Octopus Hotdogs

Hmmm.... That plate of octopus hot dogs looks vaguely obscene. We had my nephews overnight on Saturday and made mac&cheese with octopus hot dogs. It was fun because my boys are too old for fun food such as this. (You know how to make these, right? Slice up 8 legs, hot tub treatment in the macaroni water?) They used to like lots of "fun food". Nate's favorite was lunch in a cupcake pan. I used a 6 muffin pan and filled 5 holes with cut up food like cheese, grapes, pretzels, lunchmeat, baby carrots, an oreo. The last hole was for a cup of milk. He loved it! Nick liked little pb&j pies made with that pampered chef tool that seals the bread of sandwiches together. Very wasteful on bread, though.

Last night I went to a potluck meeting. We were all to bring our favorite Christmas foods. To me, it's not Christmas eve without rice pudding. So I made some. Unfortunately, I had to leave to get to the meeting (I couldn't be late, I was co-hostess) before it was done cooking. Have you ever tried to transport boiling milk? In a casserole dish without a lid? "Hi, it's Kellet, please open the door, I'm dripping milk on your porch. Because it's 20 below the milk will be here until spring!" Very nice. I wonder why I don't get invited out much?

The rice pudding finished cooking there and was almost all gobbled up, so it must not have been too bad. I'm the only one who eats it in my house. I think only one of my siblings will eat it. Brother Gene says it is a sick thing to do to nice rice. He doesn't like cheese either. (more for me!)

Rice Pudding

1/2 cup rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Betty Crocker says to cook this for an hour in a double boiler, but I just bake it in the oven at 350. Should be done in an hour or so. Serve with butter, cream and cinnamon sugar. Serves 6-8.

Brit Things

I have a clarification: my little friend Brit had a BRATZ cake for her birthday, not a RAT cake. (but if you put a wig and lotsa makeup on a rat, who could tell the difference?).

I'm happy because today is Aloha Friday. (KQRS radio thing) Friday means "Eastenders"! This is a British soap opera that channel 2 shows every Friday night from 10:30 to midnight. The accents are very thick, the stories are tame compared to US soaps, and these are episodes that ran in England in 2001, but I really enjoy them. My guys all declare this the most boring show on TV (Iron Chef runs a close second) and leave me alone to watch (yet another reason to like it!).

I like all the British comedies channel 2 shows, actually. They have a small collection and rerun it all year. I've seen every episode of "Fawlty Towers" (John Cleese- Hysterical), Keeping up Appearances, Good Neighbors, As Time Goes By, and Are you Being Served? that they have. Most of these are very old. I don't know why I like them, but I always have.

Last Brit Thing: It seems the Britney Spears comeback includes perfume. Does it smell like Lithium or an anti-psychotic drug? Not that I can tell, it's doing a great job on my socks, though. I put all those free magazine and newspaper perfume samples in my underwear drawer. Free lingerie sachets! My grandma Elly would be proud.

Rat Cake and Banana Muffins

One of my little preschool friends told me today that her mom makes good "rat cake". Hmmm.....Rat Cake. "With real rats?" I asked. "Yep" she says. Her mom denies any knowledge of this recipe. Sure, don't share the recipe for using up excess rats.

I, however will share a good recipe for using excess bananas. When they turn a little brown, only one of my boys will eat them, and then only during a short window of opportunity. I just throw them in the freezer, peel and all, and worry about them later. I like the following recipe because it uses 5 bananas. They are indeed very moist.

Nuke those frozen bananas enough to make them squishy, break open one end of the peel, and squeeze them out into the mixing bowl. Put the peels into the compost bucket or worm bin. You don't have a worm bin? We'll talk.

If the nanas sit on the counter too long, fruit flies magically appear. My brother says they come into the house on the bananas. He sealed the (freshly purchased) bananas in a bag and some days later, there the little pests were. It explains a lot. Anyway, they gotta go. I make a fruit fly trap with a plastic bag. A tall skinny one like a bread bag works well. Put it inside a pitcher or vase or something if it keeps collapsing. It must stay open. Put something tempting (to fruit flies) inside, like banana peels or icky stuff from the crisper. Vinegar works in a pinch. Leave it on the counter overnight. Make sure there isn't any competition from other fruit on the counter. In the morning, SNEAK UP on the bag and grab the top shut. This must immediately leave the house. Repeat with new bags as needed.


Kona Inn Banana Muffins

1/2 cup shortening or margarine
5 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
optional: 1/2 cup walnuts

Grease and flour muffin tins or spray with non-stick spray or use those paper liners (my choice). Beat shortening or margarine with bananas until bananas are liquid and margarine is in little pieces. Mix in sugar and eggs. Mix in dry ingrdients. Fill muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes. Makes 12-18 muffins.

People who think differently than me

I'm not so wild about that title, is it proper english? I took a trip to Target on Saturday and learned a lot. Do I live a sheltered life? Do I need to shop more often so as not to be surprised by commonplace items? I dunno. I am not saying these things are wrong, just DIFFERENT.
I saw this vehicle earlier this fall at Target. It is a very large hot pink Hummer with the vanity plate "Hether". Now, again, I'm not judging. I drive a (14 year old) Ford Explorer, so I'm not throwing stones at the SUV community. It's just HUGE. PINK. And named Heather. (Remind me to tell you sometime about my two college roomates named Heather. It was hard to take phone messages: "Can I talk to Heather?" which Heather? "The Blond one" They are both blond, please be more specific. "The Cheerleader?" They are both cheerleaders, please be more specific.) This is just such a CONFIDENT vehicle.


This is a new Sleeping Beauty Barbie. As you can see, it has "magical lights and sounds". It makes twinkly fairy noises and.....Her THIGHS LIGHT UP! Clear plastic thighs with lightbulbs inside that flash blue. I'm not saying it is wrong, just...odd.

Here is a Christmas tree ornament of a hippo in a Santa-ish bikini. Nothing says Christmas like a hippo in swimwtear! Next to it is a flamingo in a hawaiian shirt, but somehow that seems less odd.
Above the hippo is the word "Diva" in purple glitter. I'm trying to imagine the tree that goes on. It's probably really pretty and sparkly. Again, not judging, maybe you have one of these. I just always thought it would be insulting to be called a diva, but apparently now it is a compliment.
Those are high heels next to the flamingo, but even I can see that they go with "DIVA".

I was a little distracted in the ornament aisle by a young man who kept yelling "Buttscratcher!" at the top of his lungs in a fake english accent. (Butt....Scratchahhhh!) over and over again. I didn't know whether to hope he had Tourette's syndrome or not.

It was the strangest trip to Target ever. That may explain why I came home with a peacock for the top of my Christmas tree and a rainbow colored icicle, too. I also bought a brand-new skirt, not on sale! I wore it to Paul's work party and hoped I didn't look like "mutton-dressed-as-lamb".

How's your shopping going?

good ads, bad ads

First the good ad: Next Wednesday (Dec. 10) is "Dollar Day" at County Market Grocery store. They do this once a quarter, and the bargains are terrific. Chuck roast and pork loin are$2 a pound. Bone-in chicken breast, apples, ground turkey, roll sausage all $1 a pound. Jack's Pizza $2. With 2 teenage boys, I stock up on meat, but I also buy a package of little debbies, since they are only a buck. Check out their ads at www.countymarket.net Fair warning: it is a madhouse ALL DAY! People fill their carts all the way to the top. Last time I saw a lady had hung 6-packs of pop (24oz pepsi products 4/$9) all around the edge of her cart so as to have more room inside. Small children will NOT enjoy the long lines. Really, the long lines go all the way down the aisles sometimes. They are open 12 am to 12pm that day, so those of you who got up on black friday might be able to hit them early. Grab a cart from the corrals in the parking lot, they are usually gone inside the store.

Bad ads are everywhere this time of year. I cover my ears everytime I hear the Herberger's shrill "Give joy" commercial. It's actually painful. I also think all the ads with big bows on automobiles are ridiculous. Who gives a car (besides Oprah)? I think the companies are trying to create the idea that this is normal. Let's all give cars and huge diamonds for christmas, you have to, the TV said so! I am also onto the "Cyber Monday" scam. Please! I think they just made that up so people would run to their computers and buy, buy, buy. I am not even going to get into the appalling spectacle of people hurting each other to be the first to get to a bargain. The "Christmas Spirit" is goodwill, not greed. Well, it might be brandy. Did your parents drink those vile "Tom & Jerrys" at Christmas? The tub of batter for them would hang around in the fridge until July. I prefer the festiveness of vodka. Goes with every holiday.

My vote for the worst ad on Tv continues to go to Charmin's butt-wipin' bears. I find these to be quite vulgar. ("Vulgar" is such a great word.) I get the joke ("does a bear *%#@ in the woods?") but building a whole ad campaign around them is stupid. The most recent one shows us that charmin will not create dingleberries on your butt. This may be important for furry bears, but I do not want to think about the implications for humans. This is not a problem I have ever had, is it a guy thing? Not an issue for the public airwaves.

It's been a long week. Today one of my little friends told me he wants a human body for Christmas. That's gonna to be hard to wrap.

I need an attitude adjustment. I'm going to go watch "A Christmas Carol". Which version? I have several (it's not xmas without it) but my current favorite is the 2004 NBC special starring Kelsey Grammer. Again, it's a musical, you know how I love those!

Happy Anniversary to us

So, to continue the fascinating tale of my weekend.... We stopped for lunch at Grand Casino in Hinkley. If Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, this is in the running for the saddest. Maybe it is just that I don't "get" gambling. I have many (many, many) vices, gambling just isn't one of them. It seems easier to just light your money on fire. I was so sad for the casino full of seniors who were just throwing money away. It is so easy to do, cash has been eliminated in favor of little plastic cards (attached to oneself with a retractable cord). Load the card from the ATM and insert into the machine. No need to even pull the lever, it's all done with the touch of a finger. Tap - down $1 - tap - down $2 etc. etc.

Needless to say, we lost the pre-agreed upon amount in short order, had a horrible lunch (but at least it was expensive) and started to really have fun. We started a fire in the stove at Paul's relatives' cabin and went to Cloquet to see the new Bond movie. Loved it! James Bond movies are one of the things we both enjoy. Then back to the (now heated) cabin for a steak dinner.

Saturday we poked around Canal Park in Duluth. We especially like antique stores. Paul got an old fishing reel for his collection and I bought a set of kangaroo salt-and-pepper shakers for my collection (of shakers, not kangaroos). Paul even started playing my favorite antique store game "What is the ugliest thing in this store?" For the record, I won by pointing out the basket made of huge safety pins and plastic beads. Hideous!

Then we went to Grand Superior Lodge in Two Harbors. We rented the Beach House. It is RIGHT ON the beach. It had a fireplace and hot tub! There it is, up at the top, I meant that photo to be down here. Hmm...nope, all the photos are going there, rats!

Anyway, Ate at Hell's Kitchen Sunday morning (highly recommended: sausage bread, portbello mushroom benedict, wild rice porridge, yum) and drove home and got the dependants. THEN I cooked a turkey dinner (because I love the big guy and he loves the big dinner with leftovers in our fridge.) Is that enough to pack into a weekend?

Also, Mr. Romance had his wedding ring re-sized and is now wearing it (after many years) and bought me ruby earrings! I'm a lucky girl (casino luck doesn't count.)

I promised you the fabulous pumpkin pie recipe and here it is (just in time for next year)


Microwave Pumpkin Pie

6 Tblsp butter
1 cup plus 2 tbls brown sugar - divided
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
2 cups pumpkin (canned)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3 Tblsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 eggs

In 9 inch glass or pottery pie plate, melt butter in microwave. Add 2 Tblsp brown sugar and cookie crumbs. Stir until blended, press crumbs onto sides and bottom of pie plate. Microwave on high 2-4 minutes until hot and set.

Mix rest of ingredients in microwave safe bowl. Nuke on high 8-12 minutes, whisking smooth every 2 minutes, until mounds form when whisk is removed. Pour into crust, smooth top and microwave on half power 10-14 minutes, until pie is set around edges and soft but somewhat set in center. Chill before serving with whipped cream. 1 pie, 6-8 servings

Thanks for the memories

I love Thanksgiving weekend, but it is a whirlwind of activity around here. Wednesday I worked all day setting up the preschool for the new month (new bulletin board, decorations, theme, toys, dramatic play and new playdough!) We had Sara and Jason over for pie and cocktails (it's a new tradition) I will post the pie recipe tomorrow, it's a good one. Thursday we went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner. I brought breads, buns, Jello (I caved, teehee) vegetables and corn casserole. This is easy and yummy (my favorite). I got the recipe from my sis-in-law Renee.

Corn Casserole

2 cups corn (canned or frozen, don't matter)
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/4 to 1/2 of an onion, chopped OR 1 bunch green onions, chopped
pepper to taste
2 tbls butter for topping

Mix all but butter, dab that on top, bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.



Friday we dropped the boys and dog off at my sister's and headed up north. This is because it was our 19th anniversary! We dated for 8 years before we got married, so we have been together more than half our lives, crazy, huh?

This will have to be continued tomorrow, I just remembered I promised to go to a Ducks unlimited banquet tonight (and I look like heck!)