chock-a-blog

Dear Goldy: Thank you for the Christmas money. You wrote: "This is for your family. Do something enjoyable like going to a thrift store or out for hot dogs. Have a merry christmas." We did have a Merry Christmas, and I hope you did, too. I used some of the money to buy the new bedspread at IKEA, then used the rest of it on Tuesday. On Tuesday we went to Doreen's house. Do you remember Doreen? She was one of my best friends in junior high. When we moved back to Tucson I reconnected with her. Her son, Xander, was born the same day, same year, as Jack. Her daughter Rumur was born two years later. Here's Jack with Rumur and Xander at Doreen's house. Mandy, Evan, and Aaron met us there. We hung out for awhile and then we went to Thunder Canyon Brewery for lunch together. I ate a portobello mushroom sandwich with carmelized onions and feta cheese. Doreen had the southwest chicken salad and Mandy the soup and salad combo. The soup was tomato and mushroom bisque. The boys...

My new bedding from IKEA: queen sized Alina comforter in dark grey, with two cushion covers. I added a trio of snoa band cushions (on sale!), two in red and one in grey and white, and two Anja cushions. At the base of the bed is a die cut fleece Polarvide throw in red. The red and grey rock together, and on my next visit I plan to buy some red sheets to really set the whole thing smokin'.

Since I've been home on Christmas break I've been craving big breakfasts. I don't want to cook dinner at night but I want to cook breakfast. This morning as I was walking the track with Ana and Cassie I was thinking about what I have in the pantry and what I could create. I've been wanting to make creamed turkey because I don't remember eating it and I've never made it. I wanted to make potato pancakes ever since we ate them at Amber as our appetizer for the TRT Holiday party. So I came home and grated 2 Yukon gold potatoes into the nonstick skillet and started them a-fryin in olive oil with salt and pepper. I diced up a fair amount of leftover turkey and started in on a basic white sauce made from 4 tbsp of butter whisked with 4 tbsp of flour in a saucepan over medium heat while 2 cups of milk warmed in the microsity. Whisk the roux, flip the potatoes. Salt it all. Gradually pour the milk in with the roux --- oh no! --- lumpy! It won't matter after I add th...