Cassie-b

Welcome Back

Has it really been 3 1/2 months?

Welcome Back Buzz!

This is a law?

MASSACHUSETTS STUPID LAW -

Don was reading the Sunday Paper and read this Massachusetts law to me:

"Tomatoes may not be used
in the production of clam chowder."

So if you’d like to try a clam chowder that doesn’t come from a soup can, here is a recipe (in the extended entry) that is legal even in Massachusetts.

Clam Chowder Recipe

4 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bottle (1 cup) clam juice
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) minced clams, undrained
2 cups diced potatoes
1 quart water
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk, half and half, or a combination

Brown bacon in a heavy skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; crumble and set aside. In the pan, add onion, clam juice, minced clams, potatoes, and water; simmer until potatoes are tender. Add butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste; heat almost to boiling point.

If desired, sprinkle crumbled bacon over each serving. If thicker soup is desired, make a thickening by combining 2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour with a little cold water and add to the soup. Stir till dissolved and the chowder thickens a bit. Serve with oyster crackers or saltines. This recipe makes about 6 servings

Saturday

Smokey Joe and Mister (outside on the porch) would like to wish you a great weekend.

And Don and I would like to wish you the same.

No shopping for me today

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, is historically one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year.

I’m not overly fond of shopping, and today is the one day a year
I will not go shopping, bargains or not!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

Annoying driver - again

Today, as I was coming home from work, an idiot driver illegally passed me (right where the cop usually sits)

and he barely missed hitting the deer who was running across the road just in front of his car.

I’ve already had my quota of close encounters with a deer for a lifetime.

I’m glad he was the one to have to dodge it.

Holiday cooking

We're going to be celebrating Thanksgiving with family again this year.

And we'll be bringing a couple of dishes with us for the dinner table. One of the dishes we're bringing is Cranberry Sauce. The recipe is right on the bag of cranberries.

It's unbelievably easy and quick to prepare. I make it often.

I've always made the cranberry sauce according to the recipeon the bag, but as I was looking around on the internet, I saw some interesting ideas for additions to the original recipe:

• People often add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the cranberry sauce, but you can also used mixed dried fruit or not-so dried fruit such as chopped up apricots, pineapples, or pears. Add whatever seems right for your taste and dietary needs. Also you can use orange juice and water mixed rather than all water.

MY PEN PAL

I have a 7 year-old pen pal. She’s the granddaughter of our favorite neighbors. She chose me, so I’m very flattered.

We correspond about once a month, and when I print my letter it includes pictures of whatever the letter is all about.

Today I wrote a letter to her about our trip to see the Rockettes last Saturday, and our walk to see the Empire State Building. I also sent her some coloring pages (printed from the internet) of Thanksgiving pictures.

I think it’s good for her.

I know it’s good for me.

Water

I received this in an email message and found it interesting - and possibly helpful.

- One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.

- Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

- Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

- A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.

- Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
I'm going to try to drink more - water, that is.

Autumn weekend

We had wonderful weather here in Bucks County PA this weekend. Don and I took a very long walk on Saturday, and we did some sight seeing on Sunday.

The trees here are very autumny. Don took this picture of the maple tree in our yard.

I hope it was nice where you are.

Posted by cassie-b at 06:12 PM | Comments (21)

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

I remember celebrating Guy Fawkes Day when we lived in Scotland (a long time ago).

Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot."

In 1605, a person named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He, and his band of fellow conspirators, were caught after one of the group sent a letter to King James of England warning him to stay away from Parliament.

Guy Fawkes was imprisoned and eventually put to death for his trouble, although modern British people remember him as "the only man ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions!"

Nowadays, the British mark Guy Fawkes' Day (or simply Bonfire Night) by building bonfires and letting off fireworks. Traditionally, children made effigies of Fawkes from old clothes stuffed with newspaper, and display their "Guy" in the streets, asking "Penny for the Guy?", and expecting to receive some money.

Guys were then thrown on the bonfire at the height of the celebrations.
Big firework displays are organised in public playing fields and open areas, usually with huge bonfires.

The bonfires often take weeks to build, and in small communities and villages everyone will bring some wood to add to the pile.
The events of 1605 are also remembered in a nursery rhyme.

Soup for a cool evening

If you like seafood - you just might like this soup.

Saute in 1/2 cup butter :
1 med onion chopped fine
1/4 c. green pepper chopped fine
Stir in about 2-3 tablespoons of flour
Add:
6 cups milk or half and half (I used 8 cups of milk)
1 can cream style corn
A little garlic powder
A little white pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Cook until heated
Stir in crab meat (I use 1 pound).

Heat thoroughly, strrring often. Garnish with parsley and lemon if desired. Makes a very thick bisque, Serves 6-8.

We really enjoyed it. It seemed to get better and better for the 3 days
it took us to finish the pot of soup.
Don came home tonight with 2 pounds of mushrooms
from the grocery store.
I think that means he's ready for another pot of
Cream of Mushroom soup.

November Calendar –

The months seem to go by so fast that I find it hard to believe.

Aside from the holidays that everyone knows, I have this little calendar page of unusual days for celebration. Maybe you can find one that especially fits your life.

To view the calendar, click on the turkey.

Happy November!
I neglected to add my little brother's birthday on November 26.
But we won't forget to celebrate!