Merry Christmas from The Family

My lazy-day Christmas Eve project is to figure out how to share a favorite Christmas carol, before I get too deep in the 'nog. This is for "The Family," including YOU---click and have a ho-ho listen!

BIG ol' Costco

Do you have a love-hate relationship with the Big Box stores, Sam's, BJ's, Costco? Love 'em for the selection and savings. Hate 'em for the hassle and waste--when I end up throwing away half of that big huge super-duper restaurant size thing. Sister and I used to split on some things, but not working so well for me these days. No matter--- I'm currently in deep-love with Costco, due to the fact they are the ONLY place within 100 miles that sells Rotel. Fact. I checked the Rotel website regularly during months of deprivation from this flavorful staple. Then, lo and behold, one day while strolling the aisle of the top floor (yes, my Costco has two floors--see photo) I spied it...a box of 8 cans of Rotel. Thus, deep love for all things Costco, at least for the present.

At the end of my Costco trip I always treat myself to a beautiful shrimp cocktail. I eat half of it after I put away my stuff, and take the remaining half to work for lunch the next day. I was just there today--here's a pic of some of my booty, and soon I'll blog ya on the wonder of Fage Greek yogurt--so I'm going to go nibble my shrimp now. (After I typed the word booty, I had to check the dictionary to make sure I was using it correctly as I know there are some other meanings currently in use that are not so appropriate. Relief: my usage was covered in the first and second definition in my Mac Widgets dictionary...I didn't even read further as I have shrimp on the brain now.)

p.s. The title "Big ol' Costco" is in honor of sweet Keely, who got what she called "Big Ol' Barbie" for Christmas when she was about 3!

Beet it!

When I was a kid I loved to eat two things way past the point of overkill: Polish dill pickles, and Grandma's home canned beets. I loved the pickles so much that Grandma's usual birthday present to me was a card, a $5 bill, and a big jar of pickles. For the beets, I remember once when she still lived on the farm I ate a whole (quart, I think) jar of her beets at one sitting. Let's just say I have NO controls about food I love---lest you wonder why I'll have to stay on WeWa for the rest of my life.

Every few weeks I buy beets at my veg market...they come in a bunch of 5 to 6, with the tops still on. I don't know anything to do with the tops so I just throw them away. Trim away right at the bottom of the stems, without cutting into the beet itself. Then just lightly scrub the beets with a veg brush and dry them off. Wrap each beet individually in a piece of foil just large enough to cover it all, and put them on a sheet pan. Roast them at 400 degrees until soft enough to feel quite a bit of "give" when you squeeze in the foil---the last ones I fixed took about 45 minutes, but it depends on size. Remove from oven (if some smaller ones finish roasting first, remove them and leave the rest of the pan in the oven) and let them set for a few minutes, then just open up the foil a bit and let them cool down until cool enough to handle. Then I put on my food prep gloves, or else hold a damp paper towel in each hand and peel the skin off each beet. It peels easily, but will stain your hands terribly without gloves or a towel. Now, you might read this and think it's not worth it to go to "all that trouble." I would probably think that. W.R.O.N.G. These are a must-have food, and the ease of everything else far outweighs the hassle of a few seconds of peeling off a little skin. And the taste--------YUM. These are delicious warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Cornbread Mojo

When our little mama died last year, a bunch of our old Lake Creek/Willow/Granite, Oklahoma friends gathered to visit with us. It meant the world to Sister and me. (And, Sister, just forget what that ol' mean Opal said to you!!!!) Linda Dillahunty wrote a note in the book about coming home with us (meaning with Melissa) after church one Sunday. That was our biggest socialization time when we were growing up---someone coming home with you after church on Sunday morning, and then going back to church Sunday night from where they would go back home. Anyway, Linda said that our mama had cut up pieces of cornbread and fried them, and that it was the best thing she ever ate. She went home and asked her mother to do the same thing. Now, isn't that just a silly thing to write about in a funeral book? To the contrary, that is the BEST-EVER remembrance! What Linda said in that little note captures the essence of my childhood in so many ways. And, truly, Mother's fried cornbread was a delicacy that I enjoy to this day----but I thought everyone did. I am a cornbread nut (thanks a lot, mama) and am on the never-ending quest for the perfect cornbread. By the way, anything with sugar DOES NOT COUNT, thank you very much. If God had meant for cornbread to have sugar in it, He would have called it cake. Leslie and I both have Crescent Dragonwagon's cornbread cookbook, courtesy of a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library gift shop, and I love to read about cornbread almost as much as I like to eat it. But, alas, my foodie loves, healthier eating forays, and Weight Watchers adventures all evolve. Enter the Wonderful World of POLENTA. Ahhhh, this is a food that makes Leslie's mouth water. She went through a phase where she would text me almost daily what she was serving on her creamy polenta that night: swiss chard, spinach, dog-poo......doesn't matter, it all tastes good on polenta. Thanks to mama's fried cornbread, I now fix a double batch of creamy polenta (it's just coarsely ground corn meal, salt and boiling water, folks; whisk, whisk, whisk; cook it a tiny bit longer than you think you should) and spread half of it out flat in an olive oil-sprayed bar pan, let it cool on the counter, and then cover it with plastic and put in fridge. After it's set, or even after a day or two in the fridge, I cut it in wedges and lightly fry it in a little olive oil or spray in a skillet. Just until golden brown on both sides. It's got the crunchy nuttiness of Mama's fried cornbread on the outside, and its own creamy polenta-ness on the inside. H-E-A-V-E-N with a bowl of pinto beans. So, here's to ya, Mama!

Oh, and someday remind me to tell you about Grandma Lucy Murray's skillet hoecakes. Sadly, I never learned how to duplicate them, but I figure that can be a retirement project. I do know that Grandpa liked to have one crumbled up in a big tall glass of cold buttermilk, with lots of pepper sprinkled on top. I like that, too. Oooooh, another way to eat polenta!

Black Bean & Poblano Dip

Thank you, WeWa, for another easy go-to recipe. For a little more heat add a fresh jalapeno or a little chipotle chili powder. It's great as dip, or on top of pork chops or tenderloin. I don't think Jakey is interested in feeding it to Baby Noah...in fact, maybe not much interested in him at all.

Ingredients

	2 cup(s) poblano chile, fresh, seeded, deveined, chopped (about 4 medium)
	14 1/2 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	1 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, leaves
	1 tsp table salt
	1 cup(s) scallion(s), chopped
	1 cup(s) tomato(es), chopped
	2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender; process to desired consistency. Yields about 1/4 cup per serving.
• The other way I fix a quick black bean dip for either my home-baked tortilla chips or for carrot sticks, is to just throw a can of rinsed black beans, a palmful of cumin and related seasonings, a big handful of fresh cilantro, and a cup of plain greek yogurt into the food processor. Sometimes I also include a can of diced green chilies. This looks beautiful in a hollowed out red or green bell pepper if someone is coming over to munch with you. Add some Coronas and limes, and you're set. Hey, if you'll come over I'll fix it NOW.

Jake

Jake. Jakey. Jacob Sebastian. Ricky Bobby, Jr. "Hello, I Johnny Cash!" Sweet Jake. The Jakenator. That's all. Just Jake. Just because.

A Titanium Spork

Since I know you've been wondering for ever so long, please be advised that Lucy definitely intends to bring a titanium spork in her pack when she hikes the Appalachian Trail in a few years. Whew, aren't you glad to have that little detail worked out? My friend Kay Killgore did half of the AT, from Maine to West Virginia, when we were in our 20's (or, hell, maybe it was our 30's; those decades are all a blur now; the only thing I'm ever sure of is if it was B.L. or A.L). It took me several years of asking Kay questions about it to get that she really, truly did that. Seriously. A little difficult for a slug of my ilk to take in. But, once I looked at a map and saw what she did and heard enough answers to my dumb questions, I was in awe of her accomplishment. I still don't understand the how (I mean, it takes months...of walking, carrying everything you need on your back, sleeping outside...animals....heat....cold...) but I get the why for certain people---people like Kay, and maybe my very own Lucy. Mostly I shake my head in amazement. And then I grin.

(The back packing photo is Lucy on a 5-day hike last year in Vermont during Farm & Wilderness Camp. All camp and hiking supplies courtesy of MaMere & Poppy.)