The Twelve Days Of Christmas ~ Cajun Style ~

Go to Mr. Linky here for the complete poem.

www.cajun-shop.com/cajun-twelve-days-of-christmas.htm

Fall over laughing.

Carry On

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Downtown Abbey

Go over to :

www.janeaustensworld.wordpress.com

Check out the information on the new " Downtown Abbey" .

Huzzah !

According to sources, Jean Marsh, she of the beloved " Upstairs Downstairs" has taken exception to what she claims is a pretty flat footed rip off of her creation.

Jean dearest...Get over it.

As more than one person has said.." You only have so many formats possible to use when you are depicting the difference between the classes.

I don't recall Ms Marsh screaming rip off at Merchant Ivory when they created such films as " Remains Of The Day" or " Howard's End".

If she was of a mindset to revisit her beloved series, don't you think she and BBC or PBS would have done so by now ?

It's not as if there is a flood of this type of quality programing to choose from as it is today.

Carry On,

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Rosettes

Ok..I am going to make it easy on everyone.

Go to :

www.pinchmysalt.com

Look at the blog entry for December 16, 2010.


I am a HUGE fan of the author and Nicole has a step by step illustrated guide on how to make rosettes...go there...go there now.

I haven't made them for years..but it's like making 7 layer bars...I've made them for so long that I just know how to do it...some folks are less enthusiastic when it comes to frying which is fine...'

Nicole makes it fun to learn. Her blog is beautiful and like Miss Ree's Tasty Kitchen, it is one I read every day and follow.


Rosette irons are easy to find specially during the holidays..it's one of those weird gifts that people either have because it is a family/traditional Scandinavian baked good or they have been given one....like a fondue pot.

Try them...it's fun and they are to die for.


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Krumkake

Krumkake:

Ingredients :

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1c. powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 small can evaporated milk or 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 c. melted butter

*melted chocolate for dipping

*whipped cream and fresh berries

Directions:

Beat the eggs and flour while continuously stirring. Then add the sugar, vanilla , almond extract and evaporated milk or heavy cream. Beat in the melted butter . Heat the Krumkake iron and drop 1 tablespoon onto the iron and press. Hold for about 30 seconds. Remove IMMEDIATELY and roll around the wooden cylinder into a cone shape. Fill with chocolate or berries or softened , sweetened cream cheese.

The above is the basic recipe and I can tell ya..my family used to fight over this still.....pure gold.

I promise this week..the Rosette recipe.

You can also use any Pizzelle recipe you want to with the same method..the only difference is that a pizzelle is not rolled around the cylinder..they stay flat and the most traditonal recipes use anise flavoring . Some might not like the anise or licorice flavor..simply use vanilla or almond extract in place of the anise..presto chango...all is right with the world.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

I Can Hear The Angels Singing Naow !

Krumkake.

Yes...

My grandparents were a very traditional, old county couple. Grandpa was as very educated Lutheran ( lutrin..oh ja sure you betcha ) minister and my grandmother came from a very well connected, monied family..but you would never know it...Elizabet was not one to put on airs. They lived for over 40 years in Winthrop, Minnesota ( MEEEENNNAAASOOOOOOTA) , pop . 764, not including the cows. Their marriage was a solid, traditional one, yet I was amazed that when my grandmother was becoming frailer and frailer from cancer, the man who was unable to get out of the Barcalounger to see if the coffee was done boiling and pour himself a cup....well...whaddaya know...Grandpa taught himself to cook. Lord that man could carry on about the Amana microwave.

And could he make Krumkake !

The Moosemeat was a given..okay....let me 'splain that. My uncles and Grandpa would go up to Canada every year to hunt..moose...deer...elk...not for sport per say..for food. My uncles could afford to do what ever they wanted but it was a tradition that they go " Hunting with Dad". My Grandpa made a dry summer sausage that we always called Moosemeat..hey we called Uncle Dicks huge ass Thunderbird car the " Birdie Bus"..so it made sense...we were also maybe under the age of 5 when we came up with this....anyhoo....Moosemeat was a prized delicacy in our family.

Same for the Krumkake.

One year Grandpa gave SU and I the bottom picture..a traditional Krumkake iron.

The problem is that we have a ceramic cook top...can't use it.

I have been thinking about this lately since I came across my rosette irons. My Grandmother taught me how to bake and I have vivid memories of her in the parsonage making rosettes...which reminds me of the Krumkake...and how dearly I miss them both.

So what do I find in my meanderings on the interwebs ?

Holy mother of God...an electric Krumkake Iron.

I want one.

And yes...I am going to post the recipe in the next post for Krumkake.

Feliz Navidad.

Aunty Pol

Tron

Yep..we went to see it yesterday.

I liked it but in some ways was disappointed by it.

Unrealistic expectations....possibly.

Spoiler alert..

In the original , the characters of Alan and Flynn were such that you actually cared about them.

Yes, we all hated David Warners characters Sark/Ed Dillinger and the MCP. We all loved Kevin Flynn /CLU, Alan Brady/Tron and Dr. Lora Baines/Yori...we made a connection to these characters quite possibly because the movie itself was and is groundbreaking for it's time .

The late great Bernard Hughes was brilliantly cast as Dr. Walter Gibbs Dumont and as the moral center of the film, and for all of us that are B5 geeks, as I have mentioned before Peter Jarasik was Crom, the first character to be de-res'd.

Like " War Games" , the real fear back then was the looming possibility that warfare would be ultimately be controlled by machine and not man. As idiotic as this seems now, to take the human out of the equation was an unspeakable nightmare that is to some the true definition of Armageddon.

Yes..these characters and this story made a lot of us care, plus it was some cool shit for 1982.

Yet in Tron Legacy, to me at least, that connection was missing . Yes . the special effects were bigger and badder..tho there was not as much of the 3 d effect as I would like to have seen..I am a greedy guts after all .

Bridges seemed to be doing more Lebowski than anything else...and I can see you shaking your heads as you read that last bit.." This is a problem Aunty Pol because why ?"...BECAUSE you have to think that Kevin Flynn cares that he has been missing out on the majority of his son Sam's life as he ( Flynn) is trapped on the grid.

His Son.

Not Encom, his son.

Um...not so much.

And Sam ? Now after you get over the joy ( lacking ) of a reunion..now..if I had been separated from my only parent, I can guarendamntee you that there would also be more than a little bit of " WTF ,, you didn't even TRY to get out of here..home to me ?"

Yes..the good guys have the blue stripes, the baddies red...and I wasn't as bothered by the CGI de-aging of Bridges as others have been...but as a danger..CLU was less threatening than your average bill collector...his Army wants to go through the portal ?

Fine.

I know 12 year olds that will frag their ass in a heartbeat.

As a co worker and I concluded...Tron has been Jar Jar'd.

I could weep.

At least " Green Lantern , Thor, Green Hornet and Captain America " look decent,.

Carry On.

Aunty Pol

Mondays

Yep...shoulda stayed in bed, I think the bronchial crap is flaring up again...shite !

On the other hand, we are as good to go for Christmas as we are gonna get ..

Have a great week.

Feliz Navidad !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Drum Roll Please.....

From " McHale's Navy" circa 1997..Bruce as Virgil.

Yes..that movie...the one that was so wretched that Bruce is the only damn reason to watch it.

I have spent the better part of the day like everyone else at the office peeved and then some at the wonkiness that is our access to the internet...and yes darling co-workers who read this, I suspect it is that doc review going on in the fishbowl that is somehow a part of all of this tho tall dark and lovely will not confirm or deny..the chickenshit.

Another cold front is blowing through tho no where near what the folks in Meeenaaasoooota have been subjected to or what Sistah and Double Oh are dealing with...no..we have the overcast grey cold humid shit that is every indication that rain which we sorely need is on the way ...and yet the weather does another fake out so..no rain...watering pots on the patio ..most likely in the dark is on the game plan.

And all I want to do is sleep. Part of the problem is that when I have been as sick as I ( we) have been , sleep is in fits and starts..neither restful or productive. At least all of the Christmas stuff is done, the Princess's package is on the way, cards are done...I will have to do some house work at some point...and I want to sleep.

Oh well....no rest for the ......you know the rest.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Google Lutefisk.

I dare you .

Then thank any or all of the Deities that are a part of your life to whatever degree that you are not of Scandanavian heritage.

Sorry Mom and Grandma and Grandpa..yep.

My mother was first generation this country from Sweden.

Uff Dah !

Not in my house, not now , not ever !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy National Cupcake Day !

Happy National Cupcake Day !

Go check out : http://www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/

Yes, if it's a weird holiday, I'm gonna find it and post about it .


Now, I'm starvin Marvin..lol


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Holiday Weirdness - Oh Yeah !

Holiday Weirdness..

No , I don't mean weird shit like Great Aunt Elna's fruitcake...don't ask.

Holiday weirdness , that special time of the year that generally makes Ol Pol here cringe and then think of bourbon with fond memory ..having moved on to Vodka and Cranberry juice..hey ..it's healthy ! Don't judge.

Bear in mind that you could for all practical purposes put what I know about kids in the eye of a needle and still have room for a full size sleeper sofa,

Cooking , I know.

Baking , I know.

Gardening , I know.

RPG's and being a GM , I know.

Kids...not so much.

That being said, of course I am going to ask beloved nephew and his wife what to get the Princess for Christmas.

Jeans....jeans with both a button fly and elastic in the back at the waistband because this child is the only one in our family who has NO ASS at all and has to hike her drawers more often than not.

Drawers = pants/jeans for you Yankees out there.

So there I am at the Mall at 6:50 pm.

At J.C. Pennys.

The first bit of weirdness is that we get a parking space fairly close to the entrance..but again it is early so I figure I have hit that spot in time where it's really enough that the folks haven't hit the mall just yet..SU says that since I don't need his expert opinion, he's just as happy to wait in the car with his buddy Sirius radio.

Coupons in hand ( hey...I'm a pro at this ) ..off I go to peruse the land of size 5T. Granted, even I know that this is at the top end of the scale for this size bracket so of course , like the perfect bra size..36C..mixed metaphor much (?) ..off I go to find the specifics that she will need. Then I realize that her birthday is also in 3 weeks so I'd better get something birthday-ish while I am there.

Little girls clothes...is there anything cuter ?

OMG.

Thunk.

Okay Pol..calm down...be reasonable.

Off to find the register..yep...just look for the line.

Sunovabitch...they actually have more than one cashier there...and they are pleasant...and helpful...WOW !

As I navigate my way towards catalog to pick up some boxes it hits me just how bad the economy is....very few people are shopping...folks that are working retail even are grateful to have jobs at all.....

I hope that things turn around for all of us and that the economy picks up because while I am the first gal in line for a sale, coupon in hand...part of me misses the hustle and bustle that immediately sets my teeth on edge as I consider the trek to the mall at Christmas...

And that my friends is pretty damn weird...even for me.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The Baking Bugs Got A Hold Of Me..LOL

Doughnut Muffins

Batter:

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c . sugar

1/3 c . brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1.2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 to 1 1.4 tsp nutmeg to taste

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract ( 1/2 tsp if using double strength Mexican vanilla)

2 2/3 c. flour ( all purpose)

1 c. milk

Topping :

3 Tablespoons melted butter

3 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly grease a standard muffin tin or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups and grease the cups to ensure a proper release. ( I just grease the muffin pan with Crisco)

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil and both sugars until smooth.

Add the eggs, beating well to combine.

Stir in the baking powder, baking soda , nutmeg, salt and vanilla.

Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and make sure everything is thoroughly combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan filling the cups nearly full .

Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes until they are a pale golden brown and as cake tester inserted into the center comes away clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

While they are cooling melt the butter and brush the tops of the muffins then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture .

Yep...I'm feeling better finally and the baking bug has got me.

One of the things that bums me out is that January is such a let down to me..the holidays are over ..people are grumpy, the weather just sucks here tho not as bad as it is for the Sistah..so I think that I am going to focus on trying out new baking recipes in January...I love to bake and it is a non holiday something new that should be fun..I'll keep you posted.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Monday ~ The MEH Report

She Lives !

Yes darlins...Aunty Pol is back from damn near what felt like the brink of death....I kid you not , SU was right there with me , sniffles and all.

Yesterday for the fist time since Thanksgiving, I was able to clean the Casa and heh heh..trust me ..it was needed. Of course , it took me three times as long to do what bits that I did and it was by no means a complete job but what the hell..I can live with it. SU doesn't seem to get that when the house gets to a certain point..sick or not, I cannot stand it nor can I function in it. It depresses me..it really does. I get depressed enough as it is when I am sick and truth be told, I probably have been borderline with depression for the majority of my adult life but since I consider my plate full as it is....depression will just wave to take a number.

It's gotten cold again down here, or what passes for such and everyone at both of our jobs are getting hit with the crap that we has and I doubt that the weather is helping. It's not cold enough really for a hard freeze, tho to hear the weather wonks tell it , it is. LOL..tell that to Sistah and Double Oh..not to mention Pyro..they will laugh their asses off as they watch the roads and schools close. I have made the executive decision that regardless of when or if we freeze, there is going to be some changes in the flower beds....can you hear me now Hydrangeas ? I love you, I adore you but you are a hell of a lot of work for not a lot of result and I am tired of the water bill.

We are so far behind on the holiday stuff it's not funny. Cards haven't been bought and other than the folks and immediate family most likely won't go out this year..I just don't have it in me this year and I am giving myself a pass for once. It's going to be hard enough keeping the youngest brother from going off the deep end as it is...you see I just found out last night that our step mother has recently had 3 biopsies , and at least one of them is positive for cancer..I don't know more than that right now. Chuckleheaded Yuth or Chuck for short was all " Call her now.."...Um....dude..honey..it's 9:30 here ( 7:30 where she is )..I can barely talk and you need to calm down. This is her news to share in her own way with SU and I . She is 80 after all and by that point , most of us have has some sort of cancer scare. I am sure that she wants to tell the step sibs first of all, and have a moment or three to process all of this...AND...she knows that we just lost SU's mother to cancer just under 7 months ago...I did get her a belated birthday card and sent it off....we will do what we need to do for her..be cool.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A PSA For Sistah

My Sistah is one of the kindest , most helpful go to gals on the planet..always has been always will be.

She lives in the Great White North ( Eh ! ) and is generally the one that makes sure that every one gets home when the snow hits the fan or the roads get all icy. She will go grab the grand pups and bring them to the house if the kids are out as needed. She is the one that you can count on, not out of a Martyr complex, just because it is both the way that she is and the way that she has been raised. As much shit as I give Double Oh , he is the same way and this is the way that they have raised my Godson Pyro....yes darling boy..since you are a firebug..LMAO..you shall forever be known as Pyro..deal with it.

SO KITTEN..YOU DECIDED TO STIR UP SOME SHIT AT HER OFFICE ?

REALLY ?

Who died and made you God ?

Who put you in charge..when did you get the authority to set policy, much less enforce it ?

Unlike you KITTEN...Sistah and her co-workers ( and yes you stupid twat, they are co workers because they actually WORK TOGETHER for the common benefit of all parties concerned) follow the rules and policies, they do not need some sorry ass snarky toned missive from a low level bottom feeder who's only applicable power may be the PSI exuded by repeated Kegel exercises..( look it up Bimbo)......Sistah is much too much of a lady to respond to a jumped up file clerks need for glory and dominion over those she is so far above ( In Kittens own mind that is..)

I

AM

NOT

Mess with Sistah...big mistake.

Mess with me ?

FUCKING EPIC

Aunty Pol..who wipes trash like you off her shoes every damn day honey .

Happy Monday - Sorta

I am tired of being sick..and tired. I have slept so much in the last 4 days that it's beyond insane and of course I am in the small but elite section of the population that will have a fairly graphic and adverse reaction to the most generally prescribed anti biotics..Z Pack even.

Do not ask...

I am now toughing this shit out in more ways than one come to think of it and at least SU is feeling better...and as luck would have it the office Christmas party is this coming Thursday . I told SU that unless we are both able to walk on water so to speak,,,bag the par tay which is regrettable since the PTB's have some pretty nifty door prizes that they draw for and I want to laptop..plus it is going to be at the Rice hotel again and that is one of the prettiest restorations that I have seen in the city over the last 29 years..yes , I have been down here that long.

Miss Jere Lee is getting better, for all my whining, I cannot fathom how awful it would be to get sick on a cruise as she did and thank you Jeebus Miss Cindy seems to be avoiding all of this..or us...whatever...one of us needs to stay well between the two houses.

I want my jammies !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

And Now For The Merely Obvious

I for one am amazed at the stupidity of some of the social network's...so sayeeth the woman who spends far too much time on Farmville, Frontierville, Mafia and Vampire Wars , not to mention Bejeweled Blitz.

Stop laughing , you're going to spew your beverage as you fall over.

Yes..I saw that spit take.

Let me start by saying that I know that privacy is an illusion.

DERP !

I am careful or try to be about who I let know about this blog..my personal blog.

I try.

That being said, if the person that has ticked me off is actually reading this and they are for the record , neither current co-workers or friends..and they think it may apply to them, it most likely does.

Whether it is Myspace, Parkingspace, Google, Goggle, Facebook , Cookbook or Librarybook , looking up data or phising is WTF easy..it takes very little in the way of an actual skill set and it more often than not a case of sheer dumb ass luck .

Look up whomever you want..I don't give a rats ass.

More often than not there is some sort of linkage that ties a group of names together..hobbies, places of employment..you get the idea.

Search " I Lite My Farts " , I can almost guarendamntee you that they are there.

I shudder to envision their collective profile photo's by the way.

When you send me an e mail , giving and then assuming a pithy reply , to the status of someone I work with , regarding their personal life in any fashion, regardless of their relative status to me in the Firms Food Chain..to my work friggan PC

YOU ARE AN IDIOT !

First of all, I don't give a FLYING FUCK.

I do not, and will not gossip about my personal friends that way..especially in this format...and for the rest of the people that I have to engage during the week..illness of self or child is one thing..Hot Dish is on the way honey...SU and I will do whatever is needed.

Marital status...legal proceedings...umm....no.

Not My Bidness.

If you need a shoulder to vent, lean on or cry too,,,yeah...I can do that.

I am self editing.

Out of self respect for us both , I delete the details once you are fine..it's not something I want to hang on to or carry home.

My mind , like my oven is self cleaning.

But don't think for a minute that I didn't grasp a phishing expedition.

Nuh Uh.

Don't go there again, even if you meant it in a " harmless , chummy " way , because I can promise you ..that if you are going to think that I am dumb enough to fall for that...I am going to certainly re-evaluate what your demonstrated opinion of me is...and ..

It is not promising for you .

Carry On .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Finally...I A Pair Of Teva's I WOULD Wear

Mwahahahaha !

My prayers to St. Manolo have been heard.

A pair of Teva's I would wear.

Don't ask about the price..SU reads this bloggy.

Wheee !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Retail Therapy For The Win !

It takes very little to cheer my own bad self up after a somewhat sleep deprived night or two ( no honey, it really isn't your fault...I know you feel like crap to the point you didn't fuss about going to the doc in the box..settle down ) .

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a die hard fan girl of Miss Ree's so of course I got any number of e mails from fellow fan girls with the announcement of the release date of ner new book.

And of course, Moi being Moi, I pre-ordered three copies.

No Sistah...do not argue with me.

I ordered a copy for both of us and of course one for your mother since she is a bit of a city girl her own badself.

Now, if Miss Ree would just do up a new cook book.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Send Prayers To Lady Lisa Over At The 'Stute

It just broke my heart to read that Lady Lisa had to help Winnie to the Rainbow Bridge . It was too damn soon, it really was.

Winnie had some similar health issues as Xena and Lady Lisa and I helped each other as needed when it got to be a hassle and the poo/pee wa just another " Damn'd mess we had to deal with." Just this morning , I had to grab the paper towels because Xena had another accident on the plastic..but with SU home ill..it really was the last thing I was concerned with .

I would have posted a bit and Lady Lisa would have replied with a hug and a laugh and we'd get through it all over again....

Losing one of our babies is just one of those things that you think will just be the end of it all, and I dread it every time...we all do..I dread losing any of them.,yes even Gracie...I have become so close to the six of them as has SU ..

And I know that Lady Lisa will be there to let me know that as much as it hurts..it was time when we go through the hell of losing one of our babies,. I just wish I was actually there to give her a hug and a kleenix and a glass of wine .

It never gets easier, and maybe it's supposed to be that way..I'm not sure ..but we love them so much, we manage to struggle through one way or another .

I love you honey , and we are soo sorry about Winnie. She will be up there with Sarge, TJ, Casey, Bubba, Peaches, Keesha , Jake , Missy and Oogie...I have ordered Tuna steaks and Niptini's for them all.

Love,

AP/Jane

Monday Monday

Happy Monday y'all !

I am a happy girl because I found the replacement piece for my Noritake China boat...the irony is not lost here by the way.

I inherited my mothers china when she passed away in 1981 and of course it is now a discontinued pattern..see honey...it's not just the Pfaltzgraff we originally picked out either ..( also discontinued..of course). Over the course of three children( my brothers and I , not SU's and mine BTW ) and many years, parts of the set were broken....set being the operative word because my mother Betty was apt to buy the whole damn set as she well could..whether Daddy could afford it or not...In all fairness , he was just as likely to say.."Oh hell Bess..go ahead and buy the complete set..". He was that kinda guy.

I use the china , not as often as I would like and I think that I will be breaking it out more because after all..what's the use of it sitting in the china keeper cover thingys anyway if not to be used .

Just sayin.

Anyhoo...SU determined a few years ago that I have inherited the " Must find the PROPER bowl/plate/ server " for the item to be served..ie " Now that's the right /correct bowl for the mint jelly..."

Yup.

Not from my late mother bear in mind...from my father .

Genetics.

Do I need the gravy boat?

Yup.

Is it outrageous in it's price ?

Nope.

Will it make me feel better?

OH HELL YES !

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol