New Year's Eve-Eve

We all sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve but what does it mean?

It's an old Scotch phrase that means "Old Long Since" but would be more appropriately translated today to "Long, long, ago".

Some say Rabbie Burns wrote the poem but some say he only added to the already existing poem. If you're interested in reading the poem, and a Gaelic translation, click on Rabbie Burns' name.

Danish Traditions for The Holidays - Caramelized Potatoes

One of our favorite Christmas dishes is an old Danish family tradition that has been kept a secret for generations. But I'm willing to share it with my blogging buddies.

It is called Brune Kartofler. Brune = Brown and Kartofler = potoatoes. If you visit the All Time Cookbook website, you can see a picture of the finished product and I can testify that they are YUMMMMMYYY!

These brown potatoes are not a dessert even though they are really caramelized potatoes.

Here's what you need:

Four cans (14 oz cans) of baby white potatoes - precooked and peeled

Two cups of white sugar

One cube of butter

And here's the recipe:

Take four cans (14 oz cans) of baby white potatoes, drain the liquid and let them stand.

In a cast iron pan (preferably a dutch oven) pour in two cups of white sugar. Heat on low-heat until the sugar turns to a brown liquid. Stir in one cube of butter.

Then carefully place the potatoes in the caramel and let heat on low heat for 30 minutes.

WARNINGS: (Be extra careful with the caramel - it can pop when you place the potatoes in the liquid and it will burn) I add the potatoes with a long metal spoon to keep my hands back away from any splattering caramel.

Don't over cook the caramel because it will turn bitter and taste burnt. These aren't easy to make just right but they are a special treat.

YUM!

I made these potatoes for Thanksgiving and the kids said they tasted a little burnt so on Christmas I didn't cook them as long and the kids said they didn't have as rich a flavor as they usually do. I explained it was because we'd gone to the movies to see Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler, and I didn't want to rush the potatoes. So I cooked them slowly but didn't have enough time to get them as thoroughly coated as usual. However, my friend Jacqueline - who had never had them before - said she loved them. So, I guess it's what your used to. My kids just expect perfection - unfortunately parents aren't perfect. :) I told my daughter that "parents aren't perfect" and she said, "They should be. But, you can work on it."

The Scrap Award - 10 Things

Ten Honest Things About Me:

1) I hate house spiders;
2) I love chocolate;
3) I hate the smell of smoke;
4) I love ice cream;
5) I hate liver;
6) I love coffee;
7) I hate gory shows (except for horror films - okay, I know it's contradictory)
8) I love scary shows (Stephen King is an all-time favorite writer)
9) I hate split pea soup and pumpkin pie and I don't like apple pie either;
10) I love holidays - all of them!

Most of my "things" are about food - I wonder what that says about me. Maybe I need to go on a diet - thinking about food too much ;-)

I am supposed to tag seven people. But so many people have already been tagged, um, for those of you who want to play along . . . I'll say: 1) Jean Hall, 2) David Batista, 3) Matt Holm, 4)Teacher Ninja, 5)Christina Farley - when she's back from holiday. 6) Searching for a Hero; and 7) Cindy Pon - when she's back from holiday

Celtic Thunder - A Bird Without Wings

Damian McGinty is an amazing kid - just listen and see:



Here's another one sung in true Gaelic form:

ANSWER to Thought for Thursday - and EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: CLARENCE ODDBODY was George's Guardian angel AS2 (Angel Second Class) in It's a Wonderful Life

AND NOW FOR EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY:

I always feel a little sad when Christmas is over and I have to take down the decorations. Here's one way to turn that blue feeling to green, with a little help from Earth 911 and Lori Brown. It can be easy to treecycle. And, real v. fake can be a good thing.

I love to garden. So, making mulch is one easy way to go green. But you can look up recycling centers in your area that will do the job for you.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

MERRY CHRISTMAS - The Holidays are Here and Thought for Thursday

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: What was the name of the angel in the 1946 Movie It's a Wonderful Life
?

There's no better way to celebrate the holiday than sitting with loved ones and watching James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore in my favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life.

The show paints an amazing picture. One life can touch so many, without even trying. George Bailey doesn't want to stay in the small town of Bedford Falls but the impact he makes is breathtaking and he doesn't even realize what he's doing.

The other thing about spending time with family and friends (including our furry friends) is making memories that will last a lifetime, like this giant Gingerbread Man - made by MacKenzie - he's one guest we won't soon forget and neither will our waistlines - YUMMMM!

I finally got a good photo of Sasha in the snow. She loved it.


The Holidays have a way of sneaking up on us - and we got hit with the storm of the century! We have about a foot of snow and are expecting another foot. I still had shopping to do. . . oh well, instead, I went outside to work out some of my frustration - by making snow angels.

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE - NO BETTER TIME FOR A SNOW STORM AND SLEDDING

It's so beautiful. The snow is falling, the wind is whistling and we are all together!

We went up to Gilham Hill, which was closed to traffic because of the storm and went sledding. The dogs loved playing in the snow and when we got home Luke and MacKenzie relaxed out in the yard for a bit.