EE's family has been making this for decades.
Holiday Punch (aka Christmas Punch)
The Christmas punch recipe was intended to be made in a percolator, but I have just made it on the stove -- it works better that way -- the percolator clogged up from the pineapple juice pulp. It also works great in a crockpot.
9 cups of cranberry cocktail
9 cups of pineapple juice (unsweetened)
1 cup brown sugar
Put into cheesecloth bag, drop into punch:
4 teaspoons whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon (broken into pieces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat to desired temperature, stir and remove spice bag.
Make a half-recipe for smaller groups.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Recipe Corner: Key Lime Pie
My mother used to make this recipe. It's probably originally from the 1950's or early 1960's. I have no idea where she got it from. As the years went by, the recipe no doubt evolved a bit. That's why many of the ingredient amounts are rather vague. This was one of my father's favorite desserts. We used to have it for special occasions such as his birthday.
The version here is based on a verbal description my mother gave me, along with my memories of how we used to make it.
Key Lime Pie
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 13-15 ounces)
3-4 eggs, separated (I usually use 3)
lime juice to taste (usually about 1/2 to 1 cup)
lime zest (optional; we hated it as kids buy I like it better now)
green food coloring (optional)
a pinch of sugar
1 baked, cooled pie crust (graham cracker or regular)
Separate the eggs.
Beat the egg yolks until straw-colored and thick. Add the condensed milk slowly (while still beating), and then the lime juice, lime zest, and food coloring. The amounts of lime juice, zest, and food coloring are to your taste.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Use a clean bowl and clean beaters for this. Towards the end of the beating, add a pinch or two of sugar, and, if desired, a bit of lime juice and/or zest.
Pour the filling in the pie crust. Pour the meringue on top. Swirl the top decoratively with the spatula, making sure the meringue is at the edge of the pie crust (to make a good seal).
Bake the pie in a preheated 350F oven until the meringue is golden brown (but not too brown). This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
Then eat it up, yum.
The version here is based on a verbal description my mother gave me, along with my memories of how we used to make it.
Key Lime Pie
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 13-15 ounces)
3-4 eggs, separated (I usually use 3)
lime juice to taste (usually about 1/2 to 1 cup)
lime zest (optional; we hated it as kids buy I like it better now)
green food coloring (optional)
a pinch of sugar
1 baked, cooled pie crust (graham cracker or regular)
Separate the eggs.
Beat the egg yolks until straw-colored and thick. Add the condensed milk slowly (while still beating), and then the lime juice, lime zest, and food coloring. The amounts of lime juice, zest, and food coloring are to your taste.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Use a clean bowl and clean beaters for this. Towards the end of the beating, add a pinch or two of sugar, and, if desired, a bit of lime juice and/or zest.
Pour the filling in the pie crust. Pour the meringue on top. Swirl the top decoratively with the spatula, making sure the meringue is at the edge of the pie crust (to make a good seal).
Bake the pie in a preheated 350F oven until the meringue is golden brown (but not too brown). This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
Then eat it up, yum.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Recent photos
Today is less busy than many of our recent busy days. So I'll inflict photos on everyone.
Here is our yard after a recent snowstorm.
I had mentioned ice fog earlier. That's when ice crystals condense out of the fog onto everything. Here is a photo of the ice fog on Douglas fir needles.
Here are some recent flower photos. I'm sure you'll recognize the striped geranium that has been featured in other photos this past month.
The solid pink geranium is still blooming away. I won't inflict more photos of it today.
We have another geranium blooming -- a dark red one with a slightly different flower form. I can't remember the variety name. The colors don't come out right on any of the photos I've tried taking. It's not really orange or pink, honest! Since I don't feel like playing around with photo-editing software to adjust the colors, I'll skip the photos for now.
This other photo is another holiday cactus. This is a variety called Nicholas. It's the first bud to open on this particular plant.
The color is a rosy red, closer to red than the other zygo cactus flower I shared. The petals have less white on them than the other one.
The last few zygo cacti are on sale at the local grocery store. I've been resisting, though I'm not sure why.
That's enough photos for now!
Our cat is at the vet this week. We already miss him. Our other cat goes around looking for him every now and then. I will be glad when we can bring him home, and I will be delighted if the treatment works.
Here is our yard after a recent snowstorm.
I had mentioned ice fog earlier. That's when ice crystals condense out of the fog onto everything. Here is a photo of the ice fog on Douglas fir needles.
Here are some recent flower photos. I'm sure you'll recognize the striped geranium that has been featured in other photos this past month.The solid pink geranium is still blooming away. I won't inflict more photos of it today.
We have another geranium blooming -- a dark red one with a slightly different flower form. I can't remember the variety name. The colors don't come out right on any of the photos I've tried taking. It's not really orange or pink, honest! Since I don't feel like playing around with photo-editing software to adjust the colors, I'll skip the photos for now.
This other photo is another holiday cactus. This is a variety called Nicholas. It's the first bud to open on this particular plant.The color is a rosy red, closer to red than the other zygo cactus flower I shared. The petals have less white on them than the other one.
The last few zygo cacti are on sale at the local grocery store. I've been resisting, though I'm not sure why.
That's enough photos for now!
Our cat is at the vet this week. We already miss him. Our other cat goes around looking for him every now and then. I will be glad when we can bring him home, and I will be delighted if the treatment works.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas
Christmas was a couple of days ago (I know you guys probably know that but...) we went over to our grandparent's house and one of our aunts and one of our uncles were their. On Christmas, we stayed home but the day after Christmas we went over to our grandparent's house because they live close to us. One of the things I got was Bone by Jeff Smith it is a graphic novel and it is REALLY good!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Winter Break begins
School is out for the winter break. This is good. I'm hoping that we can catch up on sleep and relax for a bit. That's probably delusional.
Three family members got new glasses last week.
A family cat has been diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism.
The roads are icy, the temperatures are low, and the wind is wicked. We haven't had snow for a few days, but there's some in tomorrow's forecast.
Even though we are taking a break from school and music lessons, our social schedule is still heavily booked. People keep heading off to sleepovers and parties. It's fun but not good for catching up on sleep. We're still in the throes of various school-transmitted viruses.
We've added an electric ice cream maker to our household appliance collection. It doesn't require salt and ice. The bowl goes into the freezer for a day or so. Then, one takes the bowl out of the freezer and puts it in the machine, fills the bowl with ingredients, and turns on the machine. Twenty to thirty minutes later, a semi-frozen concoction is the result. One can either eat it immediately or let it harden in the freezer for a bit.
Our initial results were very acceptable. The machine makes about one to one and a half quarts at a time. We made a basic vanilla ice cream. There were no leftovers. It took less time to eat than to make.
We have grand plans for mango or raspberry sorbet, green tea or chai ice cream, and many other interesting flavors. No doubt we'll post the successful recipes to this blog.
----------
The cat thing is going to be interesting. Apparently, the best treatment for hyperthyroidism is an injection of radioactive iodine. It destroys the over-active parts of the thyroid while leaving the rest of the thyroid untouched. The cat stays at the vet for a few days and then comes home after its radioactivity levels have fallen.
We are told that we'll be needing to use a special cat litter for a week or two and that we'll flush the results. I don't think that will work with our septic tank. I wonder what the other options are?
We also have to be careful about how much time we spend with the cat for a week or two as the radioactive iodine continues to decay. It's OK if the cat spends time with other cats, though.
I hope that the treatment is successful. From what I've found on the internet, it works as a cure 90-95% of the time.
Here is a photo of our cats. The one with the thyroid problems is the black one. They're both around 6-7 years old now. We got them from a local animal shelter a few years ago.
Three family members got new glasses last week.
A family cat has been diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism.
The roads are icy, the temperatures are low, and the wind is wicked. We haven't had snow for a few days, but there's some in tomorrow's forecast.
Even though we are taking a break from school and music lessons, our social schedule is still heavily booked. People keep heading off to sleepovers and parties. It's fun but not good for catching up on sleep. We're still in the throes of various school-transmitted viruses.
We've added an electric ice cream maker to our household appliance collection. It doesn't require salt and ice. The bowl goes into the freezer for a day or so. Then, one takes the bowl out of the freezer and puts it in the machine, fills the bowl with ingredients, and turns on the machine. Twenty to thirty minutes later, a semi-frozen concoction is the result. One can either eat it immediately or let it harden in the freezer for a bit.
Our initial results were very acceptable. The machine makes about one to one and a half quarts at a time. We made a basic vanilla ice cream. There were no leftovers. It took less time to eat than to make.
We have grand plans for mango or raspberry sorbet, green tea or chai ice cream, and many other interesting flavors. No doubt we'll post the successful recipes to this blog.
----------
The cat thing is going to be interesting. Apparently, the best treatment for hyperthyroidism is an injection of radioactive iodine. It destroys the over-active parts of the thyroid while leaving the rest of the thyroid untouched. The cat stays at the vet for a few days and then comes home after its radioactivity levels have fallen.
We are told that we'll be needing to use a special cat litter for a week or two and that we'll flush the results. I don't think that will work with our septic tank. I wonder what the other options are?
We also have to be careful about how much time we spend with the cat for a week or two as the radioactive iodine continues to decay. It's OK if the cat spends time with other cats, though.
I hope that the treatment is successful. From what I've found on the internet, it works as a cure 90-95% of the time.
Here is a photo of our cats. The one with the thyroid problems is the black one. They're both around 6-7 years old now. We got them from a local animal shelter a few years ago.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
'Tis the Season...
...for school concerts.
We went to one last night. It was a band concert. Plant-crazy played the flute. A fine time was had by all. Imax may get to play clarinet with them next time, by special permission, as well as playing the recorder in a different class concert. But that will be in the spring.
Next week will be copper's concert. They'll be singing.
All of our friends are busy with the winter concert schedule, too. I include those who are performing in various ballets, ice-skating programs, etc., as well as those who are musicians.
There's something special about making music in a group. There's also something special about having an audience.
In our household, various family members have experience with the following instruments. Some of it is merely beginner/novice experience, self-teaching and noodling around. Some of us have had actual lessons and more serious experience on some of the instruments. Most of these are instruments we have around the house, available for impromptu music-making.
piano (and keyboard)
flute
clarinet
recorder
Irish tinwhistle (aka pennywhistle)
ukelele
baritone (tuba)
French horn
drums/percussion
autoharp
melodica
ocarina
harmonica
plus a few more.
We played a hammered dulcimer and a bowed psaltery at the most recent Renaissance Fair and liked them, too. Perhaps we'll add them to our household inventory.
We also have some interest in making our own instruments. It would be fun to play instruments we built ourselves. As usual with these kinds of things, the internet has much useful advice (no doubt along with plenty of useless advice). Our local library has some good references, too, especially through Inter-Library Loan.
We went to one last night. It was a band concert. Plant-crazy played the flute. A fine time was had by all. Imax may get to play clarinet with them next time, by special permission, as well as playing the recorder in a different class concert. But that will be in the spring.
Next week will be copper's concert. They'll be singing.
All of our friends are busy with the winter concert schedule, too. I include those who are performing in various ballets, ice-skating programs, etc., as well as those who are musicians.
There's something special about making music in a group. There's also something special about having an audience.
In our household, various family members have experience with the following instruments. Some of it is merely beginner/novice experience, self-teaching and noodling around. Some of us have had actual lessons and more serious experience on some of the instruments. Most of these are instruments we have around the house, available for impromptu music-making.
piano (and keyboard)
flute
clarinet
recorder
Irish tinwhistle (aka pennywhistle)
ukelele
baritone (tuba)
French horn
drums/percussion
autoharp
melodica
ocarina
harmonica
plus a few more.
We played a hammered dulcimer and a bowed psaltery at the most recent Renaissance Fair and liked them, too. Perhaps we'll add them to our household inventory.
We also have some interest in making our own instruments. It would be fun to play instruments we built ourselves. As usual with these kinds of things, the internet has much useful advice (no doubt along with plenty of useless advice). Our local library has some good references, too, especially through Inter-Library Loan.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Another foot of snow, another snow day
The title of this post says it all. There's more than a foot of snow on the ground and it's still snowing. It was windy last night, so of course everything is drifted. The sun is trying to come out from behind the clouds, so perhaps this snowstorm is winding down.
I didn't really want this evening's events to be canceled. Oh, well.
The Palmer Divide creates interesting rain-shadow effects. The area to the south of us didn't get as much snow as we did.
Most of last week's snowfall is melted, at least in the sunny areas. We did have above-freezing temperatures, which helps. Even with sub-freezing temperatures, the strong sun combined with the dry air leads to rapid snow disappearance. Some of it is melting and evaporation, and some is sublimation. Areas in the shade stay snowy for a lot longer.
Oregon Photos
Here are a few photos from our trip to Oregon this past fall.
The above photo is from Macleay park, one of the parks that makes up the Forest Park system. It's a small stone structure at the point where the Wildwood Trail intersects the Macleay trail. It's called the Stone House (duh), and was originally built by the WPA in the 1930's as a public restroom. It was seriously damaged in the Columbus Day windstorm of 1962 and never repaired. These days the building looks like some kind of otherworldly ruins in the forest, something out of a fairy tale. Ferns grow on the railings and walls and roof. Kids (and adults) love wandering around in it and on it.
The WPA and similar Depression-era projects were considered to be frivolous even at the time. But I'm glad they happened. They've left us a treasure trove.
Here's a photo of the ferns on one of the stone railings leading upstairs.
The small room behind the door show in the top photo often has interesting graffiti on the walls. I have no idea what this example means, but I thought it was both aesthetic and enigmatic.
The Macleay trail is a nice one for fall and winter hiking. Ditto for the Wildwood Trail and all the other trails of Forest Park. They are pleasant at all times of the year, but especially when snow and ice cover the high country trails. Some of the Forest Park trails can get astonishingly muddy, but that's about it.
I didn't really want this evening's events to be canceled. Oh, well.
The Palmer Divide creates interesting rain-shadow effects. The area to the south of us didn't get as much snow as we did.
Most of last week's snowfall is melted, at least in the sunny areas. We did have above-freezing temperatures, which helps. Even with sub-freezing temperatures, the strong sun combined with the dry air leads to rapid snow disappearance. Some of it is melting and evaporation, and some is sublimation. Areas in the shade stay snowy for a lot longer.
Oregon Photos
Here are a few photos from our trip to Oregon this past fall.
The above photo is from Macleay park, one of the parks that makes up the Forest Park system. It's a small stone structure at the point where the Wildwood Trail intersects the Macleay trail. It's called the Stone House (duh), and was originally built by the WPA in the 1930's as a public restroom. It was seriously damaged in the Columbus Day windstorm of 1962 and never repaired. These days the building looks like some kind of otherworldly ruins in the forest, something out of a fairy tale. Ferns grow on the railings and walls and roof. Kids (and adults) love wandering around in it and on it.
The WPA and similar Depression-era projects were considered to be frivolous even at the time. But I'm glad they happened. They've left us a treasure trove.
Here's a photo of the ferns on one of the stone railings leading upstairs.
The small room behind the door show in the top photo often has interesting graffiti on the walls. I have no idea what this example means, but I thought it was both aesthetic and enigmatic.
The Macleay trail is a nice one for fall and winter hiking. Ditto for the Wildwood Trail and all the other trails of Forest Park. They are pleasant at all times of the year, but especially when snow and ice cover the high country trails. Some of the Forest Park trails can get astonishingly muddy, but that's about it.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Winter Weather
Brr! Today was cold! It was about 10 F at 6am, and down to 9 F by 3pm. It snowed all day, a few inches of pretty fluffy flakes that piled up but squooshed down under any weight at all. The roads are a bit slippery, but it's not too bad.
Yesterday, we had ice fog. After a day of sub-freezing temperatures, low clouds, and fog, the trees were coated with small ice crystals on the upwind side. It's pretty. The crystals are still there under the snow.
Our evening activities got canceled tonight due to the weather. Bummer. What's the problem with a little cold and ice and snow? I had to go to town anyway to pick up children from school.
Just for the heck of it, here's a photo.
This is from our September trip to Oregon. It's South Falls, one of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park. The trail goes behind the waterfall. This photo shows a few small specks that are people walking along the trail. The falls are close to 200 feet high. The entire hiking trail visits close to a dozen falls, often going behind them. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors. Even those who can't hike very far are often willing to walk the short distance to South Falls.
One often sees photos of the various waterfalls in the park on scenic-vista calendars. Usually, the leaves will be turning or flowers will be in the foreground or everything will be covered in snow and ice or something equally dramatic. This was taken on a normal late-summer day, nothing terribly dramatic except for the falls themselves. Even the falls aren't terribly dramatic, since late summer water flow isn't as impressive as it is earlier in the year. It was a worthwhile visit anyway. It always is.
Yesterday, we had ice fog. After a day of sub-freezing temperatures, low clouds, and fog, the trees were coated with small ice crystals on the upwind side. It's pretty. The crystals are still there under the snow.
Our evening activities got canceled tonight due to the weather. Bummer. What's the problem with a little cold and ice and snow? I had to go to town anyway to pick up children from school.
Just for the heck of it, here's a photo.
This is from our September trip to Oregon. It's South Falls, one of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park. The trail goes behind the waterfall. This photo shows a few small specks that are people walking along the trail. The falls are close to 200 feet high. The entire hiking trail visits close to a dozen falls, often going behind them. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors. Even those who can't hike very far are often willing to walk the short distance to South Falls.
One often sees photos of the various waterfalls in the park on scenic-vista calendars. Usually, the leaves will be turning or flowers will be in the foreground or everything will be covered in snow and ice or something equally dramatic. This was taken on a normal late-summer day, nothing terribly dramatic except for the falls themselves. Even the falls aren't terribly dramatic, since late summer water flow isn't as impressive as it is earlier in the year. It was a worthwhile visit anyway. It always is.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
claranet
I`m lerning how to play claranet.
playing the claranet is fun.
my favoret music is FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
playing the claranet is fun.
my favoret music is FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Snow photos
We had a snow day for school today. The sun came out and melted some of the snow. I'm sure we'll all be back in our regular routine tomorrow.
EE has posted today. I think Imax might make a debut on the blog today, too.
Here are a bunch of photos. Also notice the new header photo, taken this morning. Well, if you're reading this in a few months, it will have changed. But I assure you that it's very appropriate for December!
The view this morning:
And a visitor who strolled by while I was taking one of the above photos:
--------------------------
Here are a few more photos, assuming I can fight blogger long enough to get them posted and stuck in the right place. These are geraniums. (Duh.) The striped one is a rescue. A family member found the plant, sans pot, in a dumpster and asked if we could bring it home. Sure, why not? So we did.
It survived the trauma of abandonment and is doing well. The flowers are cute.
The other geranium is a plain old normal geranium. It's happy enough to bloom in December, which is good enough for me. It's been growing in our house for several years. We're rooting some of its branches to give it a few clone-siblings.
The holiday cactus bloom from earlier this month is history. There are more buds on the plant that will open soon. The other impulse-purchase holiday cactus also has some buds that will open soon. Our older plant is setting its buds, too. They weren't there when I took the original photo, but they were there a few days later. They are still small. I expect we'll get flowers in January, as usual.
EE has posted today. I think Imax might make a debut on the blog today, too.
Here are a bunch of photos. Also notice the new header photo, taken this morning. Well, if you're reading this in a few months, it will have changed. But I assure you that it's very appropriate for December!
The view this morning:
And a visitor who strolled by while I was taking one of the above photos:
--------------------------
Here are a few more photos, assuming I can fight blogger long enough to get them posted and stuck in the right place. These are geraniums. (Duh.) The striped one is a rescue. A family member found the plant, sans pot, in a dumpster and asked if we could bring it home. Sure, why not? So we did.It survived the trauma of abandonment and is doing well. The flowers are cute.
The other geranium is a plain old normal geranium. It's happy enough to bloom in December, which is good enough for me. It's been growing in our house for several years. We're rooting some of its branches to give it a few clone-siblings.
The holiday cactus bloom from earlier this month is history. There are more buds on the plant that will open soon. The other impulse-purchase holiday cactus also has some buds that will open soon. Our older plant is setting its buds, too. They weren't there when I took the original photo, but they were there a few days later. They are still small. I expect we'll get flowers in January, as usual.
Astral Conjunction
Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent Moon will be very close to each other in the sky at sunset tonight (about an hour from now). Looks like it will be clear weather for viewing. When I looked last week with my son's telescope, Venus and Jupiter were still quite a ways apart, but Venus has been moving at close to its maximum of 1 degree (about 2 moon widths) per day!
See this NASA briefing.
See this NASA briefing.
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