A Grand Puppy

Introducing the newest family member because as everyone knows, pets are family  too. Lola is a 3-1/2-month old yellow Labrador retriever who lives in PA with family. 

The photos that had been included with this post, somehow no longer display. 

Thanks for Leftovers Casserole

Thanksgiving leftovers are the best. By now, most of our blogger friends in the U.S. might be through with turkey day leftovers. Not at The Frog & PenguINN where we belatedly celebrated the holiday this past Sunday.

Monday night, we enjoyed one of Grenville’s classic day-after Thanksgiving sandwiches, turkey on white bread with mayo, salt and pepper with a side of butternut squash soup. The turkey carcass was frozen for use in turkey soup this weekend.

What to do with some assorted containers of mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans and sweet potatoes ? Make turkey casserole.

Taking leftovers out of the fridge ahead of time to bring them to room temperature is best; failing that, just heat longer. Layer everything into a baking dish, any order is OK and stuffing makes a good bottom. Put in the oven — 350 degrees for just under 40 minutes worked for me. No need to measure amounts; there isn’t any wrong way to use the leftovers.

• stuffing
• turkey gravy
• cooked turkey in pieces or slices
• prepared cranberry sauce
• mashed potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• green beans
• 1 TBSP butter

Spread stuffing in bottom of 2 quart casserole or baking dish. Top stuffing with gravy, turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes. Dot potatoes with butter or use gravy. Bake for 30-40 minutes until everything is heated through.

Serve by scooping all the way to the bottom.

Leftover pumpkin pie didn’t go in the casserole; we enjoyed that after dinner. And, this week we are into our holiday movie marathon with one film each night.

Apple-Orange Muffins

Last week I tried a new (for us) muffin recipe that included favorite fruits and everything we already had available. Not only were these muffins delicious (and a bit healthy as well) but Grenville declared the recipe “a keeper” which means they’ll be on the weekend breakfast menu again.

Apple-Orange Whole Wheat Muffins

This recipe was adapted from the King Arthur® flour recipe site with a few modifications. Feel free to make your own changes like adding raisins or dried fruit. I’m planning to add in dried cranberries next time.

• 1 C whole wheat flour (4 oz.)
• 1 C+ white all-purpose flour (4-1/4 oz.)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)
• ½ C (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp
  OR ¼ C canola oil and ¼ C applesauce
• ¾ C brown sugar divided (1/2 C + ¼ C)
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1 C buttermilk OR 1 C yogurt (or mix of each) *
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
• 2 TBSP orange juice
• 1-2 TBSP orange zest (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ C chopped nuts (optional)

* can substitute regular milk and 1 TBSP lemon juice OR white vinegar for buttermilk. My preference was yogurt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Flour 12 muffin tins OR line with paper (grease paper insides).
2. Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt in separate mixing bowl.
3. Cream butter, add white sugar and ¼ C of brown sugar. Beat until fluffy, add egg. Mix well and add in buttermilk or yogurt.
4. Stir in apple chunks and dry ingredients, including orange zest (if using) and orange juice.
5. Divide batter into muffin tins; sprinkle tops with remaining ½ C brown sugar.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick in center is clean. Cool 5 minutes; turn out onto rack to finish cooling.

Serve and enjoy. We enjoyed these with a cup of coffee on Saturday morning.

Feeling Better

Thanks to all for the well wishes for Grenville’s recovery. He really appreciated reading your comments and commiserations too.

Both he (and Pat) are feeling better. He’s busy in the kitchen preparing some of the fixings for turkey dinner. I snapped a quick photo before he asked ordered me to leave. (We tend to get very territorial about our kitchen work areas.)

A fellow blogger (MadSnapper Sandra) noted that holidays are ALL about the people. We wholeheartedly agree as we celebrate a belated Thanksgiving today with friends.

We are thankful that these friends delayed their celebration too — there’s only SO many turkey sandwiches we could eat (or maybe not)!

And, be sure to visit MadSnapper’s blog to see her great December header; there’s a tutorial as well. Thanks, Sandra.

Neighborhood Walk

Our Thanksgiving celebration was very low-key this year. There were no family holiday visits or gatherings at The Frog & PenguINN — no aromas of roasted turkey, no stuffing, gravy or mashed potatoes. And, worst of all, no pumpkin pie for dessert.

WHY?
Grenville was unwell feeling icky all week from a nasty sinus infection — enough said, as some of you may have been there.

On the other hand, we received many good wishes from wonderful blog friends and are SO thankful and grateful all your comments on the Thanksgiving post. We hope that your observances were happy (and fulfilling) gatherings of family and friends.

Our celebration wasn’t cancelled but postponed until Sunday when friends will join us for dinner. We’ll need help with the turkey and fixings which (thankfully) were not prepared early; we’ll enjoy a fresh-baked pumpkin pie too.

Grenville napped most of the holiday, and I snapped. NO shopping trips, just a walk outdoors with camera in hand. After 2 days of blowing rains and wind, chillier temps set in, but felt good great. Nature’s beauty was more cause for thanks.

The clear sky was wonderful to see again and a colorful backdrop to the trees.

Lots of lines and lights in the trees around the neighborhood.

Unsure of the names of any of these colorful berries, but they were plentiful.

Photos of a single leaf were taken in the same spot as the lighting subtly changed.

Surrounding wooded areas were colorful in red with small holly plants and pine needles hung on tree branches.

Freezing temps overnight produced interesting ice patterns — can you see a dancer, side profile or bird’s head, here?

How about an angel with wings, after all it is the holiday season.

Hmm, maybe too much of that cold air went to my head.

Thanks and Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a day of celebration and giving thanks in the U.S. There are countless quotations about being thankful, many reflective and insightful.

It was particularly striking to read this quote attributed to the late President John F. Kennedy, especially as this month marks the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” —John Kennedy

For us, It comes down to some simple words — thanks and gratitude.

We, Pat and Dorothy (Grenville & Beatrice here) are very grateful for all our blessings and thankful for family and friends, including all of you.

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” — Eric Hoffer

Gobbler Goodies

Earlier this week, a friend sent a link to a funny Thanksgiving e-card with turkey vocalist “Gloria Gobbler” warbling “I Will Survive.” I posted it, then a fellow blogger alerted me that the link didn’t work. I deleted it and learned about GG vs. posting a pirated video (this isn’t her).

What I didn’t know, but do now is that this e-card is not new. Created by AG Interactive, the media subsidiary of American Greetings, the #2 U.S. based card company (Hallmark is #1), it racked up over 30 million internet views before 2010 Thanksgiving day. The Ohio-based American Greetings estimated were that it had been seen by about 1 in every 10 Americans (except myself).

Gloria Gobbler’s performance is a parody set to “I Will Survive” a hit of Gloria Gaynor, 70s disco star. Its lyrics state that she will not be eaten for Thanksgiving as she dances and sings with two disco turkeys and belts out:

"And now you're back, think you're the boss. Wanna put me on a plate next to your wife's cranberry sauce. I should know this day would come, I should have known not to relax. If I thought just for one second you'd come in here with that ax . . ."

Also learned that the original video e-card was later blocked by Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG Publishing) on copyright grounds. It has since re-circulated on other channels. This parody (and more) can be found on YouTube (just saying).

By now a star, Ms. Gobbler re-appeared 2 years later in another turkey day funny to the tune of “You Can’t Hurry Love” called “You Can’t Gobble Me” with lines such as:

“Keep way back, I’m not your meal. Find another menu. You can’t gobble me on Thanksgiving Day. . . Feed yourself the vegan way...Why can’t I find a place to live in peace where I’m not a part of someone’s Thanksgiving feast. Don’t want my giblets touched, don’t want my drumsticks gnawed . . .”

That same year, AG Interactive came up with a turkey hip-hop challenger to Gloria, and introduced “MC Gobbler” This turkey rapped “U Can’t Stuff This” a singing parody of MC Hammer’s “U can’t touch this.”  Accompanied by three groupie hens, MC Gobbler sings to an audience of farmyard animals that he will not be dinner (this is not him):

“U can’t stuff this. My My My. Ladies think I’m so hot. Makes me think it’s time to strut my stuff around the farm cuz this hayseed here can’t do me no harm. Feels good when you know you’re down, a super Tom Turkey you can’t sell by the pound and I’m known as such, U can’t stuff this, I told you farmboy . . .U can’t stuff this . . .”

AND, this year, Ms. Gobbler is back with a new parody “This turkey won’t be stuffed” and accompanying vocalists singing:

“I thought I'd seen the last of you, And you want to see the end of me, Well Honey, this turkey won't be deceased for your Thanksgiving feast (just listen to me now!) I'm gonna make it! I know I can! I'm gonna live to see December, put away your roasting pan . . .Hope mashed potatoes fill you up Cuz this turkey won't be stuffed . . . Yes I'm a winner, not your family dinner . . .”

The creators of these e-cards, American Greetings has a website where you can preview and email cards.There’s an annual subscription fee and  a 7-day free trial period. OR, search YouTube for these and even more turkey day funnies. You can enjoy some HAPPY Thanksgiving treats preferably before dinner sans calories.

And a question — ANYONE shopping on Thanksgiving Day for Christmas?

A Few Good Eggs

And, not just for breakfast — at holiday time, this colorful dish would can serve large gatherings of family and friends.
Eggs and an assortment of vegetables, cheese, and seasonings combined to make a very easy casserole. WHY did I never try this before? It was very easy (really). I modified a couple of online recipes for this variation. Yours may differ.
This dish was enjoyed at The Frog & PenguINN with homemade soup for an evening meal. This recipe was enough for 4-5 servings, but you can adjust ingredients as needed for larger (or smaller) servings.
Eggs and Vegetables Casserole

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 C roughly chopped broccoli, zucchini, peppers, asparagus – your choice or some of each (my choice)
• 1/2 C roughly chopped mushrooms (any variety)
• 2 white potatoes, peeled, sliced, cooked – enough to line bottom of dish 
• 6 large eggs
• 2 TBSP milk or half & half
• 1 C shredded cheese, cheddar was my choice 
• 1 TBSP dried thyme leaf, or 2 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter bottom of baking dish or use cooking spray.
2. Sauté veggies in butter. (Note: Some websites suggested microwaving about 2 minutes in 1 tablespoon of water by covering with plastic wrap, and leaving a vent hole.)  If the broccoli hasn't softened, cook on high for another minute. Uncover, drain off any liquid, and set aside.
3. Peel, slice potatoes, place in microwave-able dish with water to cover, then cover with plastic wrap (remember to vent it) and microwave until soft (mine cooked in under 5 minutes).
4. Spread potatoes on bottom of dish, cover with other vegetables and set aside.
5. Whisk eggs in large bowl, until slightly frothy. Add milk and flour and continue to whisk. Using a rubber spatula, stir in shredded cheese, herbs of choice, salt and pepper.
6. Pour egg mixture over vegetables in baking dish. Draw spatula through mixture to bring some vegetables to surface.

Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until eggs are puffy. Serve warm or cold, but it’s easier to cut and serve when cooled a bit.
It’s also a very colorful dish with red and green peppers added.

Seeing the Blues

This year there’s been an unusually large number of blue jays at the backyard feeders. They are often hoggish at the feeders, scaring other bird species away. To their credit, however, they are more colorful to see than the even more hoggish, but very unattractive, starlings and grackles.

But to their credit, the blue jay can be beneficial to other birds, as it has been known to chase predatory birds, like hawks and owls, calling loudly if it sees a predator within its territory. Jays have also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near; smaller birds recognize this call and hide away. A blue jay may impersonate a raptor’s call, especially those of the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, possibly to test if one is in the area or to scare off other birds that may compete for food sources.

A few months ago, this young bird was a frequent feeder visitor. Young jays can remain with their parents for one to two months. The male blue jay feeds the female while she sits on the eggs and when they hatch, both parents feed the young. Blue jays fledge in about 3 weeks. Sexual maturity is reached after one year of age.

Blue jays have quiet, almost subliminal calls which they use among themselves in proximity. While in other parts, blue jays migrate for the winter, they are usually seen year-round here in Virginia. 

Blue jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Sexes are similar in size and plumage, which doesn’t vary in color through the year.

Blue jays are mostly vegetarians and most of their diet is composed of acorns, nuts, and seeds, and also caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles. They also control insect populations by eating large numbers of tent caterpillars when they leave the tents. And, blue jays are credited with aiding the spread of forests as they often store acorns in the ground and fail to retrieve them.

The blue jay is the team symbol of the major league baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s also the official bird of the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Blinded

Not by the light, or even blindsided, blindfolded, or up a blind alley.  NONE of these terms fit my experience today, including:

• turn a blind eye, blind as a bat, rob someone blind
• blind leading the blind, love is blind
• blind luck, blind date, blind spot, fly blind
• not 3 blind mice

THIS is what had me blinded today — cleaning window blinds  at The Frog & PenguINN —  18 sets. Thankfully, there are several other windows which don’t have blinds (and never will), but, these do . . .

Lots of people call these Venetian (or venetian) blinds, yet despite the name, they were not invented in Venice, Italy. Window blinds with slats existed in ancient Egypt and Pompeii long before the city of Venice was founded in AD 452. Those slats were fixed, but in 1757, a French craftsman advertised blinds with adjustable slats, perhaps not his invention but a new “twist.”

By the end of the 1700s, window blinds were common in England’s wealthier houses, shops, churches, and public buildings. In 1767, a Philadelphia craftsman advertised, “newest invented Venetian sun blinds for windows . . . stained to any color, move to any position.” They were so named as a marketing ploy since, at the time, Italian furnishings were considered very sophisticated in England.

Only the English called them Venetian blinds. In Italy, they were persiana; in France, jalousie a la persienne, lending credence to their origination in the East, perhaps in the Persian Empire or beyond, in China or India.

In 1769, British designer, Edward Beran enclosed adjustable wooden slats into a frame in order to regulate the amount of light coming into a room. In 1841, the first U.S. patent for a Venetian blind was issued to John Hampson of New Orleans, LA.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Venetian blinds were widely adopted in office buildings to regulate light and air. New York’s Rockefeller Center RCA Building (Radio City) completed in the 1930s also used them. One of the largest orders ever was to the Vermont Burlington Venetian Blind Co., which supplied blinds for the windows of the Empire State Building in NYC.

NOT sure how folks in those buildings, or other homes, clean them, but here it’s a much disliked fall ritual. Good news is that these window treatments will be included with the eventual house sale.

Paraphrasing actress Faye Dunaway (as Joan Crawford in the 1981 bio-pic, Mommie Dearest . . .  NO MORE wire hangers venetian blinds ever.