Each year the lemon tree gives us a different amount of lemons.
Last year we got one lemon.
This year, it's around 30 lemons.
As I mentioned before in THIS post, they are smaller than normal, but as you can see, not too small.
It is going to get down close to freezing on Tuesday night, so we took in as many close to ripe ones as we could.
There are still 17 more on the tree, at this time.
Quite a crop.
I don't get gifts from neighbors, as a general rule.
We got a knock on the door at around 2PM on Sunday and there was my across the street neighbor bringing homemade cookies.
It has never happened in the past and it was such a touching gesture from her.
I have tried her gingerbread cookies and they are excellent.
Hubby went for the chocolate ones. He said they were OK, too.
My Water Post For Today.
Geese! That's what is on the agenda today.
They made a huge line and just chugged toward the Mackinac Bridge, when we were there this summer.
I spent time in Oswego and I never saw that many zipping around.
I thought they were very cute to see.
I saw this recipe on Facebook and decided to go find it online. The Frugal Hausfrau had the Cook's Illustrated recipe and I went for it. I did not have everything needed, but I improvised using corn flakes, 2 eggs, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and parsley. It came out excellent. That glaze is to die for! Here is the recipe, do with it, what you want.
Cook’s Illustrated Meatloaf – A favorite!
Adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated/Pam Anderson recipe, this meatloaf is the pinnacle of Classic Meatloaf!
Author: Cook's Illustrated
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 10 servings 1x
Category: Beef Main Dish
Cuisine: American German
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup milk, buttermilk or low-fat plain yogurt (yogurt preferred)
3 pounds ground meat: use meatloaf mix (beef, veal, pork) or 50% beef & pork
2/3 cups crushed saltines (about 16) or 2/3rds cup oatmeal or 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (oatmeal preferred)
1/3 cup minced parsley, optional
1 pound bacon, optional (instructions at bottom of recipe)
Instructions
Glaze:
Glaze has been doubled. Divide into two portions, 1/2 for glazing and 1/2 for serving.
1 1/4 cup ketchup or chili sauce (chili sauce is best!)
4 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider or white vinegar
Mix all ingredients, set aside. May be warmed briefly in the microwave if your sugar has hardened and doesn’t mix in.
Meatloaf:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and garlic, saute until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.
Mix eggs with salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco or hot sauce, and your choice of milk, buttermilk or yogurt.
Add egg mixture to meat in a large bowl, along with either crackers, oatmeal or bread crumbs, & the cooked onions and garlic; mix lightly with fingertips until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture does stick, add additional dairy, a couple of tablespoons at a time, and continue mixing until mixture stops sticking.)
To make in a free-form loaf: Cover a portion of a wire rack with foil a little larger than the formed meatloaf will be (use a sheet of foil the length of the roll, and width of about 8 inches); prick foil in several places with a fork so excess grease can drip down. Place a rack on a shallow roasting pan lined with foil for easy cleanup. Turn meat mixture onto foil-lined rack and pat mixture into a loaf approximately 9 by 5 inches.
To make in a loaf pan: Place meatloaf mixture in loaf pan but pat into shape so it has a rather high dome and is flat for 1/2 inch around the edges. This will allow the glaze to cook nicely on top. When the second coating of glaze is ready to go on, you will probably want to pour off any accumulated fat into a can or container, (refrigerate to harden to make it easy to dispose of) which is a messy proposition but worth doing.
For both baking methods:
Brush loaf with 1/2 of the glaze set aside for glazing then bake for about 30 minutes. Remove carefully (I drain grease if using a loaf pan) then gently add the remainder of the glaze without disturbing the first coat.
Return to oven and bake until the loaf registers 160 degrees, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. (1 hour to an hour and ten minutes total.) Cool for at least 20 minutes – it really does make a better meatloaf. Slice and serve with reserved sauce, if you’ve doubled.
To use bacon:
To use bacon on this recipe: Use the foil on rack method of baking. Form loaf, then brush with 1/2 of the glaze. Top with the bacon (going over the short sides across the loaf) overlapping each slice slightly. Tuck any excess under the loaf. Notes
No need to saute the onions: place oil and onions in a small, microwave-safe container and microwave for about 2 minutes, covered.
We actually had a bit of rain on Thursday morning. That sometimes gives us a better than usual sunset.
In this case it was a very beautiful one that I happened to catch when I watered some of my plants.
More rain in the forecast for Monday. Substantially more rain.
Especially for the Ventura - Santa Barbara area.
Good luck to them.
Tomorrow my latest Grand Nephew turns 1 month old.
I have an ornament for his older sister on my tree.
I felt like I needed to make one for each of my Grand Nephews who were born this year.
So, there they are.
Little Miles, slightly older Isaac and of course, Lucia from 2 years ago.
Someday I hope to meet them in person. Thank goodness for Cluster.
A day late with the celebration, but Medicare Open Enrollment is finally done!
I have discussed this with my Sister and Brother-In-Law and we are just so tired of seeing all those stars halking the Medicare Advantage Plans on TV. One after the other.
William Shatner, George Foreman, Jimmie Walker and Joe Namath all touted their plan and told you that it is perfect for you. No co-pays, free dental, hearing aids and eye exams, etc...
I have a plan and all that, but even I was tired of watching and I don't expect any of those "experts" to actually be using a medicare advantage plan.
Hopefully gone for another 10 months.
My Husband's cousin, Anne posted a new video yesterday.
What makes it so special is that she accompanied her 9 year old daughter, Andie.
They are playing Bach's Ave Maria together.
She said it was for a school performance. What a wonderful memory for them both.
Passing on the torch to a new generation. As my Husband said, her great grandmother would be so proud.
I had bacon that had to be used. I had eggs, much more than normal. What might work with these 2 ingredients? Quiche!
I didn't want a pie crust and then I saw THIS recipe from King Arthur's Flour and decided that potato works for me.
A few tips, right from the start. Oil or butter the pie plate, before you place the potatoes in the plate. It was difficult to remove, but would work much better if greased. You can cover the rim of the potatoes, to keep it from burning. My Husband didn't care this time, so this is what we got. I might add an extra egg next time, to come closer to the top of the plate. The recipe comments recommend using whatever you have in the house. I used the bacon, instead of muchrooms. Oh, my Husband recommends adding onions inside the egg mixture. :-)
Ingredients
Crust
1/2 cup (85g) onion, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1/4 cup (30g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled
*Substitute 2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch, for a gluten-free version.
Filling
2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil
1 large leek, sliced washed and drained (about 2 1/2 cups)
4 cups (283g) sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup (113g) Fontina cheese or Swiss cheese, grated
5 large eggs*
1/2 cup (113g) milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
*If using a 10" pan, increase to 6 large eggs.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a 9" or 10" deep-dish pie pan. Set up a strainer over a bowl.
Grate the onions into the strainer, and drain for 10 minutes, pressing out the extra liquid.
When the onions are drained, transfer them to a bowl and combine them with the salt, thyme and flour.
Grate the potatoes into the strainer. Press out any extra liquid, then combine with the onion mixture, mixing to combine.
Pat the mixture into pie pan and up the sides. Bake for 25 minutes to let the steam escape.
After 25 minutes, brush the potatoes with oil, then bake for 15 minutes more, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 350°F.
While the crust is baking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until the leeks are wilted, and the mushrooms give up their liquid and it cooks away (you don't want the vegetables to be juicy). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the vegetables to the baked crust, and sprinkle the cheese evenly on top.
Whisk the eggs, milk and Worcestershire together, and pour slowly over the vegetables.
Return the quiche to the oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is set.
Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.
My Water Post For Today.
Back to Michigan!
We drove about an hour north of where my Son lives and what did we cross?
The Saginaw River.
It's not much of a memory, but I can now say that I have visited Saginaw. We also got gas, on the way home, if you care. Two memories.
"It took me 4 days to hitch hike from Saginaw..."
I had 3 birds on the neighbor's chimney...and then this bird on my fence.
My best guess is that it's a Cooper’s Hawk, but I might be wrong.
No matter what, it was pretty cool to see and (of course) it flew off just after I took this photo.
One never knows what will show up in our yard, even after 36 years.
Just keep the snakes out and I am happy.
Here it is! Well, most of it.
I have a half box of decorations to place on the tree, but it is close to done. I also still need to put out the holiday decorations on the coffee table. Little things I still need to do.
I did the fireplace different, two years running. Last year I put the little measuring cups that came with my collagen powder, onto some left over yarn I had.
It was cute and this year, it hangs in the opening between the formal living room and the dining room.
To change it up, this year I made the fireplace Hanukkah themed, though I still have to dig out the stockings and hang them.
I got some ornaments put down at the bottom of the tree, to amuse the cat. She has found the ones with catnip in them already.
She was waiting for dinner, when I took the photo. That is why she is absent from the picture.
I expect her to hang out on the top of the couch, when she is finished eating.
The tree is going up today, so things will change, in regard to where Makenna sleeps.
This is her, not quite knowing what to do with herself.
So instead, she looks at me as if I can answer that question.
Why does a cat need prompting, to find the best location to rest?
Makenna, you KNOW what you need! Now go find it.
Seriously, she makes my life.
I can't resist taking a photo of my Husband doing his traditional once-a-year, latke making.
He is quite good at it and his family recipe never disappoints.
This year we only used 5 mostly small russet potatoes, so we do not spend the entire week eating them.
They came out good and went well with the tri-tip roast.
Recipe is HERE, for any who want to try them.
The year has flown by.
My latest version of my Thesis was due in on Sunday and so I told my Husband that I could take some time off and help decorate the outside on Monday.
Instead of the few hours he thought it was going to take, it took a few in the morning and then after a lunch break and vaccuming the house break, we were at it again.
Basically all day.
It is not very different from last year, but I like to show off what is happening at the angel house.
