The date for today brings a multitude of thoughts to the surface. Perhaps the most important is my number 4 daughter was born on that day 57 years ago! If I dare to let my mind wonder, that makes all but two of my kids as old or older than my husband was when God called him to eternity. This makes me very aware of how young he was. When you are approaching 60 you can feel the advancement of aging symptoms and notice your hair is much more silvery than you wished, looking back it is really the prime of life. I think I got off my original subject, so back to the thoughts of the day. That date means we have only 21 more days to Christmas, so I had better get in the mood to get out my stored away decorations. I know I can easily bring in my pre-decorated, pre- lit miniature tree and put it in my east window of the living room. That will make people think I am on target with my decorations! I have my first Christmas party on Monday evening, so guess I better get in the Christmas spirit soon.
Another thought which I choose to not dwell on is the fact that we are getting deeper into the heart of winter and that means snow, snow, snow. I am trying to obliterate all of the memories of last winter’s snowfall. When we get to December, all of those plans that we intended to accomplish in the new year are about to be out of time. I think you can handle all of these negative thoughts by concentrating on the coming Christmas season. Be sure you do not let the fussing and flurry of gifts, food and decorations consume your time and heart and not prepare spiritually. Remember that we are now in the season of Advent which means “to come”. Make it a spiritual renewal as well as tending to all of the extra things that have taken first thoughts and efforts in our celebration.
Hope your Thanksgiving celebration was a preamble to a great Christmas. Mine was a very special day with 29 for dinner and another 20 stopping in in the latter part of the day. Hey wait! I count, don’t I ? That makes a total of 50. That is about all I can squeeze into my home, but it was a great day. The food was above average, maybe because it was prepared with love in anticipation of a family day. After the main meal people were snacking all afternoon, playing board games around the cleared dining room table and making it an almost perfect day. The families that had other plans were missed but I am certain that their day was special, also. A special ending to the day was the first time that the next generation assumed the responsibility of final cleanup. Two of my granddaughters did all of the dishes, finished trash removal and did a great job while a couple of adults were playing a game with a broken hearted great grandson who felt left out because he did not get to play a game. Frosting on the cake was that he won!! Thanks so much, Chrissie and Lindsey!
Today I spent a very pleasant visit at my daughter and bonus son’s home with another full course meal celebrating their immediate family’s Thanksgiving with a bonus birthday party for their oldest son, Happy birthday, Clayton. (Your card is still on the table. Maybe next year?)
With all of this food the past week and leftovers still in my refrigerator, I feel I will have to find something extra delicious, or at least quite different and simple to create any interest. So while resting in my lounge chair making believe I was looking for an interesting recipe, two popped up and caught my attention. Hope they do the same for you. Once again I went to one of my old, old, (not as old as I am) Taste of Home annual cookbooks and found what I was looking for.
DILLY MASHED POTATOES
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups milk
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh minced dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
¾ teaspoon seasoned salt
Cover potatoes with water. Cook until very tender. Drain, mash with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serves six.
SWEET ONION MUFFINS
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat eggs, onion and butter until blended. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Fill greased or paper lined miniature muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for five minutes before removing from pans. You may use regular size muffin tins but bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Large tins make one dozen. Small make 36.
Since both recipes take finely chopped onions, It reminds me of something that I just started doing. Why did I get so old before I heard of it or tried it? So often I let an onion spoil if I use only part of it. Now I chop it all at the same time, use what I need for what I am making, then place what I have left in a zip lock plastic bag and freeze it. Then if I want only a bit in an omelet for one person, I used my already chopped onion in the freezer. If need more than I have in the freezer, I do another one then just add what I do not need of that one to my bag of frozen onions. I am so impressed with having them already done, someday when I am bored with nothing to do but clean the house, do the laundry, make my bed, etc., I am going to chop several onions and put them in the freezer! (That will be after I get my house decorated for Christmas!)
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