I like writing about fun things, cheerful things and funny insignificant happenings. I wonder why, but have no clear concise reason other than I guess it makes me feel that all is right and happy, and the bad ugly things will go away if I can just turn my back on them. The reality is always different, we all know, but why not watch a comedy and laugh some more and turn away briefly from the big bad and scary?
Truthfully, I along with most Americans and people all over the world, are very worried about the economy, our jobs and what kind of world is ours turning into. Is there any validity behind our hopes for a turnaround for 2009, hopes for keeping our jobs and our homes? As I'm seeing things crumble around me, and listening to talk on the radio of this plan and that plan and a loss of over 500,000 American jobs just in the month of December, I am so terribly frightened.
Today I've been told that we are not doing overtime anymore, so as to distribute work among different offices that have no work. We have suspended all field work and travel for the first quarter to cut costs and everyone in our office is on edge.
Tonight our sister office down the street has invited us to join them in their belated holiday festivities. They are not in such a tight situation because they have multiple clients whereas we just have one, and one that is tightening its purse. None of us know anyone in this other office but everyone in our office but 2 are attending to "network" and meet some new people in hopes of not only making some new friends but hopefully find some work if available. I'm not wearing an interview suit, but close to it! ;-)
This sums up why I haven't been writing as much the last few months... I've been scared and I'm having a hard time seeing the flowers through the fog.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Ham Loaf
My mom would be gasping in shock to see that I am posting a meat loaf recipe (I am not a fan of meat loaf), but I have had ham loaf once a long time ago and I liked it. So, back to my good ol' 1966 New York Times Cookbook for the next idea of what to do with ham.
Ham Loaf
1 pound of ground ham (in food processor)
1/2 pound of ground pork (I used 40% less fat pork sausage meat, not in the casings)
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Mix meats together. In a separate bowl beat egg and milk and sage together and add meats and bread crumbs mixing until uniform. Form into a loaf and bake for 45 minutes (or I did it in the crock pot, for 5-6 hours to keep it moist). Top with Orange Glaze and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until nice and golden, basting frequently.
Orange Glaze
1.5 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. orange zest
Mix ingredients together.
There was so much extra glaze that I used it on the sweet potatoes I was serving- yum! I served the ham loaf and sweet potatoes with orange slices from the one used for zesting, a small side salad tossed in honey mustard and cooked cabbage with butter. It was nice to have something so different and very, very delicious. The orange glaze was what did it.
We only have a few slices of ham left, and the bone I'm using in the crock pot today to make split pea soup!
Ham Loaf
1 pound of ground ham (in food processor)
1/2 pound of ground pork (I used 40% less fat pork sausage meat, not in the casings)
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Mix meats together. In a separate bowl beat egg and milk and sage together and add meats and bread crumbs mixing until uniform. Form into a loaf and bake for 45 minutes (or I did it in the crock pot, for 5-6 hours to keep it moist). Top with Orange Glaze and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until nice and golden, basting frequently.
Orange Glaze
1.5 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. orange zest
Mix ingredients together.
There was so much extra glaze that I used it on the sweet potatoes I was serving- yum! I served the ham loaf and sweet potatoes with orange slices from the one used for zesting, a small side salad tossed in honey mustard and cooked cabbage with butter. It was nice to have something so different and very, very delicious. The orange glaze was what did it.
We only have a few slices of ham left, and the bone I'm using in the crock pot today to make split pea soup!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Fairy: A Happy Feathered Friend
Unbelievably, after 8 months, we think we've found out what has been causing our little "Fairy Munchkin" to be so noisy and needy.
On New Year's Eve, I had just finished filling out a questionnaire for Phoenix Landing, a non-profit organization that re-homes birds. Having my stress level on overdrive for 8 months and being reduced to tears over the constant wear on my nerves from the little bird, we finally decided that the only solution was to find her a home with a family that was home more. We figured it was our long work hours that must have gotten to her. As the vet and behaviorist suggested, we tried regular bath time, teaching her new tricks, tried to develop a consistent routine and bedtime, had her with me if I went into a different room to sew, etc. None of that worked. I prayed for patience, prayed for bird's change in perspective and finally prayed to understand what she was trying to communicate.
On New Year's Eve, I had just finished filling out a questionnaire for Phoenix Landing, a non-profit organization that re-homes birds. Having my stress level on overdrive for 8 months and being reduced to tears over the constant wear on my nerves from the little bird, we finally decided that the only solution was to find her a home with a family that was home more. We figured it was our long work hours that must have gotten to her. As the vet and behaviorist suggested, we tried regular bath time, teaching her new tricks, tried to develop a consistent routine and bedtime, had her with me if I went into a different room to sew, etc. None of that worked. I prayed for patience, prayed for bird's change in perspective and finally prayed to understand what she was trying to communicate.
So on New Year's Eve, after a long 5 days off with her around Christmas time, I began to fill out the questionnaire. Not ready to send, but just so it was ready. Then, getting a bit of inspiration, I asked Paul, "What do you think about trying to move her to a different spot?" We had done this already, but maybe she didn't like being near a window. Paul, eager to try anything to keep his bird from going up for adoption, he jumped up and helped me move her cage to a wall furthest from the window. This was halfway through the day, and by golly we didn't hear a peep out of her for the rest of the day! We continued with the routines of bedtime and playtime, but she was actually content for the first time.
Thinking it was a fluke, we were shocked when we had the most peaceful day at home yesterday that we have had since May when she started her thing. She played with toys, sat on different perches and watched what was going on, but not with the anxious body language, the call to be held, etc. She didn't scream if we left the room. She was a relaxed bird! I think, and I'm hesitant to assume this is the solution, but I think that something must have happened in the window that has scared her (she used to love windows). We have noticed lots of hawks around, and maybe one tried to fly into the window at her in May. I don't know, but she seems so much happier. After all that time, poor bird must have been trying to say she was scared. I am so thankful, so, so thankful that we might be on a path towards peace in our home, a much happier bird, and a much happier me!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Ham, Ham and more Ham
You may be in the same blessed predicament as us to have more ham than you can think of what to do with after Christmas. Paul came home with a Honey Baked ham last Tuesday - a gift from his company, and we have to finish it in a week (or so the instructions say) before it spoils. I love Honey Baked ham, but because ham is so salty, I get tired after a few days of ham with green beans, ham with carrots, ham with broccoli, and on and on.
The solution for me was to go to my favorite book of all cookbooks, one that I found years ago at a used bookstore: The New York Times Menu Cookbook, published in 1966. The fun thing is that this huge book of recipes was written pre-carbs and fat days so the recipes are based purely on taste rather than health - a bad thing most of the time, but occasionally it must be done! It also has a fantastic index. I looked up "ham" and came up with dozens of recipes including ham. This is what I chose, and it was a wonderfully delicious choice that tasted like a cross between a creamy Italian pasta primavera dish and a vegetable medley/pot pie (don't let the simple, innocent name deceive you):
Ham and Vegetable Casserole
4 Tbs. of butter
1 small chopped onion
1.5 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup of diced potatoes
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of chopped green beans
2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs (put a few slices in a food processor or vitamix and you have crumbs)
Few slices of bacon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
1. I chopped all veggies (onions separately) in a food processor to cut down on time.
2. Melt butter in saucepan and add onion, cooking until transparent.
3. Bring milk to a boil.
4. Meanwhile blend flour in with onions and start the bacon cooking in a frying pan (you will need the drippings so don't microwave).
5. bring some water to a boil and cook the chopped veggies for only a few minutes ~2-3.
6. Add the boiled milk slowly in with the onions/flour/butter mixture, mixing until it thickens.
7. Add cooked veggies and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Place mixture into a 1.5 quart casserole dish.
9. Dice up the cooked bacon and sprinkle on top.
10. Add bread crumbs to the bacon drippings and sprinkle on top of everything.
11. Bake the casserole for thirty minutes or until mixture is hot and the bread crumbs are brown.
Note: this is supposed to serve 6 but really in today's serving sizes, especially if you are serving no side dishes, serves 3 to 4. Even that looks like a small amount, but it is surprisingly filling - really packs a punch. We had enough for the two of us to have dinner last night and leftovers for lunch.
The solution for me was to go to my favorite book of all cookbooks, one that I found years ago at a used bookstore: The New York Times Menu Cookbook, published in 1966. The fun thing is that this huge book of recipes was written pre-carbs and fat days so the recipes are based purely on taste rather than health - a bad thing most of the time, but occasionally it must be done! It also has a fantastic index. I looked up "ham" and came up with dozens of recipes including ham. This is what I chose, and it was a wonderfully delicious choice that tasted like a cross between a creamy Italian pasta primavera dish and a vegetable medley/pot pie (don't let the simple, innocent name deceive you):
Ham and Vegetable Casserole
4 Tbs. of butter
1 small chopped onion
1.5 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup of diced potatoes
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of chopped green beans
2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs (put a few slices in a food processor or vitamix and you have crumbs)
Few slices of bacon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
1. I chopped all veggies (onions separately) in a food processor to cut down on time.
2. Melt butter in saucepan and add onion, cooking until transparent.
3. Bring milk to a boil.
4. Meanwhile blend flour in with onions and start the bacon cooking in a frying pan (you will need the drippings so don't microwave).
5. bring some water to a boil and cook the chopped veggies for only a few minutes ~2-3.
6. Add the boiled milk slowly in with the onions/flour/butter mixture, mixing until it thickens.
7. Add cooked veggies and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Place mixture into a 1.5 quart casserole dish.
9. Dice up the cooked bacon and sprinkle on top.
10. Add bread crumbs to the bacon drippings and sprinkle on top of everything.
11. Bake the casserole for thirty minutes or until mixture is hot and the bread crumbs are brown.
Note: this is supposed to serve 6 but really in today's serving sizes, especially if you are serving no side dishes, serves 3 to 4. Even that looks like a small amount, but it is surprisingly filling - really packs a punch. We had enough for the two of us to have dinner last night and leftovers for lunch.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Pics for the Family
Merry Christmas again everyone! This post is mainly to thank our moms, dads and sisters for the wonderful gifts you sent. So here is our Christmas morning....
Clementine is not quite sure about the disco ball from my sister. It will take her ~ 4 months to get used to it, but Clementine still said, "Thanks Aunt Heather"
Paulie in his new homemade Christmas PJs (from me).
Paul says, "Thanks, Mum, for Batman!"
This shirt from my mom and dad says, "May the forest be with you." Quite cleverly paralleling Paul's favorite movie trilogy of all time.
" Thanks for the top and purse, Alison, Barry, Craig and Adam!" (my family-in-laws)
Love the apron, M & D!!! I used it already when making cinnamon rolls. Heather, thanks so much for you generosity and great ideas!
Hitchhiking Fairy coming in for a closer look. She spent the whole morning preening the fuzz on the santa hat!
Thanks again everyone for the wonderful gifts!
And Paul says thanks too (foot shot to include Christmas PJs).
Heather, the Thomas Kincaid puzzle is so much fun!! We have much more done since this picture was taken a few days ago. The Vader puzzle we started Wednesday night and finished on Christmas.
The 47 kajillion veggie dinner spread of savoy cabbage, carrots and swede, sweet potatoes, roast potatoes and parsnips, ham and broccoli.
Carrying out the English tradition of pulling Christmas crackers (as provided by M & D)
After reading the enclosed jokes and trivia, we donned the included golden crowns.
Funny story about going to the neighbors to give out our plates of cookies on Christmas eve. We finished the cookies and mince pies around 4:30 and I left the cinnamon roll dough to rise for the 1.5 hours that's required. Thinking we'd be gone 20 minutes or so I almost left the birds out of their cages. Paul said he thought we'd be gone for quite some time because we'll probably end up talking, etc. "oh, no, I don't think so." I explained, "everyone will be getting ready for Christmas and so we'll deliver our cookies, wish them merry christmas and move on." 
Mom, Dad and Heather, I lost my old recipe! This is a new one I found on the internet - that's why they may look a little different. They are flatter, but moister, hmmm.. can't figure out why!
If you guys have any Christmas pictures you'd like to share, email them to me and I'll post them.
Clementine is not quite sure about the disco ball from my sister. It will take her ~ 4 months to get used to it, but Clementine still said, "Thanks Aunt Heather"Paulie in his new homemade Christmas PJs (from me).Paul says, "Thanks, Mum, for Batman!"
This shirt from my mom and dad says, "May the forest be with you." Quite cleverly paralleling Paul's favorite movie trilogy of all time.
" Thanks for the top and purse, Alison, Barry, Craig and Adam!" (my family-in-laws)
Love the apron, M & D!!! I used it already when making cinnamon rolls. Heather, thanks so much for you generosity and great ideas! 
Hitchhiking Fairy coming in for a closer look. She spent the whole morning preening the fuzz on the santa hat!
Thanks again everyone for the wonderful gifts!
And Paul says thanks too (foot shot to include Christmas PJs). Heather, the Thomas Kincaid puzzle is so much fun!! We have much more done since this picture was taken a few days ago. The Vader puzzle we started Wednesday night and finished on Christmas.
The 47 kajillion veggie dinner spread of savoy cabbage, carrots and swede, sweet potatoes, roast potatoes and parsnips, ham and broccoli.
Carrying out the English tradition of pulling Christmas crackers (as provided by M & D)
After reading the enclosed jokes and trivia, we donned the included golden crowns.Funny story about going to the neighbors to give out our plates of cookies on Christmas eve. We finished the cookies and mince pies around 4:30 and I left the cinnamon roll dough to rise for the 1.5 hours that's required. Thinking we'd be gone 20 minutes or so I almost left the birds out of their cages. Paul said he thought we'd be gone for quite some time because we'll probably end up talking, etc. "oh, no, I don't think so." I explained, "everyone will be getting ready for Christmas and so we'll deliver our cookies, wish them merry christmas and move on."
How wrong was I! We were invited in, given drinks and snacks and experienced the full hospitality that can be offered. Feeling more comfortable about our relationship with the lawn lady across the way, we were so happy that the past could be forgotten. Four hours later and three plates of cookies delivered, we came back home.
Sadly, the cinnamon roll dough had risen and fallen, being that it was left for too long. But nevermind, a new batch was started the day after Christmas and they are delicious! Plus, I got to use my new apron and measuring spoons.
Mom, Dad and Heather, I lost my old recipe! This is a new one I found on the internet - that's why they may look a little different. They are flatter, but moister, hmmm.. can't figure out why!
If you guys have any Christmas pictures you'd like to share, email them to me and I'll post them.
Lots of Love,
Karen and Paul
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Bringing in the Winter
It's been a cold fall so fall seemed to blend seamlessly into winter here... although we did have some T-shirt days this December! I've been in the field for the last two weeks sprinkled with a few days in the office, so the weekends have been jam packed with getting things done and having fun for the Christmas time. A summary of the past 3 weeks.. wow has it been that long?
Bottles finished!
Then we helped Tracy decorate her baby Christmas tree.
Today, Paul and I are baking to carry on the tradition. Paul "the Mincer" Pie from last year will be making a reappearance to bake his famous mince pies, and Kare "the bear" will be making cinnamon rolls again. We'll see how much gets done but we are keeping the goal loose so we will stop when we are tired.
Our girls have been anxiously awaiting santa, especially Clementine who loves the extra snacks: walnuts and noodles and walnuts and pistacios and walnuts.....
Fairy, the look of an angel but not so this year. We hope Santa will still be gracious, but we will have to see. She has been showing us her alter ego this year by way of behavior problems ranging from screaming, to overly clingy to biting. We took her to a therapist who is baffled.
We had lots of raking to do this fall, and this is the last of it. I dragged Paul out of bed two weekends ago to help, and he's most feeling sorry for himself here. It is a big job, especially since the wind blows the leaves from our neighbors yards into ours!
Same day: Paul helping with Christmas deco. Doesn't he look happy? It was a big day after all, but he got really into the decor after a few minutes and donned the traditional santa hat.
Paul in the Santa hat and the tree finished.
I went to a friend's from work (girls' night) and we did a craft - painted our glass Martinelli's, wine or water bottles, to fill with christmas lights.
Same day: Paul helping with Christmas deco. Doesn't he look happy? It was a big day after all, but he got really into the decor after a few minutes and donned the traditional santa hat.Paul in the Santa hat and the tree finished.
I went to a friend's from work (girls' night) and we did a craft - painted our glass Martinelli's, wine or water bottles, to fill with christmas lights. Of course what girl party would be complete without the goodies? - everyone brought a dessert and a $5 ornament for the secret santa exchange.
Bottles finished!Then we helped Tracy decorate her baby Christmas tree. Today, Paul and I are baking to carry on the tradition. Paul "the Mincer" Pie from last year will be making a reappearance to bake his famous mince pies, and Kare "the bear" will be making cinnamon rolls again. We'll see how much gets done but we are keeping the goal loose so we will stop when we are tired. Thinking of family all the time- we miss them so much. This is an especially joyous time of year and wanting to be near family and relive memories of days past seems to just come with the season. Not like those thoughts are not there the rest of the year, but especially at Christmas.
Exciting news on the family front: my brother and his wife are expecting their first child! And Paul's mum is making a wonderful recovery and is enjoying some pampering at Alison's, my dear sister-in-law.
I hope you are all able to enjoy your Christmas with loved ones and have much to be thankful for! Merry Christmas and lots of love!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
I have not posted in a long time because I have been working on Christmas projects since Thanksgiving, and have been swamped! My blog got back burnered. But I took some fun food pictures of Thanksgiving to share, and wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving.
We decided to hog wild for this Thanksgiving dinner, to enjoy and give thanks for all we have. Actually, we had a little bit of a miscommunication, because Paul thought we were going to cut down on the veggies this year, and I thought we were doing the "Engish Traditional" as I have dubbed holiday dinners that we do. Paul loves to have the fancy 27 kazillion veggies that they do for a traditional English Christmas dinner, and since they don't have Thanksgiving over there, we usually do the same dinner, more or less, for Thanksgiving and Christmas here.
I had to do a pie, and I found a really good apple pie recipe that has caused Paul to beg for a pie every week.
The the turkey that we injected with cajun marinade. It didn't come out real spicy but kept the turkey incredibly moist.
Paul jumped into action towards the tail end of cooking when he suddenly realized we were doing the 27 kajillion veggies. I became frantic in the last 20 minutes and shouted for help! He was hanging curtain rods, and I hated to stop a good thing in action, but crisis in the kitchen was more pressing.
A few of the veggies: green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (my request), roast parsnips in the front.
We also had cabbage, carrots and rutabaga, roast potatoes and homemade cranberry relish.
Finally ready!
Friday night we had a couple over from my work, and we had a leftover party. We contributed our leftovers and they brought their leftovers and we all put it all together for a huge variety, a fabulous dinner reheated in the oven. Paul and I still had more of our leftovers left and didn't have to cook Saturday or Sunday night and we had thanksgiving leftovers for 2 days of lunches at work!
We decided to hog wild for this Thanksgiving dinner, to enjoy and give thanks for all we have. Actually, we had a little bit of a miscommunication, because Paul thought we were going to cut down on the veggies this year, and I thought we were doing the "Engish Traditional" as I have dubbed holiday dinners that we do. Paul loves to have the fancy 27 kazillion veggies that they do for a traditional English Christmas dinner, and since they don't have Thanksgiving over there, we usually do the same dinner, more or less, for Thanksgiving and Christmas here.
I had to do a pie, and I found a really good apple pie recipe that has caused Paul to beg for a pie every week.
The the turkey that we injected with cajun marinade. It didn't come out real spicy but kept the turkey incredibly moist.Paul jumped into action towards the tail end of cooking when he suddenly realized we were doing the 27 kajillion veggies. I became frantic in the last 20 minutes and shouted for help! He was hanging curtain rods, and I hated to stop a good thing in action, but crisis in the kitchen was more pressing.A few of the veggies: green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (my request), roast parsnips in the front.We also had cabbage, carrots and rutabaga, roast potatoes and homemade cranberry relish.Finally ready!Friday night we had a couple over from my work, and we had a leftover party. We contributed our leftovers and they brought their leftovers and we all put it all together for a huge variety, a fabulous dinner reheated in the oven. Paul and I still had more of our leftovers left and didn't have to cook Saturday or Sunday night and we had thanksgiving leftovers for 2 days of lunches at work!Things that I am particularly thankful for this year:
1) family, family, family (although we don't see them much, they are always on our minds)
1) we both still have our jobs for the moment
2) we have a home
3) we can afford a comfortable life
4) we are healthy
5) Paul and I have each other
6) I love where we live, although I wish family wasn't so far away.
7) we are beginning to make some good friends and feeling more established here
7) we are beginning to make some good friends and feeling more established here
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
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