poppydawn

"Cool Places" IMMEDIATELY entered my head when I read this thread title!

 

Isn't Jane Wiedlin on that one with them?

Yep. And it's her squeaky voice that's currently lodged in my brain.

I'd like to give thanks for the warm reception I received from the folks at VC, as I started up here just this year.

Word. I don't think I've ever felt so welcome, so quickly on a message board.

And since there was a request for pet pics, I'm thankful that my darling Chloe turned ten this year and still acts like a puppy:

I'm also glad that whatever higher being granted me the patience to tolerate and, yes, even love, my stupid little Murphy-dog for another year:

(For the record, we don't beat her at all, no matter how strong the urge. Murphy's a special girl, a poster dog for the horror that is puppy mill breeding. Truth is, trying as she may be, we couldn't ask for a sweeter, more loving dog. But good lord, she's dumb.)

I'm also thankful that my cat, Romi, still fits into her favorite chair. We might not be so lucky next year:

I'm most thankful for this:

Being a part of this wonderful, loving family makes my life worthwhile.

I'm going to have "Cool Places" stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

I wanna go to cool places with you

I wanna take you cool places tonite

I wanna go where nobody's a fool

And no one says uh, "hey girl, need a light?"

I want to move like this and that

A minimum of chit chat

I never wanna cool down, cool down, cool, cool, cool

Cool places tonite

There's a bit about them in the beginning of the book "We Got the Neutron Bomb" by Mark Spitz, which is a history of the L.A. punk scene.

I'd go to at least one show, just for nostalgia's sake, even though such shows usually make me a little sad.

 

I might have to look into this "cooking" business.

That pie's a good place to start. It's just about the easiest pie in the world. I used to teach 5th an 6th graders how to make it. Well, without the bourbon. That was just for the teacher.

I love these hairy hippies, and so does my three-year-old.

Perhaps this is better suited for the "Good Beards/Bad Beards" thread?

Sweet Potato-Bourbon Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Crust

26 gingersnaps, crushed fine (I use the food processor)

1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. melted butter

Combine everything and mix well. Press firmly into a 9" pie plate

Filling

2 large, unpeeled sweet potatoes, roasted (stick them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, until mushy)

3/4 c. half and half

3/4 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teas. salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 shot bourbon

Remove peels from sweet potatoes.

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 35 minutes or until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.

Cover and refrigerate.

All of the St. Louis area Wendy's restaurants closed last year. Something about them not being up to the corporate standard. A few months ago someone finally bought a few of the franchises and the first one recently opened. It's on my side of the river. For a good three weeks, no matter what time of day, the drive-thr was backed up to the street and the lot full.

I generally avoid fast food, but I succumbed to a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich and fries after a night at the bar two weeks ago. Damn, but it was some good stuff, although I have no real desire for another one. I guess I wanted it simply because I couldn't have it.

Mmmm, poppydawn. You and I love the same foods.

I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I grew up about an hour away from where you live.

I have been searching for a delicious recipe for turkey and dumplings. If it's not a secret family recipe, would you care to share?

It's not a secret recipe. In fact, there's no recipe at all, which is the problem. Granny's the only one who has the right touch to make it.

I know she simmers a turkey neck or legs to make the broth, leaving all the meat in it. The dumplings are basically just flour, a little baking powder, some egg, and a little water. She works them with her hands to keep them from getting tough. Rolls them out fairly thin on a floured surface, cuts them into good-sized chunks, and simmers them in the broth with lots of black pepper. She cooks them low and slow so that the liquid evaporates and the flour from the dumplings thickens it.

So simple, and yet so impossible to replicate. I've tried. My mom used to be able to do them, but somehow lost the knack a few years ago. My great-aunt's tried with no luck. I'm convinced my granny is magic.

Granny's turkey and dumplings! She's almost 82 years old and still makes homemade dumplings for every holiday. For Thanksgiving, she uses turkey instead of chicken. Absolutely divine!

I'm also a fan of the previously-mentioned cornbread dressing my mom makes, that lead to supernatural arguments with my other (deceased) grandmother. It's delicious. The freakiness is just a bonus.

My sweet potato-bourbon pie makes me terribly happy.

I'd go, but it wouldn't be Wilco. It would just be another good band.

I'm feeling thankful today, so here we go ...

-Finally being able to move out of our soul-sucking redneck jungle neighborhood into our beautiful 1928 brick bungalow in Belleville. I've never lived in a place I've loved this much.

-My delightful husband, eye-rollingly lovely parents, a great set of octogenarian grandparents, a cousin who's the sister I never had, and a really great extended family I actually enjoy.

-This girl. More than anything I'm thankful for this sweet thing, the boundless joy she brings, and the volumes she's taught me about being human:

-My wonderful, awesome friends, especially the moms I hang with every Monday. They make me laugh until I wet myself, comfort me when I cry, tolerate me when I rant, and we have a hell of a good time together. They make this stay-at-home mom business a lot more fun than it's suposed to be.

-John Steinbeck, Eudora Welty, James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Carson McCullers and Harper Lee.

-Yarn hand-dyed by another one of my wonderful friends.

-The crazy generosity I've seen this year. I held a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. My cousin does the 60-mile, 3-day walk every year. I hosted an auction to raise funds, and we were overwhelmed with donated items and bidders. What started out as a plan to raise $500 wound up making nearly $2500. It was an amazing display.

-New friends, new beginnings, new music, fresh coffee, bamboo knitting needles, MacBooks, good tea, flannel sheets, my Basset hound and candy-apple red hair color.

Half pumpkin pie spice coffee, half southern pecan coffee with sugar and milk. More, please.

She's such a beauty. Saying a prayer for her and you right now.

I had a cat who lived to the ripe old age of 17. I had her half my life, so I get how they become family. You can't live with anyone for that long and not have your heart invested completely.

My real surname is #223. Married name is #376. But I hyphenate, so technically I'm not on the list.

Best moment: Accidentally wandering into soundcheck at the Columbia, MO, show and getting an up-close, damn near private 30-minute show. Getting to hear "Box Full of Letters" at the soundcheck. I was with one of my best friends, who I only see once a year or so, which made it quite possibly my best Wilco moment ever:

Getting an autographed drumstick with Glenn that day was icing on the cake.

Missed moment: I would have loved a hometown St. Louis show, but having seen them in Columbia and KC, I'm not complaining.

My favorite bar has every Wilco album except A.M. and Being There, as well as UT's Anodyne. I hear them every time I go there.

We do a rather typical spread on Thanksgiving day at my parents'. My mom argues with my dead grandma over the amount of sage to put in the cornbread dressing, which is special. I think we're doing ham, my living granny's chicken and dumplings, the cornbread dressing, about 98 varieties of sweet potato dishes, seven-layer salad, corn souffle with jalapenos, and lord knows what else.

I'm hosting a pre-Thanksgiving gullet-stretcher warm-up dinner on Saturday for my friends. It's also a chance for my friends with crappy families to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner. I'm making pork loin, sweet potato pie, praline squash, and the talk-to-the-dead cornbread stuffing. My cousin's making her specialty - Jello shot salad. Since it's Thanksgiving, she's using cranberry-flavored vodka and orange jello, in addition to the fruit cocktail with extra cherries. I know other friends are bringing green bean casserole, cilantro and garlic mashed potatoes, and I've heard rumors of stuffing made with White Castle sliders.

I wasn't aware of the new one, but I'd wondered what had become of her. I'll definitely check it out.

They've been adding users at warp speed lately. You'll be there in no time, Reni. Brace yourself; Ravelry can take over your life.

Cute cute cute! I love "My So-Called Scarf".

I'm on Ravelry; my username there is Poppymom.

What's your Etsy store URL?

One of the current knitting magazines has instructions for mittens. Here's a photo. Theres also a gorgeous pair of Norwegian-inspired ones at Knitty, but they make my head hurt. They cute, but the idea of knitting them makes me want to cry.

When I was little, I would introduce myself by saying my first, middle, and last name really, really fast. Unfortunately, when said really fast, it sounded like I was introducing myself as "Robin Diarrhea".

I was well into adulthood before my relatives stopped calling me that. I even heard that name on my wedding day.

I'm such a nerd that I really want to read about the Jeopardy! experience.

Anyone read any of his books?

I haven't read any of his fiction, but I've read all of his non-fiction books. "A Cook's Tour" is one of my favorites. I've been gradually working my way through "The Nasty Bits" for the past few months.

I also watch Bourdain on the Travel Channel.

Me too. Love him!

Have you heard about the "No Reservations" holiday special? I'm planning my Christmas party with my nerdy friends around it.