fantasy dinner

I grew up with a large extended family. 16 1st cousins. Many relatives who lived nearby.
My dad had 2 sisters, mom had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. They all had children.

I miss traditional Sunday dinners. We used to have them when I was a kid. After church...a roast in the oven...relatives often visiting to share dinner.

Sometimes we get close to that again.
Sarah and Eric came up on Sunday night after they closed the store. She brought the lovely centerpiece. We had a wonderful time. New Rules. NO TALK OF WORK.

The Menu:

Pork Tenderloin w/ Sage Corn Bread Crust
Corn frozen from the summer
Smashed red potatoes
Radicchio, Fennel, and Arugula Salad with Roquefort and Walnuts
Linzer cookies and Cherry Hazelnut Biscotti

Yummmm.

Cooking results

Biscotti after the first bake, cut and ready for second baking.
After the second bake, they get turned for a third bake and then they're done.
Sometimes you have to eat the broken ones.

Granola baked and ready for storage.

Cornbread ready to mix and bake.

Didn't get to the Linzer cookies yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Its December, it must be almost Christmas...

I'm taking the day off from soapmaking today to cook!

I'm always in a rush...making dinner ( and breakfast and lunch since we work at home)

I like to cook, but not under pressure. So today I'll make:

• Maple Pecan Granola from What Geeks Eat.....thanks to Vanessa this has become my standard granola. Alas, Vanessa has taken a hiatus from her blog, but you can still browse it for some fantastic recipes.
• cornbread for tonight's dinner with chili and leftovers for the pork tenderloin I'm making tomorrow.
• my first batch of cherry/hazelnut biscotti for the holidays
• prep the vegetables for tomorrow's salad
• oh, and if I have time....a roasted tomato barley soup that I will adapt from Last Night's Dinner.
  

I try not to get crazy with the holidays. I've cut way back on gifts and cooking......in addition to the biscotti, Linzer cookies are a must but I forgot to get raspberry jam when I was out this AM. All that jam making this summer and I didn't make raspberry!


What little gift shopping I do is almost done and last Sat. I bought a wreath at the Christmas sale I visited. It came complete with the hanger, so I came home, hung it on my gate, and I'm DONE! Well almost. I just need a new bow for it.

12-12

this used to be 'senior cut day' when I was a high school teacher....don't know if that holds true any longer, but it was a weird day in the soap workshop.

While I was fielding calls from stores who want more soap ASAP and trying to make soap for next year's orders.....I got calls all day for the 700 Club.

I thought maybe their 800 number was similar to mine...so I finally asked one caller what number she was calling. It was 1-800-716-SMART.
Mine ends in SOAP....hmmmm....they're the same numbers.

The last one came at 3AM this morning....the person called 3 times....just to be sure.

I thought maybe I should offer to take their contribution and pray for them.

home for the holidays??

I should be working but I've been taking photos / playing with my Buddy all morning...he showed up this morning outside of the office window. Haven't seen him for months!!

He looks great, except for that funny ear. Don't know what that's all about.

And this time he came right in and wanted to snuggle my slippers. I think its the old Buddy....back again.

Welcome Home, Bud!

first snow

Just a light dusting yesterday, but it is the first snow of the season.

I'm exhausted from soapmaking this week and I've been thinking of some of the things I know or don't know about soapmaking, especially after my lye volcano this week.

1. Getting one (just 1) crystal of lye under your thumbnail while measuring sodium hydroxide without gloves is one of the MOST irritating and painful things.
2. No matter how many times you make the same batch of soap with the same recipe, there are so many variables...that something can still go wrong. Too much heat, too little heat, etc......
   
3. You don't need to wear a fragrance when you make soap. People always think you smell good. The bank teller says my deposits smell good...
4. I really DO love making soap!

But right now...I'd rather be back on the ship with one of these!!

volcanoes

soap and other kinds...

this lovely volcano that we saw in Nicaragua last week is nothing compared to the one I created in my workshop yesterday. Did I forget how to make soap after a 10 day respite??

I've been making coffee soap since the beginning of my soapmaking career....12 years ago.

I always use cold coffee. I was in a hurry and didn't cool the coffee. Bottom line you can't put lye into a hot liquid. Well, you can...but what you get is a volcano.

Seriously, this is a dangerous thing to do. And luckily I wasn't hurt. But hot lye/coffee water gushed up from the bucket and went all over the counter and floor.

1st I check to make sure that I'm OK...then the clean up begins. This is the WORST part..... the liquid is caustic and a pain to clean up. Everything is slippery from the lye.

About an hour later....it was back to the drawing board and chilling a new batch of coffee with ice!!