Friday, December 31, 2010

"For last year's words belong to last year's language.
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."
T.S. Eliot

Thursday, December 30, 2010


Waggies by Maggie and Friends


Maggie and her friends enjoy baking, packaging and marketing the all natural doggie treats. They are extremely proud of successfully mastering the skills needed to make these exceptional "bones". Volunteers help guide and support the team as they make a quality product that dogs love. Dog owners like the freshness, texture and attractive packaging. Reward your dog with these nutritious and delicious treats and support members of the community who want to be part of the work force. It's a winning combination.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I Capture the Castle


I Capture the Castle
By Dodie Smith

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over a six-month period, first in a sixpenny book, then in a shilling book, and, finally, in a splendid two-guinea book, to hone her writing skills. And it is within these pages that she candidly chronicles her encounters with the estate's new, young, and handsome American landlords, the effects of her sister Rose's marital ambitions, her writer's-blocked father's anguished and ultimately renewed creativity, and her own hopeless, first descent into love.

I Capture the Castle

Monday, December 27, 2010

shrimp toast

Shrimp Toasts

1 egg slightly beaten
4-5 water chestnuts – chopped
1 teaspoon dry sherry
6 slices day old bread [trim the crust—Pepperidge Farm is the best]
1 heaping tablespoon thinly sliced scallions (use the green part)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lb shrimp – cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon corn starch
Canola oil or vegetable oil for frying

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread on bread to the edges. Fry in shallow oil (no more than ¼ of an inch) for 30 seconds, filled side down first, then fry on empty side until the bread is golden. Drain well on paper towels. Serve warm.

Yield: 6 toasts

Recipe from Angela LaGreca

Friday, December 24, 2010

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thursday, December 23, 2010

"This is the message of Christmas:
We are never alone."
~ Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), English novelist.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010


A Night In Old Mandalay Drink Recipe

1 oz. Orange Juice

1 oz. Light Rum

1 Lemon Twist
1 oz. Dark Rum
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
3 oz. Ginger Ale

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the light rum, dark rum, orange juice, and lemon juice. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Top with the ginger ale. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Harrods Christmas Pudding

1/2 pound unsalted butter plus about
2 teaspoons butter, for greasing molds
1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2/3 cup self-rising flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
Juice of 1 lemon
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
4 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 1/3 cups golden raisins
1 1/3 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups currants
1/3 cup chopped mixed citrus peel (2 ounces)
1/4 to 1/2 cup brandy

Thickly butter and dust with flour two 1-quart molds (or dome-shaped china, ceramic or glass bowls). Set aside.

Beat the 1/2 pound butter until soft. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and syrup. Sift flour with salt and spices; fold into the butter mixture with the lemon juice, grated rinds, bread crumbs, fruits, mixed peel and brandy. Spoon mixture into the 2 prepared molds. If molds don't have lids, cover each with a circle of wax paper, then a piece of foil pleated across the center and securely tied in place. Leave overnight in refrigerator.

Put molds in a large saucepan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Cover and steam for 5 hours; remove from the water. Let cool completely, then cover with a clean piece of wax paper and a pudding cloth (muslin or closely woven cheesecloth) secured with a string and ends of the cloth tied in a knot over the pudding mold. Leave in the refrigerator to mature before using.

Before serving, steam about 3 hours. Remove from mold. Bring to the table blazing in ignited brandy, and decorate with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

Yield: Two 2 pound puddings

Source: A Dickens of a Delight: Christmas Plum Pudding is a Holiday Treat Straight from Merry Olde England article in The Courier-Journal by Special Writer Marilyn Kluger 11/25/92

Saturday, December 18, 2010

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Hot Ginger Coffee

6 tablespoons ground coffee (not instant)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized or candied ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups cold water
Whipped cream, cinnamon sticks and additional orange peel

Combine the coffee, orange peel, ginger and cinnamon; pour into a coffee filter. Brew according to manufacturer's directions. Pour into mugs; garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon sticks and orange peel.

Monday, December 13, 2010


Welcome visitors with a handmade evergreen
wreath on the front door. This one by Minna Mercke Schmidt is constructed from moss, ivy,
and eucalyptus wired into a frame.

Sunday, December 12, 2010


Back from holiday...back to reality.