I'm Dreaming

...of a wet Christmas. No dreaming necessary, as the forecast calls for two more days of rain. No complaints from me. We are happy not to have snow to shovel.
As if.
There are no sidewalks here to clear, and as far as snow on stairs, just come in the studio door, no stairs there.
Our Coral Bark Maple is all dressed up for the holidays, clothed in bright red bark. It looks especially bright when wet, so again we are glad to have the rain.


The ice on the pond has melted and one can view the fish from the porch, or if inside, from my bedroom window.

We have so many fish this year, and they travel around the pond in large schools, lazily rising and sinking. Notice the interesting bark on that holly tree? Looks painted, but it isn't.

We'll be staying put for the next two days, as my hoped for meetup with my sister's family to share tamales has fallen through. I was unable to find the necessary ingredients for the first time this year.
I have temporarily given up and will try again after Christmas.
Instead I am making a small turkey breast for two + dawgs and it will become Turkey Lasagna. Without planning it, this has become a traditional way to have our turkey dinner since 2009. Make ahead and bake on the day. The leftovers are ready to heat up with no fuss. I know several readers have adopted this idea, and if you are traveling to another home for dinner, it is an easy addition to whatever else the hostess is serving.




I continue to bake cookies, from some internal obsessive-keeping-with-tradition. I will finish up today with pecan tarts, cool whip in the fridge. The baking ingredients never got put away, and the counter is full of  sugar, nuts of all kinds, flour, butter and the big Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I spilled some confectioner's sugar on the floor and Chester quickly licked it up, making his muzzle all white.
Too bad my hands were too full of sticky dough to reach for the camera.
Here's hoping your Christmas is stress free, full of noisy fun and lots of goodies to eat and share.
Wear your expandomatics and have a great day,
Love and Peas from our family to yours,