My sister is complaining that I haven’t been blogging…….

…which I so funny, because it took me months to get her to read it, and now she wants me to write something as often as I can. My next goal is to persuade her to write it with me. My sister is a Virgo Libra. It may be years before I can get her to do it. But as to why I haven’t been posting, I do have a reason. I have been busier than usual (ergo more tired than usual due to the busier than usual) because I AM FINALLY ON VACATION!!!!!

And of course, I am by turns ecstatic and bummed. It’s so cool having days off before Christmas but I hate leaving my partner in crime at the office to do everything. Saturday morning was my regular Saturday to work, and usually it’s a great day to catch up because that particular doc is usually much less busy. Usually. This past Saturday was a zoo with zero chance of doing much of anything more than reacting to each crisis. (Insert huge sigh here) But as she likes to say, just do what you can and eventually, it will all get done.

So, I’m not going anywhere except possibly to buy stocking stuffers and a couple of other things. Christmas has never been one of my favorite holidays, inasmuch as most holidays make me cringe. Christmas is by far the worst. The last few years have been somewhat better, but I’ve pretty much resigned myself that I will never be an over the top type of celebrator of any holidays. A good holiday for me is one where I am able to just be quiet and enjoy the day without a lot of distraction and hub bub. Do I sound Grinchy? I don’t mean to, but that’s the kind of holiday that I like. I so envy people who get all excited with Christmas spirit and wish I could participate in it. Many people have told me that I just have to make up my mind to have a good time at this time of the year. As much as I would like to, I think that sometimes it’s too late to turn your behavior around.

I tried to explain why this phenomenon occurs in 4 different ways, but I can’t get it to sound unwhiny. Christmas celebrations just weren’t fun for my sissy and me. ‘Nuff said.

I will mail out Christmas cards, wrap presents and put up the tree. I will think the happiest thoughts that I can manage and will try to be a kinder person than the jerk that is honking his horn in back of me at the coffee drive through. (Does that fool think that I will actually move faster because he does that?) And I will spend my Christmas Day at home with my Sweet Baboo, happy that I am able to finally spend my holidays the way that I want in the peace and quiet that I have always craved. It’s exactly the best possible holiday that I could ever hope for.

Recipe — Close Enough to My Nanny’s Apple Betty

There’s a story behind this title — but isn’t there always?

Of all of the different foods that remind my sister and me of our grandmother, this is probably at the top of the list. I remember coming through the door from school in the winter and smelling the cinnamon and knowing that it was cooling on the counter. Now, our Nanny made Apple Betty, not Apple Crisp, not Apple Brown Betty. Not entirely sure what the difference is, although a lot of recipes that I have found incorporate rolled oats, which was an ingredient that was definitely not in this dessert. Rolled oats!! I’d rather eat grain!! (Inside joke with my sister — that I’ll keep for another post!!) Alas!! Years later, we tried to duplicate this recipe, but nobody in the family seemed to have it. Nanny probably carried it around in her head and didn’t need to write it down. For years we bemoaned the fact that we couldn’t make her Apple Betty.

Anyway — for Thanksgiving this year, being the Martha that I’m not, I bought ready made pie crust, fresh in the dairy section. (I can hear Sweet Sister rolling her eyes. She is a purist.) Too late, I realized that there were only 2 crusts in the box and I wanted to make an apple pie and pumpkin. No prob,  I say to myself, I will make a crumb topping for the apple pie. Back to the computer (what did any of us do before the internet?) Google crumb topping, find a recipe that looks promising, whip it up. Let cool. Taste. OMG OMG OMG it’s Nanny’s Apple Betty!!

Preheat oven to 400°

Mix together for topping
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine (I used the stick kind right out of the fridge)
Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives or whatever, cut the margarine up with the flour and sugar until the size of peas
Set aside

Mix together for apples
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/3 to 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Set aside

Peel and slice 5 or 6 apples (I used Empire)(They were a little on the small side)
Combine the apple slices and the mix for the apples and toss in a big bowl until well covered
Place in a 9″ x 9″ glass dish

Sprinkle topping mix over all

Bake for 45 minutes or so

Oh so good!! We always poured a little milk over apple betty in a bowl, but you can add whatever you like.

An Unconventional Thanksgiving

Sweet Baboo and I took a different path this Thanksgiving. Darling Daughter elected to work so that she can have Christmas off with her husband and daughter, Sweet Son-In-Law elected to have dinner with his grandparents and show off the GrandDolly, and we decided that we would have a very quiet day. (Sweet Baboo and I have always made an effort to not demand their presence during the holidays. They live 3 minutes from us and we get to see them anytime we want, so we like to share.)

Tuesday afternoon, we roasted our turkey, made a huge mound of potatoes, an even more huge mound of sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce, and tons of gravy. I had made an apple pie earlier that day so we had our Thanksgiving dinner that night. We have been picking at the turkey and making mini-meals with the potatoes and sweet potatoes since, and just last night Sweet Baboo stripped the turkey down and we now have a turkey stew in the crockpot. We will have a quiet little dinner later.

The weather in New England today is divine. It’s about 60° with filtered sunshine and the occasional breeze. The windows are open and Sweet Baboo is washing the windows outside. I have been reorganizing things that need reorganizing (like what doesn’t!!!) and knitting every few minutes or so on my soon to be felted knitting bag. In between, I have made a pumpkin pie and an apple pie with a crumb topping. The only casualty so far is that I over baked (hmmmm, make that burnt!!!) the little pie dough and cinnamon round thingies that I make from the leftover pie crust.

So, my yarn stash and patterns are looking very neat and happy, I have a closet that is 3/4 done being straightened, and I have packed a few of my quilting things into a plastic tote awaiting someone that can use it. Hopefully it will be GrandDolly. Darling Daughter does not sew nor shows any inclination. She is expressing an interest in knitting and I have given her a couple lessons. Now she can’t wait to teach GrandDolly. Pointy sticks are VERY addicting.

It’s definitely not your normal Turkey Day, but it’s a wonderful way to spend it with someone you love. And really, that’s the whole point of the holiday, right?