DECEMBER. 2020 ~ What's going on YOUR table?

I taught myself to crochet but I am not advanced. I wanted to make an aran scarf but couldn't understand the directions. I wanted to learn how to knit but never got around to it. I have been sewing since I was 13. No one taught me, I just learned out of necessity. Alterations on teen clothing was unheard of. Sew on a button or shorten a hem was the norm. Funny, though, only one other friend of mine knew how to sew. I still have friends who can't even sew on a button.

I also sewed from a young age ~ did things with my Grandma and then, in school, I was a 'Home-Ec' major so I had half a year of sewing instruction for four or five years. I made all my school clothes. After I married I made my clothes and shirts for Dane and then tons of stuff for the girls. I remember one year I made the girls matching smocked dresses ~ first and last time for that! They were adorable but way more work than I had time to do.

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Tonight we're going to a holiday dinner at a friend's home. I'm looking forward to getting out for an evening. I feel safe knowing everyone and that if they didn't feel well they wouldn't be going. Most of the evening will be outside on the lanai. They have heaters in case it cools down so we don't have to go inside.

I did a lot of sewing as a teenager. We didn't have much money, my mother was a whiz at it, so my late sister (the one who just died in October) and I learned from the best. We sewed a lot of our clothes and made matching outfits. Although sis was three inches taller than I, we were otherwise basically the same size. I still sewed when my children were small, but in the last 20 or so years I've only made a few things like pillowcases and duvet covers. I think in order to enjoy sewing you have to have a room to do it, not your dining room table. That's why crocheting or knitting is great, you can have your stuff in a basket beside your chair and not all over the place.

We had spicy pork bulgogi and galbi for dinner tonight.

That looks delicious, Norm. Did you ever think, when you bought the new stove, that you would use that middle griddle as much as you have? Seems like a very useful piece of equipment.

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I made chicken chunks in the last of my Korean BBQ Sauce ~ gotta make a run to Orlando to go to the Asian Market, Trader Joe's & Costco soon......but definitely NOT before Christmas. Staying far, far away from the crazies at this time of the year.

I decided to 'bulk up' some fried rice with vegetables, and it was pretty tasty. Did a second cutting of Swiss chard and it was absolutely delicious. It's been raining off and on all day so all the pots of vegetables are very happy and growing like crazy.




It boggles my mind that Christmas is just 5 days away.....sneaking up on us so fast. We're suppose to have dinner with Lyn & Bill but he's having his thyroid removal surgery tomorrow so everything is kind of on hold until we know how he's feeling. I told Lyn it's not a problem for me to cook the meal for all of us but I don't want Bill to miss out if he's not feeling well. We can always have a roast chicken or something and save the beef tenderloin for later. You never know how anesthesia will affect someone from one time to another. We want him to be able to enjoy the meal and taste everything because it's one of his favorites.

From Lore:


"Yumm Yumm Yumm! Perfectly grilled beef filet, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and the last of the tabbouleh I made a couple of days ago. I even put it on a white plate instead of my regular red so it looks fancier! Lol"

Beth, the stove came with an aluminum non-stick grill and I thought I wouldn't use it. I planned to replace it with another grate but a cast iron grill with two sides came up on sale and I bought it first. I never thought I'd use it much either except for steaks on the ribbed side, but I use it all the time. Seems like I never use the extra grate at all except for looks.

Schnitzel, spaetzle, sauerkraut....what could be better.

JanaAZ wrote:
Schnitzel, spaetzle, sauerkraut....what could be better.

What could be better? Speaking as a German who grew up where Spaetzle are KING, not much! Do you make the Spaetzle yourself?

BTW, I have a cookbook called the Cuisines of Germany by Horst Scharfenberg, apparently a German TV chef. I have the German edition. He explains the history of Spaetzle.. Common theory in Germany is that Spaetzle comes from the word Spatz which is a sparrow, and the pasta looks like a little fat sparrow. Scharfenberg disputes that. His theory is that it comes from the Italian word "Spettzzarre" (SPelling????) which is basically to cut. He says that when the Romans were invading, marching across the mountains, the last food they would have had is flour and water, and devised a way to make their beloved pasta without rolling it out. The "real" way to make them is to have the very soft dough on a board where you have it lying at the edge of a wooden board held over the pot of boiling water, and as it comes to the edge, you cut the dough into ribbons as it falls into the boiling water. I am not good at making them. LOL

Lore - that's the way I make my spaetzle but instead of a board I learned to use a wet 'bread' plate (smaller than a big dinner plate but without the groove and curve of a saucer). By putting on a splash of water the batter is easier to keep oozing to the edge to be sliced off with a knife.

I do alter the recipe somewhat from what my Grandma made and add a good deal of cracked black pepper because we like it that way.

I should try making them again, since I do have lots of time.

The first time I made spaetzle, I put them in rapidly boiling water and they fell apart to nothing. I was expecting guests and didn't have time to try again so I did noodles instead.

NormM wrote:The first time I made spaetzle, I put them in rapidly boiling water and they fell apart to nothing.  I was expecting guests and didn't have time to try again so I did noodles instead.

Sounds like Tina when she makes egg drop soup.
I say, "How can you eat that bubbling froth of egg slop?"

NormM wrote:The first time I made spaetzle, I put them in rapidly boiling water and they fell apart to nothing.  I was expecting guests and didn't have time to try again so I did noodles instead.

Norm, I use just egg yolks & 1 whole egg with s&p. I beat up the eggs and then add enough flour to make a thick batter. If I add too much flour I may add a bit of the leftover egg white but I never add water or my spaetzle just falls apart into a big mess in the boiling salt water. Grandma use to use a teaspoon to drop bits into chicken broth for Chicken Ribblie Soup. I think it was Chicken Rivel Soup to others, but WE had Ribblies. LOL

Planning on leftover pork & sauerkraut tonight.

There's a little bit of spaetzle leftover that I'll reheat in a bit of butter for Dane. I'm making boiled potatoes for me and he'll probably have a bit of those, too.

[quote="Cookin Lore"]

JanaAZ wrote:
Schnitzel, spaetzle, sauerkraut....what could be better.

What could be better?  Speaking as a German who grew up where Spaetzle are KING, not much!   Do you make the Spaetzle yourself?  

Yes, I do. I tried several methods to make spaetzle before I just bought the little spaetzle maker. When I was In Germany Years ago, I had some that were almost a cross between a spaetzle and gnocchi. I wouldn’t mind attempting those one day.

Found out my sister is sending a gift pack from Omaha steaks.

I also got an email from someone saying "Try Amazon products for free".
Just send us your Paypal account so we can send money so you can buy the product. Right. Christmas thieves.

No clue for what to eat for supper.
Tina is in a Blah! mood....
I may eat some salad greens. Oil & vinegar ...
A liverwurst sandwich to bulk it up a bit.

Call came in for Social security to see if we want better health care.
Asked the lady if she had my ss# to see if it was the correct # ( silence )..... click .... she hung up.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Call came in for  Social security to see if we want better health care.
Asked the lady if she had my ss# to see if it was the correct # ( silence )..... click .... she hung up.

I get calls about 4 or 5 times a week. "This is Officer Blah Blah Blah from Social Security Administration. Your social security account has been suspended due to fraudulent activity in South Texas. Please press '1' to be connected to our office to clear this up or an officer will come to arrest you......"

Sometimes it's a real person, other times it's a 'robo' caller......

Scares me that people fall for that crap. I just hang up. They'll call back ~ next call is about my car's extended warranty that is expired.......

Hahahahahahaha

I thawed a small meatloaf for supper. I'm going to make some mashed potatoes and boiled carrots to go with it.

Well, DARN!

I filled my plate and immediately ate my supper. And it was 'picture perfect'!

Oh, well.

You can think about past pictures and know what my plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes (with a pool of butter) and buttered carrots looked like......probably seen it 10 times before!

LOL

It's 4:30 in the morning, I can't sleep, and I have a problem with my laptop. I can only see about 2/3 of my screen. Have tried everything that this luddite can imagine. The taskbar at the top does not show all the little icons, and the thing that is normally there for minimizing or maximizing doesn't show. 'puter is basically no good to me this way, may have to take it into the computer hospital. Any ideas?