Ebelskivers

On Christmas Day I was really brave and made two breakfast dishes that I've never made before. I'm fearless like that in the kitchen. Have directions? Have the proper utensils? Bring it on! I can conquer (almost) anything in the kitchen.

One of the dishes I made were ebelskivers. According to Wikipedia:

Æbleskiver (/ˈeɪ.bləˌskiː.vɜr/; Danish meaning apple slices [singular: æbleskive]) are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover. The English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebelskiver.

I learned about these accidentally one day while I was shopping on Zulily and saw an ebelskiver pan, which is necessary to make them. They were fairly simple and easy to make, especially since I used the ebelskiver mix from Williams Sonoma - they make cooking gourmet so easy! Here's the recipe I followed from the can of mix:

You will need:

1 1/4 C ebelskiver mix

2 eggs, separated

1 C milk

2 Tbsp butter, melted, plus more for cooking

1/2 C jam, chocolate hazelnut spread, or cooked fruit for filling 

Maple syrup, powdered sugar, or whipped cream for serving

And the ebelskiver pan, of course. 

The recipe made three full sets of 7. 

Put the pancake mix in a bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, milk, and butter. Whisk the egg yolk mix into the pancake mix until well combined. 

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (1-2 minutes). Fold the whites into the batter. 

Put 1/4 tsp butter into each well, turn heat to medium until the butter starts to bubble. 

Pour 1 Tbsp of batter into each well. Then, pour 1 tsp of jam, fruit filling, or chocolate hazelnut spread in the center of each pancake. Top with 1 Tbsp of batter. It will look like this:

At this point I really had my doubts about this whole thing. They look pretty flat, but don't worry, they will round out. 

Cook them about 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Use two wooden skewers to turn the pancakes over. I've seen other utensils used, but I think the skewers are easiest. Tongs would probably not work very well. And there's an art to turning them over; an art I haven't mastered, yet. 

They will look something like this.

Cook until golden brown, then remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter until it's all used up! Top them with powdered sugar or maple syrup. Or if you're my Mom, use both. Or try some whipped cream, I think that would be yummy, too. 

I will fill you in on the breakfast casserole (the other new dish I tried) later. 

The gift of massage

In the spirit of "you have not because you ask not," I would like to ask for the gift of two massages per week (and a sitter to watch my son while I'm there) for the rest of my life.

I love getting a massage. It never ceases to amaze me at how sore my body actually is. I walk around not noticing it too much until someone pierces the side of my thigh with their thumb and I feel like flying off the table. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with a muscular condition for which I have forgotten the name. Myofacial something or other. Basically, my muscles retain tension at a higher intensity and for a longer period of time than what is considered normal. And this could be tension from work or life related stress or from physical exercise. And I have degenerative disc disease. So, when I say that I'm hurting, I really do mean it. A lifetime of free massages would be a great gift. Hint, hint if Richie Rich is reading this!

A couple of months ago I got a gift certificate for a massage and I finally got to use it today. The last massage I had was when I was pregnant and I've begun to have pregnancy sympathy pains; having the same piercing pain in my hips that I had when I was pregnant. Today's massage was the most blissful and most painful experience! I was sore all over, but when she made it to my hips and thighs, holy crap, Batman! It felt so good and hurt so bad that I wanted to cry, scream, and sing Hallelujah all at the same time. It felt like she was rolling pebbles up and down the back and sides of my thighs. Spiky, piranha teeth pebbles. Covered in fire. It was like being in a moving vise. I hated it and it felt awesome. I hated it so much I want to go back tomorrow. 

So, someone please send me a lifetime of gift massages so I can go enjoy being tortured some more. 

We are those parents

When you aren't a parent there are many times when you see a family and you think to yourself, "I would never _____." You can insert whatever judgment you have in the blank. Something like, let my child have a tantrum in a store. Or, buy my kid a toy or give him/her a reward to be quiet or for behaving. Or, one of our faves was, take my cranky child to a restaurant. 

Well, we are now those parents. 

We took D's mom to eat something swanky at Fleming's in Utica Square and about the time we were seated, someone decided he was hungry and very, very sleepy. However, I will say that he wasn't really that cranky about it, and he didn't have a screaming fit or anything like that. We managed to feed him most of his bottle and I let him waller (remember I said before that's an Okie term, and we all know that's real English) around and wear himself out. And when he fell a sleep, we did what any parent who wants to eat does ..... we laid him down on the floor. We had to lay him on our high chair cover, but the little toot laid there and slept through the rest if the meal. Score one for the 'rents! Thankfully, we were in a corner so we were able to lay him between our chairs and not have to worry about anyone stepping on him. 

We had to use a burp rag and his jacket to cover him up because one or both of us had forgotten his blanket in the car. And he laid his foot over the bottom of the high chair on his own. 

And for the record, he didn't care for the creme brûlée or the whipped cream. And the day was topped off with me leaving our container of wipes laying on the bathroom counter at Pottery Barn Kids. Hooray, me. 

Our Christmas tree

I just want to tell you about my Christmas tree before the holiday season is over. 

It's crooked. 

It leans ever so slightly to the right and I'm not sure why. We adjusted the set screws and it still veered off center. So, in an effort to even the crook out we put the star on crooked. It leans to the left, so with our optical illusion the whole thing should look straight, right?

You would think that this would set my OCD off in a New York minute, but it hasn't bothered me. I'm apparently making some real strides in that area.

I like sparkly ornaments and homemade ornaments, so there's a mishmash of ornaments that I made in elementary school, and some that my Grandma Betty made, mixed in with the new and our Hallmark yearlies. D commented the other day that he likes our tree because it's not too crowded or busy, which is why I like it, too. I'd like to have some blinky or chaser multi colored lights, but I'm too lazy to hang them, which is why I have a prelit tree. But, no garland or ribbon or beads for us; not that I don't think those things are pretty, they just don't really reflect who we are as a family. One thing that does reflect who we are, is this ornament. 

It's a picture of our beloved Diamond. I bought two frames several years ago and have always had pictures of the dogs hanging on the tree because they're part of our family. They even had their own stockings that I made. After I got the ornaments on the tree D told me that he was happy to see that I still put Diamond's picture up. She would have had a blast watching Rocco open gifts this year. 

We had a wonderful Christmas with family and I hope that all of you did, too! And on a completely random note, I love, love, love it when I go to someone's house and the toilet paper is on correctly - it rolls off the top! Thank you, Aunt Diana!

Santa is an elf

I am pretty sure that all of the movies and TV shows depicting Santa Claus as an average sized human being have gotten it wrong. Have you ever paid attention to the words of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas?


Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.




When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.





The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.


With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!


"Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"


As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.


And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.


He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.


His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
 


























The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!


 He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.


 He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!


 He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Note the letters highlighted, underlined, and in bold type:

Miniature sleigh
Tiny reindeerLittle old driver
Elf

So, here's the story ..... he's not an average sized human! You see the evidence just as I do. The story clearly states that he's an elf and refers to him as little. And not only that, but his reindeer are not the size of others in the deer family; they are referred to as tiny and he rides in a miniature sleigh! What more evidence do we need? No wonder he can slide up and down the chimney so easily; he's an elf and surely he would fit with ease. It's no wonder that I never saw Santa for all of these 36 years of my life, I was looking for a full sized man when I should have been looking for an elf! I have been deceived! Led astray! Fooled! Hoodwinked! Played! Scarred for life! I will be boycotting all of the media that portrays him and his reindeer as human-sized from here on out! Okay, not really, because I love Christmas movies! Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Miracle on 34th Street, Mickey's Christmas Carol, and all of the others!

But, for me, the true reason to celebrate Christmas is the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.


Luke 2:1-20

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

 

The Shepherds and Angels

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

 

 

I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year! Celebrate with your family or friends and may we all carry the Christmas spirit with us throughout the year!

Messy eggs

I am very particular about my eggs and I wouldn't eat a hard boiled egg to save my life. Okay, maybe I would if it would save my life, but I would hurl afterward. And hurl. And hurl. And hurl. And I don't like dry scrambled eggs, they should be moist but not "wet". And I only like poached eggs on a muffin or biscuit with bacon and hollandaise sauce. And I only like eggs over easy on toast. But, if the eggs are in cakes or cookies or other sweeties, I'm good with that. 

All of that said, here's how I like my scrambled eggs: messy. And here's my messy recipe that will serve two to four people, depending on your appetite:

4-5 eggs

4 Campari tomatoes, chopped

6 slices of deli thin ham or turkey, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 red onion (depending on taste), chopped

2-4 slices of cheese (I use Velveeta), cut into small pieces

Break your eggs into a bowl, then whisk the whites and yolks together and season with salt and pepper. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and pour the eggs in.

Cook the eggs on medium heat, pushing the eggs toward the middle of the pan and scraping them off the sides until they're almost fully cooked. Remove the skillet from the heat and toss in the tomatoes, ham or turkey, and the onion and mix well. 

Return the pan to the heat and let it finish cooking while the veggies and meat heat through. Then toss in the cheese and let it melt as you continue to stir.

Here's what it will look like once it's finished. 

And serve that hot mess up on a plate and eat it with a tall glass of ice cold milk!

Easiest pinwheels ever

I am a fan of tortilla pinwheels of all flavors! And they're super easy to make and don't require a lot of ingredients or prep time. I decided to just use what I had on hand as a last minute finger food when we were having company, but these could be tweaked with anything you like, really. Tomato slices. Olives. Cucumbers. Lettuce. Spinach. Avocado. Whatever gets your boots dancing! If I'd had more time to think and plan I probably would have added some spinach and tomatoes. And maybe some bacon because, you know, bacon makes everything taste better. I think these would also make great snacks for tiny fingers and mouths, if you have any tiny eaters in your house. It's an easy alternative to the standard sandwich. Here's the delio:

1 pkg cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)

1 pkg dry ranch seasoning mix

1 family sized (1 lb) pkg deli thin sliced turkey or ham

1/2 red onion, sliced thin & rings separated and cut in half

1 pkg flour tortillas, I think I used the soft taco or fajita size

Mix the cream cheese and the ranch seasoning together. Lay down a tortilla and spread a couple of spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over it. 

Then lay a few slices of onion on it. 

Then lay down a few slices of meat. 

Roll it up. 

Then slice it up. 

Then repeat until you've used up your tortillas and the cream cheese mix. Or until you decide you'd rather go answer emails or entertain your 7 month old by blowing raspberries on his tummy. You can place them in a covered container and store them in the fridge. Or eat half of them right away because you and your hubby were starving. And if you're really starving, don't even bother slicing them up, just eat them as a rollup. Either way, it works.

Rocco's big day!

Rocco had a very big day today! He took his "First Christmas" pics, went to the Tulsa Farm Show and then to Utica Square to see Santa, eat dinner, and do some shopping! 

Elizabeth at OkieGirl Photography did a great job, as always, on his pics! He is too cute and looking too grown up. Time flies :/

At the farm show, he was ready to take off in this tractor. It was just his size, after all. 

He also tried to drive a daddy-sized tractor!

At Utica Square, aka the North Pole, we got to see Santa's house, where he and Mrs. Claus were greeting children, giving out cookies, and taking pictures. 

Rocco didn't cry, scream, or fuss. He was such a big boy!

I've blogged about Utica Square before and their Christmas displays. They are wonderful! In addition to Santa's house they also have a small house with a Nutcracker display.

And they decorate all of the trees with a bazillion and a half white lights! The picture doesn't do the live scene any justice.

If you're in the Tulsa area, go by 21st and Utica and see Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy a hot beverage from Starbucks, something sweet from the Russel Stover store, and something swanky from the Coach Store or Moody's Jewelry. Or just window shop; that's just as much fun and less expensive, and you consume fewer calories. I could have benefited from that last tidbit of advice earlier today. 

Why I'm a non smoker

As I drove to work this morning and it was colder than a witch's titty outside, I saw a man sitting outside of a local gas station having a little cigi. And it got me to thinking, here are 10 reasons why I've never smoked a cigarette - other than the fact that it tars up your lungs and exposes others to secondhand smoke:

1. It requires more dedication than I'm willing to give. Sitting outside when it's 20 degrees or 110 degrees is not my cup o' tea. 

2. It's too expensive. A man in front of me at the convenience store on Sunday morning spent almost $80 for two cartons. Seriously? I have better things to spend my money on, like chocolate. Or diapers. Or chocolate. 

3. It makes your breath stink and Scope and Listerine cannot mask the stench. 

4. It makes your skin stink. Yes, it does. 

5. It makes your clothes stink, no matter how much cologne or perfume you use.

6. It changes the look and feel of your skin. 

7. It increases the number of fine lines around your mouth. 

8. It yellows your walls if you smoke inside. 

9. It yellows your teeth. 

10. It makes your fingernails look nasty. 

So, basically what it boils down to is that I am just way too vain to smoke. Glad we all now know that about me.