Posted on 01/01/2026 5:52:41 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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P.S. Beau said if we had won last night, we’d have had to play the Sea Hawks next, and they would’ve smoked us on their way to the Superbowl.
Time to get out the Sea Hawks jerseys, LOL!
I like the Seahawks QB, Sam Darnold. Should be an interesting game.
I'm going to make an attempt at cutting and removing the dead fronds from my new asparagus bed this afternoon. After that bit of cleanup is done I need to flag the spots that need new crowns, sprinkle some Preen, then lay down a few inches of compost on the entire bed. Wish me luck.
Good luck! I hope your back feels better soon!
We had decent weather earlier in the week, so I was able to get my outdoor Christmas decorations down. They’ve been replaced with “winter” themed decorations, usually more snow related than Christmas per se.
The Christmas tree ornaments have been put away and the fake tree has been dismantled. (I love real trees but I’m VERY allergic to them.) I will take down the nativity scene sometime in the next day or two. I get a little blue when the tree is put away, so keeping the crèche up a bit longer.
We had a cold front blow through yesterday, and got a dusting of snow. It looks like powdered sugar dropped all over the woods. So pretty.
It’s a cold, windy day. We had snow squalls as we left church ... very dark clouds & you could see the snow like thin white curtains against the mountains - picturesque. I am putting together a grocery list for a chilly trip to the store later. One of the recommended items for healing my GI issues is sweet potatoes. I happen to love them & Nagi has a great looking recipe - the pictures alone almost make one drool. I’ll have to forgo the nuts in the Maple Butter Pecan Sauce, but a small amount of maple syrup will be ok :-)
Fondant Sweet Potatoes (slow roasted)
https://www.recipetineats.com/fondant-slow-roasted-sweet-potatoes/
A gorgeous thing, no doubt about it.
I'll forego the pecans, too....allergies. Will add plenty of maple syrup.
I am so sorry for those who have pecan allergies. I have so MANY allergies (food, plants, and animals!) but thankfully, pecans aren’t one of them!
Yesterday I played with some evergreens outside and only rinsed my hands instead of using soap and water. Within 5 minutes my forearms were red and getting the start of hives. Went back to the sink and fully soaped up and scrubbed like a surgeon. Took care of the most of the problem, and found some Zyrtec to take care of the rest of the problem.
I think most people with as many allergies as I have wouldn’t bother being interested in plants, animals, and the outdoors, but I’ve been hooked since I was a kid.
Anyway, those look delicious!
Fortunately, I am not allergic to any nuts. I’m leaving the pecans out because they’re not easy to digest - if I can get myself back ‘on track’, I will be able to add them back in sometime down the road.
I’m glad you can have them…down the road. One of my best friends can’t have most nuts, though I don’t remember which ones. Her list is long. She has a kidney issue.
If you ever become adept at smoking meats or cheeses (I am not, but hubby is learning), pecan wood is a subtle yet lovely flavor; my favorite wood to smoke everything with! Beef, pork, chicken, seafood, veggies. It has so many good uses.
We only discovered this a few years ago, but once we rediscovered pecan wood, we haven’t looked back. It is our wood of choice, and in cooking/baking, I use pecan for so many things. I skip the walnuts.
A good pecan recipe:
Nagi’s Maple Pecan Pie bars are REALLY good. My SIL works for a caterer so she has discerning tastes & she loved them.
https://www.recipetineats.com/maple-pecan-pie-bars/
I love maple pecan bars! Almost like having pecan pie! One of my faves!
P.S. Don’t forget to add a bit of bourbon! Use half vanilla, and half bourbon. It elevates the filling!
Instructions at link.
Allrecipies; freezing-sweet-potatoes-before-baking
"(SNIP)..." How Does It Work?
Sweet potatoes contain a significant concentration of maltose, a naturally produced sugar. Thanks to chemistry, freezing a sweet potato allows ample time for amylase enzymes — an enzyme that converts glycogen and starch into simple sugars — to convert starch into a deliciously sweet-tasting maltose. Think of it like a slow-and-low method where excess water is forced out of the sweet potato, resulting in an airier texture and a more intense flavor.
Once the potato is removed from the freezer, it goes directly into the oven, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, where it cold cooks while the oven heats up to 300 degrees F for two hours. After baking at a relatively low temperature, the oven should be cranked up to 450 degrees F while the potato bakes for an additional 40 minutes, shedding the aluminum foil for maximum caramelization.
After baking, there was a noticeable air pocket between the skin and the flesh of my sweet potato — a direct result of the moisture exiting the sweet potato, and sugars were oozing out of the skin like crazy. The skin, by the way, was an outstanding treat (more so than a regular baked sweet potato because of the extra sugars seeping out). "...(snip) entire article at link.
Greatest conversion of starch to sugar occurs between 140F and 180F so a method that keeps the potato at this temperature for a long time produces the most sugar.
Roasted Sweet potatoes are good out of the oven. Cut open, pour some evaporated milk or cream on then and sprinkle with a little brown sugar...if needed...sea salt, and cinnamon. Yum! (Or cool, mash, and mix with a few other things like rice, tomatoes, avocados, kale, olive oil, and make a vegetable bowl!)
Good night!
Cut open roasted sweet potatoes out of the oven
pour in evaporated milk or cream
sprinkle w/ brown sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon.
Or cool, mash, mix with rice, tomatoes,
avocados, kale, ol/oil, for a vegetable bowl.
Just fantastic recipes I cannot wait to try.
Eating from The Land, Your Hand, Your Garden.
This morning I am baking a Quiche for our Brunch; we only eat two meals a day. I’ve used this basic recipe for decades, though ‘fillings’ are switched up depending upon what is on hand at any given time:
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/bisquick-impossible-quiche/#hubbub
Eggs - from our chickens
Ham - from the neighbor’s hog (that we purchased)
Sweet Peppers - frozen from the garden
Milk & cheese - local from the neighbor’s cows
Mushrooms - still leftover from Christmas! (fried, frozen)
I am also going to whip up a batch of the Boursin cheese spread, today. It’s great on sliced apples - which we have an abundance of right now. We bought apples and citrus from the local FFA fundraiser and my Auntie gifted us with a bunch of ‘fancy’ apples at Christmastime, too.
https://www.thekitchn.com/boursin-cheese-recipe-23761797
It's been an ugly winter in my part of Misery. We've only had one snowfall that lasted even a few days. Personally, I don't like anything about winter, and I have a hard time deciding if it's worse to be buried in that nasty white stuff for weeks at a time or to see everything brown and dead and slathered with mud. lol
I feel painfully accomplished today, though. I trudged my decrepit bones out to the garden patch yesterday and got the asparagus bed ready for spring. In spite of my best efforts to pamper them, several of the crowns I planted last spring didn't survive the Living Hell of a Misery Summer that followed. I've placed an order for 20 more crowns from Jung's. That will be enough to fill in the skips and add 20-ish feet to the row.
You may have given me this recipe, but if not, here ‘ya go!
Puff Pastry Baked Boursin with Bacon Jam
https://bestappetizers.com/puff-pastry-baked-boursin/
:)
You’re making me nostalgic for my 40’ row of mature asparagus at my old farm! I have one 8x4 plot now and am adding another 8x4 next spring - I’ll be ordering from Jung’s too - Surprise, LOL!
Thanks for supporting me in my retirement! :)
I really SHOULD be out there doing some stuff; we hit 45 degrees today and there is no snow anywhere on the grounds. You’re right about it looking so drab, gray, muddy - but our grass is still green! Beau has been ‘grazing’ both the mule and the steer as much as possible. They’re loving it!
We’ve been having major electrical problems at our house - turns out one of our ‘legs’ of electricity was on the fritz. Of course it wasn’t the Energy Company’s fault - but they DID come back again today with an electrician we hired to resolve the issue. It appears to be resolved.
And, yes, Beau IS an Electrician - but not on the high wire stuff! It was fun watching the guys use their lifts - like a Bucket Ballet, LOL!
Really REALLY tired of re-setting every clock and appliance in the place, though!
I really DO need to start making stuff with puff pastry! :) My Boursin turned out really good. Snacking on it with apples right now!
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