#and roast or casserole chicken for christmas day

[petermorwood]

An old article, but amusing regardless.

First it was James Lileks and the Gallery of Regrettable Food. What were the photo editors on these cookbooks thinking?

I'm well aware the colour quality of old pictures degrades and yellows, to their detriment, but IMO the images on that website can't have looked very appetising even when new.

There are ways to assemble variegated foodstuffs on a plate that looks attractive, and then there are these.

Dimly-lit meals for one and Sad desk lunches are yet more shuddersome antidotes to lovingly-photographed food porn erotica (porn would be messy close-ups of eating it).

However, despite what the article suggests, food photography doesn't need "the highest-spec kit while dangling from light-fittings for just the right angle" to look good.

*****

Using a phonecam while out with your friends in a crowded pizzeria isn't going to give the best results, but then neither is a joyless packed lunch on a rainy Monday in February, even if shot with a $33,000 camera like this Hasselblad, and full studio lighting.

@dduane's hobby site European Cuisines (down for maintenance) did just fine for years with a Sony W17, a compact digicam with a superb Zeiss lens.

Here are Sony shots of an apple upside-down cake made with Beauty of Bath apples from our own tree (they really are pink all the way through) and a quiche Lorraine just out of the oven.

After a while I got a second-hand Nikon D40 DSLR; the money saved on second-hand let me afford an excellent lens, a top-of-the-line flashgun and that neat little flash which is so much better than the camera's built-in one.

Here's the Nikon's take on last year's roast-goose-and-all-the-trimmings Christmas Dinner, as well as bacon (corned beef is the Americanised version) and cabbage for St Patrick's Day.

Now we're mostly using HTC U11+ smartphones whose cameras are not only top-notch but have excellent low-light capability.

This is good, because our lighting has always been mostly natural daylight with occasional flash and reflector-screen assistance.

Here are U11+ images of soda bread done in a cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, and Geflügelragout (a stew of roast chicken with red wine and lemon) with saffron-pumpkin noodles.

This has become Brightwood Vintner's Chicken in the Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms project, and why not? It's delicious! Here's DD and U11+ in action, and the noodle close-up she was shooting in that pic.

None of the food we shoot is "styled" for photography with varnish for glossiness, paint for cream, machine oil for honey, microwaved cotton-wool for steam and lots of other cunning but inedible trickery.

Our stuff is all for eating - so much so that getting "photograph the food" and "eat the food" in the proper order can sometimes be a struggle.

Like these crumpets, for instance.

You would, wouldn't you?

I nearly did, giving DD conniptions because she hadn't photographed them yet, and the Kerrygold butter was melting Just Right...

In a choice between shooting Have To Eat images and Want To Eat ones, we'll stay on the Want To side of the fence, and if people looking at those pix also Want To take a bite out of their screens, we're getting the job done.

And we're not hanging from the light-fittings to do it... :->

[eh-fandomtrash]

I may forget the things I cooked and they were good, so I am putting the recipes here so I can search them again some day-

Quick Mushroom pasta (goes with chicken or duck)

2-4 cloves garlic

Crimini mushrooms (10 minimum)

Pasta (noodle-y biz, pick you brand of Italian, flavored is best, one that cooks quickly if possible)

Brandy (1-2 tablespoons)

Fresh thyme

Butter (1 tablespoon in the pan early. 1 tablespoon after the pasta has been added)

Olive oil (same as butter 1 now, one layer)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the mushrooms. Half the mushroom slices if they are absurdly large. Cut cloves of garlic in half.

Get the water boiling. Make sure it’s salted. (Start the pasta now or later depending on how long it cooks.)

Heat the pan for the mushrooms and garlic fry.

Add butter and olive oil. Then when the butter is melted, add the halved garlic. Brown the garlic first- this is important.

Once the garlic is browned, add the mushrooms and wait they start to brown and sweat. Add the brandy to the garlic and mushrooms and cook until brown and brandy is absorbed.

(If the pasta takes less than 5 minutes, toss it in now and cook it for 1 minute less than it needs to be just right.)

Add the pasta to the mushrooms and garlic and toss in the hot pan to continue cooking. Add some (2-3 tablespoons) of the water used to cook the pasta, thyme, extra olive oil, extra butter, salt, and pepper. Cook until it is all absorbed and the pasta is done and it tastes good.

Add bird, I guess.

Desperation Christmas Roast

Spice Sauce-

1/2 cup if brandy

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves of cloves

2-3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

Marinade + rub for roast-

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Brandy

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

Veggie bits-

1/2 a red onion

4 cloves of garlic (I was very low on garlic, okay!!!)

6 small potatoes (or grab a couple of yams, are there root-veg use the root veg)

1 bag of baby carrots

Whatever rosemary (5-7 sprigs if possible)

Leftover thyme (as much as possible)

More brandy (1-1 1/2 cups)

More Worcestershire sauce (1/4 cup)

3-4 tablespoons butter and some olive oil.

[Realize at noon that you need to cook the damn roast, which you would need to improvise a recipe for—hope it thawed over night. Realize it is not as thawed as hoped. Panic.]

Take the roast out of its packaging and apply a dry rub (salt, pepper, excess of cumin) set aside to thaw.

Spice sauce— 1 cup brandy, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves in a small sauce pan heat until it starts to boil… then add Worcestershire sauce.

Take off heat set aside to cool.

[notice that meat has not thawed. Add liquid to try and make it warm up faster—water moves temperature, right?]

Create marinade by putting meat in a glass pan and adding the wet ingredients and 1/2 the spice sauce. Roll it around a bit to coat.

Go cut up veggies. Cut potatoes/starchy root veggies into approximately even hunks, half all the baby carrots, roughly chop the 1/2 of red onion, and cut the garlic cloves in half, and then check the meat again.

Realize that it’s still not thawing quickly enough, so pre-heat the oven to 300-320 F and put the meat on top (still in its marinade pan) in hopes that the warmth of the oven will help a little. Turn the meat over again.

Get out any large oven safe casserole dish or whatever-pan with a lid that is big enough to fit all the meat carrots potatoes etc in it (you can use any oven-stove top safe dish as long as you cover with foil—foil is god) put it on the stove top, turn on the heat, and start frying up the onions in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until the onion is starting to turn translucent then add the garlic. Reach over and add a couple of tablespoons full of the marinade (yes, steal the sauce). Then add the rest of the spice sauce. The onions and garlic should be starting to turn brown.

Put the onions aside, add another tablespoonful of butter to the same pan you used to cook the onions, and toss the damn meat in it. Sear it.

When it’s browned, add in one more cinnamon stick and 2 more cloves. Then grab the herbs and throw them in, add the potatoes and carrots—push them down if you have to, make it fit! Add any remaining herbs, the onions, and douse the whole thing with brandy (1 cup) and Worcestershire sauce (1/4 cup).

Cover the whole pan with the lid or foil.

Put it in the oven and forget about it for 3 hours or so. 3.5 if you like.

Watch a movie.

Play a board game.

Whatever.

It’ll be ready at 7pm and additional veggies are someone else’s problem.

[cryptidsurveys]

Monday, November 18th, 2024.

What’s the largest animal you’ve ever had as a pet? We've only ever had cats and fish, but none of our cats were particularly hefty.

Do you own any heirloom jewelry? I don't.

What were you doing at this time yesterday? I was at the animal shelter, in the midst of cleaning kennels. But this time on this day, I'm baking a chaotic carrot cake based on available ingredients and a dash of diabolical whimsy. It's in the oven now, so we'll see how it turns out. It doesn't really matter if it's a disaster because it's just for my dad and I to enjoy. No one at the animal shelter will have to deal with this atrocity. :')

Do you own any kind of helmet? No.

Out of everything currently in your refrigerator, what food or drink is your favorite? We've got a lot of desserts/treats in there at the moment - sugar cookies, banana walnut bread, cream cheese brownies, orange cranberry muffins, some things my dad brought home from synagogue… The cream cheese brownies are probably my favorite. So rich and so good. As for something not dessert-related, my favorite thing would be Greek yogurt. When it comes to drinks, I think there's a half-finished bottle of Powerade, some coffee creamer, and almond milk. And my favorite in that case would be the coffee creamer.

Are your initials in alphabetical order? No.

Has anyone ever answered one of your surveys with a rude attitude? Sudden flashbacks to Hold My Keys or whatever her username was. Came out of nowhere, kept "arrowing" my answers with rude remarks, and accused me of speaking like I was from the 19th century (not sure why I should consider that an insult, but to be fair, my vocab choices probably were a bit extra).

Do you like the taste of cough syrup? I don't mind the grape kind, but the cherry kind is BLEH.

What is something you like to have conversations about? History, the paranormal, conspiracies, philosophy, religion, politics, current events, random everyday stupid shit…

Do you ever put fruit on your cereal? Pretty sure I've had cereal with bananas before. I don't really eat milky cereal these days, though. If anything I'll make a fruit and yogurt bowl and top it with a bit of whatever cereal we have on hand.

Is your heat or air conditioning currently on? The furnace is running downstairs.

How do you usually celebrate your favorite holiday? I can't settle on a favorite holiday. It's a tie between Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For this Thanksgiving, instead of buying a bunch of premade/just-add-water side dishes, I'm planning on doing my own cooking/baking. Roast chicken (not gonna make a whole turkey when it's just the two of us), apple pie, glazed carrots, macaroni salad, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes…maybe my dad will make a loaf of homemade bread. I think the only thing that will be box-made will be the stuffing.

Have you ever been on a houseboat? No.

Which do you value more, your appearance or your intelligence? Intelligence.

Do you learn from your mistakes? It might take a while in some cases, but I do eventually learn from my mistakes.

Do you learn from the mistakes of others? Yeah.

Any guess as to why some people draw out the last letter when they type, likee thiss forrr exampleee? I do it for emphasis, like I'm mimicking the way I would say it out loud.

What’s the last nice thing you did for someone? I guess volunteering is nice.

Were your grandparents present when you were born? I don't think so.

Have you ever eaten/drank something and then realized it was past the expiration date? Yeah.

Do you own any jewelry containing your birthstone? I don't.

What is something unusual that annoys you? It's not all that unusual, but whenever someone tries to talk to me while I'm typing or reading. It's frustrating to be interrupted and it ruins my concentration flow. Obviously not a big deal, but a peeve nonetheless.

[adamgant]

Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu

Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu https://ift.tt/ArwDjFQ Sharing a full Thanksgiving menu that’s entirely gluten-free! Check out the details below.  Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a great one so far. I’m here cranking through work and really, really looking forward to Thanksgiving next week – my favorite holiday! Thanksgiving is almost always celebrated with an elaborate spread of food, desserts, and drinks, and some traditional Thanksgiving dishes, such as gravy, stuffing, casserole, etc. may contain gluten. Some members of your family (or you!) may have gluten intolerances or may be gluten-free. Planning a gluten-free Thanksgiving menu may seem daunting, but how there are plenty of gluten-free dishes you can prepare that are just as good as any traditional Thanksgiving recipes. Today, I’m sharing a gluten-free Thanksgiving menu to help you create a spread everyone can enjoy! *Note: if any family members are Celiac, please be extra mindful of cross-contamination.  Here is a roundup of delicious meals that you can enjoy on Thanksgiving – all of these are gluten-free, and many of them are vegan, too! Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu The Best Thanksgiving Turkey in all the land The turkey is the star of the show, and while it can seem daunting, it’s really super easy with this foolproof brine recipe. It makes the turkey super moist and delicious!! The easiest turkey gravy This recipe is not designed to be gluten-free, but just swap out the flour for your favorite gluten-free flour. I love Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking blend. Sweet Potato Casserole Forget the marshmallows (don’t throw anything at me) but I prefer a crumble-esque topping! This one uses oats; just make sure they’re certified gluten-free. Pulled BBQ Chicken Deviled Eggs I don’t know what it is about deviled eggs, but they disappear so quickly at any holiday gathering. They’re the perfect quick bite, and these bbq ones have a fun southern twist. Check out the recipe here! Make-ahead Vegan Green Bean Casserole This one is SO much better using fresh ingredients instead of canned soups, and I love that you can make it a day or two ahead and pop it in the oven before the feast. Just make sure to sqap out gluten-free flour and make sure the crispy onions are gluten-free. They have them at Sprout’s and Whole Foods. Green beans with almonds, goat cheese and cranberries This is a great recipe if you want to swap things out from the traditional green bean casserole. It’s vibrant and fresh, with a tiny bit of sweetness from the cranberries. Honey-Dijon roasted root vegetables I love using the different colored carrots for this one. It’s a little tangy, a little sweet, and a lovely way to add more veggies to the spread. The recipe is here. Gluten-free stuffing This one is simple, very flavorful, you can customize it, and it doesn’t use a million ingredients.  I like to change up the stuffing a bit each year; sometimes I’ll add sausage, cranberries, or try a different type of bread. I’d made gluten-free stuffing for quite a few years, it always tastes amazing, and no one can tell  it’s gluten-free. Bourbon chocolate pecan pie Omgggg you guys. This pie is incredible. It’s impressive, tastes ridiculous, and the only swaps you need to do are to use a pre-made gluten-free pie crust, and gluten-free flour blend. Everyone will ask you what recipe you used. Silky Sweet Potato Pie This pie has a gluten-free crust and is lower in sugar than many of the pie recipes out there. I haven’t tried this one, but I’m adding it to our Christmas/winter menu! So, tell me, friends: what’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year? Do you do the cooking, or just bring a side/dessert? Please shout out any tried and true favorites in the comments section! xo More: Try this gluten free turkey meatloaf, this recipe for banana pumpkin muffins, and this healthy egg bites recipe The post Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu appeared first on The Fitnessista. via The Fitnessista https://ift.tt/hZrNY5y November 15, 2023 at 06:08AM

[crazyblondelife]

My Obsession with Small Kitchen Appliances

Not long ago, I had a pinch me moment…

I opened my computer and saw an email from QVC asking if I was interested in collaborating!! Of course, right away, I replied “YES”!

For some reason, I never thought about shopping online with QVC, but it’s so amazing! They literally have anything and everything you could possibly imagine!

My assignment was to do a culinary post (right up my alley) and I was so onboard for coming up with something fun and fabulous for the holidays using small (ish) kitching appliances from the QVC website! I decided on a pizza oven (not exactly indoor), a Kitchenaid Mixer, a nugget icemaker and a combination Convection/Air Fryer countertop appliance from Ninja for my post. Keep scrolling…

I truly love what I do and when something like working with QVC comes along, I get so excited and then…I get nervous! I want to do a great job and come up with something unexpected and this time, I think I nailed it! I spent almost an entire day wrapping boxes as background props because it’s just not time to decorate for Christmas and I knew I could stash them in the basement to use later.

I know some influencers are already in full blown holiday mode and that’s fine, but I do like to take one holiday at a time if possible. My solution was to wrap lots of boxes and store them in the basement to use again as props for pictures, etc. (this is the life of an influencer).

The boxes looked amazing and now it was time to come up with how to display the products without actually making videos of using each one because that would have taken way too long and a reel can only last 90 seconds.

I choose to demonstrate only trusted brands such as Frigidaire, Kitchen Aid and Ninja. The small air fryer I currently use is by Ninja and I’ve totally loved it and I’ve had my Kitchenaid Mixer for over 30 years now…so I knew these brands would live up to their reputation and I felt comfortable promoting them.

I’ve been wanting a pizza oven for as long as I can remember, and when we remodel our kitchen in 2024, we’re planning to build one outside, but for now, this one from Ninja is amazing! Itt does so much more than make pizza…you can roast anything, including a 12 pound turkey. It does comes with a cookbook filled with fabulous and easy recipes and just looking through it makes me hungry!

Now on to the Convection/Air Fryer from Ninja…

While I do love my small Ninja Air Fryer, sometimes it’s just a little too small! I would much prefer to cook everything in one batch to cooking multiple batches…especially when I’m making chicken tenders for my grandsons! This oven is a combination convection oven/air fryer so you can make muffins and casseroles and you can also air fry anything! It’s really such a great appliance that it may just replace your oven…especially if you’re an empty nester and are now only cooking for two people!

Having said that, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to cooking for two, but there are many nights when this Ninja Airfryer/Convection oven would make my life so much easier!

The Frigidaire Nugget Ice Maker…

These little chewable nugget ice makers are all the rage right now and everyone wants one (including my 3 son-in-laws). This one from Frigidaire is compact, quiet and makes up to 44 pounds of ice in 24 hours. It’s so convenient and makes any drink taste better! Before I got my nugget ice maker, I used to keep a bag of ice from Sonic in the freezer, but now, I have this ice on demand and it’s fabulous!

The Kitchenaid Mixer…

As I said above, I’ve had my Kitchen Aid mixer for over 30 years and it still works just as well as it did the day I got it! Back then, it only came in white, but now, you can get these mixers in so many different colors and I’m loving this stainless steel one that matches any decor. Every cook needs a Kitchenaid mixer…it’s the gold standard of mixers. The attachments are universal…I purchased the pasta maker attachment not long ago and it fit my “antique mixer”. My youngest daughter Sarah has my mothers mixer and it’s even older than mine and still going strong!

I’m so grateful that I get to get up everyday and do what I love and I’m honored to work with companies like QVC! This was such a fun collaboration and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!

[luca-street-chris-deacon-rp]

He definitely hadn't expected Lexi to gripe him under the table as he flashed a mischievous smile. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe one day we'll have a girl so I can be a daddy's girl's dad." He knew that it made sense in his own brain as he lifted his glass. "Happy Christmas eve and the many happy memories to follow."

As soon as the appetisers were done, everyone helped clear the table while Luca took the meats out of the oven to rest and wrapped them in foil so they stayed hot and started finishing off the side dishes. He literally had everything. Proper stuffing, mini sausages wrapped in bacon, sweet potato casserole which was more of a southern thing but it worked so well with all the savoury food, a bundle of vegetables, mashed potatoes and roast potatoes and a few other things. He just needed to carve up the prime rib, the chicken, the Christmas ham and the turkey which everything was beautifully cooked and moist and simply delicious. @lexi-rpb

@lexi-rpb

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the house was like Santa's grotto, and even the yard and the roof of the house were all decorated. It was perhaps safe to say that he had gone a little overboard, but Sofia loved it, so it made the effort worth it. So Luca had spent the entire day in the kitchen, preparing everything and combining everything to cook the three course meal for the Christmas Eve dinner. He knew Lexi and Niamh were a little down because Tan, Street and Chris weren't there but he had a surprise in store for both of them.

Wandering into the living room with a light sweat on his brow from all the cooking, a beer in hand he smiled. "Hey, you guys need anything before I make dinner?" Despite cooking and preparing the whole day he was still going to make a home cooked meal for everyone. Any minute now, the front door would go and he had already disconnected the cameras temporarily.

[nursegracecreates]

Thanksgiving Dinner with the Sally Face Gang (+ Travis, Will, Neil, Soda and Robert)

🍁🍂🦃🍂🍁

The gang decided to get together for Thanksgiving after Sal noticed you were feeling a little down

Ash came back to town and you called Travis and Will to join in on the festivities

Larry and Sally invited Robert too

The day before, you, Maple, Soda and Ash braved the grocery store with a list of items collected from everyone in the house.

Ash almost fought an older woman for the last turkey

Soda is one of those really smart but really distractible kids. She can be gone in the blink of an eye (@crowbiden )

Since the store was crowded, you guys had no choice but to put her on a kid leash.

It's yellow with a duck backpack!

So when she posted up in front of the Halloween clearance aisle, specifically in front of a vampiress doll, short of picking her up as she threw a fit, there was no moving her.

So she got the doll, naming her Marlena.

Soda is just such a treasure to the group that you all actually spoil her because she's "the best baby"

Upon your return home, Maple threatened Chug over the food, telling him not to touch any of it, that he'd just have to wait until tomorrow

He suffered all night on the couch because he could smell the roast beef

It must taste amazing. Possibly the most amazing thing Chug had ever tasted

Surely they wouldn't notice if a small chunk was missing?

No. Maple said he had to wait so he would.

The next morning, Robert showed up, always the early bird, and you, Maple, Ash and Sal started cooking

Travis and Will arrived an hour later and offered to help cook, but Ash sent them into the living room, as the kitchen was already pretty full.

So they joined Larry, Chug, Soda and Robert in the living room

The three men spent a while letting Soda show them Marlena and even played dolls with her.

Neil and Todd came back home a few hours later after visiting with Neil's parents and with Ray and Janis

Ray and Janis sent a "gift bag" for Sal and Larry, telling Todd to tell them to have a very green holiday

Of course, everyone in the kitchen kept an eye out for Chug

You started noticing small amounts of shredded cheese, French fried onions, bacon bits, pecans and scoops of whipped cream were going missing

And Chug was coming to "check on Maple" every 15 minutes

Sal noticed too and ended up threatening Chug with the wooden spoon he was holding

Unfortunately, this didn't dissuade Chug.

Sal caught him red handed 30 minutes later, making Chug cry out, more in surprise than pain, when he rapped him sharply on the knuckles with his soup covered wooden spoon

Chug returned to the living room with a growling stomach, licking his knuckles as he went

Sounds of Larry and Robert noodling on the guitar and bass filled the house, causing Sally to abandon the kitchen, rushing to get his guitar and join in, since everything was cooking

All that was left was a lattice on the pie he made

While everything cooked, everyone gathered in the living room, just relaxing and hanging out before the feast

Larry and Sal set up a smoking station in Sal's room for anyone who wanted to relax more, ensuring that anyone who smoked was sleepy and ravenous with munchies by the time dinner was done

Dinner was a conglomeration of dishes: the roast beef, baked mac and cheese, and tater tot casserole were courtesy of Ash; green bean casserole, cherry ambrosia, deviled eggs, and a cherry banana pie that tastes like Christmas from Sal; Larry shared his grandmother's chicken tortilla soup and tapas recipe; Maple made stuffing and gravy and an Almond Joy cake. Travis and Will brought a tropical fruit salad, and Chug asked if s'mores toast could be made. Todd and Neil brought salad and mashed potatoes to the table. And you made a few of your favorite dishes and desserts, while Robert pulled a can of cranberry sauce from his coat pocket

And Soda? Soda "baked" the rolls in the microwave

The food was phenomenal and you all ate your fill and then some

Larry entertained Soda by stabbing forks into two rolls and made them do a dance routine

Alright, he entertained the whole room

Even Travis laughed, getting mashed potatoes stuck in his nose

Will teased Travis relentlessly for this

Will likes to tease Travis when they're amongst friends. He's the only one Travis will tolerate it from. (@crowbiden )

After dinner, Ash and Maple went on a walk. Because they're such close friends, they typically keep their conversations private (@crowbiden )

You sat with Larry, Sal, and Robert in Sal's room as they smoked and played around more on guitars

Soda passed out early after finishing her dessert

When you came back to the living room, she woke up just long enough to crawl over to you, crashing again in your lap.

Slowly, you let the ambient noise lull you to sleep too, hugging Little So to you as you joined her in sleep.

[domesticnct]

25 Days of NCT Christmas Yuta

Christmas with Yuta would be a fun fusion of cultural traditions.

He would want to maintain his childhood tradition of eating cake, fried chicken, and exchanging gifts with his family, but would not want the crazy extravagant American Christmas you were used to.

So you two would compromise. You would do Japanese Christmas traditions on Christmas eve since it was technically Christmas there first, and then would celebrate American Christmas on Christmas day with your family.

It was a great compromise for your three kids because it meant they could open presents two days in a row.

So you would begin your Christmas festivities a little earlier.

Christmas week you two would take the kids to a Christmas garden because even your son who was an infant could enjoy it. You would stay until it got a little dark to walk through while everything was lit up.

Your daughters loved it and thought it was absolutely magical before they started complaining that their legs were sore.

Yuta would give your oldest a piggyback ride while you pushed the younger one in the double stroller that Yuta had originally been against buying.

Afterwards, you would take the kids to a friends house where they could take a nap and you all would talk about the holidays and enjoy a nice dinner.

Christmas eve would come up quickly and you found yourself feeling unprepared for everything.

Originally you wanted to make your own homemade fried chicken, but because the kids wanted to go to the stores one last time, play at the park for a few hours, and build snowmen outside, you didn’t have time.

Yuta would save the day bringing KFC and a Christmas cake he had ordered in advance home and told you this is what happens when you try to break tradition.

You all would eat your fried chicken dinner around your coffee table on the living room floor and would facetime Yuta’s parents in Japan. Him and the kids would roughly translate what was being said to you, but you couldn’t help but feel a little left out.

Afterwards, you all would enjoy Christmas cake and would watch Christmas episodes of anime from Yuta’s childhood before letting the kids open the gifts they had bought for each other.

They would go to bed super early except for the baby who would stay up with you and Yuta for a while putting the gifts under the tree and putting out some extra decorations and Christmas morning snacks.

The kids would wake you up at 4am and you would send them back to bed. They would come back every hour until 7 where Yuta agreed to get out of bed to open gifts with them.

You and Yuta wouldn’t spoil your kids too much. They would each get about four or five gifts with one big gift for the family.

This year you got them a kitchen play set that Yuta had assembled the night before.

You would munch on snacks while everyone opened presents.

Breakfast would be leftover Christmas cake and around lunch time your parents would arrive which would be Christmas morning 2.0. The kids would open their presents from their grandparents and extended family and then everyone would get to work in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner.

Your family loves cooking so you would have a really big feast of ham, a beef roast, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, candied yams, dinner rolls, collard greens, green bean casserole, and an abundance of apple, pecan, and sweet potato pie.

Your mother would make the best rolls and homemade whipped cream you had ever tasted and Yuta would beg her to make them every year.

All of these foods would be accompanied by several bottles of sparkling grape and apple juice and would leave the two of you with leftovers for at least two weeks.

Once everyone had left and the entire kitchen had been cleaned top to bottom, you and Yuta would read the Grinch and a Christmas Carol to the kids to the hum of the dishwasher in the background before they fell asleep on the living room floor.

You two would carry them to your bed and you would all sleep as one big happy family.

[lilithsmom]

Goodbye 2022, you were a good one

It is January 2nd 2023 - at least for the next 42 minutes.

I’ve posted a lot of pictures but no real updates about life. So here’s a little catch-up on how the rest of 2022 went.

I guess I should start with the fact that today marks 6 months of being with Carlos. I’ve never been happier. I love our love so much. We’re so good together and to each other, and we both say exactly what’s going on in our heads to the other. It feels so comfortable, I am forever going to be in awe that I found this kind of love. I never thought I was worthy of it. We had so many adventures and we’ve already discussed our future adventures this upcoming year, safe to say I cannot wait. More camping, more off-road adventures, all the things I used to do alone but now with the love of my life.

Kayli is moving in in March. Jesse is moving out and I know there’s a whole post about that so I won’t go on and on but I think us not living together anymore will be for the best. I’m excited to revamp the apartment, and to see Kayli more, and just have fun hangs. Most of our hangs have been in my apartment anyway so now she just won’t have to drive home. I feel like the vibes are just going to get so dang cozy.

I am a godmother now. Kristine gave birth on 11/11/22 to Mikaela Aviana Charlton. She was suppose to be born a Sagittarius but she decided to arrive early and be a Scorpio with a Gemini moon. I truly cannot wait for her to grow into a little person with her own personality. I flew home for a weekend just to meet her and spend time with Kristine and Rae. They are really killing the parenting game, and give me some hope that I can do it too but I know I wouldn’t be able to do it without Carlos. Carlos is like Rae in that he’s the calm chill parent and that’s exactly what I need to balance me out. Kristine seems so happy though, she’s become so emotional since becoming a mom and I absolutely love to see it. 

I hosted thanksgiving and christmas at the apartment. It was just for Carlos and his roommates but still. It was so exciting and fun. I was very awkward on Thanksgiving but then Christmas was a breeze. I really love cooking for so many people and watching them love what I’ve made. Thanksgiving was a roasted chicken, Roasted vegetables, honey butter rolls, green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and apple sauce cake. Christmas was roast beef, onions au jus, Asparagus with whipped feta, mashed potatoes, more honey butter rolls, maple carrots, and a gingerbread cake.

Christmas in general was a hit. We celebrated noche buena at Carlos’ and he made Dominican food which was delicious. I could not stay up to midnight without napping. It’s going to be a challenge in future years, I can already tell. But Carlos got me a knife sharpener as his joke gift because I always have dull knives, a pet cam to watch Lilith while I’m away, and a pinned death’s-head hawkmoth. And his roommate’s got me gifts too which was the sweetest. He loved my gifts for him as well - a purple TC Tugger shirt (made by me), a personalized cookie tin with never ending refills, and a gold chain. He hasn’t taken the chain off since I gave it to him and it makes me so happy that he really likes it.

My birthday was also a good day. While I got the birthday sads the day before and found myself sobbing for no real reason, my actual birthday went well. I reserved brunch at the Lumber Baron Inn and we ended up being the only guests which was very fun. Then we went to the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative art which was just so cool, and then the Denver Nature and Science Museum which was also very cool. Their Gem and Mineral exhibit is so freaking cool. And then we had dinner at Ocean Prime. I thought it would be a nice cap off to the year since that is where I went in January for my first solo dinner. 

I could gab on more and more but now it’s only January 2nd for 16 more minutes and I’m quite tired. But it’s safe to say 2022 has been a great time and I’m excited for what the next year holds.  

[nancypullen]

Gobble Gobble

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Does your house smell fabulous or are you packing your stretchy pants to go to dinner elsewhere?  Are you skipping the whole mess and just enjoying an extra day off?  Whatever you may be doing on this third week of November, I hope it’s good for your soul.  Whether it’s a crowd around the table or a solitary walk through the autumn woods, take a moment to soak it up and be grateful. If you’re struggling on this holiday, maybe just be thankful that this too shall pass.   “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”   -   H. U. Westermayer I’ve had a bit of a topsy-turvey year and I’m feeling deeply grateful for my family.  My hiccups have been minor compared to what so many others face but, holy cow, has my family shown me love and support.  I’m so humbled by the dear people in my life, my friends and family are absolutely beyond compare.  I have no idea how or why I’m so fortunate, so all I can offer is gratitude.  Mine is bottomless. I’m one lucky duck.

Today I’m preparing sort of a mini-feast.  The Edgewater gang traveled down to Tennessee to spend Thanksgiving with Jamie’s family ( they’ll be here for Christmas!).  Matt flew in from Minneapolis on Saturday and he’s been working a lot from here, Zoom meetings and tapping away day and night. He needs a break.  So since it’s just the three of us, I’m making Ina Garten’s herb-roasted turkey breast rather than a big ol’ bird. It’s a wonderful recipe, tried and true. I’ve also made a couple of family favorites, sweet potato casserole with that yummy pecan and brown sugar topping,  cheesy hash brown casserole, ranch crescent rolls, dressing, and a little apple pie (not gonna lie, the pie is from a bakery). That’s about half of what I’d usually make and it still seems excessive. Tomorrow should be easy though - the turkey breast won’t take long and with just a couple of dishes to pop in the oven it’ll be a breeze.   I’m really going to miss the bacon-wrapped green bean bundles, those are my favorite.  Also the cranberry-orange-walnut relish stuff - I’m not sure it has a name, but I love it.  I couldn’t care less about the casseroles.  Thankfully I still don’t have much of an appetite, so I’ll probably nibble on the turkey and crunch on some celery sticks.   For tonight’s dinner I’ve got teriyaki chicken in the crock pot.  It’s a super simple recipe, I don’t think it’s actually teriyaki - just an easy substitute.  Basically chop up some chicken breasts, throw them in the crock pot with honey, soy sauce, and garlic and wait four hours.  When there’s about 30 minutes left I’ll put some jasmine rice in the rice cooker and let it do its thing.  Add some broccoli and you’re done! Easy peasey.   Since I seem to be rambling about food, here’s some breaking news - we got a new front door!  The original door was kind of pretty, but seemed awfully flimsy.  We never liked it.  We’d shopped around a bit and picked one that we liked, and yesterday was our installation date.  I love it!

I really love that it’s got a keypad entry like our door in Tennessee.  One more thing checked off the long list of improvements we’re making to this place.  That staircase to the right is on the list too.  I’d love to tear up the old (awful) carpet and paint the stairs before installing a runner.  I’d love to sand and stain that wood to more closely match the floors.   Still, it’s a pretty door and I’m loving it.  It’s white right now, but I’ll paint the exterior side.  The color I’ve chosen is City Rain.  It’ll match the shutters.

I thought long and hard about picking a pale pink shade, but I went with a color that will look good in every season.  That shade of gray will look just as good with autumn’s orange and gold as it will with bright red at Christmas or pink blooms in the summer.   Gotta’ go with what works. Speaking of Christmas, I picked up the cutest bit of wall art this week.  How jolly is this guy?

He was on clearance at Kirkland’s and I had a coupon for an extra 20% off.  He came home with me for about $28. When the tree goes up and we deck the halls, he’ll hang above that entry table by the door.   Yep, I’m gettin’ my jingle on and Santa is my homeboy.  We go way back (North Pole High School, Class of ‘81!).

That small, blurry person in the candy cane striped scarf is moi - cheering my heart out for North Pole High School in North Pole, Alaska.  I had to dig to find a color photo (how sad is that?).  The lovely girl beside me is Tracey, still every bit as cute and now a long-distance Facebook friend. I couldn’t find a photo that clearly displayed the big “NP” on our sweaters, One year we just had “Patriots”  (our high school was built in 1976).

I’m sharing these semi-embarrassing photos to prove that my Christmas spirit runs deep.  We used to answer letters to Santa as part of our English grade.  Letters from all over the world made their way to Santa’s house in North Pole - yes, it’s really there.  I went to school with Santa’s daughter and her name was (no kidding) Merry Christmas Miller.  She eventually married and became Merry Key, I think.  Not quite the same impact.  Anyway, we’d answer letters for a grade.  There was a format that we had to follow, couldn’t make promises and that sort of thing.  But it sure kept the magic alive for a bunch of teenagers.  All of these decades later (oh my gosh, 41 years??) I get the same sense of excitement when I start seeing twinkling lights on houses and Christmas tree lots.  I am so ready for holiday music, cookies, and FUN!  I’ve got all of the grandgirl’s gifts and I can’t wait for her to open them!  Once an elf from North Pole, always an elf from North Pole. This post has ping-ponged from Thanksgiving food to a new door to high school memories and Christmas.  Perfectly normal, right?  I should probably quit while I’m ahead.  It’s nearly time to dish up that crock pot chicken anyway.  I’ll sign off with a big holiday hug, and send out my sincere wish that your hearts are light and your minds are at peace.  I’m grateful for so much this year, and some of the lovely people I’ve met through this blog are on that list.  Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe, stay well, stay thankful.

Nancy

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

whew ok but Dean COOKING.  the first thing he learned to use his hands for other than killing things. not being able to put his love for people into words but sharing it through the food he made for them.  throwing palmfuls of salt in  pasta water instead of saving it for ghosts.  caramelizing onions, watching them turn into a buttery gold and somehow forgetting the world was coming to an end.  enjoying the sweet music of sizzling bacon on the stove and burgers searing on the grill.  baking Jody a pie after Asa Fox’s wake - spending extra time freezing the flour, chilling the butter, adding just a touch of brandy to the cherry filling because he knows that’s her favorite. making a meatloaf and sharing it with Mary, cracking jokes about where his skills came from.  coming up with gas station food recipes for Sam as a child, canned chicken, ramen, and slivered almond casserole, that botched Winchester surprise, hand-strung popcorn balls and egg nog on Christmas Day.  throwing together his favorite chili fries from the Roadhouse for movie nights, laughing about how long he begged Ellen for the recipe (Ash ended up swiping it for him).  asking Stevie to teach him how to make those perfect eggs Charlie won’t stop talking about so he can surprise her whenever she visits.  assembling a layer cake made out of bread and peanut butter and grape jelly (not jam) for the anniversary.  rage-trying to make something with kale for Sam’s birthday.  that birthday cake for Jack. a perfect fluffy Dutch baby with homemade whipped cream for Cas, to be eaten only in bed on lazy mornings.  stirring pancake batter and dropping it on a hot skillet, smiling quietly at that third one because you never get the good pancake on the first and second try.  thinking about that stupid salad Bobby liked but making fried chicken instead, because dammit he will not be caught dead making a salad.  winking at Cas while tossing tomatoes into the Ninja for salsa on taco Tuesdays.  tucking ham sandwiches in the cooler before a hunt, double-wrapped in wax paper and tin foil so they won’t get soggy.  spooning sour cream on enchiladas and telling Eileen the story of how he served them to Death, homemade. gently placing poached eggs on the plate with the same care he uses when holding a baby.  screaming son of a bitch when his hollandaise breaks, but trying again because he doesn’t give up. making literally the biggest pretzel anyone has ever seen.  recreating the turducken slammer but still feeling cautious about actually eating it.  pounding pork chops with a meat mallet while making a suggestive joke.  shedding a single man tear while looking at the excellent steak selection at the butcher counter.  a dusting of powdered sugar on his jaw and the entire kitchen floor covered in it because they HAVE to have homemade donuts for Donna’s visit to the bunker. trying to make Jody’s chicken, complaining that he can never get it *quite* right.  pulling ribs out of the oven after roasting them low and slow for hours, the scent of the sauce taking him right back to Fat Mack’s Rib Shack, across the table from Crowley.  making Jimmy Novak’s favorite recipe as a surprise for Claire because Cas told him what it was. sending a tin of scones to Hell for Rowena. taking a burrito rolling class that’s a Christmas gift from Cas despite complaining about how pointless it is and then afterwards its burritos for dinner for a week straight.  finding and eating a HOTTER pepper.  wiping his floured hands on the back of his jeans and forgetting about it until Sam scolds him for getting flour all over the couch.  learning that jambalaya recipe Benny always talked about in purgatory.  giving a soapbox dissertation on carbonara (”it’s the perfect food - spaghetti, bacon, eggs”) while Cas looks on endearingly and Sam rolls his eyes. homemade pizza for date night, over and over, never failing to mention that he “is the pizza man now,” with an appetizer of deviled eggs, presented ironically (reassuring Cas he does not ever miss Casifer). immediately rushing to the kitchen to plug in the brand new waffle iron on Christmas Day.  feeling giddy over knives that aren’t for killing but for dicing, chopping, slicing, filleting.  how he is always in the kitchen.  how Cas’s happy place when possessed by Lucifer was the Winchesters’ kitchen, Deans kitchen.  cooking keeps Dean’s hands and mind just as busy as hunting, but it’s rooted in creation and love and not destruction and revenge, and he will never admit it, but that is why it is his favorite.       

[rabbitcruiser]

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrating and giving thanks for the harvest of the previous year.  It has religious and cultural roots, but is also now celebrated as a secular holiday.  There is some debate as to when the first modern Thanksgiving in the United States took place—whether it was in Virginia or Massachusetts.  Thanksgiving events took place in what would become Virginia, beginning in 1607, and Jamestown, Virginia, started holding thanksgivings in 1610.  When 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia in 1619, the day of their arrival was to be celebrated as a day of thanksgiving from there on forth.  In 1621 and 1623 there were thanksgiving events held in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The 1621 observance was held after a fruitful growing season, and lasted for three days during the fall. It was not formally known as thanksgiving, but as a harvest festival.  It included 90 Native Americans, and 50 Pilgrims from the Mayflower.  The 1623 celebration was known as Thanksgiving, and was recognized by a civil authority, Governor Bradford.  Other colonies soon afterwards celebrated Thanksgiving, such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony beginning in 1630.

During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress designated some days as thanksgiving days each year.  The Continental Congress made its first national proclamation for Thanksgiving in 1777.  A Thanksgiving was also proclaimed by General George Washington in December, 1777, as a celebration for the defeat of the British at Saratoga.  In 1789 President George Washington issued a proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the United States government.  Washington again declared a Thanksgiving Day in 1795, and President John Adams did so in 1798 and 1799.  It was proclaimed by President James Madison, and by governors throughout the country.  By 1858 there were 25 states whose governors had proclaimed a Thanksgiving.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November, and since then the holiday has been observed annually each year.

Presidents following Lincoln also declared Thanksgiving to be on the final Thursday of November, until 1939 when Franklin Roosevelt designated it to be on the next-to-last Thursday of the month. He did this to lengthen the Christmas buying season, to help the economy while the Great Depression still lingered on.  Roosevelt’s change was not legally binding, and many ignored it and continued to celebrate the holiday on the final Thursday of the month.  In December of 1941, a bill was passed by the House and Senate and signed by Roosevelt, that made Thanksgiving take place on the fourth Thursday of November.  This meant the holiday usually fell on the last Thursday of November, but sometimes on the next to last Thursday.

Thanksgiving celebrations have changed over the years.  During the latter half of the 19th century, New England celebrations often had Thanksgiving Eve raffles, and Thanksgiving morning shooting matches—where chickens and turkeys were used as targets.  Church services were common, followed by a Thanksgiving feast, where many of today’s staples were eaten, such as turkey and pumpkin pie, but also foods such as pigeon pie.

Today Thanksgiving is probably most known for the meal that accompanies it.  The main dish is usually turkey, often roasted and stuffed. Additional foods often include mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, corn, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pie, such as pumpkin.  Americans eat more during this meal than any other day of the year. Those who are religious often attend services and and give thanks.

Parades have been an important aspect of the holiday.  Most notably, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been held in New York City since 1924.  It is televised on NBC and runs from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Macy’s main location in Herald Square.  Parade floats with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloon cartoon characters, TV personalities, high school marching bands, and a Santa Claus float are usual parts of the parade.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Detroit, Michigan, also hold prominent parades.

Sports, particularly professional football, have become a big part of the holiday.  Since its founding in 1920, The National Football League has held games on Thanksgiving.  From 1934 to 1938, and since 1945, the Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving.  The Dallas Cowboys have done so since 1966.  In 2006 a third game on the day was added, and various teams switch off each year playing that game.  Another sport-related event popular on the day is the turkey trot, which is a running event held in many cities across the country.

Beginning in 1947, The National Turkey Federation began giving the President one live turkey and two dressed turkeys each Thanksgiving.   The tradition of turkey pardoning was started by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, although John F. Kennedy was the first President to spare the turkey given to him.  Each president since Reagan has continued the tradition of pardoning a turkey.

How to Observe

Celebrate the day by gathering with family and friends and cooking a large Thanksgiving meal.  There are many types of food that could be made.  Maybe you don’t have to worry about eating a lot because you did a turkey trot earlier in the day. After your meal, you could relax by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a football game, or a film that takes place on the holiday.  But, if you ate a lot there’s a good chance you’ll fall asleep during whatever you are trying to watch.  If you are religious this is also a fitting day to go to your house of worship to give thanks.

Source

[lillianfromaccounting]

This ended up being a very long post and I'm on mobile, so I'll fix the read more in the morning when I get on the computer.

TW: covid, depression, Thanksgiving, a lot of food talk

-----------

Today, we officially called off Thanksgiving with family (it had pretty much been decided but today we called the few people to confirm it).

Some background: my family only started celebrating Thanksgiving because I wanted to. We're Chinese, so growing up, it wasn't a thing for us, plus my mom wasn't fond of turkey.

At the age of 13, I picked up a bread baking recipe book at a Scholastic book drive. Up until that point, I had been baking stuff from box mixes, so making bread from scratch was a huge deal for me. Age 14, I told my parents I wanted to do Thanksgiving the American way. We qualified for a free turkey at our local supermarket anyway, so why not? To make it more palatable, I incorporated Chinese elements into the menu--various Chinese vegetables (choy) instead of green bean casserole, sticky rice (loh mai fan) stuffing--and i would bake fresh bread. There would always be white rice.

I have a huge extended family and on the weekends, my parents would have family and friends over to play mahjong, so Thanksgiving went over great because they loved trying all these new foods, and I loved trying new recipes. We always had a rotation of at least thirty people, so the food went. I think one year, I counted just over fifty people--it was like a revolving door at my parents' house, some people would pop in around lunch time and hang out until they had to go to their own family's Thanksgiving dinners, some came for dinner, and some came for dessert and coffee with a side of mahjong.

As the years went on, my menus got more and more elaborate, and I would enlist my younger siblings (I have three) to be my sous chefs. It was a THING. Thanksgiving was my thing.

The college I went to is very involved with the Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloons, and while it would have been an awesome experience, it required giving up your Wednesday night and most of Thanksgiving Thursday. That was a deal breaker for me. That's how much my Thanksgiving ritual meant to me.

Some of my favorite memories are waiting in line at DiPalo's (before they expanded, back when it was just the corner storefront) with my sister the weekend before Thanksgiving to get fresh mozzarella and ricotta and parmigiano (lasagna was a huge hit with my family). The longest we waited was three hours one year.

Another year, this was after I had graduated and moved out and was working. My work let us out early (around 2pm), but this asshat in another department ensured me that he needed these numbers so he can work over the weekend. I ended up running out to DiPalo's to pick up my order and going back to work, working to 9pm to get those numbers out, before going back to my parents' house to start cooking. The asshat didn't look at them that weekend (we get the Friday off too).

Mind you, it's not that I couldn't get the ingredients in Jersey, I just honestly had no idea where to go. My parents did the bulk of their grocery shopping in Chinatown and DiPalo's was right at the border of Chinatown and Little Italy.

As I said earlier, my menus got more elaborate over the years. Everyone kept eating the loaves of fresh bread for breakfast, so I made Thanksgiving an all day affair, with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.

One year, the theme was fried foods (fried turkey legs, homemade mozzarella sticks, etc.). I always tried new recipes on Thanksgiving, because honestly, what I enjoyed most about it was the process, the production of creating something delicious.

My siblings started sending me recipes throughout the year. One year, I made a vegan raspberry cheesecake (the base was cashews and almonds).

My siblings also said that they knew my now husband was a keeper because he had not only survived Thanksgiving at my parents' house, but he rolled with it (I'm pretty sure I put him to work too).

After we got married and bought our house, I claimed Thanksgiving for both sides of the family (there were no objections, because I didn't care about Christmas, so they had Christmas). My husband's family had been getting their Thanksgiving meals catered for a few years at this point, so they didn't mind not cooking.

But including his family meant I had to start making sacrifices to my process. One person only liked Stove Top stuffing (don't get me wrong, Stove Top chicken flavor is amazing, but so is a sausage stuffing from scratch). The year my second child was born, I think I was a bit burned out by everything, so we ended up ordering a whole pig (think spit roast, but Chinese style) and some roast ducks that year. We were told the next year that some people would prefer to have turkey. One year, we decided to smoke our turkey, and the feedback we had gotten was that some people really preferred oven roasted. So the following year, we did turkey three ways (roasted, smoked, and deep fried) and we started getting feedback that we were doing too much variety. This happened with the sides too. Heirloom vegetable recipes (guys, I used to watch the Food Network religiously) were reduced to sauteed green beans or asparagus. We were told to reduce the variety of things, so the only pasta dish that kept making it onto the menu was mac and cheese, because that was someone else's preference. And I couldn't even play around with the mac and cheese, because the family's recipe used Velveeta (yes, I know I sound like a food snob, and it's because I was back then).

But year after year, the creativity of the menu decreased and decreased, to the point where my husband and I felt it wasn't enjoyable anymore.

This morning, after we had called the family (it was really just my and his parents, whom we have been seeing during this whole time because we live close and do shopping for them, etc.), part of me was excited to finally make a menu and my husband and I agreed on a very small menu, because it's just us and our two kids.

And by the time I went to bed, I was excited again for Thanksgiving because we will be cooking things that we want. There are three, possibly four varieties of scones on the breakfast menu right now. I haven't mentioned this yet, but my menus are always too ambitious. I almost never get every single dish on the table, but the important ones get there. The experimental ones get ranked in order of what I want to taste.

After all these years, we have established staples. We always have bacon cheddar scones with breakfast. My sons requested chocolate chip and vanilla, respectively, and I want pumpkin. We'll see how many varieties actually get made. I always make fresh cranberry sauce for the sole reason of baking it into a crumb cake for Friday morning. We also eat the Ocean Spray jellied (with whole berries), and I serve it in slices. My husband is the mashed potato king, so he handles that. The King Arthur masala chai pumpkin pie recipe has been a hit year after year, so that is a staple now. I was excited to be able to cook what we wanted again.

It even inspired a Thanksgiving chapter in the fic I am writing. (I am so, so, so happy and excited for this chapter now.)

But as I was going to bed tonight, I was thinking about those memories at DiPalo's and cooking with my siblings, and pandemic sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried hard. I miss my siblings. I miss the hospitality of it all. Just like my parents' house was a revolving door, when my husband and I took over Thanksgiving, it was an unspoken rule that extended friends and family were welcomed. My siblings' friends from high school and college would stop by. My one sister's friend would even ask to be on the menu distribution list (I usually drafted a menu and my family members would vote on which dishes they wanted, and that was partially how the menu was created) and invite himself over lol.

I miss that company--the people who understood my Thanksgiving--my family. I haven't seen (in person) one sister since January and the other since March. And while we're constantly talking to each other and do the occasional video chat, it's just not the same.

If you read this far, thank you for your time and energy.

I don't have a point to this post, except maybe wear a fucking mask and stay home, so we can eventually beat this pandemic and resume some semblance of pre-covid life.

And I know this post is very much a first world problem. We have enough to eat and a warm roof over our heads. I am very grateful for that. But I am allowed to be sad too. This year would have been my 25th anniversary with Thanksgiving.

Writing all this out really helped though.

[atths--twice]

Protective Covering

Day three of prompt/ask of a story. Today is a story about where the aprons both Mulder and Scully owned, came from. A tweet led to a discussion, which led to this fic. I hope you enjoy it. 

Mulder sat on his couch, his stomach rumbling with hunger. He had been off work since he came back from Bermuda. Bruised ribs, a slight concussion, and scrapes and bruises on odd spots of his body kept him home and resting. 

Scully had checked in on him, bringing food and staying for a little while every couple of days. Still working on the background checks, she complained about it to him when she came over, rolling her eyes and sighing a lot. 

She was out of town for the next few days. Her brothers were both in town and the entire family had made plans to go to Connecticut for Thanksgiving weekend. He was happy for her to get away for awhile and hoped she was having a good time.

His stomach growled again and he sighed as he glanced toward the kitchen, knowing the only thing he would find in there to eat was two cans of chicken noodle soup and some orange juice; which was most likely expired.

The thought of getting up and going out for something made him groan. The hour was far too late anyway and his desire to leave was more than minimal. And ordering in… well, he could only eat so much pizza and Chinese food.

Sighing again, he surfed through the channels, finding nothing of interest, until he landed on a cooking show. Setting the remote down, he rested his hands in his lap.

The woman on the screen was preparing a chicken with roasted potatoes. His mouth began to water as she started to describe the spices she was using and demonstrated how to cut the potatoes.

As the food was set in the oven, she took out ingredients for a strawberry shortcake and he audibly groaned as she whipped cream. He could practically taste the sugar and vanilla on his tongue.

His stomach growled again and he pushed himself from the couch, stumbling heavily into the kitchen and opening the cupboards, hoping some food had magically appeared.

Of course it had not, and he was forced to eat the chicken noodle soup, sighing repeatedly as he did, the meal a poor substitute compared to the one he had seen on TV. 

Putting the spoon in his bowl, he sighed. The meal not satisfying, he got up and searched the cupboards in more depth. Finding a box of Pop Tarts way in the back, along with a single bottle of ketchup, he sighed again. 

Placing his bowl in the sink, he grabbed a pack of Pop Tarts and headed to bed. Tomorrow morning, he would go to the store before it closed for the holiday, and buy some much needed staples. Perhaps he would even buy some items to make himself an actual meal every now and then.

Standing in a cookware store, he looked around, overwhelmed by the choices in front of him. Pots and pans, different cooking dishes, and types of utensils. Shaking his head, he walked past them and looked through a few cookbooks, finding simple recipes he could follow without screwing them up.

Deciding on one, he tracked down a sales associate. Showing her a few of the recipes and asking what she would recommend for a beginner like him. She laughed and led him back to the cooking dishes and utensils. As she explained how to use them, he listened intently.

Thanking her for her help, he took all of his items and headed to the register. Stopping as he passed some aprons, he doubled back. Laughing as he looked at them, he made an impulse decision, aprons not an item he had planned to purchase. Grabbing both aprons, he continued to the register. 

When he arrived at the store, he took the cookbook in with him, to see what he would need to create the recipe. As he walked through the door, he heard Christmas music playing, and he shook his head, the holiday arriving earlier every year. 

He pushed the shopping cart around the store, filling it with his regular items before adding chicken, vegetables, and spices he would need for the recipes he planned to try. 

Two trips to and from the car, and he had everything sitting on the table. Staring at it all, he sighed. It was more food than he had ever had in the apartment. Ever. Sighing again, he began to put it all away.

Once he was finished, he opened a bag of sunflower seeds and sat down at the table with the cookbook. Reading the step-by-step instructions on how to make the chicken and potato dish, he nodded, ready to try it out. Clearing away the pile of sunflower shells, he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

He washed the potatoes, cut them as directed, and placed them in a bowl. Pouring olive oil on top of them, he added the spices, and mixed them up. He washed the green casserole dish he had purchased, and dried it. Greasing the bottom with a little bit of olive oil, he placed the seasoned chicken breasts in the middle of it, pouring the potatoes around them.

Staring at the dish, he shrugged as he opened the oven door and set the dish inside. Cleaning up the mess he had made, he periodically checked the oven, sure he had done something to make the dish incorrectly. But soon, the apartment was filled with a delicious aroma of spices, and his mouth began to water. When the timer sounded, he picked up his newly purchased oven mitts and pulled the dish from the oven.

It bubbled and sizzled, and he closed his eyes and he took a deep breath, breathing in the delicious smell. Setting it down, he took off the oven mitts and smiled as he stared at the meal he had created.

“Well goddamn,” he said quietly.

Letting it cool, a few minutes later, he filled his plate and took a small bite. Raising his eyebrows, he nodded as he chewed a larger  bite of chicken and potato.

“Well goddamn,” he said again with a smile. 

_______________

Thanksgiving day, he went for a run and upon returning, he found he had missed a call from Scully. Not wanting to bother her, he did not call back, but smiled as he listened to her greeting, checking in on him and telling him happy Thanksgiving.

Walking into the kitchen for some water, he looked at the apron he bought for her, and the one for himself, and he laughed softly. He was sure she was going to absolutely hate it, but would also get a kick out of it.

He made a decision as he stepped into the shower. When she came back, he was going to surprise her with a home cooked meal and the gift of her apron, an early Christmas gift. 

Over the next couple of days, he tried a couple more simple and small recipes, surprising himself with his ability. 

As he cleaned up his most recent mess, he looked at his watch. He knew Scully was due to come home that day, but he was not exactly sure of the time. Putting the dishes away, he walked into the living room, intent on calling her. 

But then his cell phone rang with information from an unknown informant who worked at area 51. All other thoughts left his mind as excitement coursed through him.

Hanging up, he called Scully, grinning from ear to ear the entire time.

“Scully.” 

“Hey Scully, it’s me. How do you feel about taking a little trip?” he said, already walking into his room to grab a bag and pack some clothes. He heard her heavy sigh and he paused, realizing he should have asked how her holiday was and how she was doing, but the chance to go meet the informant had taken precedent.

“Nice to hear from you too, Mulder,” she said and he could practically hear her roll her eyes. “Fine, Mulder. Where are we going?” He smiled, as he continued grabbing some clothes and placing them in his bag.

____________________

The trip to Nevada was a bust, although some strange unexplainable things happened while they were gone. His apartment was clean, like really clean. And his bedroom… the boxes he had been moving around before he was injured, had begun to pile up, leaving only a path to the bathroom, had been cleared and put away. 

A new bedroom set had appeared out of nowhere and the mirrors on the ceiling… they had added to some interesting moments when he was alone in bed. No one fessed up to doing it when he asked the Gunmen. He did not mention the mirrors, knowing the questions Frohike would ask. 

The strange occurrences aside, they were back to the boring scut work placed on them by Kersh. They were bogged down with background checks, and even flew out to small towns, to talk to people who did not want to speak to them. He understood their irritation, as he himself did not want to be there.

They stayed in crappy motels or took red eye flights back home, both of them tired and annoyed with the assignments. Dragging himself home, he did not have the time to make any food, which eventually was thrown out, as it had collected mildew in the fridge as did the fruit on the counter. He looked longingly at the casserole dish, remembering the taste of the meals he had made.

Christmas was fast approaching and he knew Scully would have plans with her family. He wanted to have her over for dinner before she did, offering a home cooked meal as a thank you for putting up with him the last few months. He knew he was more difficult to be around and she had put up with a lot from him. 

A lot.

Plans were made for her to come over on Saturday the 19th. He purchased the food that he would need, the same chicken and potato meal he had made first, along with some wine.

Donning his apron, he put the meal together and placed it in the oven. About 25 minutes in, when it was beginning to fill the apartment with its delicious aroma with the wine open and breathing, he heard her knock at the door.

Stepping over to let her inside, he smiled as he opened the door. Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as she looked at the apron he wore.

“Wh… what?” She said her eyebrows going up.

“Step inside and you’ll see that what the apron says is true; Something Smells GOOD,” he said, extending his arm to bring her inside with a smile. She sighed, but allowed him to pull her in and help remove her coat.

“It does smell good in here,” she said, staring at his apron and then at him. “Have you seriously been cooking? Really?” He grinned with a nod. She stared at him in disbelief and he motioned to the kitchen.

She walked into the kitchen and he followed, wanting to see her expression. As she looked around, at the knives, cutting Board, and oven mitts, she raised her eyebrows, smiling in surprise.

“Impressed?” he asked, and she looked at his apron again and nodded with a smile. “Wine?” He poured them each a glass and they sat at the table as they waited for the food to finish cooking.

“So, you’ve become a chef the past few weeks? Mulder, you just keep opening like a flower,” she teased and he chuckled as he took a drink.

“Not exactly a chef, but I have learned to cook a few dishes.”

“How many have you burned?” she said, her eyebrow up, the wine glass and her lips. He raised his eyebrows and she smiled.

“Agent Scully, you wound me,” he said, a hand on his heart. She laughed and he went to her.

They continued to talk about nothing as they waited for the dinner to be ready. When the timer went off, she followed him into the kitchen to watch him take the dish from the oven.

“Well, well,” she said, crossing her arms. “It actually looks edible.” He looked at her with an expression of mock hurt and she laughed.

When it had cooled down, he served up their meal and brought it to her as she sat at the table. He nervously waited and watched as she took her first bite. Surprise, shock, and happiness crossed her face. She smiled and he nodded as he began to eat.

When they had finished and the last bit of wine was all that remained, she stared at him and he knew a question was formulating in her mind. She sighed as she glanced down at his apron again and then she laughed softly.

“That apron, Mulder…” She looked at him and he looked down at it. “What gives?”

“An impulse purchase and false advertising if I had failed, so I had something to aspire to,” he explained and she raised her eyebrows in appreciation. “Plus, you know, it protects my clothes from the day when I will inevitably spill something on it, as aprons do.” He smiled at her with a wink and she chuckled with a nod as they finished their wine.

When she stood a few minutes later, claiming it was late and she should be going, he stood with her.

“Scully, I know this has been a rough time for us. I wanted to say thanks, and this meal seemed like a great way to do it. So thanks… for putting up with me, going along on the off the book trips, and for just being there.”

“Since when have we been completely “on the books” with our trips?” she asked with a smile, as she grabbed her coat and put it on, buttoning it up and staring at him.

“True. To a point,” he said with a shrug. “Still, thank you.” He touched her shoulder and she nodded.

“Well you’re welcome, Mulder,” she said, opening the door. “Thank you for the meal, which was very good, and especially for the fun that the apron brought to the evening.” She smirked and he laughed as she stepped into the hall and turned around with a smile. 

“Good night, Mulder.”

“Night, Scully,” he replied and she chuckled softly, walking to the elevator. 

Stepping back inside, he closed the door and took off his apron. He laid it over his arm as he picked up the plates and glasses. He hung up the apron and washed the dishes. Turning off the kitchen light, he grinned as he glanced at the apron. 

__________________

“Now, um I know we said we weren’t going to exchange gifts, but, uh… I got you a little something,” he said, holding up her gift.

“Mulder,” she said.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Well, I got you a little something too.” She held up her gift and he happily exchanged with her. They grinned at each other and ran to the couch to open them.

As she untied the bows, meticulous even in how she opened gifts, he paused, wanting to watch her as she opened it. Catching his eye as a ribbon was set down, she raised her eyebrows, silently asking him a question.

“I just… hope you like it,” he said with a smile.

“Now I’m a little nervous,” she said as she ripped off the paper. He smiled as she looked down as the paper fell away.

“What… What is this?” She took the top off the plastic tube and pulled out what was inside. Unrolling it, she turned it around and laughed.

“Mulder…” was all she could say before she stood up, placed it over her head, and turned toward him. “This is hilarious.” 

He grinned as she stood wearing the black apron that was similar to his own white one. Except hers was slightly different as it read “Something Smells Goo-ood” in big, white block letters.

“You bought us matching aprons?” she giggled as she looked at him and he shrugged with a smile. “Mulder, this was not at all what I had pictured would be inside of that gift. Oh my God! Open yours!”

She laughed and clapped as she sat down beside him. the apron strings billowing behind her. “Open it!”

He grinned and opened it, tearing the wrapping paper, and throwing it on the coffee table. Flipping it over, he laughed as he looked at the title of the video tape she bought for him.

“Cooking is Easy,” he read out loud and she laughed, grabbing his arm. He looked at her and he laughed again.

“I thought it was funny, but now it’s even better,” she laughed as she gestured to the apron. “I mean, this is either really funny or I’m just super tired.” She pulled the apron out and looked at it, laughing again. She looked at him and he winked as he stood up and walked over to the VCR. He opened the tape she bought, pushed it inside, and turned on the television.

He joined her on the couch as he grabbed the remote. Turning up the volume, they sat together as an overly happy woman began to explain how easy cooking could be.

Scully giggled beside him and he glanced at her with a smile as she wore his silly gift. She moved a little closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, as she mocked the happy tone of the woman on screen. 

“This video is so much better than I had imagined,” she laughed. “I’ll have to have you come over for dinner now, Mulder. My apron has something to prove.” 

She yawned with a little moan, shifting her head on his shoulder. He smiled as she did, happy that she had not hated the gift at all. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it. 

He glanced over at the window and saw that the promise of a white Christmas had arrived. Smiling at the drastically different way the evening could have ended, he rested his head on hers, closing his eyes as he let the happy cheery voice on the video, explaining how to add water to a pot, lull them both to sleep. 

[lockdownuk]

Lockdown Diary Part 10

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online. Day 271: Work was dominated by Qfiniti again, including a meeting with Jon and staff from the States, where I found my self taking control to get the next steps in process (and then, Dave Stewart, the SCCM engineer fucked off and put an OOO message on Teams telling me he’s off until Tuesday (it’s Thursday)...and I am off on Monday!) But, I have to say this project does float my boat. Got a text message and then a call from PCH for another laser eye appt this coming Monday at 12.30pm. I mentioned to the lady that phoned that I will have to square it with work (I won’t, but she doesn’t know that) as I can’t afford to lose my job - it just seems the hospital, while under pressue with the admin and the clinic availability - I get it! - just aren’t seeing the issues for the patients. Plus, Peterborough has been declared a Tier 3 from Sunday under the new lockdown scheme, the highest tier. Great...I really want to travel to a highly infected area! managed to find an online booze shop that does Gordon’s and Famous Grouse and will deliver beforee Chrimbo, so I’ve placed the order for dad and Rita’s gift. I spoke with Dad today, he hasn’t heard about his vaccination yet which is a surprise (he’s in the first draft being over 80)

Day 272: Typing on day 273. Work was that manic shit at the end of the dya when I’ve got time off. I am only off on Moday but still had to tie up loose ends, complictaed further by Jon being off next week and Sueanne off this week and the Qfiniti project! In the evening I only mamaged three beers. I ate too much. Plus my sugars were all over the place and way too high! I ordered a torch a couple of days ago (£17), it arrived today. It takes rechargeable batteries or 3 AAAs. Apparently, to get the best performance (i.e. brightness) you need the rechargeable batteries in it, so i charged ‘em. Fucking hell, I’m glad I did - it’s brighter than the sun. It opens up my late walks in winter, for sure.

Day 273: While it was a very late (but sober) night yesterday (gone 4am before lights out) I was up before midday. Usual walking etc. plus gave the bathroom a clean (albeit with wipes, but I did mop the floor - and used the water to also mop the kitchen). Now I am about to stick a pizza in the oven, plus wedges (to have with microwaveable chip shop curry sauce) and watch This Is 40 which is coincidentally on telly tonight - the coincidence being clips of it are on TikTok a lot right now. I am on my second beer and am going to have a smoke right now as well. Lastly for this entry, I have been using my AudioPro speaker today, it pisses me off it’s not WiFi capable but, thru Bt, it does sound fucking good - revisiting James works very well to demonstrate the speaker’s prowess.

Day 274: I have another Paypal a/c. I have been getting emails to my standard gmail account from Paypal saying they are going to charge me £9 for an inactive account which I have been largely ignoring since my paypal a/c has a specific email address. Anyway, I tried to log in, after a password reset and, hey presto, I do have another one, with £35 in it, having just been fleeced of £9 for the aforementioned inactivity, fuckers. It’s registered with the old Market Place address and phone. When I try to transfer the £35 to my card, it wants to confim it’s me by calling the phone, which I can’t amend. Oh, and you can’t contact Paypal direct. Fuck knows what to do! Other than that, usual Sunday, a tad more relaxed since I have tomorrow off, but not that much now I have an eye appointment in Tier 4 Peterborough (it’s been up’d from tier 3)! Up at 1.30 pm (I watched This is 40 and The Guvners last night with lots of beer), feeling worse for wear but, stair climb and a 6 miler acheived!

Day 275: I was at the hospital for 3 hours. The laser clinic didn’t start until 1.30pm so, why my appointment was at 12.20, not even the consultant could understand. 15 minutes of lasering - horrible but I am used to it. It took so long it pretty much fucked my day off up completely. I got a Christmas card from Karen, in the actual post, so, a mail shot. It’s depressing.

Day 276: Back to work and it’s definitely in wind down mode. I’ve decided to compile a list of things I have done this year. It will be on the postive side, such as all the steps I’ve walked and getting an article published about my photography, but it will also include randon facts like getting bitten by a dig twice and not having a haircut. I’ll get it done so I can post in at new year, hopefully be a little inspiring, a little silly and a lot of showing off!

Day 277: Work, again, was quiet. It’s fucking pissing down now, as I type at 21:50, and has been all day. It’s causing havoc and there’s flooding everywhere. I could walk down St. Peter’s Road tonight ‘cos of it (had to go up New Road, Springfield Road, down Latham Road). Soaked a lunhtime and tonight! With a new variant of Coronavirus, France stopped frieght crossing the border. That’s now been resolved but tyeh back log has/is affecting certain food stocks in the shops, of which, fresh veg might affect me for Christams dinner (I plan to do a chicken breast with stuffing, pigs in blankets, yorkshire pud and shed loads of veg. I’ll nip to Co-Op tomorrow morning and see what’s vaialble. It’s a half day at work ‘cos of Christmas Eve, so I can nip out somewhere in the car if need be, as ong as the flooding has subsided. Or I could just get shitfaced and have burgers and pizza.

Day 278: Christmas Eve. Sueanne let me finish at 11.00am so, very shortly thereafter, off for a walk I went; it turned out to be a stop/start affair - flooding as the Nene had burst its banks, ended up doing more of a circuit round town. Bumped into Andy Smith (and his son) and, after that, Ash and Denise. Ended up doing just under 11.5km in 2 and a half hours.Knackered! As I type, I have a chilli on the stove, beer on the go, all the veg and chicken breast bought with no shortages, as feared, for tomorrow’s lunch and looking forward to eating. getting drunk, smoking, listening to music, watching telly....all over the next two/three days.

Day 279: I don’t even remember going to bed last night. As a direct result I got out of bed at 2.30pm. I couldn’t even be bothered with Christmas dinner, let alone anything else like exercise. I’m just about to have chilli for dinner (it’s 8.10pm). Watch some telly then try an go to sleep before midnight. No booze! I did talk to dad earlier. Day 280: Typing on day 281. A better, more productive day. Up @11.00am exercise and walk as usual, although the walk was a different route due to flooding. In the evening I could hear ‘storm Bella’ raging, so windy! I cooked a christmas dinner of sorts, chicken breast with Thyme, all the veg, roasted spuds and parsnip, stuffing (a first for me, albeit co-op stuffing mix), Yorkshie and pigs in blankets. It was smashing! A few beers and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, alays a fun watch. A better day, as I say, but I am feeling particular deflated this Christmas. Day 281: Typing on day 282. I realised, about mid afternoon, that Monday (tomorrow) is a bank holiday so no work. It was a great realisation but, also, worrying that it dawned on my like I’m an old person! Nevertheless, a nice long walk - bumped into Baz & Kate and had a nice long chat, then El & Camila, Aaron and Eva for another, shorter chat. I also saw Denise & Ash along the way. Fog video called later in the evening for a chat too (he told me how he fell asleep at the dinner table, fuck he makes me laugh - unwittingly - when I need it most!) A regular social fest! A repeat of last night’s dinner and a few beers - it was a good day albeit I am in a proper low ebb.

Day 282: Up at midday after a 4am-er. A very long walk (1.75 hours) and a hodge podge dinner (remaining chilli, roasted spuds and peppers, steamed cauliflower and runner beans, grated cheese) - it’s nearly ready, I’ll type the review tomorrow. I realise that this is the first time in 21 Christmases that I have at least talked to K. Is that connected to my mood slump? I reckon so. So, as that fact dawned on me, I then considered, should it be the case next Christmas, it will not be the first in along time and, as such, more manageable....fuck knows how I manage to accentuate any little positive but, thank goodness I do. Day 283: Work was a sedate affair today, fuck all to do really. Sueanne is now follwing me on Insta...I shall invetsigate on how to exclude posts to individuals, methinks. Tea, last night, was fucking lovely. More of the same tonight-ish - currently I am roasting spuds, peppers, garlic, chillies, tomatoes - it’ll all go with left over pigs-in-blankets (5) and a burger. I’ll have bisto beef with mustard on it. I can’t wait! Day 284: Typing on day 285. That meal was fucking lush! Checked on the car todfay and it would not start. Something is draining the battery so I will have to give it a run every day until I can get Julian to sort it. So, I WhatsApp’d Karen to borrow the portable starter. She dropped it off for me. We had the briefest of chats at the doorstep, first time we’ve spoken in weeks. She mentioned my hair! Day 285: NYE. I have just got back from walking to Cottersock and back. I would not have been able to do so without my new torch! I finished and published my double letter quiz on FB, including to the Virtual Pub group and the Oundle Chatter. It’s had some good feedback, I’m rather proud of it. I am going to make chicken casserole now (with dumplings - a first for me, I even bought some flour), have some beers and get a bit stoned. Before that, I am going to finish off my list of things I’ve done this year, including steps wlaked and hours listening on Spotify. I am quite proud of that list too.

Day 286: I fucked the dumplings up, added too much water, so that didn’t happen but the chicken casserole was good, just about to finish it for tea tonight. I also had pizza last night and went to bed at 5am. I have had a lot of good feedback on my list of 2020 achievements. I proud of it. K sent a happy new WhatsApp last night, around 00.30.

Day 287: No booze last night, so I was up before the alarm today (about 10.00am) Two walks, one on my own, another with Fog with a couple of beers. I fucking loved it! Watching datrts (World champs semi finals - been texting Dan while the first one has been on). Going to watch The Aviator later...I’ve not seen it before which surprises me. Why it surprises me I do not know, since I know I haven’t seen it. How the fuck can I be surprised by a fact I’m completely aware of? Day 288: I didn’t watch The Aviator ‘cos Logan Luck was on at 11:55pm on ITV4. Great fildm...I can’t believe that I very nearly paid for it (rent from Sky or Amazon). A late one last night and quite pissed. Thinking about it, having afew beers with Fog in the afternoon made it quite a long sesh for me! Up at just gone midday today, nice long walk (Cotterstock) which was mde long by a painful right ankle - I must have turned or twiested slightly sometime. Still, it survived. Back to work tomorrow - Chrimbo and New Year all done and dusted for the 55th time in my life!

Day 289: First day back at work of 2021. Boris announces another full lockdown in England (there’s a new strain of Covid19 which is seeing huge numbers of infections every day, over 50,000 per day).

Day 290: Something is up with my right foot, the little toe pad. It’s bloody sore. If it gets any worse it’ll affect my walking and exercise. I phoned Anne Bennison to talk about it, she just wants me to go and see her which i donlt want to do if poss, pandemic and all that.

Day 291: Wearing my sandals instead of the M&S slippers and my foot/toepad is already feeling bteer. However, I did inspect my Merrell boots, just in case, and the sole on te right is really worn down, in just three months. I have sent a WhatsApp to CotswoldOutdoors, where I got them from....let’s see what they say! It’s all kicking off i  the US - pro Trump protestors have storm the Capitol Building, where congrees was being held. Only in ‘Merica.

Day 292: Busy at work with rolling out Qfiniti - all that project work was pretty much for fuck all since the SCCM package has to hand held. It’s feckin’ freezing today, below freezing, slippy af on my walks. I have been shopping tonight, £106 in Corby Tesco. That does include 8 cans of sapporo.

Day 293: The fracas at Capitol Hill on Wednesday left 5 dead, it looks like Trump will be impeached. He’s already said he’ll not attend Biden’s inauguration. In a fucking world gone mad, it’s another level of madness. It’s really cold -3℃ tonight, more of the same tomorrow. Makes for brisk walks. I’ve just had chicken balti pie and chips for tea. It was so nice that I burnt the roof of my fucking gob. I’m on the Sapporo and about to have a smoke then watch Jack Reacher. I’ve (kinda) earnt after the first 5 day week for a while.

Day 294: Well, last night saw another late one...5am by the time I :went to sleep. Up at 2pm today with no instention of any exercise or walking or housework or fuck all, really. But, I did my exercises and a 9 mile walk. While I walked I came across Banners, quick 15 min chat and listed to Stage by David Bowie. He’s all over the radio right now as it’s his death’s anniversary tomorrow and his birthday yesterday. It’s a fucking good live album. A few beers tonight, eating trash, watching FA Cup highlights then End of Watch later.  Posh played today (first time in a while due to Covid infections) drew away to (shitty) Lincoln 1-1. Good point as Posh were down to ten men after 67 mins for a second yellow for handball in the area. Lincoln missed the pen. Fucking funny. Chorley, the non leaguers who knocked Posh out in round 2 of the FA Cup, beat Derby in round 3 today (albeit derby fielded an academy side of 11 first timers due to Covid ) - a great day for them!

Day 295: Up at 2pm swearing blind I’d not walk or exercise (again!) but, of course I did. I’ve done over 25 miles this w/e! End of Watch was brilliant last night. Well worth a rewatch, so emotional. I am making butter chicken as I type. I’ve added extra onion, garlic and, of course, chillies. It’s the spiciest butter chicken I have ever tasted! 

Day 296: One of those frustrating days at work when no problem of request I try to resolve goes without a hitch. After a 7km walk in the evening, took the car for a spin and cleaned the bathroom. Fucking knackered. It’s 11:30pm and I’m in bed typing this on the iPad! despite getting up so late, I feel knackered. 11pm bedtime for me, I reckon.

Day 297: Fucking busy at work, the States rolled out a new Okta trust policy and it caused mayhem. Meant my evening walk didn’t start ‘til gone 6pm. When I got back, clened the hall and stairs, made chilli (which I am about to have for tea (gone 10.15pm!) and showered. I’m, again, fucking knackered! Posh played Portsmouth in the EFL Trophy 3rd round at home. Won 5-1. Nice.

Day 298: Had an electrician rouind for the EICR cetrt. He was here until 2pm and it was a pain in the arse, having to work upstairs plus, with having to cut the electricity, all the smart devices lost their settings. And it was freezing up there.

Day 299: Work was impossibly infuriating. Not one pc remote session went to plan! It was pissing down a lunchtime during my walk but, I have to say, the cheap TargetDry coat copes fine in heavy rain for short periods. Everywhere is flooding again even though the rain turned to sleet. By my evening walk, it was dry but bloody cold. Then, when I got in I cleaned the kitchen and mopped the floor and the bathroom’s as well. I fucking done in! Chatted to dad today - same as ever!

Day 300: What a fucking work at week! I am so glad it’s Friday. To celebrate, I ordered new walking boots: Scarpas £121!

[valenciaflores]

Advent Calendar: Day 1

TRADITIONS:

Are you a Grinch, or do you enjoy the holidays?: Val enjoys the holidays, though she’s not over the top about it. 

On which day do you celebrate Christmas?: Christmas Day, now. As a kid, on whatever day the week of Christmas her mother could get off from work. 

Is it a religious celebration or non-denominational?: Non-denominational, though Val’s grandparents are more religious in their celebration.

Who do you usually spend the holidays with?: Her family - mother, brother, and maternal grandparents.

What does your typical Christmas dinner include?: Quick, easy, and comforting foods. Mashed potatoes, roast chicken, gravy, cheesy green casseroles, and anything else that on any other day Val wouldn’t dare to look at twice.

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?: Christmas Day

Do you still have a stocking?: Yes, Val’s mother still hangs her stocking and Val used to hang two for her and Spirit in their apartment.

Do you still get an Advent Calendar?: No.

Do you leave all of your Christmas shopping until last minute, or are you organized?: Organized. She makes her list well in advance so she can always be on the lookout for the best deal.

Do you take charge of the day, or are you the one in the corner sipping Baileys?: Christmas is the one day Val actually tells herself to relax and let other people takeover, so she usually stays chatting with her brother in the living room while her mother and grandparents prepare the food.

Any traditions passed down through the family?: No.

Any weird things your family does that others don’t?: Newspaper wrapping paper or bust. Save the earth, save some money.

Do you go all-out with decorations, or keep it basic?: It depends on how much Val might be looking to distract herself and if she’s buying all the decorations herself. She at least likes to put up some lights and get a few (fake) poinsettias. 

Post a picture of what your Christmas tree looks like: Like this

Do you ever spend the holidays away from home?: No, even when at school she was always able to get home for at least the day.

Do you like to get a bit tipsy, or is it an alcohol-free zone?: A bit tipsy can be fun sometimes, on a holiday...

FAVOURITES/FUN BITS:

Favourite Christmas song: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Least favourite Christmas song: Last Christmas

Favourite Christmas food: Almost all of it because it’s such a treat for her

Least favourite Christmas food: None, she’s not nearly as picky as she pretends to be

Favourite Christmas movie: Home Alone

Least favourite Christmas movie: The live action Grinch

Favourite Christmas tradition: Political arguments with her brother

Ever re-gifted?: Yes, it’s thrifty and no one in her family would be upset about that

If you had an unlimited budget, what would you buy for the three most important people in your life?: Mother - a house, completely paid off and with a garden and deck. Brother - a new set of cleats and timeslots at a local field (if that’s even possible) where he could practice and play for hours. Spencer - undetectable noise-cancelling earbuds.

If you could have any gift in the world, unlimited budget, what would it be?: A chauffeur

Weirdest Secret Santa gift ever received: Men’s cologne

If you could kiss any fictional character under the mistletoe, who would it be?: Olivia Pope

If you were forced to wear an ugly sweater to an ugly sweater party, what would it look like?: A crafty one

What’s your go-to outfit for festive fancy dress?: Fit and flare, long sleeve dress in either black or dark maroon, with a comfortable but cute pair of heels.

Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve?: New Year’s Eve

White Christmas or snow-free?: White Christmas

MEMORIES: (feel free to write any of these as separate drabbles, and link them in later)

Earliest Christmas memory: Bringing Christmas flowers and decorations with her mother and brother to her father’s grave when she was about four

Best Christmas memory: Setting up the apartment she shared with her now ex-boyfriend, Jim. They’d either made all their decorations or got them all on discount and did all they could to make their cramped one bedroom not look completely tacky.

Worst Christmas memory: There are no real bad memories, but this upcoming holiday season without Spirit will be difficult

Best Christmas present ever received, and who was it from: Her first pair of pointe shoes from her dance teacher when she was eleven

Best Christmas present ever sent, and who was it for: Not exactly sent, but she paid for her brother’s back tattoo of a variation of the national coat of arms for Mexico. He paid for hers on her outer left thigh in exchange. 

Someone you wish you could bring back for one last Christmas: Her dad so she could actually have a real memory with him

Have you ever been stuck somewhere else for Christmas?: No