Saturday morning before Christmas

Here's a report on the Thanksgiving sweet potatoes -

YUMMY! Even my picky SIL2B liked. Since then, I thought I'd add two things next time
1 - more brown sugar
2 - can't remember, and I'm honestly admitting it to you, my friends! Who cares?! Next time, I might try one of my Aunt Harriett's 3 recipes she sent me after reading my blog. Thanks, Harriett!

This morning, reading from Simple Abundance, "A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" by Sarah Ban Breathnach, I made the following notes. I've come to relish my Saturday Sabbath mornings...not strict about a certain day, it's just that I DON'T HAVE TO GET UP AND GO TO WORK!! WOO HOO!! Michael's off to get a haircut, and I'm still in bed with coffee and my "Christmas With Angels" CD Featuring vocals by Voice Trek, winter streams, night sounds, songbirds and ocean waves (from the CD cover). I picked it up at Big Lots a at least 5 or 6 years ago. Amazingly soothing sounds to slowly awaken to, and it includes "Sanctus" and "In Paradisum" from the Faure Requiem. I was never so proud as when Alysson sang it with the Albuquerque Girl Choir. This was not just some cute little kids' stuff, but extremely difficult, serious and legit. She was what? 10 I think. It was my pleasure to assist the director in section rehearsals with the girls.

Notes, impressions and plans -
How do I cope?
How do I change?
"We turn, not older with years, but newer every day." Emily Dickinson
Plan for special birthday celebration.

Coping with Michael leaving the laundry room door open and letting in the cold - Just get up and close it. 2nd time - ask him firmly, "Please close the door next time." He's preoccupied because he can't find something.
Yesterday the tears came while I was giving him a bear hug. Last year I had to be oh, so careful because he had a stomach feeding tube in place. The tears came, and I let them. Sadness for what he had to go through, me too. Gratitude that he's still with me and so much stronger now.

I got myself an amaryllis bulb yesterday. I'm excited to take care of it and watch it grow.

Our Thanksgiving table

We wish you all the blessings of health, for which we are so thankful especially this year, work to do as unto the Lord, love to share with your family and friends, both old and new, and plenty to be able to share.

Grandma Dolly's Turkey vase

Our Thanksgiving table

My Pilgrim lady welcomes you to our dinner. We are so very thankful for all that God has done for us this year. Mrs. Pilgrim, just like me, knows that only God could have taken us through the past year. Michael and I picked up this cute figurine on one of our romantic weekends to lovely Taos, New Mexico a few years ago.

My printer was broken, so I couldn't print out a delicious looking recipe for sweet potatoes last week. On Sunday I searched and searched for about a 1/2 hour; but no...couldn't find it. Sooooo, I decided, HEY! I've cooked for 31 years and I've never had a complaint yet. Helps if you love to eat! Well, there are the picky eaters like both of my girls; but they're starting to find out what they've been missing. Anywho, I decided that I could figure out how to make it and went looking for similar recipes with similar ingredients. I found two, and then I combined them. Oh, and I used to be one of those anal-retentive people who had to follow a recipe to a T. I've learned over time how to experiment a little, so don't hold me to amounts or anything else, and let's hope it's a hit! Here's my version:

Deb's Made-up Sweet Potatoes

3 Tbsp. butter
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-in. thick, parboil for 8 mins. pat dry
minced onion - not too much. (I'm gonna use dried in the jar), sale ground pepper
approx. 6 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
brown sugar
1-1.5 Cups Half and Half or heavy cream (I'd use heavy cream, but I always have H&H in the fridge, no sense spending more ;0)
pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Butter large casserole dish (I'll probably use a 9 X 13 Pyrex)
Mix together bacon, pecans and brown sugar
Mix together cream cheese, Half and Half and brown sugar

Layer potato slices
sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced onion
Layer bacon/pecan/br. sugar mixture
drizzle some cream mixture between layers. Keep some to

Top with remaining cream mixture and dot with butter.

Cover with foil and bake 20-30 mins.
Remove foil, return to oven approx. 20 mins. until liquid is absorbed, potatoes are cooked and top is brown.