Christmas Delights

Christmas 2011 has been a season of family, food, dogs/cats, grown children and special gifts. 

Our Christmas Eve is always a Czech meal that my grandmother hosted on the farm and has been the same for as long as any of us remember.  Years ago she taught me to make her prune dumplings and I think they were just like hers this year!  I have never had the Czech spelling but phonetically it's call pee-yet-ee. 

A sweet bread stuffed with plump prunes, cut into hunks and doused with a combination of milk, sugar and poppy seed.  The dish is then baked and dumplings are turned quite often so each is moist and soft with milk mixture.  Most everyone eats a piece, but my dad and I LOVE it!  We share the leftovers and eat them for the rest of the week! (feel free to comment if you'd like the recipe)

Christmas Day was a bit of a challenge this year as John had to take our daughter, Julia, to the ER at 8am.  A scratched cornea and eye infection was the diagnosis.  Painful and swollen, she made it through gifts & breakfast and still went to work in the afternoon!  (Double pay is motivating for sure!)  Our Jamie was North Face-d, Ugg-ed and Victoria Secret-d within an hour of gift opening and planning her evening of movie going by 10:30am.

Little Pierre had so much fun with his gifts from Santa and the cat's gifts from Santa....and the cats after their gifts from Santa! 

John and I never do too much with gifts for each other.  This year we both had gotten a few great things the other had been wanting or needing! 

I received a few special gifts this year too.  Our daughter, Gina, sent a few of her homemade chutneys and lemon curd.  My friend Sandy, gave me a sweet, rooster-topped bottle of homemade amaretto and my artist friend, Pat Cooper, sent a card with a watercolor of Pierre on the front!  Homemade is always a great gift!

My folks hosted dinner on Christmas Day and as usual per my Mom, it was fantastic!  She really puts out the spread!  Per tradition...women in the kitchen, men.....well, you know men. 

I wish you a season filled with all of these wonderful things too and a healthy, happy New Year!

September Pleasures

This week brought pleasures that are strictly for the month of September!  Years ago I planted some sweet white wine grapes with the thought I'd want to make wine.  I do not want to make wine.  It seems I just cleaned out the basement and I'm not willing to put anything else down there!

 This year was a lovely harvest from that vine and today I will make some beautiful, sparkly, white grape jelly.

John and I have given each other many trees as gifts over the years.  For our 10th wedding anniversary John gave me a magnolia tree with the brightest, most delicious blossoms in May that you can imagine.  It's a special treasure all year long.  Four years ago, I gave him a pear tree for his birthday and we have enjoyed a peck or so each year.  This year, the little pear that could...DID!  Wow, we ended up having to pick these pears a bit before their time to save the branches from breaking.  They are now laid out on boards to ripen. 

I hope you are ready for pear recipes!  Last year I made a lovely mascarpone cheese and pear pie, it will be difficult to find something new to create that tops that one!  I will be posting recipes as the pears ripen.

Our Pierre has decided that summer is officially over, as you can see from the evidence of a rainy, cold week:

I should be angry, but we left them in fair game areas and the end-of-summer sales softened the blow!  How can you be mad at this?

 

   

New Friends

Over a year ago, I was looking for a puppy and deciding which breed was right for me.  I ran across a blog written by Juli, from Los Angeles California.  Juli has 3 Pugs and I have since enjoyed communicating through our blogs (www.teapotsandpolkadots.blogspot.com ) about our dogs and life.  Juli has given me great advice for raising Pierre and  I have enjoyed seeing her slice of California life!

After posting pictures of Gina's graduation from the University of Michigan, Juli contacted me and revealed that her son would be a Freshman at Michigan this year and they would be coming to move him into the dorms!

We discussed the logistics and Juli's family decided to stay at our Inn On Evans above The Boulevard Market and we met them there on Sunday evening with Pierre.

I have to admit, this was a bit strange for me as I've never had an internet friend before and I wasn't sure what to expect.  Blogs are an interesting peek into someones life.

Juli was just as warm and friendly, chatty and personable as I expected!  We slipped into friendship as if we had known each other forever!  We were able to carve a bit of time out of preparing their son, David's, dorm room to go to Downtown Home and Garden (I thought Juli would love this place) and have supper together.

Juli and her husband Jeff, were so thoughtful to bring us a taste of their California, local cheese and goodies, and a gift for our Pierre....

The cheese was from "Andante" of Petaluma California and with a stellar reputation of which I had only read about, I was so excited to be able to have a piece of my own!  Simply Fabulous.  Their local "ThinKrisps" Savory Sage Parmesan...unbelievable.  Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie...sinfully fantastic! 

I was absolutely enchanted by her selection of "sweaters" for Pierre, including a Los Angeles hoodie!  They are ridiculously cute and SO Juli! (I can't wait to return the favor..don'tcha think the Pugs would look amazing in maize and blue ;))    Each sweater is cuter than the last.  I need an extra set of hands to corral little Pierre into each and take photos.  I will be posting them soon!

      
 We had a lovely visit and it was time to say "good-bye", yet Juli is writing blog posts already and it's as if she is around the corner!     

This weeks thoughts....

Pierre is our first dog.  How long do you have to dance, get excited, give treats and generally flip out every time they go potty outside?  None of the books tell me this important fact.

Pierre helping himself to a snack.....

I always thought it quite odd when a sales clerk would check a pair of shoes in the box before ringing up my purchase.  Like I was trying to buy 2 different sizes or something...until I got a box of shoes home the other day and realized I only had 1 shoe!!!!  Shoe checkers everywhere, I apologize and carry on checking shoes, please!!

I realized yesterday I still have Christmas potpurri on my bathroom vanity.  Pinecones, sparkly ribbon and juniper berries galore.....it matches the wreath that is still stuck on the exterior of The Market (and the weather in Michigan).

Potpurri exchanged for spring tulips!

I really love greek salads at Coney Island restaurants.  Especially when they add chickpeas and english cucumbers.  They always taste better there in the funky little clear plastic dishes shaped like lettuce leaves!

I cannot get over being horribly disgusted when the dog eats poop outside.  We installed an invisible fence last month, so at least I won't have to witness it much longer!  UGH!

Sweet Fentiman's Tonic water bottle says "SPRING!"

I had been loving Ray LaMontagne's music until the song "Beg, Steal Or Borrow" which talks about a young man who is willing to do all 3 above mentioned to get out of his small hometown.  The lyrics go on to say "Pull all the friends that you knew in school, They used to be so cool, now they just bore you.  Look at 'em now already pullin' the plow, So quick to take to grain like some old mule."  Really?  This makes me want to rant about attitudes regarding young people taking up farming.
 



 

Little Pierre

Last night was Pierre's first sleep over ever.  I can only assume it was not a happy event for him as it was time to be neutered.  This photo explains that necessity perfectly:

Pulling on pant legs is not attractive.  Neither is lifting a leg at The Boulevard Market...I did stop that, just in time! 

We missed our little greeter, it was pretty quiet here last night.  The cats enjoyed eating their treats (and Pierre's treats) in peace and sleeping the day away without interruption.  I missed his squirmy little body and puppy kisses.  I am looking forward to picking him up this morning!

  
We are anticipating a big change in attitude after this incident!

Pierre's Chicken Coop!

I have become "a dog person".  I actually THINK about what my puppy, Pierre, might like to play with.  (Please withhold eye rolling at this point, it gets better)  We have a multitude of toys that squeak, make duck or monkey noises, are soft and/or hard and everything in between.  I put some away and take others out regularly so the baby does not get bored (and proceed to chewing on undesirables).

I mostly shop at our local pet store, Red Mill Pet Supplies, but I was checking out invisible fencing and decided to stop at a PetSmart.  While perusing the nearly ridiculous amount of dog stuff, I came across the new line of Martha Stewart for pets.  You can imagine what happened...I really wanted the "nantucket"-looking cable sweater, crocheted toys, leather harness and everything,  but chose an intelligence building Chicken Coop.  John was bitching the whole time.   It was the best $15 I've ever spent!

I'm not sure I need to build Pierre's intelligence (he occasionally scares me when he understands the words I say) I'm perfectly happy to have a non-highly-intelligent-terrier.  He really likes to hide things, so I thought the coop would be perfect.  Our dog is OBSESSED with this toy.  The barn is plushy and crinkly and has a couple entrances in which to get out stuffed and squeaky chicks.  The dog loves it and the cats really like the barn too.  Pierre plays with this toy everyday and not one tear to the fabric, chicks are still intact and squeaky, it's incredible.

It's impossible to take clear pictures since Pierre is ALWAYS moving!!!

Over the years I've been a sideline fan of M.S. but never got too involved with her products, shows etc.  I was on her side during the prison years (for real, prison time....it boils my feminist blood) and was happy to see her success after that episode.  I respect her for her business acumen and sheer determination.  I now REALLY like her for this dog toy.

I am picking another up for my brother's mini Australian Shepard, Marty, for his birthday next month.  Feel free to commence with the eye rolling at this point...I've gotten used to it when I start talking about dogs!  

Here's a link for the buying the chicken coop online http://dealnay.com/919013/martha-stewart-chicken-coop.html