Friday, December 30, 2011

The Old Man...


...has fallen

May The Old Man rot in peace.
I'll miss him terribly.

~~~

xoabb
change isn't always pleasant

I've blogged about this magnificent tree over the years - the photo in my blog header is that of The Old Man in all his glory. I always knew that the above was inevitable, but still...it was hard to see this. What finally happened is the "sprout" (you can see it lying on the ground on the left) that was growing out of the left side finally got too heavy and caused The Old Man to split. I really am sad to see him go. He was magnificent! 


Photo taken December 2011.


Monday, December 26, 2011

Sunday Serenity Surely Sidetracked by Monday Madness

Memories... by annbumbly
This little ornament, which had it's beginnings as a pine cone located on a tall, tall, very much alive pine tree, was originally a party favor for one of our many wonderful bird parties my mom put together for us when my sis and I were kids. (Yes, the above ornament is at least 40 years old....which means I'm old. Pooh!) Our family would find a cedar tree, bring it to our home and then secure it to our deck. We'd ask our friends to save hollowed out orange halves and then bring them on the day of the party. The oranges would have wires attached to them so they could be hung from the trees and then we'd  fill them with a mixture of peanut butter/seeds/suet. We'd also fill pinecones (the above ornament's sibling) with peanut butter, and string wires with popcorns and/or cranberries. The birds then enjoyed their feast the entire winter! Such fun! 

In the present, we had just a wonderful, wonderful Christmas! All of the immediate family are together in one place, (oh, and with our newest addition, Angie) for the first time since Carrie was married to Marty in 2001.  


We're having a perfection time together! 

Who could ask for anything more?

~~~
xoabb
expect extreme joy!



Saturday, December 24, 2011

And We're Off!

IMGP8931 by annbumbly
A Frozen Rustic Road Pond From a February Past
Our kids are already in Missourahhhh with their Grands and GB and I are leaving very very early this morning to join them and all the rest of our family. We have a ride to the airport (thank you Neil for getting up at 5:30 am and driving us), folks to take good care of Miss Stella-dog and Mr. Pain-in-the-Butt Trey-You-cat, a ride home to Columbia and then a Christmas with our ENTIRE FAMILY  together (first time since sis Carrie and her Marty got married in '01)! And instead of Christmas cards, (which I've not done for 3 years now - naughty!), I'm hoping to send out Valentine's Day cards, with a picture of us all. (O right, we'll see if that happens.)

To all of my friends, family and lovies,
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas or
whatever other holiday you might celebrate!

It really is all good...

~~~

xoabb
it's a wonderful life!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sunset on Second...Serenity

Sunset on Second by annbumbly
 A few thoughts...


There's been a lot of troubling news of late;
(There's also been lots of good news as well.)
But my glass has always been half full, 
(Though lately I've begun to think I've sprung a leak...)
Then again, I think of all the good,
And remember that the half full glass stuff
Is a very good thing indeed!
Sunday Serenity
There's a reason to believe in serenity!

~~~

xoabb
good thoughts!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sunday Serenity...Family

Family by annbumbly


Our beloved Mimi, my husband's mom, our kids' grandma and my truly wonderful mom-in-law died a little over three years ago. Her home was sold shortly thereafter. Imagine our surprise when the gentleman who bought her home wrote us that three boxes full of family photos and memories had been found! I've no idea how we missed them, but miss them we did! He kindly mailed everything out to us.
Inside those boxes we found many photos we'd already seen, every card that had ever been given to her, and a few wonderful surprises. Above was one of those surprises. It's one of the only photos we have of Mimi as a young girl - and what a treat that her mom and dad and great grandfather are in the photo as well! (As far as Gladys and Otto that are on the left of the photo...have no idea who they are.)


Such a treat to find
Unexpected glimpses of
Our families' past

~~~

xoabb
expect family treasures to pop up!

~

And a happy happy birthday to you, brother Billyum! Tho it was yesterday, the loves and hugs flowing your way are just a big today! 

Thursday, December 08, 2011

2nd Street Sunset

2nd Street Sunset 3 by annbumbly

Weather is crazy
Trust not what weathermen say
Just rely on self!

Thursday, December 01, 2011

The FBB's Roasted Bourbon Turkey

Bourbon Roast Turkey from "The Beekman ~1802~ Heirloom Cookbook", page 146
Beekman Boys Turkey
How good could it really be??
How 'bout best ever!

One week ago on Thanksgiving Day we had not one, not two, not three but four Thanksgiving turkeys. While the two smoked turkeys were wonderful (a contest between me (mine's here) and our friend Tony (contest ended in a solid tie)) and the deep fried one done to perfection this year (unlike the nuked turkey year), the turkey that was oven-roasted this Thanksgiving rendered all of us speechless...it was that good!

I happen to love The Fabulous Beekman Boys. I was originally told about their TV show on PlanetGreen by friend Ellen, who raved about them. It took me just two shows to totally agree with her! The boys just released their first cookbook (sold out already) and in it is a recipe for a roast turkey that requires cups of bourbon. That piqued my interest. Quite a bit. Anything involving bourbon? Count me in! Not only that, the recipe also calls for maple syrup, molasses, citrus and Worcestershire sauce. Those are a few more of my favorite things...just how good was this bird going to be? I can tell you now - in a word - perfection!

We had a hard time carving all four of the birds as there were sticky picky fingers darting in and out of the carving stations the entire time! (Lucky no one lost a digit.) And at the end of the night, there was one small bag of turkey leftovers (didn't think there was any at all, but the bag was hidden under the lettuce in the crisper drawer. A planned hiding, perhaps??) and not one morsel of it was the Beekman Boys Turkey. The entire 20 lb. bird was consumed. Dang it!

Of course the recipe is in their cookbook (which you really should treat yourself to), but if you're not so inclined, below is a copy of the recipe and a link to the original on their website:

Bourbon Roast 14 lb. Turkey
Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients:

1 turkey (about 14 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, neck and giblets removed, liver discarded
1/4 cup coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 juice orange
1 lime
1 small onion, halved
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3/4 cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup bourbon
1 cup canned chicken broth
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Tuck the wing tips under the turkey by bending them back and pushing them under the wings. In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and chile powder. Carefully run your fingers under the breast and thigh skin of the turkey to loosen and then season with about one-third of the salt mixture. Rub the remaining mixture in the cavity of the turkey and all over the skin. With a fork, pierce the orange and lime all over. Place them in the cavity along with the onion, bay leaves, and garlic cloves. Truss the turkey.
In a small skillet, combine the maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to concentrate.
Place the turkey on a rack and the turkey neck and giblets in a heavy roasting pan with a lid. In a small bowl combine the bourbon and chicken broth and carefully pour the mixture into the pan (do not splash the oven or outside of the pan with the mixture). Pour all but 1/3 cup of the maple syrup mixture over the turkey breast. Cover the pan with the lid and roast the turkey, without uncovering, for 1 hour 30 minutes. [Tent with foil if the bird begins to get really toasty brown - mine did.]
Uncover the pan and brush the turkey with the reserved maple syrup mixture. Roast for 30 minutes, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, without touching bone, registers 165°F.
Lift the turkey from the pan and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 30 minutes. Discard the neck and giblets.
Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a gravy separator or a large measuring cup and remove the fat, reserving 3 tablespoons. If there isn’t enough turkey fat, add butter to make up the difference. If you don’t have 4 cups of pan juices, add water to make up the difference.
Place the turkey fat in a large saucepan and heat over low heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour has browned, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the 4 cups of pan juices and cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy is lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy and your other sides.

~

Below are the adjusted amounts for our 20 lb. bird:


Bourbon Roast 20 lb. Turkey
Serves 16-18

Ingredients:

1 turkey, about 20 lbs., rinsed and patted dry (neck and giblets removed; liver tossed)
1/3 cups coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 large orange (be sure to remove the sticker - as you can see, above, I forgot)
1 lime (2 if they're small)
1 medium onion, halved
1 cup pure maple syrup (preferably grade B)
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
3 cups bourbon
spray oil for oiling foil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Remain as above. Use a meat thermometer if you are unsure of doneness.