WTF-Beta

Delicious @andyd !

Lemon and blueberry is such a winning combination. Gluten free bonus points, too.

@piano-dad Congrats to the family!

For Christmas I love pulling out the china (my mom’s Noritake Oriental, bamboo motif) and her silverplate (service for 12; we have sterling for 8 from her uncle, but that’s not enough). It’s like playing dress up for the house. I don’t mind hand washing it all after guests go home. My kids stay and help with the clean up.

My women’s choir sang that Pink Pony Club last spring, and it was very fun. I don’t listen to contemporary radio, so it was new to me!

My extended family likes Brussels sprouts this way:

Halved, sheet pan, 425 degree oven. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, and less liberally with toasted sesame oil, a good grind of salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes, stir. Roast 5 minutes, stir. Add Chinese sausage (lap xiong, sliced on the diagonal in 1/4” pieces, number of sausages up to you), drizzle all with oyster sauce. Stir. Roast 5 more minutes. They’re done, tender, some crackly leaves for interest. Delish!

Cool! I wasn’t sure this story was going to get written; the author and I traded some emails before the holidays. I’m just thrilled that the food banks got a nice piece of pie from my free hat pattern!

Thanks for the tip off, @bernard !

@ShiroKuro Agreed.

I’m loving these slender trees! So much less intrusive than the big bushy round ones. We don’t have a lot of room for a tree, and I stopped putting one up when the kids moved out.

Here’s my tree this year, same as before but slightly different ornaments. Forgot my sock monkey!

@Bernard It all looks fabulous. Really 14.5 pounds of boozy cake? That’s almost like a packed box of salmon roe from my cannery days! (20 lbs, but hey)

My sister is smoking 18 lbs of prime rib on her Traeger tomorrow. The family is pot lucking the rest; I’m hosting at my house. I’m only responsible for roasted brussels sprouts (with Chinese sausage!) and a flourless chocolate torte. A friend is bringing mashed potatoes, another sister is bringing sweet potato gratin and mini oreo cheesecakes. My brother always brings a shrimp ring for before…

But we’ll also have our kids over for brunch first! Bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers…scrambled eggs, mimosas, presents.

@Amanda You were fancy! We just used the red m&m’s as lipstick!

@wtg The clear cover is a great solution.

I agree that the FICA cap should be raised. Means testing for benefits? Hard pass.

Booze balls FTW! Go for it!

Does it cover so much that the card is no longer identifiable as what it needs to be?

I used my lifetime senior pass last week at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park in Hawaii. Glad it is good looking!

This is the cast iron pan I’ve been hoping for. I am not sure I would actually use it, but I like it anyway.

It’s only 8 inches wide.

Morrow’s Nut House here at Lloyd Center in Portland, Oregon. Caramel apples, those roasted cashews, candy. The shop is long gone. The mall is dying. It was the largest open air mall in the US when it opened in 1960. They did a big renovation in the 1990s but things have tanked from there. It’s still a good place to walk, for now.

@dolmansaxlil That was a lovely, lovely book!

It was Gene Hackman who died, after his wife Betsy Arakawa died of hanta virus. So sad.

@Steve-Miller Yes. Poke some holes in the skin with a fork, just to be on the safe side. I did this with an acorn squash. I’ll be cooking more winter squash, now that I know how to soften before cutting!

@wtg Knitting Without Tears is a fabulous book. It’s like having a chat over a cup of tea with your favorite knitting aunt.

I just finished A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary 1785-1812, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Interesting analysis of Maine life, not just the midwifery. I chose this book because I read a fictional version of a year in her life, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

Also recently enjoyed Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman, and recommended it to Mary Anna.

Foster by Claire Keegan, about a 9 year old Irish girl fostered for a summer with relatives when her family couldn't afford to feed all of their family. Listened to the audio book first (lovely accent), then read it for clarity. Its a short book, very enjoyable.