Christmas at Our House and the MAN FLU, again!!!

Hi there!

Okay, yesterday evening, Gilbert and I had a few errands to run and it started to snow....

First snowfall of the season! *VBG*

Now, the FIRST snowfall's always the nicest - especially if you're out shopping and they've got the inevitable Christmas music playing.

Anyhoooo, my Christmas ornaments are in the attic and call me BAH HUMBUG, if you wish, but last year, I didn't get Gilbert to hawl down boxes and boxes of ornaments, spent countless evenings taking DOWN my every day "stuff" off the walls to replace them with Christmas "stuff".... only to have to take down the Christmas "stuff" ONE MONTH later (or less), repack everything and put the same old, everyday crap ... oooops, I meant "stuff", back in it's regular place.

Did I mention that I have to dust this "stuff", too, while I'm at it?!??!

Well, yesterday evening, while at the Dollar Store, I had a moment of weakness and bought a few plastic Christmas balls. I figured that I could place them in my glass pedal bowl.

And that would be that, for ornaments this year!

Well, I already had my Christmas table runner out.



That's the one that I made early this year, with 4 swapped Dear Jane blocks, in the center of the runner.

Since I'm an Acadian and sometimes my Acadian roots peek through, I decided to bake some Acadian meat pies.... "Patés", in French Acadian.

You cut up beef and (lean) pork into cubes. Add lots of salt, pepper, a bit of winter savory and LOTS of chopped up onions. Boil over a low fire for 3 to 5 hours, reducing the juice. Once it's ready, you thicken it up with a bit of cold water and flour - just like you'd make gravy. And once it's cooled down, you put it in a pie shell.

Oh yah, when all was said and done, we made a couple of pumpkin pies too!

Since Gilbert's a vegetarian AND comes from Quebec - they eat "Tortière" there.... which is basically fried up onions, lean hamburger, and mace and a few other weird spices. That's IT! I've had it before and IMHO, it's got these weird spices in it and it's rather dry - no gravish juice to it.... But then, everyone's tastes are different, right?

Anyhow, Gilbert made some vegetarian ones.

Oh wait! Let me correct myself...

He "WAS" going to make some ... and he DID work on them, a wee bit.... till he came down with the MAN FLU... and quickly hightailed it up to bed, leaving me with a LOT of this work.

Oh.. a little side note - I got the HeeNee shot (H1N1 virus shot) Friday evening. I was PETRIFIED of that darn needle, but would you believe that nurse was SOOOO good, I barely felt the "pinch". Mosquitos have "pinched" worst than that! LOL

Okay.... back to my story.... *grin*

Anyhow, after he had his nap, he came downstairs and we both built these cute snowmen/snowwomen.

Super, SUPER easy and would DEFINITELY impress any "young at heart" kid, in your household.

Here's how you do them:

Boil and mash potatoes. Let cool.
Take an ice cream scoop - 3 different sizes, if possible.
(Gilbert rolled them with his CLEAN hands)
Use whole black pepper for the eyes, mouth and buttons.
Cut a wee ... and I do mean WEE sliver of carrot.
Add a sprig of Rosemary, for it's broom.
Place on parchment paper.

Can be kept in the refrigerator for a day.

Re-heat in oven.

Now, I ask you...

"What kid wouldn't be impressed with their potatoes?!?!?"

Or better yet, put a smile on your better half's face, at Christmas time!

LOL

Or maybe I should be "Ho Ho Ho ing"???

Here they are, in the oven....

Ready to make their appearance!

Well, that's it for me, tonight.

Hope you come back tomorrow -
I'm trying to blog every day, in December.

Rosa