body beaten up during the surgery, I think I'm doing quite well.  Patience, dear man, patience.  I don't think hubbies do well when spouses are under the weather.

Anyway, I've been looking for some positives to dwell on while I recover.  Being able to take afternoon naps without guilt is at the top of the list.  Getting regular phone calls from baby sister, daughter, and son is a blessing.  My daughter and I talk pretty regularly, and my sister and I talk at least once a week.  But our son is one who only calls when he really has something to say.  It's been nice to have him check up on me.

Reading.  Ah, reading.  I'm a lifelong avid reader.  Growing up, my bedroom was upstairs.  I had the second floor all to myself.  I was permitted to read until Mom called up "lights out."  Being a kid, I learned how to put pillows over the bedlamp and continue reading until I decided it was time for lights out!  Remember the bedlamps that hung over the headboard?  I marvel that I never set the house on fire .... 

With my physical activity restricted, I've spent a lot of time over the last two weeks reading.  Finished "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  I highly recommend this book especially for those of you who grew up during the 50s and 60s and remember the civil rights movement.  I could not put this book down.  Since my genre of choice is modern mysteries or crime novels, this was a bit different for me.  I'm still thinking about it a week after reading the final chapter.  That's a good book.

Today, I will finish "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."  Wow!  I don't often read two books in a row that keep me turning pages fast and furiously.  No wonder this book has been on the bestseller lists for months.  I can hardly wait to read the remaining two books in the trilogy

John Sandford's new book, "Storm Prey," is waiting for me at the library.  Hmmmm ... can we make this three in a row?

Art Linkletter would have loved this one

My 4-year-old granddaughter, Talia, has suddenly taken an interest in discussing death.  (My daughter thinks this is prompted by the requisite scary parts of any Disney movie, especially "The Lion King.")  Our daughter is now explaining, at a 4-year-old's comprehension level, various beliefs about death and what happens, or does not happen, afterwards.

Simultaneously, our grandson started potty training.  Our DD's tried and trued method of potty training involves rewards, including M&Ms (for trying) and small prizes (for successes).  Talia announced that potty training was really fun and she wishes she could be potty trained again.

The next day, Talia told her mom that she has decided to believe in reincarnation.  Her reasoning?  She would come back as a baby, grow up to be 3, then get to be potty trained again - and have M&Ms!!!!

Yes, Art, kids really do say the darndest things!

Happy Mother's Day!

We spent the day yesterday with our family at National Train Day in Los Angeles.  The grandkids had a great time exploring Union Station and Olvera Street.  All 3 of them were so well behaved that we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Olvera Street.

So, today, it's just me and DH.  We've decided to spruce up our two outside benches.  They are in need of some TLC to get ready for the summer season.

Give yourself a treat today and listen to an NPR story that I heard on Weekend Edition Sunday.  Some of NPR's broadcasters speak about their moms as only great broadcasters can do.  You will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel some heartfelt moments on this special day.  Enjoy!

My small window into a stranger's life

DH and I love antiques and antique shopping.  Although we sometimes have a goal in mind, it is the unexpected treasure that really fills us with joy.  I have long lusted after a wooden spool chest but the price always seems ridiculously high for a decorative item.  I rarely see them under $500 and most are much more than that.  While rummaging through one of our local antique markets last week, I noticed a metal spool chest and zoomed in like a torpedoe.  The price wasn't out of reach ($249), I had the money squirreled away from my Etsy sales, and I thought I could bargain for a better price since it was the last day of the month.

The prudent part of me took hold, so I slept on the idea.  Or, I should say, I tossed and turned on the idea for the night!  By morning, I had convinced myself to go for it.  I called the shop and asked them to contact the dealer to see if he would accept $200.  Whoo hoo!!  Price accepted, and I was off to bring back my new treasure.

I was so excited when I first saw this piece that I did not really appreciate the contents.  It has four glass-fronted drawers; each drawer was chock full of goodies.  I soon realized that this piece was used as someone's sewing box.  I love that idea!  Then and there I decided that I, too, was going to use this lovely piece as part of my daily sewing life.

It's hard to tell when this was actually last used by the owner, but it was pretty dirty.  I doubt that a seamstress would allow her possessions to get in such a state.  I surmised that this chest has been in someone's garage or someone's antique store for quite awhile.  As I carefully removed all of the items from the drawers so that my wonderful DH could clean this baby, I realized that I was uncovering pieces of another person's life.

The top drawer held only thread - silk thread!  Manufacturers I've never heard of:  Champion, Belding Hemingway, Corticelli.  Silk thread is expensive, so I decided that the seamstress was not just mending and making doll blankets!  This was a person who loved quality in her craft.  Did she do alterations on expensive clothing?  Did she make designer fashions for herself?  Did she create beautiful appliqued quilts with tiny, tiny stitches?

As I worked down into the next drawer, I found crochet needles, zippers, several hemmer feet, hat pins!  A bobby pin - that reminded me instantly of my own mom who thought bobby pins were the best invention since the wheel.  What would I find next?

Scattered throughout the 3rd and 4th drawers were plastic pill bottles (snap on caps - nothing childproof back then) from a Rexall drugstore filled with various items.  Fabric-covered buttons, small white buttons, pink sequins, pearls, small metal "coins" with a punched hole for sewing.  Costumes!  Maybe my seamstress worked on costumes!

Eureka!  Tucked at the back of the third drawer were two more pill bottles.  This time, however, the prescription paper was still in the bottle.  Lydia Nicklesen had a prescription filled at the Rexall Drugstore in Montebello, California in November 1959.  The second bottle was for Aron Nicklesen in 1966.  If Mrs. Nicklesen was sewing in 1959, she would most likely be in my parents' generation - the Greatest Generation - those who lived through the depression and were in the prime of life during World War II.  No wonder all the bits and pieces from her sewing life were saved in these little bottles.  No one from the depression era ever throws out a single thing without a fight!

More odds and ends:

• A sewing machine lightbulb
• A penny
• Tailor's chalk kept in a small box marked "Helena Rubinstein, Apple Blossom Time Perfume Purse Flacon"
• Two small boxes of matches carefully covered in yellow and green felt and decorated with tiny metal shells - perhaps a gift from a child?
• A bandaid marked Long John No. 100 Adhesive Bandage
• A box of glass head pins from K-Mart - 61cents!!!!
• A receipt from the Montebello Sewing Center (a Singer approved dealer)
• A tiny plastic camel - did a grandchild come to play in grandma's sewing room?

I'm going to keep some of Mrs. Nicklesen's things in her sewing kit along with mine.  I want to remember that someone else used this chest as part of her creative life.  Glass head pins have been on my "to buy" list for quite awhile.  I'm going to use the ones from K-Mart.  Thank you, Mrs. Nicklesen, for your pins -- and for sharing a bit of your life with me.

Keep your hands off our stuff - or else!

A few years ago, DH and I went on a 2-week Baltic cruise.  What a wonderful experience!  One of the ports on the itinerary was St. Petersburg, Russia.  As children of the Cold War, we were excited to be able to visit a country that seemed so forbidden, and forbiddening, to us in our childhood.  We remember bomb shelters, air raid drills and Mr. Khrushchev.

We saw so much during our two-day visit, including a performance of the Bolshoi ballet.  One of the highlights was a morning visit to the The Hermitage, Russia's premier art museum.  The museum is located in The Winter Palace, home to Russia's emperors for centuries.  The items in this museum are so precious, so irreplaceable, so valuable to the Russians that there are female docents in each and every gallery to protect the collection.  These ladies were austere both in dress and expression.  They sat on straight-backed chairs and watched every movement as tourists flocked through the large galleries.  They scared the hell out of us!  No way were we going to break any rules and risk a scolding by one of these ladies.

Few museums allow flash photography, but the rules at The Hermitage were explained to us in a very strong voice with lots of conviction!  You will not - nyet! - use the flash on your camera.  One very brazen young lady in our group took a photo with a flash and was sternly reprimanded and threatened with expulsion from the museum.  Her excuse?  "I don't know how to turn the flash off!"  Duhhh .... no wonder American tourists have such a bad reputation.  Either (a) learn how to turn off the flash, or (b) don't take any pictures!!!

In today's edition of the Los Angeles Times, there is a wonderful review of a solo exhibition by photographer Andy Freeberg.  Mr. Freeberg visited The Hermitage and took photographs of these dour-faced ladies guarding these precious works of art.  Well worth your time to read the review and perhaps visit the exhibit which is at the Kopeikin Gallery in West Hollywood.  Mr. Freeberg has fully captured the mood of The Hermitage as you walk by these sentinels.

Sundays

I hated Sundays when I was growing up.  It should have been the best day of the week.  Sunday was my Dad's only day off.  Occasionally, we would have a family outing which was always fun.  But the typical Sunday was boring, boring, boring for a kid. 

My sister and I went to Sunday School until reaching the age where we rebelled and said "no more."  Dad caught up on household fix-it chores in the morning.  Mom made a big Sunday dinner which was served promptly at 2 p.m.  Most weeks, she made a beef roast or baked chicken, mashed potatoes, a fresh veggie, and lots and lots and lots of thick delicious gravy loaded with fat - the kind of gravy no one makes any more because we know better.  If we were truly lucky and Mom was feeling ambitious, she would make her fabulous rice pudding.  It baked in the oven for hours driving us nuts with the aromas of lovely cream, sugar, and cinnamon.  Every half hour, Mom opened the oven door and stirred the pudding so that the thickening layer on the top mixed in with the rest of the pudding.

So why was I so bored?  After dinner, Dad retired to the living room floor to "watch" sports on tv - the only tv in the house.  Within 10 minutes, he would be sound asleep for the remainder of the afternoon.  We weren't allowed to change the channel, though, because Mom reminded us that it was Dad's only day off and he wanted to "watch" sports!  Kids in our neighborhood didn't play together on Sundays; it was considered a family day.  So we were left with homework (yuck), playing together (yuck), reading or listening to 45s.  I love to read, but not for hour after hour after hour!  To a kid, the afternoon seemed endless until 7 p.m. when Lassie came on and we could have a Sunday night snicky snack in front of the tv - a special treat.

Today, I had a great Sunday.  Since DH is off to Carlsbad to work on his dad's house, I had the whole day to myself - to sew, watch the Olympics, read the paper leisurely, and enjoy the quiet!  Well, except for the chatter of the Bernina happily embroidering along ....

Here's what I see when I look up from the Bernina to see the outside world.  It rained all day yesterday, again, but this morning was bright and crisp and clear.  There were birds all over this tree singing merrily.  Spring must be near!  I can't remember the name of this tree (I am among the worst gardeners in the world), but it will soon be covered in pink blooms followed by deep burgundy leaves.  We usually have at least one nest in this tree per season - nothing yet.

I spent the morning finishing up another block for the Darci's Dresses quilt then started on an embroidery project.  Pictures to come!  I have a tv in the sewing room right next to the Bernina, so I've been watching the hockey game since noon.  We're in overtime!  What a great finish to a wonderful Olympics.  You couldn't write a better script.

Happy Birthday, Dear Talia ......

Our oldest granddaughter turned 4 today.  Quite a big day for a toddler.  Early this morning, DH and I called her to sing a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday."  She was quite excited to tell us that she was having cake for dinner!

It wasn't too long ago, Christmas actually, that we were told she was "3 and 3/4."  Remember when counting half years, quarter years, and months was terribly important?  Now I'm happy to count in decades and forget the years and months in between ....

Her younger sister, Tasha, will be 1 on February 9.  We'll be going to see the family for Super Bowl Sunday and to have birthday celebrations for the girls.  I started a cute gift today, which I hope to finish in time for the big celebration (that would be birthday cake and candles, not the Vince Lombardi trophy).  It's the paper doll playbook kit from Creating Keepsakes.  So cute!  It took me awhile to understand the directions, but I did manage to get the fabric cut and the fusible fleece fused to the doll clothes.  Tonight I will cut out the doll clothes.  I have every hope of finishing this project between tomorrow and Friday so that I can give it to the birthday girls on Sunday.  I think Talia is the perfect age for paper dolls.  Tasha will most likely just get some fun out of touching and feeling and putting dresses in her mouth!

I remember playing with paper dolls for hours when I was growing up.  The fad then, in the 50s, was to have paper doll kits for the stars of the silver screen.  I had Piper Laurie, June Allyson, Betty Hutton, and a bride set of course.  Inevitably, the tags ripped off the clothes and the cardboard dolls bent at the ankle or the neck making them a bit less fashionable.  But what fun we had!

I hope my granddaughters have as much fun with this doll kit.  At least they won't have to cut out all those paper tags!

Thanksgiving Traditions - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

My family loves the traditions surrounding our annual holidays.  My mom really was the impetus behind most of these traditions because she loved holidays, parties, fun and merriment.  Thanksgiving is certainly one of the most traditional holidays in the U.S.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie - what would the 4th Thursday in November be without them?

In our household, there are other traditions surrounding Thanksgiving that aren't quite as yummy as homemade turkey stuffing!  It's a pretty sure bet that my brother-in-law will arrive late in the morning and immediately make himself a pastis!  Over the freeways and through L.A. to Oma's house we go -- well, it certainly makes a man ready for a cocktail.  My 89-year-old father-in-law, John, will corner our son and son-in-law to preach the "Business Gospel According to John" - i.e., invest for the future in small companies that haven't a chance to make a profit for 20 or 30 years!

Our grandchildren will go on a walk with Grandpa to find "pretty leaves" to decorate the table.  Talia will insist that the leaf highest in the tree is the prettiest one and the one she just has to have for the table!

My husband will tell me to relax, take a break and stop stressing.  Sure.  With the people I love most in the world waiting for me to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table.  Sure.

My son-in-law will roust his family as early as possible in order to be at our house in front of the tv for the kickoff of the Lions football game.  The Lions will, of course, lose the game.

I will fail, once again, to make good, thick, turkey gravy.  My sister will tease me, once again, about my crappy gravy.  This year, I swear, I'm going to have her make the gravy.

My sister, once again, will tell me that she and her husband do not drink water with dinner so do not need water goblets.  I will bite my tongue, once again, and refrain from yelling, "It's my house, dammit, and I will set the table the way I want to!"  Did I mention that she's my younger sister?  Why is it that my sister, whom I absolutely adore and could not live without, drives me insane??

Everyone will say they don't want to ruin their appetites for dinner, but we will still eat too many appetizers.  We will promise not to have appetizers next year.

My sister will say grace and remind us of those who are no longer with us.  She and I will glance at one another and know that we are both thinking of Mom and Dad.

Our daughter will sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner but actually will not eat any food because she'll be trying to keep her 3 babies happy and cheerful so the rest of us can enjoy our dinner.  That's okay - our son-in-law will go back for thirds!

Everyone will offer to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes so that I can relax.  Collapse is more like it!  We'll all be comatose and overstuffed until the first person says, "Who's ready for pie?"  Miraculously, we'll all want "just a sliver" of each kind of pie!

My husband will open all the windows in the house and turn the fire on even though it will still be in the 70s outside.  The whole gang will relax in front of the tv with the fire blazing until someone, probably my sister, says "Let's talk about Christmas."

Aren't families wonderful?

Why I hate Facebook ....

If you haven't read yesterday's post, please scroll down and take a minute to read it. Otherwise, this will not make any sense! I'm probably breaking some kind of "blogosphere" rule - don't make your readers go back to read old posts. Oh, well. I am a newbie afterall.

I have been joyful over the last few weeks to reconnect through the Internet (thank you, Al Gore) with several friends from my youth. These are people that I've thought about off and on through the years and wondered how they were doing, what they were doing, why didn't we stay in touch, etc. The usual stuff that we deal with as life passes us by decade by decade rather than year by year.

So the Internet, and Facebook, allowed me to find these friends. It has definitely been rewarding and brought smiles to my face and laughter to my heart. But there is a downside. I discovered that my two best buds from the Peace Corps have been through divorces. One lost an adult child to diabetes.

My high school love is a widower.

I'm not particularly sentimental, but I have been in a bit of a "blue" mood these past few days. I haven't been in touch with these friends in many years, yet the emotional attachment must still be there. Facebook has brought me both the joy of renewed friendship and the pain of knowing that life does not always go as planned. I need to be reminded of this now and then so that I can be thankful for the life I have.

Happy 4th of July!

I love the 4th of July. It always seems to be a lazy holiday, but one that can make me very nostalgic. By this time in the summer, the heat was really on in New Jersey where I grew up. There was usually a picnic somewhere in the neighborhood - the usual hot dogs, hamburgers, and various homemade salads. I can still see my mom in her apron making something wonderful and putting it into a pyrex bowl to take down the street to someone's backyard. Yummmm ....

I wish every American would reread the Declaration of Independence today. It's a pretty amazing document. If you do nothing else today, consider yourself very lucky to be an American. This is about the only day that I permit myself to be a flag waver! On most other days, my 60s liberalism takes over.

Doug is washing the car. My morning task is to make Merle's fabulous bean dip for our barbecue this afternoon. Then it's back to working on Tasha's little red romper. I'm at the point where I have to gather the bottom and sew to the bodice. I hate gathering! I'm going to publish a picture of it when finished. At least, I'm going to try to put a picture on this blog.

Merle's Black Bean Dip

2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients and chill. Drain before serving. Serve with tortilla chips; also good as a side dish for grilled meats.