Posted on 12/03/2003 2:36:53 PM PST by carlo3b
Where is spirit of Christmas? Have you seen it?I am really getting worried that it's lost and we won't be able to find it in time.
I am just heartbroken, somewhere over the last few years we seem to have misplaced the heart and soul of Christmas. The season appears to be right, the weather has a nip to it, and the decorations have been up for a very long time, and I am constantly being reminded that it's just around the corner, but somehow I have this terribly feeling that something is wrong.
It is more than just one thing that isn't quite right, there isn't any laughter. I can't recall what it was that used to make me smile and sing at this time of the year, but it for sure isn't there anymore. Can you help me find the warmth, and love that Christmas has always brought into our lives, have you seen any joy in peoples eyes? Maybe it's just me, oh my, is it just me?
I seem to recall that this season was a time that brought everyone together, families and friends, and even strangers. Wait, I don't remember thinking at this time of the year that there were any strangers, only wonderful people that we hadn't had the opportunity to meet yet. People smiled at each other, held the door, men and boys offered every woman their seat, and everyone said GOD BLESS YOU, when you sneezed.
Heirloom decorations were unpacked, families went out together to choose a tree, and that inexhaustible calliope of mystical music filled the air. The smell of fresh pine was abundant in each and every house, and colored lights blinked as kids giggled and whispering and scribbled notes to Santa.
Old folks and children where the center of attention, and picking just the right gift was a very special achievement, well thought out and mulled over for days. Some presents took all year to make, and some took all year to save for. Only a very few were expensive, but all had a special meaning. Gift wrapping was an art, and unwrapping was deliberate and magical.
The center of the community was your neighborhood church, and talk of God, and baby Jesus was the main topic of Grace before dinner, and bedtime stories. Mangers, Santa's, holiday decorations, and lights were everywhere. Snow was a conversation piece, and when and if, was debated and recalled.
Food, ah yes, holiday food was researched, planned, plotted and prepared for days leading up to the big event. Everyone was involved, and everyone had a job. The location of the Christmas Eve party was usually determined by the age of the grandparents, and where they lived in proximity to the bulk of the family. However that was no sure thing.
Each family was represented in the choice of menu items. Every wonderful cook in each branch of the family offered to prepare their own special version of the chosen food. This made for a memorable feast indeed. The competition was playful and fun, but most importantly, filled with love... lots and lots of love and lovers.
This is the time of the year that we built mountains of warm love, enough to store up for cold dark days ahead. If we lose Christmas, who will tell the children about the baby Jesus, who will love you and remind you how lucky you are to have freedom, and family, and bring memories to the old folks, and memories that you can recall when you are old. Don't let it happen.
Won't you help me find Christmas, I know it's somewhere.. Do you know where it can be, perhaps it's just hiding deep in the warmth of your heart.. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your love. Thank you for being you..
THANK GOD FOR AMERICA.. God Bless you all... MERRY CHRISTMAS..
We who are safe and snug in our warm homes, living in a free nation, have so much to be grateful for.
Through out my short lifetime, so many thousands of men and woman thought not of themselves and their comfort, but their duty to a bigger cause, to safeguard our freedoms.
May we never forget their sacrifice for our continued freedom in the USA and everywhere in the free world.
May the Blessed light be on you, light without and light within.
May the Blessed sunlight shine on you and warm your heart until it glows like a great fire, so that a stranger may come and warm himself at it, and also a friend.
May God always bless you, love you, and keep you.
May you find gratitude from those who you have touched ,and may you have your favor returned ten fold.
Warm wishes for a merry Christmas to you and yours.
Just as long as it's in a virtual warm climate. I don't do cold!
When I was young, my family and I would often go to Mexico for Christmas. It was a very special because the spirit of Christmas was heartwarming, a place of religious celebration and not commercialism. Nearly every year we were embraced by the locals and welcomed at the community parties—where there was an abundance of food, music, pinatas, children, and laughter.
We didn't travel first class, that's for sure. We traveled on buses with the chickens. We stayed in villages with pigs running through the streets and occasional electricity. But the bananas and oranges and coconuts were ripe off the trees and the fish fresh from the ocean. The six of us would stay in one room for $2 per night. (Okay, it was a few years ago. Remember those books, Europe on $5 per day. Well, my dad thought that meant $5 per day for the family, not per person.)
One year we were in a small coastal town and the hotel advertised "Turkey Dinner" for Christmas day. That sounded pretty good so we made reservations. Christmas Day was a time when most people were home with their families, so we were about the only ones in the dining room. Our dinner arrived, and . . . it wasn't turkey. The waiter smiled and assured us it was indeed turkey. He went back to the kitchen, returning with a can . . . Turkey Brand SPAM. Uhhh . . . could we get a chicken?
With Christmas approaching, it's tempting to give cute little animals as gifts. Please be sure before you do that the person receiving such a gift is prepared for the responsibility! Millions of unwanted pets end up in animal shelters each year. Many are euthanized before a good, loving home is found. |
BAKED ASPARAGUS AND TRI PEPPER FRITTATA
Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish (3 quart).
1) Prepare a bowl of ice and cold water. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water blanch asparagus 1 minute and drain in a colander. Immediately transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well in colander and pat dry.
2) In a large skillet cook bell peppers and shallots in butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until peppers are softened, about 10 minutes.
3) In a large bowl whisk together eggs, cream, parsley, salt, and pepper.
4) Stir in asparagus, bell pepper mixture, zucchini, and scallions.
5) Pour custard into baking dish and bake in middle of oven until golden and set, about 35 minutes.
6) Cool frittata on a rack. Frittata may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Bring frittata to room temperature before serving.
Loosen frittata from edges of pan and slide onto a platter.
Orange Ginger Cranberry Heaven 1) Grate the orange peel and add to a pot with the sugar and ginger.
- 1-1/2 C sugar
- 1 navel orange
- 1/2 t grated ginger
- 4 C cranberries
- 1/2 C (2 oz.) toasted pecans, or walnuts
2) Add the juice from the orange into the pot and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3) Add cranberries and cook until they pop - about 5 minutes.
4) Add pecans and cool sauce.
1) In a medium double boiler, and steam carrots for 10-15 minutes or until barely tender.
2) In a medium-size frying pan, melt margarine until it bubbles. Add carrots and toss. Sprinkle with sugar and ginger.
3) Toss lightly to coat carrots and continue cooking until carrots are lightly glazed, about 1-2 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 5.
Bwhahahahahahahahaaha.. shameful... *<}:o)~
BAVARIAN COFFEE CREAM A great dessert, simple and really different for a semi Low Carb with flavor!
1) Dissolve unflavored gelatin in cold water.
2) Cream sugar and egg yolks. Slowly pour the boiling milk over egg mixture. Pour in saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow to boil.
3) Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water. Stir in the gelatin and coffee in custard.
Strain into a bowl. Cool mixture.
4) Whip the heavy cream to a medium peak.
5) Fold in the cool custard. Pour in a decorative mold.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or longer.
To unmold: dip mold in hot water for a few seconds. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve cold.
Serves: 10
IT WON'T BE LONG NOW!... Hear those sleigh bells ringing..
Bistecca alla Pizzaiola
(Steak Pizzaiola)
We may not always picture a beef steak, when we think of
Italian dinners, but this may be the "national" dish of Naples.
Bistecca alla Pizzaiola
3 Tbs. (45 ml) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups (500 ml) canned Italian tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano or 1 Tbs. Fresh
1 tsp dried parsley or 1 Tbs. Fresh (Italian Flat of course)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 - 4 lb (1.3 - 1.8 Kg) T-bone, Porterhouse, or sirloin steak
Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil in a saucepan over
moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the
tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
frequently. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat the remaining olive
oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with salt and
pepper and brown in the oil for 2 minutes on each side.
Lower the heat to moderate and add the tomato sauce, spooning
it over and around the meat. Cover tightly and cook an additional 5
to 10 minutes, until the steak is done to your taste. Scrape the
sauce off the steak and remove the steak to a cutting board.
Simmer the sauce remaining in the skillet, scraping the bottom of the pan.
Carve the steak into thick slices and serve topped with the sauce.
Serves 4 to 6 or 2 fat Freepers Ha!
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May all your days be merry and bright! |
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Are the horses paper trained? ...I'd hate to step in that in the middle of the night! •<]:^)
Seriously, I know what you mean. At one point I had 3 dogs, 2 parakeets, 2 cockatiels and a 20 gallon aquarium full of fish. They're all gone now :( But after reading that story I was tempted to run to the local animal shelter and rescue a dog or two. Maybe when I have more time to devote to them. Right now they'd be alone most of the time.
In honor of this wonderful memory, I've brought you a special treat!
LOL. Except for the dogs and a few parrots, none of the animals are actually in the house. Most of the critters are in the barn.
It reminds me of a story, though. We have several llamas, and although I've never had them into the house, I met another llama owner who let his llamas watch TV in the house. They quietly sat there watching cartoons. One got up, walked to the door and he let the llama out. The llama did his business and then came back inside to watch TV. They are very fastidious animals. (Mine aren't allowed to spit!)
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