Fog ~ Jingle Bells ~ Hush Puppies ~ Maddie ~ Omaha Order ~ Egg Nog Day

Good 35.6º NO fog, high dark clouds morning. Rain predicted for today and tonight. Poor Santa! Get the hot chocolate and plate of cookies ready for him! 

Boy, yesterday morning when the fog came in, it really was dense!!

Finally the fog lifted somewhat about 10:30 and then we got some sun about 11:30.... when it warmed to 40º and finally to 50º.

Interesting....

Jingle Bells

is one of the most popular Christmas songs ever written. Except......... it's not a Christmas song! It was written to celebrate Thanksgiving. In 1850 James Lord Pierpont was hanging out in a tavern in Medford Massachusetts, when he was inspired by Medford's famous sleigh races to write a tune called "One Horse Open Sleigh"

for a children's Thanksgiving play. Everyone loved it so much that it became incorporated into Christmas. James Lord Pierpont was the uncle of banker John Pierpont Morgan, better known as J.P. Morgan.

 

A favorite Southern food is Hush Puppies. They are generally deep fried with about 3 cups of oil. I like healthier so here is a baked recipe.

Baked Hush Puppies

Vegetable oil, butter, or cooking spray

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

1/8 t. black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. butter, melted

**my addition: 1/4 cup bacon bits

1. Preheat oven to 450º

2. Lightly grease or spray 24 cup mini muffin pan

3. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt and pepper

4. In separate bowl mix onion, milk, eggs, melted butter (and bacon bits)

5. Fold egg mixture into the flour mixture until the flour mixture is just moistened

6. Spoon 1 T. of batter into each mini muffin cup.

7. Bake 10 minutes, or until puppies are firm to the touch and golden brown around the edges.

The origin of Hush Puppies... had to do with throwing them to the dogs to keep them quiet!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hushpuppy

I had sent a box of goodies to Aaron (my step-son, Jerry's boy), Marie, and Maddie. Aaron posted these pictures on my FB page of Maddie diving into getting the box open! So cute...ox

I received my Omaha Steaks order...YUMMMM...

4 lobster tail halves....

sole almondine...

breaded veal patties.....

top sirloin steaks....

Like Schwans, all their foods are great.

https://www.omahasteaks.com/shop/

Historically this date...

1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus inOberndorf, Austria.

1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.

1851 – Library of Congress burns.

1865 – The Ku Klux Klan is formed.

1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the Supreme Allied Commander.

1968 – Apollo Program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.

2000 – The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is murdered during the robbery.

And births this date include...

1809 – Kit Carson, American frontiersman (d. 1868)

....boy, he looks like a cranky old man!

1905 – Howard Hughes, American film producer and inventor (d. 1976)

1922 – Ava Gardner, American actress (d. 1990)

1923 – George Patton IV, American general (d. 2004)

1971 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer

1974 – Ryan Seacrest, American television host

Later dinner was an Omaha sirloin steak, cooked in the Air Fryer.... 13 minutes @ 370º drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Lawry's Garlic Salt, some Schwans green beans and rice pilaf. SUPER GOOD! Then a piece of Schwans key lime pie (to die for!) .....

Chair, wine, TV....  Blue Bloods, NCIS Los Angeles, S.W.A.T. and news ....

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Christmas Eve. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Egg Nog Day

National Egg Nog Day comes but once a year.  It celebrates a special, traditional holiday drink. It is consumed with or without Rum. The timing couldn't be any better-- the day before Christmas--- Christmas Eve!

Egg Nog is a seasonal holiday drink. It appears just before Thanksgiving, and is enjoyed by many at the Thanksgiving meal. Consumption then takes a break until the December holidays are in full swing.  Consumption of egg nog peaks on Christmas Eve. By the New Year, it is no longer available in stores. If you want eggnog after New Year's you will likely have to make it yourself.

No one seems to know who created National Egg Nog Day. But, egg nog lovers are ecstatic that this day exists. It's loaded with stuff that tastes really good. It's loaded with stuff that's not good for you. Egg Nog afficienados will tell you that its mmmmm delicious!

The Correct Spelling: This holiday drink is spelled "Egg Nog" and "Eggnog", about equally. The carton in the store spells it "Egg Nog". Which is correct? It depends upon how much rum is in your Egg Nog! ... bottoms up!

---

How to Make Holiday Eggnog

Eggnog is readily available in stores. Not many people make it from scratch anymore.

During the holidays, light rum and often cognac is added, to make it a seasonal alcoholic beverage.

It's easy to make holiday eggnog. Here's an old time Eggnog recipe you'll certainly enjoy. See Grandpa's Old English Eggnog Recipe.

Geese/Crows ~ Jim Forbus ~ Chicken Thighs ~ Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake ~ Pfeffernusse Day

Good 32º foggy morning. Yesterday we topped at 45º.

Went to the post office and on the way into town on a pasture were about 100 Canadian Geese! 

A little farther down the road in a pond were about 20-30 more!

Then when I got into town on two adjoining yards were about 50 crows!

WOW! The geese are really hanging out in this area now and the amount of crows has increased tremendously over the years too!

Special birthday today... one of "our sons", Jim Forbus (former LASD and ret Lt. from Washoe Co SD). HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!!! xo

     Jimmy and his bride Dawn, 1983.

Historically this date...

1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison, M.D. andJoseph E. Murray.

1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.

1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.

1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.

1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world withoutaerial or ground refueling.

And births this date include....

1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress

1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)

Here is something that works great for me. We all love chicken and there are so many things it works well in... soup, a spaghetti or any pasta dish, salads, sandwiches, etc. I buy boneless skinless chicken thighs...

Put them in the crock pot with a container of organic chicken stock.. (Costco 6 pack is less expensive than the regular store kind)

Cook them on low for 8-9 hours.

Then package them in zip lock bags. Freeze them 2, 4, 6 at a time and they will be ready for whatever you need to cook with them. They shred easy, they taste great, and after they are cooked you can add any type of seasonings you like.

Ok, speaking of crock pots... how about this SUPER EASY Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake:

20 can crushed pineapple, well drained

2 21oz cans cherry pie filling

1 box of white cake mix

1/2 cup butter, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Layer the pineapple, then the cherries, then the cake mix (dry, not prepared) in the slow cooker.

2. Top with butter slices and then pecans

3. Cover with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours until cake is set.

For dinner I had some ham in the freezer I thawed out and heated, and cooked (microwaved) some Schwans green beans and had a salad with key lime pie for dessert!

Chair, wine, tv..... NYPD Blue, Blue Bloods, NCIS LA, and S.W.A.T.

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Saturday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

NATIONAL PFEFFERNUSSE DAY

December 23rd is reserved for this German spice cookie.  It is National Pfeffernusse Day.

Very popular around the holidays, pfeffernusse are fluffy cookies made with ground nuts and spices and covered in powdered sugar.

The exact origin in unknown however the Dutch believe that pfeffernusse (or pepernoten) are linked to the feast of Sinterklaas, which is celebrated on December 5 in the Netherlands and December 6 in Germany and Belgium.  This holiday is when children receive gifts from St. Nicholas, who is partially the inspiration for the Santa Claus tradition. 

Over time, many bakers have created their own pfeffernusse recipes. Traditional methods included various nuts such as almonds and walnuts. Some modern recipes exclude nuts altogether along with the black pepper, retaining only cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom as flavoring.  Molasses and honey are often used to sweeten the cookie 

I love pfeffernusse cookies! Here is a recipe:http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/32/Pfeffernusse64607.shtml