kitty companiona

kitty companiona

Sunday, December 26, 2010

A Big Sigh of Relief


Did you hear it???
AAAAAAAhhh!  It's Over!

I am glad, it's been a hectic past few days.  Even though I tried to keep it simple and relaxing, it never seems to stay that way!

The Day Before Christmas...
I spent all day Thursday cooking so that I had the food prepared ahead of time and would have an easy day on Friday.  Everything was finished except the deviled eggs and roasting the turkey.  The turkey had set overnight in a pot of brine, awaiting it's time in the oven.

I got up Friday morning and was ready to tackle the turkey.  I had the brilliant thought that if I fed the kitties first, maybe they would leave me in peace.  I got out the canned cat food and prepared the dishes.  Tippy didn't eat hers.  Very unusual because she loves canned food.  She had thrown up twice in the past few days, but I didn't think much of it with all the food prep excitement.  Then I thought that with Christmas being tomorrow and the next day being Sunday, there would be no vet service except for the Emergency Clinic that's 50 miles away (and expensive!)

I called our vet and we took her in for a check.  They couldn't find anything, but drew blood and gave her antibiotics and anti-nausea medication.

Meanwhile back at the homestead, the turkey is not in the oven even though it should have been!  Our kitchen stove is an antique gas stove from the early 1940's.  We run it off a little propane tank like what is used on a grill.  It's amazingly fuel efficient, with a tank usually lasting about three months. 
Something made me think that with the turkey needing to roast all day, maybe I should check the tank.  Oh, No!  Getting very low!  Will there be enough gas???  We decided to roast the turkey on the grill instead.  I've never tried anything like that before, but it came out well and in a shorter time than it usually takes in the oven.

Meanwhile Brad, Kami, and Emily arrived.  Brad went to the attic to explore through boxes of old stuff.  Kami and I worked in the kitchen finishing the cooking.  Zip and Emmy played with the cats.

Christmas Eve...


This was a VERY informal dinner as you can see by the classy serving containers!  LOL!
We were trying for a German theme this year- potato dumplings, cabbage with spaetzel, bread stuffing balls, asparagus and the turkey and gravy.  We got a little starchy, I think!


But it came together fairly well for a dinner made by totally disorganized people!  hahaha!
And for dessert we had cherry and blueberry crisp made by Kami.  We had a fun time with lots of laughs and reminiscence.  The kitties were so worn out from all the company, they slept through dinner.

After the kids left, we vegged out in our favorite chairs and watched 'A Christmas Story' on TV, my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

Christmas Day in the Morning....
No, I didn't see three ships a-sailing.  Just a gray sky and a few paltry snowflakes.
It was quiet and peaceful, with just a cup of coffee and my own thoughts to keep me company.
Several weeks ago I had gotten a recipe for 'Air Buns' from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog.  There's nothing I love more in the kitchen than baking bread.  My Christmas morning gift to myself!

This is an easy recipe with only a minimal amount of kneading.  Instant yeast is used so it rises quickly.

The changes I made were making only half the recipe and using an extra cup of flour because the dough seemed very sticky.  I used SAF brand instant yeast.

I had some dough left after shaping my pan of rolls so I made some quick pecan rolls with the remainder.

I'll have to see how well they keep, but I'm thinking they will make great burger and hot dog buns as well as dinner rolls.

Over the River and Through Chambersburg....
To Grandmother's house we go.  As usual Mom had made a pile of delicious food.  By the time we got there I was tired and not at all hungry.  Everyone else did justice to the culinary delights, though.

Mom is a Christmas afficianado!  She has trees in each and every room and hundreds of ornaments- antique, Old World, Christopher Radcoe and who knows what.  You will also notice that she is very organized, clean and neat, a perfectionist!  I think they must have gotten babies mixed up because I do not have any of these traits!

Trees in the living room:



Wreath of pipecleaner Santas in the kitchen.

Trees in the bedroom.



A cabinet of assorted small decorations.


Zip and Kami looking at Mom's Christmas postcard collection.


Mom and her tree.


The Aftermath of Christmas....
WARNING!!!  This next picture should not be seen by young children!
It may make you never want to celebrate Christmas EVER AGAIN!


Disclaimer:  There were NO drugs and alcohol involved in this frightful scene.
ONLY AN EXCESS OF FOOD AND FAMILY TOGETHERNESS!!!

Yes, it's over and now we can breath a sigh of relief!
Hope yours was as good as ours!

15 comments:

  1. What a GREAT post Pat!!! Your turkey dinner looked scrumptious!!! I LOVE spaetzel and anything potato... and deviled eggs are my downfall!!! Your Mom's house is so magical with all that vintage Christmas!!! LOVE all of it! The final pic? Well... that was me AND my hubby after two days of stuffing ourselves silly (only our bellies are way bigger then Brad's)! LOL! We know the feeling! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG - that photo at the end.....AMESOME! Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Except for the exposed belly - that is how we all looked last night.
    All the food looks amazing - potato dumplings sound very yummy. And you Mother really knows how to do Christmas!! Wow, so many ornaments. Glad you had a great day and I hope Tippy is feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Pat - how's Tippy doing this morning!

    Wow you had some good food and that bread looked awesome - Mmmm leftover's at the Wengers!

    My Mom's house is like that (and I'm so not like that) everything in its place and a place for everything!

    Sounds like you had a wonderful 2 days - now you just relax and enjoy those kitties!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It looks like you had an absolutely wonderful Christmas.
    Your mom has so much Christmas stuff. Would have loved to see everything in her cabinet.
    How is Kitty that wasn't feeling to well, OK I hope.
    I think Christmas eve dinner looked wonderful.
    And your rolls I can almost smell.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That settles it! Next year I'm coming to YOUR house for Christmas!
    I think the picture of Brad says it all! Priceless!
    Hope Tippy is feeling better and you are basking in the glow of after Holiday spirits!
    Your Mom is lovely! Her Christmas collections are awesome! I love the wreath with the chenille santas!
    Happy Day After Pat!
    Cathy G

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looked like you had 2 nice days of celebrating with your family. Glad nothing was wrong with your cat.
    Love the pipe cleaner santas. Can't say I've ever seen those before. Very unique and look so pretty on the wreath. Your mom has quite the collections!
    LOL, I think we can all relate to the last picture on how we felt after the day was over :)
    Hope to see you soon!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pat, it sounds like a wonderful holiday. I hope you have time to recover this week :-). Take care and enjoy the remainder of the season. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like you had a good time.

    I wonder if the Tippy has a fur ball, I know Rupert throws up when he has one that will not shift. Hope she's better now.

    Wow,great buns. I love yeast cookery but am not always successful. Do you have a mixer to knead it or do you do it by hand?

    Have a peaceful and happy 2011
    Briony
    X

    ReplyDelete
  9. The highlight of your post for me are those beautiful rolls and the pecan rolls ~ oh my, you did a great job! And the picture of the over-stuffed guest was priceless!!! Glad you had a good day, Pat!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Pat, The rolls look so beautiful that I can smell and taste them! Love all of the Chriostmas decorations. So glad you had 2 great days. Love Brad's picture.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How many decorations in your cabinet and how many trees! I like very much that wreath and small Santas on fir. It's interesting to see how the other country to celebrate Christmas day. Goodbye!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my pat!! I long to be like your mother, but i dont ever see myself like that!! Oh the rolls..the rolls. i would like to bake more bread!! maybe that is something I will start! sorry for the chaos when you called the other morning. Its not always quite that bad!! Hope tippy feels better!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Pat ~
    I remember you telling me last year that your Mom was a Christmas junkie like me. Thank you so much for sharing her decorations. I just love how she did the wreath and all those putz sheep in the cupboard - WOW. Oh, how I'd love to see everything in person!!! Your Mom looks like a real cutie. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us.
    Your rolls look oh so yummy! If I'm going to treat myself, it's not going to be baking something in the kitchen...lol!
    Hope Tippy is back to her normal self.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pat, what a great posy. I would love to sample your German Christmas dinner. I think that your mom is great and I like the fact that she goes over board with decorations for Christmas. It's real nice that she still cares to decorate and it brings her joy.
    I'm glad that the kitty got to the vet before the office closed for the Holidays to put your mind at ease. My son did the same thing last year. He ate too much and had to lay on the sofa holding his belly. lol.. JB

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rolls look so yummy!!!! Your mom's trees are amazing. Glad you had a nice Christmas!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting!