TYO ISO SS

(Three-Year-Old In Search of Scooby Snack)

A Little Thanksgiving Recap

I can't believe Christmas Eve is three weeks from tomorrow, and I can't embark on my Christmas blogging without a little recap of a wonderful Thanksgiving week:

IN DESPERATE NEED OF A SOUS CHEF
We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house, and as in the past few years, dinner includes family and anybody from C's office that might not be heading home for the holidays. That meant that this year there would be 12 for dinner. I began preparing on Tuesday and quickly discovered that I really needed some assistance. I didn't have to look far:



And the best part:

That's right. She cleans!

WHAT HAPPENS TO TWO THREE-YEAR-OLDS WHEN THE TRYPTOPHAN KICKS IN:


GIVING THANKS
We really did have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and we had many reasons to be thankful.

We certainly have been blessed this year with health - including the successful removal of cancer in C's dad. We are also so thankful for the recovery of our friend Sarah's dad. That was nothing short of a miracle.

We were blessed with a family addition. What a joy it was for my sister to call me on August 1 to tell me that her baby girl had been born, and she was on her way to meet her for the first time. And how I loved meeting her for the first time last month. I was also so thankful for the healthy pregnancy and delivery of my sweet friend Christina's baby boy on November 5.

I am immensely thankful for the time that I have had with my family this year. I truly cherish watching Allison grow. Her little personality is a delight. How I love her so!

MOST REQUESTED RECIPE

Cranberry-Pear Chutney (C: Just call it what it is. It is fancy cranberry sauce)
1 lb fresh or frozen cranberries (4 cups)
2 small pears, peeled, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

In 3-quart saucepan, mix all ingredients. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Cool at room temperature 30 minutes, then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Chutney will thicken more as it cools. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Huh?

Conversation at the Rickard dinner table last night:

Mom & Dad: "Allison, what would you like for Christmas?"

Allison: "A Christmas Tree"

Mom: "Oh, that's sweet. We're going to do that this weekend."

Mom & Dad: "But what presents would you like there to be for you under the tree?"

Allison: "I want to go camping with my dad under the twee...outside...and put marshmallows on sticks by a fire....and dad, we could sleep on pillows and mats (nap mats)...."

Huh? Where is she coming up with this?

Mom: "Well, what about mommy? Where is mommy going to sleep?"

Allison: "In your bed...you stay here, mom."

Whew! What a relief! I'm not a camping kind of girl....unless it involves cabins with electricity!

I'm a little Speechless

I'm not sure that I can really write anything that adequately describes how hysterical that I thought it was when I walked into our bedroom and found my two favorite people watching cartoons looking like this:

"Hey, Mama Goose"

This is another installment of "Allison's Favorite Books". I checked this book out on Monday along with 10 others, but this is the one that she has had me read EVERY night this week. She loves it! And I think it is adorable!

Here is what the inside flap of the book says:

When the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe runs out of room for her big family, who does she turn to? Her friendly real-estate agent, of course!

Mama Goose has the perfect house for the old woman and her children: Snow White's cottage complete with seven small beds. Snow White and the seven dwarfs take over Rapunzel's castle. Rapunzel moves in with Rumpelstiltskin, who spins her hair into gold; and so on, until all of the residents of Fairy Tale Land are bumped into a different dwelling.

Despite Mama Goose' best efforts, somehow the new abodes don't feel quite right. Will they all find their way back to Home Sweet Home?

Narrated in rollicking rhyme and illustrated with cheery, unique artwork, this house-swapping adventure is too good to pass up!

This is definitely one that may have to become part of the permanent Rickard collection!

Green Eggs and Ham

I'm just now getting around to discussing the fantastic weekend that we had this past week. It was like Thanksgiving...only early. It was one of those very rare times when my entire family was together. I'm talking Nana; Mimi; me, my brother, and my sister; each of our spouses; and all of our kids. It was fantastic!

It had been so long since we had all been together that I forgot that my brother has turned into quite the storyteller. You know, every family has one. He gets his storytelling pose going on:

And this is how he begins: "Do you remember reading Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham when you were little? Well, it wasn't just a book for us. It's what we had for breakfast." He then goes into a diatribe of the weekly specialties in our house growing up which included: Wednesday nights - fried Spam with ShowBoat Pork & Beans; Thursday nights - VegAll with biscuits on top.

Now, my sweet little mother takes Bubby's exaggerations about her cooking really well. No, my mother did not inherit the cooking gene that my grandmother and my aunt have. And yes, Spam and VegAll did make their appearance on the table in our house - although not every week. Like most working moms, she did the best she could with what she had to work with.

There is one thing that Bubby didn't exaggerate though: I would literally kiss his feet when I was little to get him to cook my eggs because I did not want "Green Eggs and Ham."

Crockpot, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

As some of you know, I love my crockpot. Let me rephrase that: I LOVE my crockpot! It makes me seem like a great cook on occasion, when I really haven't done much. You just dump stuff in it....and voila!

Case in point: dinner last night - Swiss Steak. My sweet C thought I had slaved over it. And I must say, it was delicious!

So, without further ado, let me share:

Crockpot Swiss Steak
2lb round steak
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 can tomatoes; 16-oz chopped
1 onion; finely chopped
2 celery stalks; finely chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoon wine vinegar
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt Pepper

Season meat with salt and pepper. Dredge meat in flour. (Note: I like to cut the meat in 1-in strips before browning). Heat oil in large skillet. Brown meat in batches. Add to crockpot with remaining ingredients. Cover pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

*C loves to have mashed potatoes with this. He was in some heaven last night!