Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Everything Everlasting Holiday

Time for a quick entry while dinner's re-heating.  It's Cream of Cleaned-Out-The-Veggie-Drawer soup--a household favorite.  A second night of steamy goodness.  Before D. from the grad program left on a jet-plane to California a few days ago, she dropped a bag of produce by on the way out of town.  What will we do with this?  So I boiled it up, blended-blended, added salt and a splash of milk...soup.  Broccoli, chard, cabbage, potatoes, onions, Brussels sprouts (straight from the stalk).  A sprinkle of grated sharp cheddar.

I was wrong.  Not enough time.  Insert soup-eating break here.

Tagged along with D. today on various shopping errands, which meant, of course, that once my chronic mall lethargy started acting up, I just stood back, gawked at all the obligatory spending--people buying up all kinds of stuff.  Now where did I put my other Mastercard?.  Meanwhile, while D. looked hard for relevant stuff, I zeroed in on four stand-out gifts--out-standing because I would've have like this stuff way back when I was a kid.  Four things: Wiggles guitar, Hot Wheels Slimecano, Origami desk calendar, (Everlasting?) Gobstopper Candy Canes, fresh from Wonka's factory. And so I splurged on the canes.  Not like we had any on the tree yet, anyway.

The best part of the holiday break: I can feel the blood rushing back.  Not blog mojo, exactly, but the peace of writing just for the heckuvit. Need to get better at finding rhythms, though, and managing the writing load whilst in the throes of Semester. 

Last bit: as Collin bakes goodies, as Krista searches for a jus-right tree, as the blogosphere's newest Jen iPod-ificates, and as...and as...and as...the online channels seem wonderfully alive.  Because I respect C.'s withholding of recipes (hey, it wouldn't be magic if just anyone could work it), I thought I'd post one of my own.  Okay, one of my mom's.  Not cookies technically, depending on how you define cookies (holiday treat?  heated, cooled, and tasty? sugar? process? warming effect?).  Whatever it is, whiskey slush makes it merrier.

Whiskey Slosh or Whiskeee! Your Worries Away, Frigidaire Style
Together, mix
1 3/4 c. whiskey or 1 pint, + or - a splash
1 large (12 fl.oz.) can frozen orange juice
1 large (12 fl.oz.) can frozen lemonade
3 tea bags or 2 c. of hot tea (pref. generic Lipton to anything flavored)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar (joker on TV just said something about subbing applesauce for sugar in holiday goodies...not recommended here)
7 c. water
Stir.
Dump in a plastic bowl. Into the freezer until shavably firm (a few hours).  Scoop into glasses, bowls, etc. 

It has been at least a year since I made a batch, but D. asked today if I'd stir some up.  For more exotic combos, sub out the OJ or lemonade with other citrous frozen concentrates (pineapple juice or orange-straw-banana if you're adventurous...avoid grape). Half batch: divide all ingredients by two. And now that I think of it, by the rule of seasonal logic, this is probably a summertime drink. All the same.  Summery somewhere (sure n'heck not CNY).  Cheers. 

Posted by Derek Mueller at December 21, 2004 9:37 PM to Gobstuff