At least twice recently (HERE and HERE) I’ve mentioned that Shannon is living at home. It’s only supposed to be temporary, while she tries to find a permanent job. But if she keeps doing the things she’s been doing, we might never let her leave.
Why?
Because she feeds us really well.
Before I go further, I have to explain the dinner rotation. For some time now, Hubby and I have had this rotation thing going on where he cooks one week then I cook the following week. Then it starts over. In other words, we take turns. Whoever isn’t cooking is responsible for cleanup.
When Shannon got home back in August (you do know she just went ’round the world, right?), she was really good about helping to clean up and stuff. And she’s always willing to help chop, slice, dice, etc. So we figured, it’s only fair that she get added to the rotation, too.
Of course she was willing. She loves to cook and bake. She’s good at it, too.
Even better? She takes orders.
One night last week, I requested pretzel dogs.
That’s basically a soft pretzel wrapped around a hot dog. Not just any soft pretzels. Made-from-scratch, DELICIOUS soft pretzels.
Pretzel Dogs
Typically I like ketchup, mustard and raw onions on my hot dogs. But pretzel dogs are best served with mustard only.
Here’s what the pretzel dog looks like on the inside.
Pretzel Dog Innards (note the mustard topping)
See what I mean about not letting her leave?
Besides, Hubby and I are kind of enjoying having her around. She was gone for ten whole months after all.
AND she’s promised to make buttermilk biscuits the next time she’s up, too.
The pretzel recipe actually is from Household Diva 6. She got it from someone else, but since Ann Marie is the one who told me about it, I had to give her a mention.
I was going to do a quick post yesterday to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, but the morning flew by. And once we started cooking around 10:30 we didn’t stop doing, doing, doing until pretty late. And I was pooped.
So now it’s the day after…
I hope each and every one of you had a fabulous day. If it was even half as awesome as mine, I know it was good. Because our day was amazing.
It’s odd, though, because we only had a few people here. My Mom hasn’t been feeling well so she and my Dad did Thanksgiving alone at their house. My son-in-law, TJ, is still deployed. The grand kids were at their other grandparents’ house. Amy, who is still recuperating from foot surgery, stayed close to her own home and spent the holiday with friends. Eric’s girlfriend was with her family in Pennsylvania. My brother, sister-in-law and nephew are in Virginia (that’s where they live). So…
Our gathering consisted of Hubby, of course, my mother-in-law, Shannon, Eric and me. And the dogs. We can’t forget them. 🙂
We decided to be different this year and forgo some of the more-traditional fare (like a turkey). All of us prefer chicken. None of us are really crazy about pumpkin pie either. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Shannon, who also likes to cook, agreed that it would be fun to experiment. I’ve always wanted to try sausage stuffing. And I get REALLY tired of the same old side dishes all the time. We decided to start with the must-haves (chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy) and then add some new stuff. Shannon took the initiative to find some interesting recipes. She succeeded, too.
I really am not exaggerating when I said we started at 10:30 and didn’t stop.
Actually, Shannon started on Wednesday by baking totally-from-scratch cinnamon rolls just like Hubby makes. They were designated as our Thanksgiving breakfast. She loves to bake, and it shows. The cinnamon rolls were delicious.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing for Breakfast
One of the must-have-again-SOON recipes Shannon found was Bella’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. Hubby, MIL and I really like Brussels Sprouts anyway. Shannon likes them, too. Eric doesn’t particularly care for them. But we all agreed that Bella’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon ROCKED.
Then there were the Roasted Beets and Sweets…
The Most-interesting Vegetable
As much as I like red beets, I’ve never actually prepared them. Shannon hadn’t either. So we were both quite intrigued by the way the beets looked when freshly-peeled. The recipe was simple to follow and absolutely divine. If you’re a fan of red beets and sweet potatoes/yams, you have to try this Roasted Beets and Sweets recipe. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the finished product to show you.
I did mention that Shannon loves to bake, right? She’s my Kitchen Aide Pretzel Maker, remember? For dinner, she elected to make some dinner rolls. The recipe (actually called a formula) came from her bread maker’s Bible. Check these out…
Shaping the Rolls (I missed capturing the mixing and kneading action)Oven-readyFresh-from-the-Oven Goodness
Those were THE BEST rolls I have ever eaten. For serious. I’m not a huge bread fan. I mean, I like good-quality bread, but I’ve never been one to say, “Ooh, I would love to have some homemade rolls.” Now? We may never let Shannon move out. Having your own personal baker is AWESOME. Especially when they’re really good at it like Shannon.
While she and I cooked and baked, the dogs anxiously watched for our guests to arrive.
"Are they here yet? When are they coming?"
I baked an Apple Crumb Pie, too. Like the ones Brianna and I made back in October.
Please pass the garlic!
We used myriad spices as we cooked and baked. At one point, I had a few extra minutes and decided to reorganize the spice cabinet a bit. If you don’t do that periodically, things get completely out of hand. Shannon didn’t believe me when I told her we had FIVE different containers of garlic powder. So I got them out to show her.
When Eric still lived with us, we went through garlic powder like crazy. I prefer fresh garlic personally, but that boy loves him some garlic powder. Since it’s completely his fault that we had so much garlic in the cupboard, I made him take three of the five containers home.
Staying out of our way.
The dogs were pretty good about staying out from under foot. Every now and then one of them would sneak back into the kitchen. But for the most part, they did pretty good.
Back to our experimentation…
The last experimental side-dish was Garlic Carrots. Oh. My. GAWD. They were very simple, and really, really, really good. They were quite possibly the best cooked carrots I have EVER eaten. Again, I am not exaggerating. They were THAT good.
Experimental Chicken
We had two chickens because we made two kinds of stuffing. And the stuffing that’s cooked inside of the bird is ALWAYS better that the other stuff, so we had to have two chickens for the apples-to-apples comparison. The recipe Shannon chose was Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing. It was very good, but the traditional stuffing is still my favorite. That’s like one of my favorite things in the whole world to eat, so I’m not surprised that I liked it better. But the experimental stuffing was good, too.
Traditional Chicken
I’m sort of bummed that I didn’t take pictures of all the side dishes, but we were busy! I did try and get a shot of the meal on the table. None of these pictures are particularly good (there’s at least one person I captured with a weird look on their face or something out of focus in each), but I am posting them anyway because they were all the pictures I got.
Getting ready to eat.
That picture is actually not bad, but Eric is missing.
Hurry up, we're hungry!
This would’ve been a good one if Hubby hadn’t been goofing off and sporting a Gaige-face (Gaige loves to make goofy faces in pictures).
The meal.
And in that last one, I caught my MIL with her eyes closed. Sorry, Mom!
We were all half-starved by this point. Shannon and I somehow messed up our timing. The chickens weren’t finished until at least two hours after they were supposed to have been done. So I couldn’t make everyone wait too long to eat.
And eat we did. It doesn’t look like there’s that much food on the table, but there was. And it was all fabulous. I made succotash, too. That’s a staple. And I didn’t mention the gravy. I make yummy gravy, if I do say so myself.
Is it FINALLY our turn?
Once we were finished, the dogs got to eat their Thanksgiving meal. I use the chicken innards and necks to flavor the gravy base. Once that’s cooked for several hours, I always remove the innards, chop them all up and save it for the dogs. So they got that, some chicken, and a big dollop of gravy added to their bowls. They were all thrilled.
Even though we all wished the rest of the family could’ve come, we all agreed this was quite possibly our best Thanksgiving meal ever. Shannon and I really had a good time cooking together. And everyone enjoyed our experiments immensely. All-in-all, it was a very satisfying and very happy day.
Now, I think I’d better go and eat one of those leftover rolls of Shannon’s. And maybe some mashed potatoes and gravy, too. Plus some leftover stuffing…
I always try to remember to make sure my point-and-shoot camera is in my purse before I leave the house because one never knows what cool, unusual, interesting, crazy, shocking, funny stuff one might come across during the course of one’s otherwise ordinary everyday life.
Like the bumper sticker I attempted to photograph on the way home from WV last week. It was too dark and the image didn’t turn out very well, so you’ll just have to use your imagination. Graphically, it was rather bland, but the words made me laugh. It read, “I’m only speeding because I have to poop.” Had it said “shit” instead of “poop,” it would’ve been vulgar. I think the bumper sticker’s creator knew that. But then again, maybe he just got lucky.
Then there was the “gourmet market” sign at the local Safeway, which Hubby saw ages ago and Shannon also happened to remark about last week…
Gourmet? Really?
Shannon and I happened to be at the store together when she said something so I HAD to go snap a picture to share with you.
And the day a few weeks ago when I took my car to the garage to have some work done.
My first thought upon seeing what I’m about to show you was, “That thing is hideous.”
My second thought? “I’ll have to get some pictures for my blog!”
Some of you got a sneak peek in yesterday’s post. I find it pretty funny that only 20% of the commentors mentioned the picture I slapped at the end of yesterday’s post.
My Mom gets the honorable mention for noticing.
The thing I am referring to is this…
Art Car
It’s an art car. The driver just happens to patronize the same auto repair shop that we use. Wikipedia has a definition for ART CAR in case you want to know.
I usually shrink images before uploading them to the blog. But I left all of these big so you could zoom in and get a better look. If you click on each image, it’ll pop up full-size in a window of it’s own.
Really, you won’t appreciate it at all if you don’t look closer and see all the clever little touches that make this thing fun. Like the xylophone strikers at the end of the rope fastened to each of the side-view mirrors. So admirers can actually play a few notes.
Art Car
There’s a sign on the driver’s side that actually says, “Go Ahead Play the Truck.”
Art Car
From a distance it is sort of hideous. But from up close, it’s sort of clever. At least I think so. Would I want to drive it? No. But I can appreciate the thought that went into the truck’s creation.
Like the little balls with hats atop the otherwise headless mannequins. Were they put there just to make it look more interesting? Or to symbolize something? The theme of the truck appears to be the Fall of Adam and Eve, so perhaps those tiny orbs symbolize their small-mindedness.
Art Car
I like the “Have an apple, hon” that’s painted in the circle formed by a snake that sits on the truck’s roof. It’s right under that life-sized Barbie head. The “Hon” is a Baltimore thing.
Art Car
What’s with the female mannequin chained to the truck? And is that a Jägermeisterminiature dangling from her necklace? The solar-powered lawn lights are a nice touch. As is the Woodchuck cider beer-tap handle.
The hood ornaments are sort of creepy.
Art Car
They are oddly reminiscent of the statues that adorn the Münster of Bern in Switzerland.
Art Car
I’m not so sure I like the fact that the front of the roof ornament is covered in red. I do like the Power Ranger, headless Spiderman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and G.I. Joe-type action figures that sit just above the windshield. The slide-trombone-cum-loudspeaker in the middle of the pile is cool. Although the babydoll heads to the right of that are sort of creepy. But cool-creepy like this ogre statue in Bern.
So what do you think? Is this art? Or just plain ugly? I’m curious, really.
I did/saw something last night that left me with a really heavy heart.
Really.
All of my dogs are rescue dogs. Meg and Belle came to us through American Brittany Rescue. K is a National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN) dog. Both rescue organizations are staffed by volunteers who do all kinds of stuff like fostering dogs, helping move dogs from one place to another, screening adoption applications, fundraising, etc. It takes a concerted effort to provide the services these dogs need.
After we adopted our first dog, we just knew we had to pitch in to help, too. If it weren’t for all of those people out there, we never would’ve gotten CeCe. She’s the one who started it all.
Anyway… with three dogs of our own, fostering is just not at option for us. So my rescue involvement is limited. I help with gift wrapping fundraisers around the holidays, participate in transport chains when I can and perform home visits. A home visit is when someone actually goes to the home of a potential adopter to make sure it’s a safe environment for the dog.
I’ve done quite a few home visits over the years and have met many very nice people along the way. I’ve also seen some stuff I’d really rather forget. Oddly enough, the last two home visits I did were awful. I did one last night and it was the absolute worst.
Before I even go on a home visit, I like to do a couple of things. First, read the adoption application carefully to see if there are any red flags and get an idea as to what the adopters are looking for in a dog, their history with pets, do they have kids, etc. Next, I like to talk to the people who are fostering the dog being considered for adoption. Typically, the potential adopter and foster parent will have already spoken. But I like to get the inside scoop on the dog so I can determine if the adopters expectations are realistic.
Back in July, I did a home visit in West Virginia. M and C were considering adopting AND fostering. They live in a big, old farmhouse on the outskirts of a cute little college town. They are absolutely delightful people and their home environment is like doggie dreamland. Plus they are very intelligent people who know how to handle dogs.
The home visit I did last night was for a woman interested in adopting M and C’s foster dog. I was tickled to have a reason to talk to M again. She told me all about how well the foster was doing, how far he’d come, what sort of home he’d thrive in, etc. She’d spent quite a bit of time talking to the potential adopter who sounded great on the phone. It sounded like it just might be the perfect match.
Another thing I do is check out the neighborhood on Google. You gotta love street view. When I did that, I saw the house was in an older suburb, more urban than suburban. It’s on a quiet street, on a corner lot, with a nice, big, fenced yard. I was going in with high hopes.
Two weeks ago when we first started talking about the home visit, M said the potential adopter told her she was a little stressed about the home visit and wanted to clean a bit first. People often think a home inspection will involve a white-glove test or something. I figured she was just one of those people who liked everything to be in its place and didn’t want me to see a little clutter.
When I arrived, the woman said something to the effect of, “I’m sorry my house is a bit of a mess. I’ve been working on straightening it. I did make a spot for you to sit in the basement, so we’ll go down there.”
“Oh, I’m not here to make sure you are super-clean or anything. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said.
And then I walked in to something like this…
It was a hoarder house! (This picture was not taken there.)
I was appalled. And completely at a loss for words. I think I might have said, “Wow, this is really a lot of stuff.”
I had Belle with me. The woman pointed us to a path she’d sort of cleared to the basement. There was about a 4′ x4′ section of floor that was semi-visible in front of a sofa piled high with crap. The woman said, “Here, I cleared a space for you to sit.” But she had to move a pile of stuff to make room. There was no place for her to sit. Belle was having a field day sniffing around.
The woman was very nice, clean-looking, nicely dressed, and well-spoken. One would never know she lived like that. We chatted a bit as Belle explored. At one point, Belle started sniffing at a trash bag that was about 5 feet away against a wall.
“Oh, no honey,” the woman said. “You’ll probably find some chicken bones in there.” Then she looked at me and explained that tomorrow was trash day and the bag was sitting there waiting to be taken out.
Right.
There was a large, round coffee table pushed up against the sofa, also piled high with crap. There was a corner close to me, sort of clear except for a couple of mostly-empty condiment packets of honey. Belle was quite interested in sniffing those. Then she started nosing at a large pile of papers, pushing it aside to get at what was underneath.
“Oh, don’t dig in there,” the woman said. “There’s some chicken bones under there I meant to throw away.”
Oh. My. God.
I was just beside myself. Normally I’d look around the house a bit, see where the dog was going to sleep, etc. Not there.
It was horrible.
I was completely at a loss.
She assured me the place would be clean by Thanksgiving. That’s two weeks away. She also said she’s got a woman coming in to help her, because she knows it’s too much for her to tackle by herself.
Finally, I’d had enough. I grabbed Belle and we headed up the steps. I had to stop midway and unwrap a large, empty and torn green trash bag from around my foot.
Unreal.
I guess that’s a perfect example of why home visits are important.
This is an interesting Web page that shows the different degrees of hoarding. (last night’s house was about a 5.) While searching for images to use here, I discovered that Fairfax County, Virginia, has a special Web page with information on hoarding.
Well, here we’ve been back in Maryland for almost two full days and I haven’t put any more trip info on my blog.
I have a very good reason for that.
Actually, I have THREE very good reasons…
The Three Grandkids
The grandkids spent Saturday night and Sunday with us. Today was Gaige’s birthday party (he’ll be seven on Monday). Originally, just Brianna and Joey were going to visit. But when we got home and I called Amy, she basically said, “Thank GOD you’re home. Come save me!” So she brought all three kids down for the evening. Which was cool. Because when the kids are here, we ALWAYS have something to laugh about.
Like this…
The three comedians.
I’m not sure what’s funnier in this picture, the look on Hubby’s face or the boys’ dual looks of mischievous delight.
Hubby needs a bigger lap!
Between the kids and the dogs, neither of us felt even the slightest bit ignored all weekend.
Pop's Little Helper
After Gaige left for his party, Joey “helped” Pop with some repairs to the irrigation system.
Then he played with Belle for a while. I promise, it isn’t nearly as bad as it looks.
"Mama, help!" Belle screamed.
Yes, it looks like he’s choking her to death. But he wasn’t. They were playing very nicely. Belle loves kids. But isn’t that picture funny?
Once Joey was down for his nap, Brianna and I made some apple pies.
Brianna's first Apple Crumb Pie.
While I was at the store yesterday, I decided to buy the ingredients I needed to make an apple pie. Once I realized Brianna would be able to help, I went back to the store for more apples so she’d have a pie to take along home. She really likes helping me in the kitchen. With my guidance, she made her very own Apple Crumb Pie.
I’m guessing her Mom and brothers were very happy this evening.
Really, look at this pie…
Close-up of Brianna's pie.
Not bad for a nine-year-old, eh? The only thing I did was slice the apples, give directions, and put the pies into the oven. She even unrolled the refrigerated pie crust all by herself and used it to line the pie dish.
It was a very nice weekend.
It’s good to be home.
And remember what I said about the kids keeping us laughing?
All three of them are hams. I can only get them to agree to sit for a picture for me if I promise to let them make silly faces at some point. While the first picture on this post isn’t the greatest picture ever, it’s the best of the bunch. The whole series I shot of them over the span of about 60 seconds was sort of funny. Hopefully you’ll get a chuckle out of this series of pictures, too. Look at the kids’ faces, but also take note of Meg’s practiced look of complete and utter boredom.
Yes, that shot is horribly blurry, but it shows Gaige trying to tech Joey how to make that funny face so I HAD to include it.
Goofy kids #7
I’m not sure exactly what Joey was doing in that last shot. But that image will forever remain in my book of favorites. No, it isn’t the best picture in the world, but it shows their personalities. It reminds me a lot of another one of my favorite grandkid pics from last year.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to share some more about our fabulous trip. Though I still have lots of pictures to cull through and edit…
As we prepare to leave (as in any minute now) for our marathon motorcycle tour through West Virginia and Kentucky, I can’t help but wonder what things will look like when we get back.
Why would I wonder that? Well, because it’s Fall. And even though most of the stuff is still green, it won’t be for long.
In case I’m not able to do any updates while we’re on the road, I’ll leave you with these parting shots…
The Leaves, They are a Changin'Are you tired of my fern pictures yet?Burning Bush, Starting to Smolder
I’ll try to capture some more-interesting images this week to share when we return.
Why?
