Riders on the storm

I don’t know about you, but this is what I do when I’m bored and riding in a car at night.

I play with my camera.

I took these photos in early August, after leaving our house around 3:30 AM, headed north for Maine. We were cruising on the Jersey Turnpike near New York City shortly before dawn.

I’m sharing them because I think they’re really cool. It’s all good if you don’t agree because I’m not going to hold it against you. I like to read something in each picture, too.

This looks like writing to me. I think it says “what condition your condition is in. el el el”. That’s what I think.

This one looks like reindeer taking off.

Admit it. You can see it too, can’tcha?

I think the color of teal adds some interest here. Very feminine, too.

This is big. And bold. And manly. It’s a night on the town with Mr. Big.

Seriously, I have no idea where this stuff comes from. And no, I am not imbibing.

These are kangaroos leaping across the highway in the coming dawn.

You can totally see this, can’t you?

I’ll have to take another road trip and play this game again. I love it.

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I have a collection of holiday music that I listen to while driving and I currently have my favorite in our car’s CD player. It’s Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong. This CD is absolutely beautiful and contains a wonderful rendition of Joni Mitchell’s River (from the 1971 album, Blue). These two songs are a little melancholy but they go with the holidays. Not everyone is enthralled with this time of year.

The You-tube offering below showcases the title song, Wintersong. This is a fairly decent little video if I must say so myself, and was created by a fan of Ms. McLachlan.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Hope you enjoyed my zany artwork and my favorite holiday music.

Romance and holiday lighting

First, I’d like to say that your reaction to yesterday’s post surprised the heck out of me. I had no idea when I wrote the story about the strange-but-true Christmas tree whether or not it would look CRAZY to others.

My husband does some really sweet things sometimes and he didn't seem too surprised when I told him I’d written about the tree and the few photos I’d posted. He was surprised, however, that most people found it romantic. You see, he doesn’t even know he’s being romantic. He just knew I wanted a tree.

Which makes it even better, of course.

A few people have written asking me where I purchased the lights that I posted [here]. I’m also including a few more photos of them.

I bought these beautiful light strings online from Smith & Hawken more than 5 years ago. I bought the string of large globes first and the following year, I purchased the smaller strand. Smith & Hawken doesn’t sell either of these anymore, and in fact their website is not even available, which surprised me. I did find some interesting Smith & Hawken light sets on Ebay, however. So if you’re really interested in finding them, you could check there.

I love white lights. Especially when they’re rather unique.

I love having you visit, too. What kind of holiday lighting do you prefer?

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

A handmade Christmas tree. Yeah, you heard that right.

Last Christmas, long-time readers of this blog will remember that due to circumstances in our lives at the time, my husband and I elected not to have a tree. I went back and forth about it, but in the end decided it would be best to avoid all the extra work.

This year I really wanted a tree, but because we’re thinking of taking a short trip somewhere after Christmas, it wouldn’t make sense to get a real tree that would need to be watered.

And we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a big artificial tree.

So I planned on going out this Saturday, after George’s vet visit, and getting a nice small tree. Imagine my complete surprise upon arriving home that morning.

As I walked from the dining room into the living room, little white lights and boughs of green caught my eye.

And as I entered the room, I realized that this was the most unique ‘tree’ I had ever seen in my life.

I stood there, completely flummoxed, at the effort my husband had gone to just to provide me with a tree for the holidays. The images you see below are probably something you’ve never viewed before, so you saw it here first folks. Although it’s a bit unconventional, and maybe a tad bit tacky, it’s my tree and I love it.

It’s completely covered with tiny white lights. And he even found a box of the ornaments, the ones that are mostly the light and soft ones, and used them to decorate.

He has somehow tacked up wire and then stuffed the branches into it, keeping it in the shape of a tree. It even has an angel at the top. The branches should stay fresh for at least a week or more. I know, I know, it’s crazy. But when I sit here at night and gaze at my tree, I see something beautiful. And besides, when it’s night it hides the awful water stains and chipping paint from the mantel front. The fireplace isn’t usable right now, so what’s the harm of a tree on the front of it?

And you know what? It’s true what they say, when they say

all you need is

Hope your day is a beautiful one. Appreciate the simple things.

Like trees protruding from your mantel. I love it!

Until tomorrow, then . . .

Last photo has one of the free holiday textures found here [link] at Joy St. Claire’s blog. I love the squiggles and stars.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CO-WORKER, RICH.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Caramelized Shallots

As promised, here is the link to the Williams Sonoma recipe that I mentioned a couple of posts ago. It features one of my favorite vegetables, the Brussels sprout. Even if you think you don’t like the tiny cabbage-like veggie, one taste may make you change your mind.

There are several recipes for Brussels sprouts on the Williams Sonoma website [link]. And this is the one I chose to serve at Thanksgiving this year and which I recently took to the holiday faculty party. (I heard rumors it was very good).

Here it is hot and bubbly and right from the oven.

This recipe is a little time-intensive, but the rich flavor is so worth the effort. It calls for an 8-oz. jar of caramelized shallots, which are available at the Williams Sonoma store or on their website. I used the jarred version for Thanksgiving, but did them myself for the most recent dinner.

The cutting and peeling of the shallots took some extra time.

And then there was the actual caramelizing. But at $8.00 per jar, doing the shallots yourself makes a lot more sense.

It also takes awhile to prepare the Brussels sprouts. But the topping is a breeze. I used Panko bread crumbs for mine.

I’m finishing adding the top layer in this last photo and for this one, I poured just a little bit more cream over the top of the vegetables. I also reduced the lemon zest in both the gratin and the topping. It’s a bit fattening with the gruyere cheese and the heavy cream, but I like doing a little food sinning around the holidays, don’t you?

Hope you like it. Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

George wants to tell you something

And I think he really means it.

I mean, look how sincere he is.

My friend, Char at Ramblins posted about these free holiday textures available at Joy St. Claire’s blog. And I had to try them right away. They’re really fun. Thanks for the heads up, Char.

And Joy, these are beautiful.

George has a vet checkup early tomorrow morning, so wish him luck.

Tomorrow night is the faculty holiday party and the dish I’m taking is the same vegetable casserole I made for Thanksgiving. I plan on posting about it because the taste was surprisingly good. Well, surprising because not everyone likes Brussels sprouts and it’s the main ingredient. But when it was served at Thanksgiving, everyone who swore they didn’t like the miniature cabbage treat said it was great. And now I love Brussels sprouts.

Please don’t tell the rutabagas. I can’t have them jealous.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Shopping in Connecticut

I don’t know what possessed me to buy all these little keychain attachments while out shopping on a rainy afternoon in Connecticut last weekend. Maybe it was because they were about the only thing I could afford in the store where I found them.

Maybe it was because they’re really cute. And I love that giraffe. And the rooster!

The fish is pretty cool too. I put this photo here because I love all the little dots of light in the background. Very festive, you know.

One shop we went into had sheets on sale. The feel of them was absolutely decadent and flat and fitted sheets were each priced at $395.00. A single pillowcase was only $85.00 and everything was marked 50% off. I could have gotten a set for a steal at $500.00 . . . wow.

I liked this little tile that features the Flatiron Building in vintage New York City, so I bought it for someone.

One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is The Family Man, starring Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni. I love the idea of having a second chance, and watching Cage’s transformation from the self-centered man he was and into the loving father and husband he becomes. Tea Leoni is one of my favorites, and I really love her in this role. The film is slightly reminiscent of It’s a Wonderful Life and also stars Jeremy Piven as the best friend, who I really enjoy watching in Entourage.

One of my favorite two scenes in this movie are when Jack (Cage) is watching a video where he’s singing happy birthday to his wife, and when he’s changing his son’s diaper for the first time.

I always feel good after watching this film. Here’s the trailer.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Do you have any must-see holiday flicks?

When I grow up

It’s been a quiet evening here in Maryland. We had a hellacious rain storm last night and today the wind was wicked. Another tree came down in the yard but it’s good this time. It was an old dead one in the horse paddock and my husband will probably begin cutting it up and carting it away soon.

I thought about what I was going to share with you today and after several starts and revisions on two different posts, I realized I had absolutely nothing to say. Nuttin’, honey.

And so, my dears, I will share with you a commercial that I absolutely love. This ad for Kaiser Permanente promotes pro-active, preventive measures for staying healthy. I love the music chosen for this and after viewing it, tell me you don’t love that cheerleader!

Hope your day is a good one and that your troubles are few. It’s all I ask for myself today.

Until tomorrow, then?

Oh, and PS ~ Ever so much more than twenty (from yesterday’s post) is from Peter Pan. Congrats to my friend Daryl for being the first to give us the answer.

A pumpkin pie with a secret layer

Pumpkin pie has never been my favorite dessert. As a child I remember choosing pecan over pumpkin at Thanksgiving, and I’m not even a real fan of pecan pie. (Apologies to pecan lovers out there. And especially to my sister Charlotte.)

It wasn’t until I got my first apartment and bought a cookbook called “The Country Cookbook” and made this recipe that I absolutely fell in love with pumpkin pie.

You see, this recipe has a layer of caramelized apples underneath and the combination of the sweet apples and the spicy pumpkin was my ticket to Thanksgiving dessert-bliss.

This is the one dish I make every year, and have been doing so since the age of 21. For those in the know, that’s ever so much more than twenty (name that play, movie, book). And for the past ten years or so, I’ve added the ring of pie crust leaves which although is very time-consuming, adds some panache.

This year, I purchased new leaf cutters from Williams Sonoma. The cutters I’d been using had also been purchased from the same company and were metal, but I always had to add the ‘veins’ by hand using a thin knife.

It’s always special showing you the pink countertops, isn’t it?

I was hoping that these leaf cutters would be just what I was looking for, but sadly they were not and I can’t recommend them. The plastic doesn’t cut nearly as well as the metal and the only leaf that gave me no trouble was the elm, so I went with that for the entire pie.

To apply the leaves, I dipped my finger into milk and gently put it on the edge of the pie crust, then laid the leaf down. I’ve got the first three done here.

Here’s the recipe for this unique and delicious pie and if you make it, you will understand the true meaning of pumpkin pie bliss. Enjoy.

PUMPKIN/APPLE PIE

10” unbaked pie shell

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp. butter

3 cup sliced tart apples (I used winesaps)

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned or cooked mashed pumpkin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup evaporated milk

Peel and slice apples.

• Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large saucepan. Stir in water and butter. Bring to a boil; add apples and cook 4 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.
• Beat eggs in separate bowl. Add sugar, pumpkin, 1/4 tsp. salt, ginger, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, cloves and evaporated milk. Blend well.
• Prepare pie crust.
• Spoon apple mixture into pie shell. Carefully spoon/pour pumpkin layer over apples. Add leaves around edges. Bake in moderate oven (375 deg.) 50-55 minutes.

(For leaves on top of pie, bake several leaves separately on small sheet of aluminum foil. Watch them because they’ll only take about 5 minutes or so, depending on thickness. Place on pie after removing from oven, pressing gently in place.)

Love,

That hushed feeling you get

My visit to Connecticut this past weekend included a stop at this church, where my friend Lauren had an errand to run. This is the church that Annie & Lauren belong to and l was glad to have been invited inside. Daryl and I made sure we had our cameras with us.

I love old buildings such as this, and a hallowed and hushed feeling came over me when I entered.

The leaded stained glass windows with their architectural detail are just so wonderful.

Inside, the choir is practicing which is just our luck, for it only added to the beauty.

Inside one of the little rooms hangs a beautiful and very very old tapestry. I had the 50mm lens on the camera, hence the close-ups.

I just love how this shot of a candlestick looks with its stained glass bokeh.

And speaking of stained glass. Be still my heart.

I can see why they love this old church so much. It just feels so darn good to be inside.

And safe.

And loved.

If that makes any sense.

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I am slowly but surely getting into the spirit of Christmas, and today my husband and I received a big beautiful potted poinsettia, the likes of which I’ve never had before. It was sent to us by a kind couple who I’m sure would wish to remain anonymous. So I’ll just say that it touched my heart and it looks beautiful in this old house.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

How I spent my weekend: the short version

I have met some wonderful people in the blogosphere, and this weekend I visited with some of my favorites. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, I headed up the Jersey Turnpike, stopping in New York City to pick up Daryl and then continuing on to Connecticut. We were headed to Lauren’s place to spend the weekend and visit with her and Annie, who lives nearby.

It’s late as I write this and I’ve much to do before I sleep, but I wanted to share a few photos with you.

We were awed by a beautiful church.

And went shopping. I think Lauren fell in love with something here.

And we met the magical Dora who’s dressed for the season. I hope George isn’t jealous because I think Dora’s a delight.

We lunched. And brunched. And picked up sushi for dinner.

We took walks, and talked. But best of all, we laughed. A lot.

And it was just what I needed.

TSannie, Lauren, Daryl, and a completely horrid photo of me. Everyone else looks great, so please ignore that person on the right. Thank you.

Hope your weekend was relaxing. I’m off to unpack . . .

Truth or Fiction Answers (and a winner)

Congratulations to Rachel Lynn, who correctly guessed that answer #4 in yesterday’s Truth or Fiction game was not true. The Weaver of Grass also guessed correctly, but Rachel beat her to it.

I’ve updated yesterday’s post to include the answers and am shocked that some of you think what you do about me. Am I really that outrageous?

I’ve seen this meme going around the blogosphere and thought I’d give it a go. This is a list of ten things about myself, one of which is false. A prize to the first person who gets it.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, this should be easy. Those that thought they knew me know me in real life, don’t give away the answer, ok?

1. My television debut was at the age of six.

TRUE. I was in the peanut gallery of the Howdy Doody Show and was asked to stand up and sing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. I was struck dumb with stage fright, so the microphone moved on, allowing my best friend, Paula Lackner to shine. It was great.

2. I once had a conversation on the phone with Robert Duvall.

TRUE. It was a very short conversation, but for what it's worth: I worked at a private high school in Middleburg, VA and one day a girl got sick and after we called the ambulance, I called the mother. I knew she worked for Mr. Duvall, but I never thought HE would answer the phone. I could tell it was him as soon as he said hello and asked who I was speaking to (Bob Duvall). He went to get the girl's mother after I told him what had happened. And that's that.

3. At the age of 20, my boyfriend and I seriously considered hiking the Appalachian Trail.

TRUE. What? You’re surprised? (And he’s my husband now).

4. I sang Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Fever’ at a karaoke bar one night to loud applause.

FALSE. I almost did. I was in a karaoke bar where some of my friends were singing, but I couldn’t do it. A couple more drinks, and the answer may have been different.

5. My favorite cocktail is Yukon Jack and fresh grapefruit juice on the rocks.

TRUE. Oh, so true. I even wrote a post about it [link]. Not that I condone drinking, mind you.

6. I once participated in a food fight with nuns.

TRUE. Same high school as mentioned above. I’d never met anyone like this group of sisters. Things were different in Virginia, I guessed. At the end of the school year, a celebration was held on the front lawn of the convent and the faculty were all in attendance as well as the board of directors. Crabs were served and I’d never seen so many. Everything was excellent.

At the end of the evening, with just about 25 of us left, one of the nuns picked up some food and threw it at the athletic director. Just for fun. He threw it back and before you knew it, it was an all-out food fight. It was insane but a huge amount of fun, because throwing food is really bad and nuns were doing it.

7. You can dress me up, and you can take me out.

TRUE. As comfortable as I am in jeans and a sweater, I love getting dressed up and going out. I don’t do it that often so it’s sort of special.

8. I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.

TRUE. We all want to be something when we grow up.

9. The first car I bought for myself was a Fiat Sport Coupe.

TRUE. My parents helped me buy my previous car, but I bought this one myself, from my future brother-in-law. It was always breaking down, but I had a boyfriend who kept it on the road.

10. I can build a fire.

TRUE. Just hand me the matches.

I’ll put the answers up tomorrow. Until then, my friends . . .

PS: I’ll post the winner when I post the answers tomorrow.