Leftovers

My boss, Mr. G, gives out 4-lb. boxes of pecans every year to friends and family as Christmas presents. I always get a box and never do THAT much baking. So naturally when I went to the deep freeze to retrieve some for my Thanksgiving pecan pie this year, I was astounded to find 3 4-lb. boxes. It's too late to re-gift right? Other than putting them out for the squirrels and birds, I can't think of what to do with 12 pounds of leftover pecans....

That would not be the case with my dressing, green beans, etc. from Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, we still have leftovers and Jim, my Hoover of a husband, will dine for the last time this evening on turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, etc. ("give it to Jim, he'll eat anything"). He has a cast iron stomach and has been known to eat things no one else will attempt.

And guess who called me today to take our order for Christmas pecans? Yes, Gene Moody the pecan man. I ordered forty boxes again this year for Mr. G (including one for myself). You never know when one might decide to make pralines, or perhaps 100 pecan pies for Christmas. Now if I could just sell them for the outrageous price the grocery store charges for homemade pecan pie, I could probably get on Forbes list.

Just a thought...

Super Thanksgiving

Clif and Megan just headed back to Baton Rouge. They've been with us the past few days along with Belle the Beagle. It has been a Super Thanksgiving and yesterday could not have turned out better. The weather was beautiful. Sunny skies with a cold chill in the morning, warming up to the 60s in the afternoon. We ate turkey & gravy, dressing, cranberries & apples, green bean casserole, asparagus, sweet potato casserole, rolls and wine. I did the Martha Stewart cheesecloth covering the breasts, soaked in white wine and butter. It was PERFECT! The color was beautiful and it was sooooo juicy. I got the cranberries and apple recipe from Aaron McCargo on Food Network and it turned out perfect. The only thing that did not turn out so well was my pecan pie recipe that I've done a million times. I just did not cook it long enough BUT who cares, one can eat pecan pie with a spoon as easy as one can with a fork.

And Bill and Karen dropped by and watched the Texas/Texas A&M game with us. I'm glad Texas won because I want them to play for the national title and beat either Florida or Alabama for the National Championship because they both beat LSU. Speaking of LSU, meet the Tiger Whisperer:

Click

I'm putting the Christmas tree and decorations up tomorrow. Can't wait to put up the first artificial tree that looks real. I also bought a Frazier Fir diffuser and spray from Lewis Gifts. It will smell just like a real tree and there will be no watering, no needles to vacuum up after Christmas and no dead tree to burn. That should make the tree huggers happy. It's all about getting old and decrepit these days. The cold snap brought out the worst in my arthritis

Clif, Megan and I went shopping on Wednesday to beat the Black Friday crowd. Clif got his 55" Samsung HDTV and it is being delivered on Saturday. Megan chose a beautiful Coach bag and wallet. We probably could have gotten some of this (actually the Samsung was on sale before Black Friday) on sale, but perhaps it would not have been there had we gotten up after 6:00 A.M. Wednesday is a no doubt day.

Best Thanksgiving Quote ever: "I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." - Jon Stewart

Thursday Edition

I just found out that Clif and Megan and "little girl" Belle the Beagle are coming up for Thanksgiving and I'm ecstatic. Now we're having a whole turkey instead of just a turkey breast. And we're going to shop til we drop on Friday.


I watched the Top Ten Thanksgiving Problems Solved on the Food Network the other day and got some really good recipes I was going to try on Jim but have had to change the menu up somewhat now. However, there is one recipe I found on that show that I'm keeping. It's Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce by Aaron McCargo, Jr. and it looks fantastic. I just usually buy OceanSpray Cranberries in the can but this recipe looks scrumptious.


Our 27 year anniversary was last Friday night. Jim and I were in Baton Rouge for the LSU/Louisiana Tech game at our favorite urban camping spot. We went into downtown Denham Springs on Saturday morning and shopped the antique stores. There are tons of them. I found a quilt that we marked our anniversary with. It's gorgeous. I bought it at the Rusty Rooster.



Then Jim took off for the game and Norman and I watched movies the rest of the afternoon and evening. Nice quiet weekend.


Headed out tomorrow for a mega grocery shopping trip. This is the one that I spend a whole day on the baking aisle. Along with every other woman within 10 miles. We'll all just trip over each other.

Shopping Quote: The other line moves faster.

It's your birthday

There once was a woman named Ruffin,

Who thought 54 was nothin',

She dithered around,

And no sooner she found,

November brought 55 and somethin',

Crap, half a century plus five and where are my millions, where is the house off the Mediterranean coast? Can I have a do-over? 50 cent said it best:

Click

Excellent weekend, margaritas, LSU lost, yard mowed, Catalina coming tomorrow, Clif and Megan home safe from Tuscaloosa, phooey on stick figure Nick Saban, God bless Cathy Woods and her family...

Ruffinism for the day: Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~ Chili Davis

Update Un Tout Petit

Clif and Megan went to a Halloween party last weekend and had some pictures taken.

Are they too cute or what? They obviously went as drover and indian princess but I could have helped Clif with his costume. He went as a cowboy a few years back and I think I still have this outfit in my Lane chest.

My, my....how time flies Mrs. Ruffin.

Jim went down to the LSU game in Baton Rouge and I stayed home to defrost the deep freeze. Well I didn't stay home to do that but it's one of the tasks I accomplished this weekend. It's empty enough for me to crawl in and come out ready to start the first fireplace fire of the season. Got any extra meat, NOT VENISON, I have some room available in the freezer.

Ruffinism for the day: Oh, baby I'm so tiredddddddd - Susan Ruffin