crossrhodes

I’ve been feeling blah lately… in case you haven’t noticed, my blogging’s been scarce and I haven’t played with the camera lately. My brother and niece took these pics. I felt blah about Thanksgiving, too. It’s just another turkey dinner after all. Blah.

I managed to make my annual soup, my Tita Aida’s Cream of Winter Wild Mushroom. I also brined and roasted another turkey. First dibbs on the wings! (I think I’ll skip the messy brining and buy kosher turkeys from now on.)

Other than that, I didn’t even bother to set the table completely. No glass stemware, plate chargers, Grandma’s silverware, or centerpieces. And I did not cook an entire three course meal by myself as I have in the past. But we still had a great time together as a family. That is what it’s all about after all.

And these two smiling hammies… hard to believe that this time next year, they will no longer be the babies in the family. My sister and I are due next spring, only one month apart.  Stop growing up so fast! Stop! Stop! Stop it!

I’m more excited about Christmas. Too excited! Every year, I shop early for the kids, have their gifts all wrapped before Thanksgiving, then get antsy and can’t wait till Christmas to give it to them. Ugh!

BTW, aside from a few giftcards, I did ALL my shopping online this year. That’s 2-3 years in a row of total online shopping. I have yet to brave Black Friday in stores in my lifetime. And no, you can’t make me! =)

Soup? Sandwich? Nah. This year’s leftover Thanksgiving turkey and fixins were reincarnated as Turkey Puff. Truth is, I ran out of broth for soup and did not feel like going out for sandwich rolls. I did, however, have a sheet of puff pastry left in the freezer that I bought to top a Chicken Pot Pie. And I remembered an episode on the Rachael Ray show where she rolled up leftovers with sharp cheddar in pizza dough.

How I made my version: Roll out a rectangular sheet of frozen puff pastry to a square. Cut the large square into 4 smaller squares. Layer leftovers diagonally across each small square. I used white turkey meat, fresh cranberry sauce that I pureed, leftover mashed potatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese. Bring two opposite sides of the squares together over the mound of food, brushing on a beaten egg to act as glue. Bake according to directions on puff pastry box. Since the stuffing is already cooked, you’re just looking to bake and brown the pastry itself. Serve with leftover gravy. Enjoy!

The leftover dark meat I made into Paksiw, a sweet and sour concoction of soy sauce, sugar and vinegar, spiked with tons of garlic and a hint of cloves. I adapted the recipe from various Filipino food sites. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures or write down the proportions I used. Sorry.

Most people enjoy the adrenaline rush of online auctions. I don’t, especially when it comes to large purchases, because the anticipation of bidding makes me palpitate. But the car we wanted on auction ended today. Since Don had to drive James to an interview, I got stuck w/ the bidding.

Anyway, we are the proud new owners of a sleek, sporty, fully loaded ‘05 Mitsubishi Galant GTS! My ‘98 Volkswagen - my freedom mobile, my first brand new car purchased w/ my own money - is running on its last legs. Don’s been driving it for the last 5 years, dented, bruised, and noisy as heck! It still has some life left in it (VWs live forever) but we needed a more reliable car before the van needs to be replaced, too.

Don did most of the shopping. I just “approved” or “disapproved” the pricing =) Ever since I learned the hit you take driving a brand new car off the dealer lot, and having been spoiled with zero car payments in the last few years, I didn’t want a big car note breathing down our necks… not with a kid going to college and a new baby on the way. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have spent more than $9,999.99 on any car… as long as it didn’t look like Don’s previous cars before he met me. Let’s see… there was a TransAm w/ faded paint, a Brady Bunch station wagon, and a plow truck w/ a camouflage exterior. Scary, huh?

Lucky for his wife, his taste has since evolved. He has also converted from American-made-only to great-gas-mileage and less-time-in-the-shop foreign-made vehicles. He looked at Toyotas, Hondas, and another Volkswagen, but this Galant was a great deal at nearly $4k below Blue Book value. We checked it out and took it for a drive last night (local seller). I was mostly concerned about the backseat space for a baby seat and the trunk space for groceries. I’ll list the techie stuff at the end of this blog for some of you car geeks. I have no clue what most of them mean. I only know my favorite feature is the bun toaster… I mean, heated seats… coz my buns are always chilly!  Made it difficult for me to keep a poker face in front of the seller.  Too bad it doesn’t have bun coolers, too. I just know I’m going to fry my thighs on the black leather seats come summer!

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