More posts soon...

Sorry I haven't kept up my daily posting of the top TV Christmas specials. I promise to complete them all before Santa arrives later this week. It's been a busy holiday season. :) Merry Christmas!

UPDATED: Twelve Days of Top TV Christmas Specials—Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

Update: It's hard to believe this song is more than 30 years old. The video above is the original music video for the song. The song spawned an animated cartoon movie that was released in 2000. It has aired on the Cartoon Network and The CW network.

Watch this ABC news package about it that aired last December at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euX_YpU-tR8&feature=related

Also, this song inspired another holiday classic you might remember—New Kids Got Run Over By a Reindeer about popular 80s and 90s boy band, The New Kids on the Block.

Twelve Day of Christmas Top TV Specials—How the Grinch Stole Chrstimas

I don't mean to be a Grinch, but another great Christmas special is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which first aired in 1966. The story was first a book by the legendary Dr. Seuss and became an animated special with narration by Boris Karloff. I wouldn't touch the Grinch with a thirty nine and a half foot pole either, however, I think it might be a great time of year to live in Whoville and celebrate Christmas!

Twelve Day of Christmas Top TV specials—Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

According to CBS, Rudolph is the longest-running Christmas program on television and first aired in 1964. It is a classic with the island of misfit toys and the Abominable Snowmonster. Personally, I think Santa is a little too skinny in it. I'm all for a healthy life style, but I think he needs a few more cookies from Mrs. Claus to fill out his suit. (I forgot to post this yesterday, so expect another top special later today!)

Twelve Day of Christmas Top TV specials—Frosty the Snowman

I'm listing my top 12 Christmas TV specials, and today's pick is Frosty the Snowman, an animated cartoon that first aired on Dec. 7, 1969. It aired on CBS last night and will air again on December 17 at 8:30 p.m., Eastern Standard time. There is also Frosty Returns, but I still like the original version best.

We're getting some snow in Lexington, so maybe we can build a Frosty.

Twelve Days of Christmas Top TV Christmas Moments

I love Christmas TV specials, and from now until Christmas, I'm sharing some of my favorite television Christmas moments and episodes. For tonight, let's watch the amazing Florence Henderson from The Brady Bunch sing O Come All Ye Faithful in 1969. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LdJz_HxTM

Cane syrup...the best breakfast condiment ever

My family has a long tradition of making cane syrup, a most delicious substance that is far better than any other type of syrup, especially maple.

My brother, father and some family friends continued the tradition over Thanksgiving weekend. My dad sent the photos below, and I've simplified each step greatly, but the general idea is to: 1. Grow sugar cane 2. Cut it down. 3. Grind it 4. Cook it. 5. Bottle it. 6. Eat it on homemade biscuits, waffles, pancakes and more. 7. Repeat step 6 often.

One of my favorite meals was eating cane syrup with my Papa's homemade biscuits and pork sausage. It was divine.

Another important job is supervising, a task my mom excels at, in addition to delivering pizzas and brownies to the workers. 

They made 7 gallons of cane syrup, and I hope they saved a bottle for me. 

Here's a great shot of my dad, brother and the newest little syrup maker, my nephew Judson. He's already looking up to his Grandpa. :)

Update from Sammie and Cash

Hi everyone,

I'm using my mom's computer since she and dad are at my club (Sam's Club) shopping for Thanksgiving. Cash and I have settled into living in Lexington. My mom says it's funny how a lot of folks ask about us and want to make sure we like the new place. They seem more concerned about us than my parents. That's very thoughtful of you, so I thought I'd share some photos my parents have taken this fall and let you know we're doing well in the Bluegrass. I'm also working on writing my annual holiday letter, so you can expect to see that on here next month.

Before we left Knoxville, I decided to jump on top of the fridge one last time. Mom couldn't find me any place in the house and was concerned until she looked up and realized where I was hiding. 

The paint was so cheap in our Knoxville house that when Cash and I ran behind the bed, we actually made our mark on the wall. My dad says that all you had to do was look at the wall, and it would leave a mark. We don't miss the cheap paint.

On the afternoon we left Knoxville, Cash and I decided to explore the back of the Jeep Liberty as Dad loaded it. We had no idea that we were about to ride in a car for almost three hours to arrive at our new home. I wailed a lot, and Cash whimpered, but once we arrived and had special canned food for dinner, we got over it.

One of the first things we found in our new house are the stairs. Cash runs up and down them more than I do. I prefer to sit on them and look at everything below.

We spend more time sleeping on the couch next to each other up here, and I'm not sure why. I think Cash is still a little scared when my parents are gone, and he wants to stay close to me. My parents often come home after being gone all day and find us sleeping the day away.

My dad must be a great chemistry teacher because his students nominated him to attend a faculty appreciation dinner on campus last week. He wore a tie to work that day, and Cash decided to try it on when Dad got home.

My parents say the nicest feature about our new house is the gas fireplace. It took several weeks to get it working since water had gotten into the gas line outside, and a plumber had to flush it out before the gas company could install the tank. However, it was worth the wait. Cash enjoys lounging on the floor in front of the fireplace.

We're looking forward to a visit from Grandpa Sam for Thanksgiving. It's going to be very cold next week with highs around 40 and lows in the 20s. Hopefully he won't wear his jacket in the house like he did in Knoxville last Thanksgiving. We're going to stick him in front of the fireplace and give him a cup of hot coffee. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Sammie and Cash

Dinner in a pumpkin

I had never heard of making dinner in a pumpkin until I saw a recipe for it online last month. I thought it was a unique idea and decided to try it. After searching for recipe variations, I developed my own list of ingredients. The hardest part was finding a smaller sugar or pie pumpkin in the grocery store.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork sausage (I used the sage-seasoned package)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups long grain and wild rice mix
• 1 sugar or pie pumpkin
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 (4 ounce) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can French cut green beans

 Directions

• In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage and chopped onion. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Mix in salt and pepper, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar.
• Drain meat, and mix in chicken stock and rice. Cover, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until rice is tender.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove and reserve top of pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp.
• Mix soy sauce, cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, mushroom stems and pieces, and green beans into the sausage and rice mixture. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin, and replace pumpkin top.
• Place pumpkin on a large baking sheet, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until pumpkin is tender. Scoop out portions of filling and parts of the cooked pulp to serve. 

The sausage and rice mixture was great, but we couldn't taste much of the pumpkin even after we baked it. I'm glad I added the pumpkin pie spice since it helped bring out a pumpkin flavor. While it's fun to bake it in the pumpkin, the sausage and rice mixture would be a great meal on its own. 
 

The past 2 months in 10 photos

It's been a whirlwind two months...we've moved to Lexington, Kentucky! David has started a new job as a chemistry lecturer at Eastern Kentucky University, and we traveled to Florida to meet my new nephew, Judson. I'm still commuting to Knoxville a couple days a week to teach, but the drive is beautiful, and the fall leaves are changing colors.

I know I haven't posted a lot, but I'm trying to catch up. Here are 10 photos that represent what's been happening in our lives since August 13, the day David received a phone call about teaching. I'll write more soon about each experience, but this is a good recap.

If you're a Gator fan, you know football season hasn't been a great experience. Oh well. At least my adorable nephew Judson has a cute outfit to wear for basketball season. I found it online at the Disney Store. 

Cash and Sammie love the stairs in our new house. Although, Cash is more daring than I'd like. He tries to step outside the railing and walk down.

On our final day in Knoxville, David was packing up the car. Sammie didn't want to leave, so she hid in the green chair AFTER he folded it up. That's classic Sammie.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she jumped up into the Jeep Liberty once David had packed it in the garage. Little did she know that she'd be riding inside a Honda a few hours later and wailing at the top of her lungs. I guess she prefers Limousines.

David lived in a temporary apartment for about a week that smelled like a combination of cigarette smoke, animal urine and mold, but look at those gorgeous hard wood floors. Lucky him!

During a moving trip to Kentucky, I managed to give Heidi Honda a flat tire when I tried to parallel park at the temporary apartment and hit the curb too hard. Where's the candidate for public office who wants to eliminate parallel parking? Let's focus on real issues!

David really likes his job teaching chemistry lecture and lab courses at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, about 20 miles south of Lexington. It's a beautiful campus, and this is the view from his office. 

In case he forgets where he is, there is a sign outside his door.

Speaking of chemistry, we also gave Judson his first Pooh Bear, but I think he was upset more about his own pooh in this photo. :)

My mom finally has her first grandson, but she's had an "adopted" granddaughter for a while who she adores. I think the feeling is mutual. :)

I'm officially an aunt

My first nephew, Judson, was born Sept. 14 at 6:18 p.m. He weighs 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measures 21 inches long. I'm posting a few photos of the cute little guy.

I think he looks a lot like my dad. Congratulations to Jason and Kristen and all the new grandparents. I think he's a keeper! :)

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Crazy life changes have been getting in the way recently. I'll post an update soon.

Shrimp Boil

In the spirit of summer and shrimp, we recently cooked a shrimp boil feast with Old Bay Seasoning. It was quite good, and we had plenty of leftovers. The recipe below says to use uncooked and unpeeled shrimp, which we did, but I hate peeling shrimp, so for the leftover version, David peeled all the cooked shrimp (bless him), and I added a few more unpeeled ones we bought. Both versions were quite delicious.

Recipe from Old Bay's web site

Ingredients
4 quarts water (16 cups)
1 can (12 ounces) beer (optional)
1/2 cup OLD BAY® Seasoning
2 tablespoons salt
8 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 large onions, cut into wedges
2 pounds lean smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, shucked and halved crosswise
4 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp (21 to 25 count)

Directions

Bring water, beer, OLD BAY Seasoning and salt to boil in 12-quart stockpot on high heat. Add potatoes and onions. Cook 8 minutes. Add smoked sausage. Cook 5 minutes. Add corn. Cook 7 minutes.

Stir in shrimp. Cook 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Drain cooking liquid. Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl or platter. Or, mound on paper-covered table. Sprinkle with additional OLD BAY Seasoning, if desired.

Enjoy!

A visit to Daniel Boone's Tavern

During a recent trip to Kentucky to explore possible job opportunities, we stopped at the historic Daniel Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, Kentucky for lunch. According to its web site, the hotel was built in 1909 for $20,000 and is named for Appalachian Revolutionary War hero Daniel Boone. The "tavern" part of the name is from the historic definition that refers to a public inn for travelers rather than the modern definition related to the sale of alcohol.

The hotel is beautiful on the inside and out. It has a modern historical look and feel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily, and the food was delicious.

The tavern is also is part of Berea College, which is rather unique. It is a liberal arts school, and students who are accepted do not pay tuition but are required to work on campus as part of the college's Labor Program.

Many of the tavern's servers are also students at Berea, and our server is a recent graduate. My sandwich was served on Amish pretzel bread, which was very good. There is an Amish store and deli in Berea, but we didn't stop there this time. I have a feeling we'll be back.

A trip to Kingston

We recently decided to explore a part of East Tennessee we hadn't been to, the town of Kingston. It's not very far from Knoxville, but it was a nice drive through the country. Kingston Pike is one of the major highways in our area, and if you keep heading west on it, you'll end up in Kingston. It starts as Cumberland Avenue near downtown and UT's campus, also known as U.S. Route 70. Before Interstate 40 was constructed in the 1960s, it was the main road from Knoxville to the western edge of Knox County.

An afternoon thunderstorm rolls in as boaters enjoy Watts Bar Lake.

It was about a 30 minute drive, and we ate at Red Bones on the River, one of the few restaurants in Kingston. Red Bones serves a variety of dishes, but we focused on their seafood and sandwich options and ordered alligator tail as an appetizer. I had a shrimp poor-boy, and David ordered a sirloin steak sandwich. Our window view overlooked the lake.

Red Bones on the River is right off the main road with outdoor and indoor seating.

It was a nice afternoon outing, even though we stayed on land. Maybe some day, we'll own a boat, or at least have some friends who do. :)

Another view of Watts Bar Lake

A year with Cash

It's been a year since Cash joined our family, so we celebrated his first "birthday" with us last weekend. Since we don't know the date our rescue cats were born, their birthday becomes the day we brought them home with us. Cash's birthday is July 18, and Sammie's is November 1.

We celebrated by giving Cash and Sammie "special" canned cat food for dinner, which they absolutely love and could eat every day.

Ironically, our neighbors next door brought over two birthday cupcakes since their little girl had a birthday party. Cash and Sammie thought the icing was too sweet, so David and I enjoyed the treat.

Happy Birthday Cash!

Homemade Herman pizza

We made homemade pizza Friday night using Herman bread as the pizza dough. So delicious! It was a thick pan-style pizza with turkey pepperoni, black olives, roasted garlic and sauteed mushrooms as the toppings. We baked the crust for about 15 minutes first, and then added the tomato sauce and toppings and cooked another 15 minutes. Finally, we added mozzarella cheese and baked it another 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

I realize that while I've mentioned Herman bread before on this blog, I haven't explained what it is or how I make it. My mom started making Herman when I was in middle school. Herman is the sourdough-based starter that people have used for years, primarily in the South and similar to Amish Friendship Bread, from what I've read. The bread doesn't taste like traditional sour dough, but it's very good. It's not too sweet or too sour.

Once you receive a cup of starter, you take Herman out of the fridge and feed him every three to seven days with a mixture of sugar, water and dried potato flakes (the kind you would use to make instant mashed potatoes). You can either use a cup of the starter after it has sat out for several hours to make Herman, through the cup away or give the cup to friends to start their own Herman offspring, which my mom and I have done many times.

After moving to Knoxville, I asked my mom to bring a cup of starter when they visited a few years ago, and I started making Herman. It's not hard, but you have to remember to feed him and be patient when first mixing him up with all the ingredients, especially the bread flour. Herman can be fickle. Some days he likes to rise in a perfect mound shape, and other days, he doesn't. Bread loaves and rolls (Dolly once ate a entire Herman roll off my plate!) can be made, and I've taken both to parties and given a lot of baked Herman away, just like my mom. Everyone strongly adores Herman for the most part, and if you don't, there might be something wrong with you! :)

Last year, I started adding Italian seasoning and garlic salt to the dough to spice it up a bit, and we really enjoy it. I also use olive oil at times instead of corn or canola oil. I've never made the cinnamon rolls using Herman, but my mom has, and they are delicious.

My friends used to give me strange looks when I told them I had to feed Herman or that I had brought some Herman to share at a party. Now, they just smile and realize they are about to enjoy a special homemade treat.

Fun on the river

We had a great dinner at Calhoun's on the River Saturday night with some great friends who are moving to North Carolina soon. I've written about them before, and I can't believe how grown up Sara and Aljosha are now. Katerina and Iso should be very proud of them.

Sara told us that they're moving to the other side of the mountain, which is true since they are crossing over the Great Smoky Mountains into western North Carolina. She also said her brother is big, but he thinks he is bigger than he really is. :)

After dinner, we fed the ducks and geese with the extra bread from the restaurant.

A visit to this part of Knoxville isn't complete on a summer evening without jumping into the fountains and water falls. 

They were both soaking wet but loved every second of it.

Have a great time in North Carolina. We'll miss you!