leder legends

A Christmas Eve dinner Puertorican style! The essentials are pernil, tostones and arroz con gandules! We lived in Puerto Rico many, many years ago and this is one of the traditions we  carried back with us!  That was 38 years ago.  Our daughters live in Anchorage, Alaska now and they also carry on this tradition! A few years back, I changed the menu to something a bit easier and less messy to prepare because I thought the kids did not really care. Well, that was a big mistake!  They howled in disappointment!  We still do prepare the basics but have  made a few “changes”.  I no longer buy a fresh ham because they are too big and invariably I end up with too much dry meat!  Instead, I buy a nice, decent sized pork roast with a nice layer of fat. The roast is juicy and tasty with a nice crackling outside layer.  It was SOOO tasty this year!                               ...

I'm not sure what I expected but it was ok and definitely better than the techno show they did last year. The gardens were lit up, the music played, and  there were lots of people. It was a relaxed walk through the plaza with the huge American horse as the centerpiece. 

 My sister has a recipe for these Dutch New Year’s Eve treats.  My husband and I made these together this year again! Making the rue, cooking 4 pounds of meat, combining it all, rolling the mixture into balls or croquettes, rolling them into egg whites, crumbs and repeating that.  These will be frozen and taken with us to Alaska and enjoyed there with the daughters and grandchildren!

 My friend made this for a Christmas luncheon at her church....it was almost all gone at the end. Anyway, it sounded so good to me and brought back good memories so I decided to make one!   It also sounded like it would be easy to prepare! Once again I under estimated all that is involved. First, I did not have all the ingredients so I went to the store! It would look wonderful in a glass bowl but I made do with a large Tupperware container. Step 1.- chop and wash and spin the lettuce.  Base layer in the container Step 2, 3, & 4 - chop , wash , layer the celery, yellow pepper, and red onion.  4 layers done...but chopping takes time and leaves a mess to clean up! Step 5.  Sprinkle on a layer of frozen peas. Step 6. Prepare the dressing with the unctuous addition of a few tablespoons of bacon grease.  Layer on top of the veggies! Step 7. Top with grated cheese - some from a bag and most from a fresh chunk th...

Recently my friend and I went to Meijer Gardens for lunch. We both have a membership there that we very seldom use, but it is a great place to support! We went for lunch and also to see the Christmas trees that are decorated to present Christmas traditions around the world.  Not all countries celebrate Christmas.  China enjoys weeks-long New Year celebrations. These are the Three Star Gods called Fu Lu Shou Since Chinese is written left to right, Shou is on our left, Lu is next and Fu. They represent prosperity, status and longevity!   (my friend said this was not something that she would like to put up at her house!!) The café there has great food ! It also has large windows surrounded by flowerbeds but unfortunately there’s not much growing outside but the ceiling does sport some gorgeous, colorful Chihuly blown glass light fixtures. There is an art gallery as well .  This time it was featuring trees—Forest of Dreams: contemporary tree sculpture....

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.   The 2023 tree is up!   I got the tree up the stairs... only 3 trips! Then I put it together and wrapped the “trunk” in lights! I think it makes the tree glow from the inside!      Then came the most time consuming task and the one I find hard on my back—- spreading out the branches! I do it in stages so I can move the next day, lol! This morning I added 5 or 6 strings of white lights! It’s ready for the grandkids who will come and add the ornaments!

We had this last night! A hearty Dutch dish that we had growing up. Boerenkool-  potatoes and kale mashed together and served with a good sausage is a healthy, warm,  and comforting dinner on a cold winter evening. It has to be accompanied with a hearty gravy or it's simply disappointing and dry!

Thanksgiving in Phoenix did not happen this year! The day before, Arie was not doing well!  He wasn’t really sick but acting strange! So my Dr. Mom kicked in!  I did the recommended stroke tests- arms up, smile, speak - all was fine!  His BP was great!  He did have a temp of 102F and he seemed confused. Then to our surprise, he could not seem to stand as he was too weak!  I was not going to take him in myself because if he happened to fall, there would be no way to get him up. So, I called 911! That did seem very strange!  The EMTs came and I was happy they did not use the siren. We found out that an ambulance ride is very uncomfortable, that you go straight into the ER when you arrive in an ambulance and that the ER at Blodgett hospital is awesome!  After numerous tests, it was determined that he had legionella pneumonia- Legionnaires’ disease. It’s bacterial and not spread from person to person and it’s fairly rare!   We have no idea where he co...

  Old age necessitates routine.  I’m 74. Is that considered old age? I sure did think so when my mother was that age!  We make the bed every day! Whoever gets up last usually gets that chore.  So, get out of bed, get slippers and bathrobe, turn up the heat, turn off outdoor lights, take meds, So then I shuffle to the kitchen to make the essential 8 cups of coffee- grind beans, add water and let it brew. It’s odd that 8 cups of coffee in the coffee maker really only gives us 2 cups each! I guess our cups are not the same as the manufacturer’s measure. Then it’s computer time while the coffee brews... I love doing puzzles like Connections and Wordle as well as a few games of solitaire. Messages and messenger also get checked as well as email. None of that ever is very interesting.  Sitting at the kitchen table with my coffee, breakfast, and iPad is especially pleasing when it’s sunny like today, What happens next is completely random! Also a sign of old age but so...

   Making dinner to serve to guests at my home versus making dinner to bring to a family are two very different things! This week,  I offered to bring dinner to a couple from church  t hat could really use a break.  While I really enjoy doing that sort of thing, surprisingly, I found this rather stressful! What should I prepare? They said that they were not fussy and had no allergies...so I had a blank slate! Generally, the fallback plan is a casserole dish of some sort, right?  I don’t like casseroles anymore so I decided to make a Sunday meal! Salad, meat, potatoes, vegetables,  and dessert. Sounds simple! Caesar salad- but of course I made homemade croutons with garlic salt and a homemade dressing which has plenty of garlic. Potatoes- rosemary, garlic oven roasted  Green beans- green beans almondine... more garlic and lots of almonds and lemon juice. Meat- marinated grilled pork tenderloin which Arie prepared... more garlic. Dessert- Elegant ch...

  Our kitchen is done! It's been an interesting experience that has definitely been more positive than negative!!  We met a "handyman" last spring who said he could do what we wanted done and that he charged by the hour- not the job. He said he would be available in the fall and to let him know when we had the supplies picked out and ordered.  In August he said that the job was still on his list, so I ordered Formica from Lowes and tile from The Tile Shop.  He started Nov 1st and was done on Nov 14.  Our "handyman" is very particular about his work so nothing happens too quickly but it certainly gets done well.  He told us that neither the old formica nor the old tiles would be ripped out but that he would glue the new over the old. We were a bit skeptical but he said that was what most were doing these days. So the old counter did not have to be removed and rebuilt but just prepped. The old tile could stay but the row of accent tiles that were no...

While I'm enjoying the new look in the kitchen, I am getting tired of the waiting! 4 days to get the one side done and so far, 4 days for the other side. The first 4 days I was without a sink and now I've been without a stovetop for 4 days! Amazing how one can adapt!! Filling the crevices!   New faucet, new countertop, new backsplash!