Cooking for Christmas

Christmas means a lot is happening, especially in the kitchen. During the holiday season it's no wonder that people gain those few extra pounds; I know that I certainly do. And there's one thing my family can do exceptionally well when we all get together during this time of year, that's eat!

Since tomorrow is Christmas day here we will once again come together at my sister Barbara's house for dinner. Oh, the nieces, nephews, other siblings, etc. all have other things to do and places to be during the day also, so we will meet there in the afternoon to have dinner. It's always good, with lots of food, good social conversation, and with my family, always music since we're all musicians.

So today, even as I type this, I have about 3 dozen eggs boiling because I have been chosen to make the deviled eggs, and I think I'll do a batch of cheese rolls too. I had thought about baking a cake, but I'm sure there will be plenty of dessert, there always is. Barbara told me she already had two barbecue shoulders, Peggy made a gigantic batch of potato salad, and there's no telling what all might be there. Needless to say, I already know that tomorrow night I will be moving slowly again.

I tried out my hand at making homemade pimento cheese yesterday, and I let Peggy taste it to get an opinion when she stopped by today. Now I have an added task of making her some, so I'll be doing that later tonight and refrigerate it overnight.

I can't wait to talk to Kat tonight (morning there) to see how everyone is doing this Christmas day. As much as I enjoy being with loved ones here for the Holidays, I sure do miss being there even more. She's going to try her own hand at baking a cake, so I'm really interested in hearing how that turns out.

Well, better go check my eggs.
Merry Christmas to everyone out there........

Playing in the Snow

While I'm definitely not a cold -weather person, I really don't like to stay cooped up inside all the time, so I have to make allowances. I certainly do enjoy playing the banjo and guitar while stuck in the house, but there are moments when I just need to be outdoors, and Tanner even more so. One thing I have found out is that he truly loves to play in the snow. He loves to jump in it, run in it, and just lay down in it, so I figured what the heck, and grabbed an iron out of the bag, and we headed outside.

This was my first experience at "snow golf", but I have to admit, it was fun. Watching the snow splash was almost like watching a good bunker shot, and I enjoyed seeing Tanner jump and chase balls in the white stuff. Only this time instead of putting them in a little pile as usual, he would pick them up and toss them, maybe he just liked watching them hit the snow too. But we had a great time, and I'm sure that if any of the neighbors were watching, they were quite amused also.

This spring I would like to build a nice putting green in the back yard, so I've been looking around the web for designs. There are a lot of styles to choose from, and since I have a good bit of room, I"m wondering about making a fairly large area for practice. If I actually get it done, I'll be sure to post some pics of it.

For the time being I'll have to keep my practice area as it is, with my flag and hole design which works well, as it gives me practice shots from as far out as 30 to 40 yards. To me, this is a critical area as it really helps to lower your score.

Anyway, while it's still cold, and all the snow hasn't yet melted Tanner and I will continue to enjoy our little backyard golf games together. It's a small price to pay for watching him have so much fun.

I Miss the Sound of "Taho, Taho" !!!

This is a post I did a good while back on another blog about just one of the little things I miss when I'm away from the Philippines...Taho! I was sitting here thinking about what I might cook on Christmas, and with sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on my mind, for some reason I started to think about the taho and how much I miss that in the mornings.

These are words I love to hear when I'm in the Philippines. When manong starts through the village and I hear him calling out, I know I'm about to get a real treat for the day. It almost makes me feel like when I was a child and would hear the bells and music of the ice cream truck coming through the neighborhood, only now I'm quite a bit older, but the anticipation of what's to come is just as strong.

This taho is a soy product and it's actually healthy for you. But from learning of what goes into making this, you will find it's an astounding amount of work. Besides dehulling the beans by hand, then soaking them for about 8 hours, there is a lot of cooking. This is only a small part of the process, in addition to having to make the syrup, which is quite a cooking task in itself.
Knowing just how much work goes into making this delightful treat only makes it taste better, in my opinion. To have such dedication and patience to make a product that people will love, and continue to buy every day, shows a determination and pride that I admire.

So how about you? Have you tried this tasty treat? Let us know what you think, maybe you look forward to it as much as I do. And if you haven't tried it and have the chance, do yourself a favor and get the bigger glass!

Finally...Not A Good Golf Day

Did I say before that it was never too cold for hitting golf balls? OK, I take that back. We got hit yesterday here on the East Coast with a bit of a snowstorm while I was at work. It started in my area about lunchtime and lasted until late in the evening. Though we didn't get hit as hard as a little further north in the more mountainous areas, it was enough for me.



A little north of here they had as much as 16" of new snow, but here much less than that, we stayed at around 5-6 inches. Still, coming home last night from work was a little sporty, and when I got home and had to take Tanner out for his walk, he acted a fool. He loved it! Oh, it was pretty, and more so if I could just stay home and enjoy looking at it, but I had to leave again for work this morning at about 5:30, and if I wasn't awake before then, that did the trick. I live out here in the sticks, so to speak, so the plows and salt trucks really don't come back here. which makes getting to the main roads, especially before the sun comes up, an experience in itself. It took my 4WD with a load of wood in the back to make it, so I was lucky. They are calling for something on Thursday again, maybe snow, maybe sleet and freezing rain, just have to wait and see.



Didn't I just write something about Kat being at the beach this week? And last night on the phone she was telling me how hot it was there yesterday.


Makes me miss it more then ever....

Never Too Cold to Hit a Golf Ball...??

Well, maybe just a little...but still, between sitting here watching the golf channel, Tanner coming up and wanting to go out every few minutes, (I know he's bored too) I couldn't stand it any longer. You can see from the pics that it looks a little desolate out in the back yard with the leaves mostly off the trees now. Been putting out some corn for the squirrels and deer to feed on, bird seed in the feeders, and little alfalfa bales and lettuce for the rabbits, 'possum and raccoon. Of course, if there's nothing out there, the raccoon and 'possum will come up to the back porch and let their displeasure be known, so I try to keep some stuff when it's cold like this out there for everyone to eat.

Tanner was out the other day on his cable enjoying the little sunshine we had when I heard him barking, not his normal "I'm ready to come inside" bark, but rather excited about something in the woods. He was jumping and wanting to play, wagging his tail, so I figured it was another dog from somewhere and went outside. When I got to the edge of the woods where he was jumping, I looked and there walking along without a care in the world was the largest, prettiest skunk I have ever seen. I told Tanner no, you don't want to play with that, brought him back inside and decided it was better to just watch TV for a while.

But today, he was so happy when he saw me pick up an 8 iron and head for the back door, and cold or not, he went right into his "caddie mode" and started chasing and playing with the golf balls as I hit them across the yard. I guess it's never too cold to enjoy yourself, whatever it might be.

Wishing I Was There

I miss being home. I use that term because that's the way I think of it. It's where my family is, and it's where my heart is, so what other requirements do I really need?



Anyway, I'm thankful for today's technology that allows Kat and I to talk every day, and share our experiences with each other even though for the time being we're miles apart. Sometimes it's tougher than other times, like now, with Christmas just around the corner, but except for the physical separation we do share everything. Yesterday she went with her friends to a Christmas get-together at the beach, and I sure would have loved to be there. Being able to swim
and enjoy the sun while it's so cold here, grilling the great food to enjoy together. I remember in the past I have spent time together with her friends and enjoyed it quite a lot. Nowhere else have I ever encountered the kind of belonging and closeness that I feel when I'm in the Philippines. That's just one of the many things I miss most when I'm away. And let's not forget the warm weather, while they are calling for a wintry mix here this weekend, I look at the pictures from my other home and wish I was at the beach too. I do miss not having my little "niece" Ann Ann there, but school kept her from this party.



I'm hoping all my friends there will have a very Merry Christmas........

A Big Thank You To My Blogger Friend

I wanted to take a minute here to say "thank you" to Sandee of Comedy Plus for the beautiful avitar she made for me. She noticed I suppose, that my Entrecard badge was the very simple and basic one, and made me a very nice avitar for my Entrecard. To me this was a very thoughtful and kind thing, and I very much appreciate the effort. It means a lot to me.

I hope that you will visit her blog at comedy plus, I promise you will enjoy reading her posts there, as I have so far.

So thank you again Sandee, and I have to say thank you to all my blogger friends that have been visiting my site, I do appreciate your support and comments.

Happy Music

I write sometimes about playing the banjo, it's very relaxing to me, and so for those of you who might not be too familiar with the type of music I write about, here's a sample. This song is called "The Crow" written by Steve Martin. I hope you can enjoy it.

The Gift of Love

As anyone who might chance to read this blog, you have no doubt seen my many references to Tanner, my Golden Retriever and best friend. In fact, it's no surprise that I named the blog after him. Calling it Tanner's World seemed appropriate since as in my very first post I observed that it is his world, he just lets me live in it. At least it sometimes seems that way. But in fact, I have a very soft spot in my heart for all animals. That's why it's on my mind quite often when I see ads for sheltered and homeless animals, that it makes me wonder if people really understand what they can do to not only help these defenseless animals, but give yourself a special gift in the process.

That gift would be the gift of love. Let's take dogs and cats. You see, dogs and cats are very social animals who crave human companionship. They open their hearts to you, and they give unconditional love and loyalty. I won't forget that before Tanner, I had a Siberian Husky named Yukon. I adopted him from the local shelter, and for almost 11 years he was a wonderful companion. When the aging process finally caught up and I had to have him put down, it was the hardest thing I can remember having to do. Ever. Coming home that day from the vets office, I have never felt so alone, the house quite so empty feeling, there was no doubt that someone special was missing. After a couple of days of this emptiness, I again called the local shelter and talked with the woman there for a while. After our conversation she told me there was someone at the shelter that I had to meet. So I drove there, and she led me to the back, to a fenced in grassy section to meet Tanner. He had been left at the shelter because his family had to relocate and couldn't, or wouldn't bring him along.

I didn't know at first how I would accept him really, with the recent loss of Yukon, but from the first moment I saw he was exceptionally friendly, playful, and craving that love and attention he so needed. It didn't take very long until I saw that we would get along fine, and after a brief process of paperwork, he got in the car to go to his forever home with me.

Well, after a few days of settling in and learning the new surroundings he really started to feel at home. I could tell he was used to being inside, because he was trained already in lots of things, but at around 2 years old he still had some playfulness in him. Actually more than 3 years later, he still does. But I could tell that he really and truly craved attention and love, and as the time went by, we got to know each other better, until now it's almost as if we have a special rapport with each other, down to our own little rituals. I can't imagine having a more loyal or loving companion than Tanner now. Of course he's not a great watch dog because he has never met a stranger, but that's ok too. He makes it up with his love and companionship. He's just 120 pounds of heart and soul.

Anyway, if you read here, then you're sure to notice the banners on my sidebar featuring several animal sites, such as the HSUS, ASPCA, WSPA and others. I ask you to please visit these sites to give your support for all the hard work they do. And if you are now, or sometime in the future thinking of adopting a pet, give your local animal shelter a try. You will be surprised at the gift of love you will find there.

Moving With Direct TV

Direct TV is certainly at the top when it comes to leading the industry in satellite programming.
With comparisons to other satellite providers it's no wonder that last year more people subscribed to Directv than any other satellite or cable provider.

But what if you decide to move from your present location? No problem! Direct TV will follow you wherever you go. For example, lets say you have Direct TV in Florida, and you decide to move anywhere in Florida, there's no need to worry or wait, Directv will expertly move your service, and with their professional installation, once you're settled in, simply continue to watch your favorite programs with no hassle.

If you're not already a current subscriber with Direct TV, now is a great time to start. With over 150 channels to start, they also offer over 30 premier movie channels, including 7 HBO, 12 Starz, and 9 Showtime. You can also choose to have Flix, The Movie Channel, Encore, and all of your local channels will be included. You can bundle these into one low price, and to top it off they are offering a bonus right now of a $100 prepaid visa card with your order. Not enough yet? How about throwing in Starz and Showtime for free for 3 months, and even more, you will save $26 a month on your subscription until 2011. There's not a better time to sign up than now.

Take a few minutes and go to Directv, see for yourself and compare with the others, and if you're thinking of a move anytime soon, know that Direct TV will be there with you and for you, so you won't have to miss a thing.