How Does She Do It?

Samba got in trouble the other day for playing in the mud. Mom tells us she has eyes in the back of her head. 

 It must be true. 

How else could she know when we play in the dirt?

What Mud ?

What's that, Mom? Someone's been playing in the mud?

 Gee, I don't know who that could have been.

We're Thankful

Mom says we should think about the things we're thankful for, so grab a cup of coffee and a little snack and sit back and see what we came up with.

We're thankful for our dinner, which is usually served on time.

We're thankful for a big container of dog biscuits that magically refills itself when it starts to get low.

We're thankful for special treats  on special occasions....

....and cold watermelon on hot summer days.

We're thankful for our big yard where we can run.....

....and roll.

We're thankful for snow in the winter....

...and the shower tower in the summer.

For the wading pool on hot days ....

 .... and trips to the lake with friends.

We're thankful for our toys.....

 .... and sticks to chew, both big and small.

For our big soft beds to sleep on.

We're thankful for belly rubs  and back scratches.

We're thankful  for friends who encourage us to do our best........

.....and overlook an occasional lapse in manners.

We're thankful for rides in the car.

 We're thankful for best friends to share with.

Mom says she's thankful for all of us. She says we're her dream come true. Wow, that lady must have some crazy dreams.

My Pumpkin Pie

I was surprised to hear that there are others that don't like pumpkin. I felt so alone! I was really surprised that so many of you showed interest in trying my pie, so I'll post the recipe here.

3/4 cup cold milk
1 package (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie mix
1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin
pinch ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cups chopped walnuts
2/3 cups chocolate chips
3  cups Cool Whip
graham cracker crust

Mix milk and pudding until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes.

Blend in pumpkin, spices, nuts, chocolate chips and 2 cups Cool Whip

Spoon into crust

At this point you can chill the pie for 4 hours and serve, but we like it best frozen. Freeze for 4 hours, garnish with Cool Whip and serve.

Frozen, it tastes like pumpkin ice cream pie. Even I like it and Rob ate two generous slices yesterday.

Enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie Anyone?

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate the holiday.

I have a confession to make public. I don't like pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin anything, bread, muffins, etc. I don't like the taste of pumpkin, period. I know it's practically unAmerican to admit this, but there it is.

I married a man who likes the taste of pumpkin. A couple years into our marriage, I decided to find a compromise that we could both enjoy at Thanksgiving.

I made my version of pumpkin pie from a recipe I found in a magazine. It uses only 1/2 cup of pumpkin and has lots of other tasty things such as cool whip, chocolate chips and nuts. Rob liked it, too, so we're both happy.

When we lived in Maryland, my best friend, Sue, lived next door. One year her husband had to work on Thanksgiving, so we invited Sue to have dinner with us. I made the whole deal, turkey,stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, some veggie, hot rolls etc. Sue is from England, where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving the way we do and she had never had a big T-day dinner before. For dessert I offered her a piece of my pumpkin pie and she liked it.

A couple days later, Sue and her husband went into the city for a nice holiday lunch. When they were finished eating, the waitress told them that there was pumpkin pie for dessert. Sue said she'd like a piece. Her husband asked her if she was sure and she said yes, she'd had it before and liked it.

When the waitress set a piece of traditional pumpkin pie in front of her, Sue said, "What's that?" The waitress said, "It's pumpkin pie." Sue said, " No it's not. I've had pumpkin pie and it didn't look like that!"

Steve ate the pie and when they arrived home, he knocked on my door and asked me, "What did you serve Sue for dessert?" I brought him inside and gave him a piece of my pie. Then he understood. We've all laughed for years over the pumpkin pie incident. Sue and I both prefer my version. The men like both types.

For the last two or three years, I've made a traditional pie for Rob and he has eaten it by himself with a little help from the dogs. This year he requested my version and last night I made it. It's in the refrigerator now waiting for dinner this afternoon.

If anyone would like my pie recipe, leave a comment or drop me an e-mail and I'll send it on.

Creeping Toward The Holidays

It's been very fall-like here. Even though the daytime temperatures are still pretty warm, it's been overcast and breezy. The leaves are blowing down the street and piling up against the fence. When the dogs were pups they loved to chase the leaves, but now they barely glance at them.

One thing I like about fall is that my urge to cook and bake comes back. It hides all summer when it's too hot to bother. Last week the house smelled of apples, today I baked a loaf of bread with Italian seasoning. The house smells like yeast and spices and is very pleasant. The smells are driving the dogs crazy, though. They act as if they're starving all the time and try to push feeding time up by an hour or more.

I know winter and the holidays are on the way. My faithful old (35 year old) Christmas cactus is in bloom. The back of the plant is entirely in flower and the front has lots of buds that'll open in a week or two. If she follows her usual run, she'll continue flowering till May. Then from May till October or November she's just an ugly old plant near the window.

It looks like the turkey will defrost in time to cook it on Thursday and the dogs have been promised a big pot of turkey soup. Tomorrow I may do some more baking. Doesn't a house with fresh baked goods smell wonderful?