Happy Holloween

No costumes at our house (except at the door), just pumpkin carving.

My sister-in-law, Barbara, and I carved these today.

You can see a few more pumpkin pictures here.

Tuesday Challenge: Crisp

Matzo which doesn't so much break as shatter.

More Tuesday Challenge here.

Family Christmas

The Saturday after Christmas my family gathered at my parents for our Christmas celebration. My sister and her family, my younger brother and his family, my older brother's family, and Amy and I were all in attendance. Unfortunately, due to travel issues and hockey tickets my younger brother and his family had to leave before my older brother's family arrived. My older brother was busy coaching a hockey game so he wasn't there either. We had fun opening presents, in a really laid back manner. My two youngest nephews (4 and 6) had a great time playing together and lots of game playing fun was had - Sorry with the N and D, Set with Shelley, the swimmer (my 15 year old niece), and D, and Sleeping Queens with Amy, Shelley and D.

Sunday morning while Amy enjoyed some alone time in the hotel (my parents house is too small for all of us) I met my sister, and younger brother and their families for breakfast and then we headed off to the movies. We saw the Water Horse, a story of one possible explanation for the Loch Ness monster. It gets a thumbs up. I wouldn't recommend it for children under 5, but everyone else will enjoy it. After lunch on our own, Shelley and D joined me for a swim in the hotel pool while my sister and Amy watched.

Sunday night we met up with a college friend and her family for dinner. Ann and I weren't that close in college, but over the years Amy and I have gotten much closer to her, her husband and her daughters. Dinner wasn't fancy, but we closed the place down - not as exciting as it sounds since the restaurant we were at closes at 8pm on Sunday nights. Had it been warmer we might have continued the conversation for hours in the parking lot. The good news is that they're going to be in our area in a few weeks, so we'll continue the conversation then.

Highlights of the weekend in photo form:

N showing off his new zamboni.


D watching the action.


N and his monster bowling set.


D enjoying N's monster truck (can't you just hear the truck noises?)


Cousins - I love this shot of the two little imps.


View from our hotel room Monday morning.

Christmas Lights

Most of the people who put up holiday lights in our town do so with restraint - a few strings on the bushes in front of the house, lights around a few windows, a lighted blow-up character or two. There is one house, though, which we pass when returning from the grocery store that goes all out with their Christmas decorations.

It started innocently enough. When we first lived here the bushes on one edge of their yard looked like a row of gum drops. When the holidays rolled around the owners added colored lights to the gum drop bushes. With a coating of snow the bushes were quite beautiful.

Slowly additional holiday items were added. And during the last couple years the house has attracted enough attention to slow traffic. There are lights on bushes, lights on the house, lighted blow-up characters, slide shows and those gum drop bushes - they now sport not only the lights but a stereo system playing carols to which the lights are synchronized.

For your viewing pleasure here are a few shots of the spectacle. (Click on the pictures to see larger views.)

Holiday Baking

Our kitchen has been humming with a flurry of cooking and baking this weekend. Turkey and stuffing, roast beef, pork roast and ham & beans were the entries in the cooking portion of the weekend. Below are the entries in the baking category.

Vanocka ( Czech Christmas Bread)
Full of golden raisins and walnuts.


Homemade Chocolate Danish.


Amy's Fudge

There was also a marginally successful attempt at divinity. There is no photographic evidence of that.

Tuesday Challenge: Christmas

This santa graces my aunt's Christmas tree.

See more Tuesday Challenge here.

PhotoSunday: N

N is for

Noel

See more PhotoSunday here.

Sunday Scribblings: Holiday Memories

I don't remember a childhood Christmas without piles of gingerbread cookies to decorate. (Well, actually they were mostly molasses crisps, but we don't need to get technical about it.) I don't remember any sugar cookies, just gingerbread. The cookies came in many shapes and sizes - Christmas trees, rocking horses, little men. We were as attached to those cutters as we were to the ornaments on the tree.

This family tradition was born, or so I've been told, when my older brother who was 3 at the time wanted to send Christmas cards to his friends. My mother suggested that he decorate cookies instead, and so the tradition was born.

Each year a table was given over to the decorating. Wax paper, toothpicks, spoons, paper towels or napkins were our tools. Confectioners sugar, water and food coloring became simple icing. Some cookies were decorated with great care. I can clearly remember my sister bent over a single cookie for what seemed like hours. I remember her cookies as the most intricate. Other cookies did not get so much attention.

Once enough cookies were decorated the packaging and distribution began. We carefully chose which cookies would go to which recipients - frequently cookies were decorated with a particular person in mind. We packed the cookies in layers of wax paper and nestled them into boxes. We would walk to the neighbors to deliver theirs, and then head out in the car to deliver others.

The cookies were always received with great enthusiasm. Oohs and ahs were common.

There were always a few of the cookies left for us. But, here's the confession portion of this post, although I would eat a few I didn't really like them. I'm not a great fan of molasses. And yet for a few Christmases when I was on my own I continued the tradition using the same molasses crisp recipe.

Shutterday: Holiday

Reindeer

See more Shutterday here.

Passover Haiku

Charoset, matzo
horseradish and Grandma's plates,
time for the seder.

Charoset is a concoction of fruit, nuts and wine that is a traditional Passover dish. The ingredients are ground and mixed to resemble mortar. Amy makes three types - a traditional (Ashkenazi) mix of apples, walnuts and red wine; one with apples, apricots, almonds and sometimes dates; and a third with pistachios, walnuts, almonds, figs, dates, prunes, and apricots. All are yummy.