Monthly Archives: December 2004

It is about time

I am all pretty pretty and ready to go to my parents’ house. My mom and I will cook and then after dinner we will head to church. Mass is at 8:00 and not at midnight. Father Myron is getting old and he doesn’t like to stay up late. I tried not to eat too much during the day since dinner will be huge. I failed. Glenn brought me a box of chocolates the other day— mint chocolates and I have been endulging. I am sure you can see it in my skin and thighs. If men were really smart, they wouldn’t give chocolates; they’d give gym memberships.

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE! Santa will be coming soon!

Some Christmas links:
Rusyn Christmas Greetings, Symbolisms and Superstitions
Christmas and New Year Folk Customs
Buon Natale! Christmas Eve
Italian Christmas

The Italian Christmas donkey

Hey! Chingedy ching,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
It’s Dominick the donkey.
Chingedy ching,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
The Italian Christmas donkey.
(la la la-la la-la la la la la)
(la la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da)
Santa’s got a little friend,
His name is Dominick.
The cutest little donkey,
You never see him kick.
When Santa visits his paisans,
With Dominick he’ll be.
Because the reindeer cannot,
Climb the hills of Italy.

Hot drinks

Erin and Pete were able to come over last night. We had a lovely evening. I made Hot Buttered Rum and Gl�gg and I served cheese and crackers.

Hot Buttered Rum
In a large mug pour 6 or 8 ounces of boiling water; add a rounded tablespoon of dark brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Add a cinnamon stick and a generous piece of clove-studded lemon peel. (What I typically do is just throw in a slice of lemon and 4 or 5 cloves) Stir in 2 or 3 ounces of rum (preferably dark Jamaican) and top with a butter pat and grated nutmeg.

Gl�gg
Per serving:
1/2 tsp orange peel zest
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1 cardamom pod
1/2 tsp honey
6 oz. red wine
2 tbsp bourbon, rye or blended whisky
1 tsp raisins
Combine all ingredients and heat to the temperature of hot breakfast coffee; garnish with shaved almonds and serve warm, or especially for punch-bowl quantities, prepare ahead and let steep two hours at room temperature, reheating just before serving.

Although I wanted to make the Gl�gg myself, I actually just used a Gl�gg concentrate bought at IKEA.

There was another drink I wanted to make but sadly I didn’t have any gin.

The Dog’s Nose
Pour 12 ounces of porter or stout into a large, sturdy glass and microwave it for one minute. Add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and stir till dissolved; then stir in 2 ounces of gin and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

I clipped these recipes from the December edition of Hemispheres magazine.

Grrrrrrrrrl

I drank too much last night and now I have a headache. To top that off, Lisa is pissed at me. I am not even sure why. Yeah, I was a bit of a jerk last night but the cookies I made were a failure and I burnt my finger and I was just altogether frustrated and so I yelled a little bit. The thing is, I calmed down pretty quickly. Lisa on the other hand is still angry with me. So in this very public forum I will say: I am sorry I was a jerk– at the time, I couldn’t help it and I now feel like the biggest poophead. I’ll try to be a better sister– one that doesn’t turn on you or take you for granted.

I’m gonna go and take a nap.

Gone

My parents are gone. Lisa and I just finished the dishes. The meat loaf was KICK ASS! In case any of you are feeling motivated, here is the recipe. I am feeling so tired but I would like to go for a walk. I think it is too cold, though. Erin called and she can’t make it tomorrow. I sorta suspected as much. Instead I may visit her on Thursday. We shall see.

Chef Childs HERE!

I just put two meat loafs (loaves?) in the oven. My parents are coming over to the Donna villa for dinner. Lisa is working on a spice cake and I have a few minutes until I need to heat the mashed potatoes and peas.
Tomorrow Erin and Pete may come over for drinks in the evening. It’s been so long since I last saw Erin. I really hope they can make it.
Last night, Glenn mentioned that he got me a Christmas present. This afternoon before grocery shopping, I went to the mall and got him a little something. I hope he likes it.

Masala

Last night Glenn and I went out to dinner. We went to an Indian restaurant near his apartment. The food was really good. The man who seated us was a little weird. He took a look at me and said, “You are very tall for a woman. You are taller than your friend here.”
Glenn said, “Acutally I am just a little taller than Donna.”
The Indian fellow then said, “Yes you are slightly taller but you are also fat and she is slim and so she appears taller.” That is a great way to welcome people into a restaurant, isn’t it?
After dinner we planned on going to a movie but at the cinema, I couldn’t find anything I wanted to see so we just went back to his house and watched tv. Or more accurately, I surfed through the channels. It was a nice evening.

Ready

I am all dressed up. Ready to have dinner with Barbara and George. Today was spent running errands. I am not really sure where all the time went. Regardless, I got quite a bit accomplished. Now I just have to brush my hair and put a little make-up on. It will be nice spending the evening with Barbara and George. I always have fun with them.

TO DO LIST

1. Straighten Room
2. Load or two of Laundry
3. Get digital pictures printed
4. Buy a small gift for Barbara and George
5. DON’T EAT ALL THE COOKIES
6. Finish Christmas Cards
7. Write a letter to Silke
8. DON’T GORGE ON CHRISTMAS COOKIES
9. Buy Cremora
10. Straighten bathroom