The last time I asked my mother to refresh my memory on the details of her deviled eggs recipe, she told me eggs, mayo, salt, pepper, and ground dry mustard.  Then she reminded me that her recipe was straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook.  I checked my own Betty Crocker cookbook, and sure enough, there it was.

I posted a few weeks ago about a hat I’d made from a pattern of my own design.  In the course of that post, I referenced head measurements.  Specifically, my own head measurements.  And the hat was gorgeous and fit me beautifully.  However.  I have many (MANY) knit hats already and I honestly didn’t need another.  So I thought it would make a nice Christmas gift for a friend of mine.  So I left it in her cubby at work and didn’t think anything more about it until I finally got around to asking her a couple weeks later if the hat fit her.  No.  It didn’t fit her.  Because her head is smaller than mine.

Once upon a time, when I was younger, I used to make fancy cakes for my nephews (and occasionally other family members), often accommodating specific requests. For example, one of the nephews requested a “Dig Dug themed cake with raspberry filling and a surprise inside.”

Odd and/or random things that make me happy:  a list.  With pictures.

Read Part 1 first.

I like maps.  Not that anyone uses a paper map anymore, in this age of GPS and smart phones.    I think I inherited my love of maps from my father.  He worked in Army intelligence for a few years, translating aerial reconnaissance photography into usable maps.  He wouldn’t say much more about it, of course, but from time to time, he would haul out a stack of beautiful old paper maps and spread them out lovingly for both of us to admire.

Both my brothers married very well.  By that I mean, not only do they have lovely and talented wives, but in both cases, my brothers have become better men because of their wives.  Okay, there might be a few other factors, but really, I credit the wives.  My youngest brother still lives in California with my favorite sister-in-law, but they do come up to visit on the holidays, and she brings with her a delightful and easy dish, Cheesy Potatoes.

In 2016, I decided for some reason that now escapes me that all three of the nephews needed handknit hats for Christmas.  And I wanted to use down some of my (really ridiculous) stash of sock yarn, so I went looking for hat patterns using fingering weight yarn.  And I didn’t find a single one that I liked.  I just wanted a simple hat pattern, but I couldn’t find one.  Most patterns were with worsted weight yarn.  So…I made one myself.

One of the ways we know the seasons are changing is that seasonal food becomes available. I’m not just talking about eating fruits and vegetables in season (although that’s an excellent strategy) but also what luxury foods are available. We know it’s fall because pumpkin spice everything is available everywhere. Lattes, milkshakes, ice cream, baked goods…it’s truly everywhere.

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,

      “To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —

      Of cabbages — and kings —

And why the sea is boiling hot —

      And whether pigs have wings.”

I can’t remember why my mother and I decided to try the combination, but for Thanksgiving some years ago, when we were making apple pies, we decided to try adding cranberries to them.  As a sort of experiment, we added fresh cranberries to the sliced apples in one pie, and some jam to the other.  I had wanted cranberry jam but couldn’t find any, so I had to settle for Lingonberry.  My mother did say at the time that she thought cranberry sauce would work, but as I recall, I scoffed at that notion and went ahead with my jam plan.

I know, it’s tradition to cook a whole turkey, display it triumphantly to the family on the table, and then return it to the kitchen for carving.  Okay, maybe some people carve at the table but my family switched to kitchen carving many years ago.  Cuts way down on the hassle and mess (and also, the public embarrassment if something goes awry).

As Thanksgiving draws nigh, I thought I might share a couple family favorites, among them my special cranberry sauce.  It doesn’t have a fancy name…yet.  It doesn’t have a fancy name yet, but I’ll take suggestions in the comments section.  This recipe was gifted me by a co-worker at my old job.

As my favorite sister-in-law’s birthday approaches, I had set aside a few things to send her that I thought she might enjoy. Amongst the pile of items to be mailed to her were a couple bars of my favorite soap “Shea’s All That,” made by a lady who runs an online business called Goodies Unlimited.

As a child, I did not much care for meatloaf. My mother did make it regularly, and I did eat it (because she made us eat everything she put on our plates; even broccoli; and sauerkraut; and fish) but I did not enjoy it. As with many things in life, my culinary tastes have evolved with age and I now think my mom’s meatloaf is absolutely delicious.

You’ll want to read part 1 first, naturally…

Some folks (my non-knit-worthy brother, for example) might question why anyone would hand knit socks in this day and age “when you can buy six pairs for $10 at Walmart.” (Walmart! Walmart? Seriously?) All I can say is that a pair of socks custom knit to fit your feet is a sumptuous luxury. Try it and see for yourself.

When I was a child, my mother regularly made two kinds of cookies from recipes handed down from the grandmothers. There was the classic Peanut Butter Cookie, of course, and then there were my maternal grandmother’s Molasses Crinkles. Both recipes were originally made with shortening and butter, but since shortening (and hydrogenated fats in general) are against my religion, I’ve tinkered with the recipes a little and now make them with butter only. They aren’t quite as fluffy as the original, but they are still delicious. And a lot less bad for you.

I like hoods. Not the hoods you find on your average coat or sweatshirt…I mean, I like those hoods just fine, functionally speaking. But what really catches my imagination is the more fantasy-style hoods; elven, medieval, Robin of the Hood’s merry men-style hoods.

Regular visitors to the blog might remember that I am a fan of “quick and easy” when it comes to cooking and baking.