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| The view from my front porch tonight. Too pretty to not capture on film. Notice the lack of snow... |
What I cooked today:
Pancakes (from scratch!) : Of course, luck would have it that I ran out of Bisquick last week, and I totally forgot to get more at the store this week. So, right after I asked the kids it they wanted pancakes for breakfast, I realized I would have to make them from scratch. Alton Brown to the rescue! He has a recipe for 'premade pancake mix', which is just flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. I mixed together enough to make 3 batches of pancakes. Then, the recipe calls for buttermilk, which I was lucky enough to have. I think Patrick's favorite part is that I greased the pan with butter instead of Pam. Everyone said they turned out great, which was awesome.
Ham : I picked up a Shank Ham at Albertsons this week, so I figured it was time to try it. I really wasn't sure how to start, since I had this really big piece of meat, with a bone in it. Again, Alton saved me. He had a recipe which showed me not only how to prepare and cook the meat, but also a glaze with mustard, brown sugar and Bourbon (we used brandy, which worked fine). About 3 1/2 hours into it, the house smelled so good, we almost had to eat early. Once it was done, we let it rest and then I carved it, which I had no idea how to accomplish. It turned out great and the kids just dug in. I made mashed potatoes, just in case it turned out awful. It didn't and I almost ended up with leftover mashed potatoes, which never happens in my house. The ham was really moist and Patrick even said I could make it again (he normally hates ham). Woo Hoo! A successful cooking day!
Update:
Today was a relaxing day, which was really nice compared to yesterday's 6-7 hours of driving day. Church and a little house cleaning, but mostly just hanging out, letting the kids play games, and relaxing.
We are planning on skiing tomorrow, so we'll have to see how that works out. A friend from California gave us a set of her skis and boots and poles (Thanks Linda!), so Katie is all set. We need rentals for Allen and Connor, but I'm sure by the end of the season, we will have broken down and bought a used set from somewhere. I think I'm going to sit this one out, since I don't have ski clothes yet. I'll probably be down at the bottom of the hill, playing with Ryan, assuming that we bring him. We haven't worked out all the details, but I'm sure it will all work out.
We also decided to break down and get a Christmas tree from town, since we don't have the permit yet anyway. But, knowing what we know now, we will be more prepared for next year!
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