Eating Punch

Gaby may never give me another recipe if I've messed up this one. With my doing my own measurements, I may have made more of a fruit dessert than a punch (to drink). Whatever, I can't stop eating it. I'm sure this is not what hers looks like. Notice the pecans I sprinkled over the top.
I'm thinking it would be good served hot with ice cream on top, like apple pie a la mode.

And it's so easy too. I hope to see pictures of the "real" punch now. Sorry if this is not the way it is supposed to be.

While I was in the kitchen, I took a few more pictures of some my favorite things since my camera is not quite as ornery as it was the other day.

Sweet salt and pepper shakers that will always remind me of my mother-in-law.
I like nutcrackers and have some of the traditional ones, but I couldn't resist this one.
This plate is the first of a collection started by my friend Joanne in 1982. She said the children reminded me of mine. She gave me several more through the years, and I found one in Warm Springs at an antique store and one on E-Bay. I'm not sure if they're still around or not.
Joanne died last year, and the plates make me think of her and the good times we had.


The Christmas cactus that acts so sulky the rest of the year and threatens to die has surprised me once more with it's beautiful blooms. There may not be many, but I'll take what I can get from it.

Putting it to shame is Gaby's flor de pascua. I thought it looked familiar. It's the same as our poinsettia which we hardly ever see except in pots. Can you imagine having one growing in your yard like this? Beautiful. My work week is ended, and I have lots of work to do. If I can find someone to bring down my tree from the attic, I'll get that done this week. Time is running out, but it's fine. No one will be here until the 22nd anyway, and if it's not down by then, I'll send Elise to the attic to get it and help me decorate. That sounds like a better idea anyway. Drinking wassail, listening to Christmas carols, decorating the tree, Mike sleeping in his chair. Just like old times.

Good Smells Coming From the Kitchen

I gathered all the things for Gaby's punch. This is a smaller recipe because of it just being me and anyone I can lure in for a taste with these pictures.

So I have an apple - Gala I think; a Bosch pear; already cut-up pineapple from the Publix deli, not canned; raisins - golden would have been prettier: brown sugar; and the spices in a tea ball.

I didn't have ginger but used nutmeg. (?) I saw an intimidating hunk of ginger in the produce department, but since I just need a bit, I didn't really want to spend the money on it. Same with the papaya. No plantains but plenty of papaya - at $2.49 apiece. I decided I could live without that too. I saw kiwi but didn't know what that would add to it except maybe color.

Ready to go!



It smells out of this world. I think cherries would be pretty and good in my version, but I don't have any. I can see how everyone has a different combination. I'm thinking about sprinkling pecans on it right before I eat it. You can't have anything in the south without adding pecans.

I keep going back and sampling. It gets better every time.

Here's the wassail recipe we use. Especially nice with a shadow of the camera and my hands. Again after fighting with disgusting wads of cheesecloth for 35 years, I had the bright idea of putting the spices in a tea ball. Works wonderfully. The cinnamon sticks just float around with the orange. Sometimes I don't put the orange in; that's just to make it look festive. And because that's the way we've always done it.

More yummy clues from Mama's corner.

Emily's request for "let's don't have a lot of food this year" has fallen on deaf ears, it seems. I know she didn't really mean it.

I hear divinity is happening the next sunny day.

Diablo Has Been Burned - Pictures Added

Gaby sent me some pictures of the festivities of Quema del diablo and some more interesting facts, and I'll get them up later. Here's the most important one.

Right now, I seem to have work to do. I'd rather watch Stella romp through the house chasing a ping-pong ball and listen to the rain if I had a choice though.

Ok. Now a little more time. This is what the pinatas looked like earlier.

Gaby's words:

The celebration: Every family used to make their own fire, it is not a ceremony in fact it is more like a tradition; my grandaddy used to swept all the garden looking for leaves or little branches to burn at 6:00 pm o´clock, and every family in the block used to do the same thing: old news papers, branches, leaves, acorns, in fact all organic; (well always been ugly people who burns trash or tires, I hate that). This celebration is the beginning of the holidays, we start to eat tamales, punch, cocoa ( we call it chocolate) it is the beverage; nuts, marshmallows (I love them), candies. Uhhh it is the beginning of the extra pounds hahahahaha.

The piñatas: A lot of families, usually the poor ones use to make the piñatas for an extra money, they sell them in the street in the sidewalk. Every one costs depending the size, in the picture this pair cost Q50 like $6.25, we used to do it for Alejandro, I´m aware of the pollution it means.

The diablo doesn't stand a chance with Alejandro - check out the weapon!

Not much left. Only goodness remaining for the Christmas season.

Wake me up when it's spring

I seriously do not like cold weather, and we're not even that cold here. I like rainy days like today but warm rainy days - with thunder.

So I've milked all the sympathy I can from people about my muscle strain or whatever it was, and I seem to be over it. Emily said it could take 6-8 weeks, so I was pleasantly surprised to get up from a chair easily yesterday. I even sat down and got back up a few times to test it. There's still some soreness but nothing like before. Maybe if I had had someone to bring me things, I would have stayed in bed and made it last longer. There's nothing like an ailment to make you appreciate simple things, like just walking. I guess now there's no excuse for not getting the rest of the decorations up.

Here's Gaby's punch recipe just as she sent it to me:

This punch can be eated cold or hot, it is even better if you serve it one day after when the flavors get set; you can make it for grownups if add some rum to the cup.The smell, haaaaaa reminds me when I was a child, every woman in Guatemala make it different, some people adds shredded coconut, orange zest, another grapes, banana, apricot.... ufff you can add almost what you want (please let the cat alone). This is my moms version; please, please, make it!! I want to read your comments.

Guatemalan punch:
1 small pineapple (about 2 1/2 cups) without the center
3 apples (it doesn´t matter the color)
3 bosc pears or another soft pear
1/2 papaya
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of pitted prunes
3 ripped plantains
1 tbsp of ginger fresh or grounded
1 stick of cinnamon
3 fat peppers or 1/2tsp grounded
3 cloves (like 1/8 tsp grounded)
3 cups of brown sugar (or white sugar) at taste
water until cover the fruit and a cuple more for the evaporation.

Cut all in small dices ( I never peel the apples or the pears), simmer for 30 minutes, and serve it hot. Watch your mouth!! If it is too sweet add more water.

I just would like someone to bring me a nice cup of it right now. I'm going to see what fruits I find today when I go out and try making it (my version). Hopefully we'll be getting pictures of the festivities soon.

Happy Quema del diablo

The Burning of the Devil.

This is a Guatemalan holiday that represents the ridding of all past things and preparations for the incoming Christmas and New Year.


I got this information from everything2.com.


According to them: Back then, it all started with a good house cleaning, which symbolized the elimination of evil and old past events, almost like a Catholic confession, purging their souls and home.

The cleaning included getting rid of old, useless stuff that was put outside on the street, sometimes along with what the neighbors had taken out, all in the biggest pile possible. That way, they were sure the devil was driven out of the house. Once all this was done, the fun part began. All that junk was set on fire, purifying all evil, and sending it back to where it belonged.


Nowadays, it is almost the same thing. People pile up whatever they want to get rid of and set it on fire. Fireworks for the kids, maybe a little liquor for the grown-ups and a "Diablo" piñata that must be incinerated (if children are present, the piñata would be put in the blaze after they whack it, whether it contains candy or not).


There have been some discussion in the last years about banning the burning because of the air polluting and accidents it causes. This issue has caused some concern and fewer fires are seen. Now it seems the celebration is limited to fireworks, the piñata and some drinking.

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Sounds like a good idea to me. I'll post Gaby's punch recipe later. Debby and I had talked about making it together and finding a pinata and having our own celebration. But I can't even go to the grocery store for the ingredients - like the Publix in Montgomery is going to have plantains and papaya - not to mention a Diablo pinata. But they might. You never know. Gaby says I can substitute some of the fruits, so I'll see what I can put together once I can function again. I can tell a little improvement from yesterday.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe day. I'll expect pictures tomorrow.

Taco Soup (Recipe Added)

When I first made this about 10 years ago in Greensboro, I had never heard of it but loved it immediately, and we've been making it ever since. Lately I've heard more people mention it, and in the grocery store this week, the check-out girl said, "Yum, taco soup." I had only bought corn and kidney beans. Looks like I should have bought more taco mix, but I'm hoping the fajita mix I have will work. I don't put meat in it usually and just add the kinds of beans I have already. It'll be just perfect for these cold days.

Here's the recipe for Lydia!

TACO SOUP

2 lb ground beef

1 large onion
2 envelopes ranch dried dressing
2 envelopes taco seasoning
2 cans white shoepeg corn
2 cups water
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes
3-4 cans beans, any kind - kidney, pinto, black, etc.

Brown beef and onions; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 2 hours. Top with grated cheese and/or tortilla chips. Serve with cornbread.

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It is good with ground beef and onions too.

The fajita mix was not the same as taco. Too much cumin, I think. Not bad though.

You can never add too much cheese

December 5

My back still hurts. Not all the time but enough to make me gasp sometimes. If I could stay in bed, it would be fine or if I could just walk all the time. But getting up from working even for 15 minutes and especially getting out of the car is awful. Hopefully it will start to get better, and I can carry on.

The visitors yesterday made it. The realtor gave me a "window," which I don't really like. I want a call saying we're in your neighborhood and another one saying, "We're leaving your driveway." Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. I had a window of 3:00 to 3:30. I decided to be ready to go at 3 but to linger until 3:30 or we saw them drive up. At 3:25 I got a voice message saying they were running behind and would be there "within the hour." I waited another 30 minutes and then Mama, Darby, and I got in the car and rode around. I never get to do that and kind of enjoyed it. We came back after 30 minutes, and the driveway was empty. I went and looked on the counter for a card and didn't see one, so I called the realtor. He said, "We're just turning onto your street." So it was off for another 20 minutes. We then had to pass the house twice before we saw them leaving. They stayed about 30 minutes, which is better than walking in and leaving immediately, I guess.

My pictures are in a blurry stage again. I know nothing about photography, so I'm not sure what to do. Here are a few pictures that are less blurry than others.

My Christmas dishes are Christmas Tree by Cuthbertson. I don't think I would ever have worried about collecting any except that a friend just liked this salad plate and gave it to me one year.

Through the years, family and friends have given me different pieces, and now I have pretty much enough to go around. Good thing too, because Cuthbertson now has a red-bordered pattern and some more similar ones, but this particular one has been discontinued. I looked on Replacements.com and saw that I could pay $75 for a dinner plate if I wanted to match this one. I think I'll pass. Spode has a very similar pattern, and I might try to get a few more mugs.

Amazingly, these dishes were not destroyed in "the fire" we had in 1994 (I think). I had taken them down and put them on the breakfast room table the day before, and when I saw them after the fire, they were completely black. I tried cleaning one, and they cleaned up nicely. On the backs of some, you can see a little evidence - some brown spots, etc.

They go well with the runner my sister-in-law Kathy gave me. She looked over her aversion to cats just to present this to me, and we have enjoyed it.
Kathy made it a point to make sure I had Christmas things and through the years has helped me build up my collection. One of my favorites.

Speaking of cats (constantly, it seems), I enjoy this little plate. We've all found portraits of the cats we've owned somewhere in this group. Except for Maddy. There's just not one grumpy enough for her.

It makes me smile.

These napkins looked better before they were washed a few times, but I had fun doing them. There is a candy cane, a rocking horse, a wreath - 8 of them anyway. One year, I was working frantically to finish the last one before our dinner, and Sherry had to bail me out on a particular color of green that I was out of.

I'll add some more pictures when I figure out how to make them clearer.

Muscle Relaxers and pain pills

Plus a heating pad and a call to my personal physical therapist.

So much for decorating, cleaning, working, or even being upright.

I just bent over normally yesterday and felt an excruciating pain across my lower back. I'm sure it's a muscle spasm, but I'm ready for it to go away. I'm okay once I stand up and start walking but no bending and no sitting for long periods and then trying to get up. I slept 12 hours last night, and it's a little better. I just have to accept it and lose a few days. Maybe I need that.

AND just as I finished writing this, I had a call that someone wants to look at the house. Great. Why am I not surprised? I held them off until 3:30, hoping a miracle happens soon.

100% Chance of Rain

I may have scandalized Mama by going to bring in the paper in my pajamas, and I may further scandalize her by working in them all day.

It just seems appropriate.

And coffee in a Christmas mug.
And I'm loving it.

December 1

It's time to get all the orange and brown put up and bring out the red and green and gold.

I don't want to ......

It just seems such a daunting job. I can handle decorating the trees and tables and even the mantle, but I hate wreaths and mailboxes. It usually turns bitterly cold the day I get ready to do outside decorating. And now it's raining. And things just don't seem to work out for me. My bows aren't all the same size/color/type. I don't have the same size/type/color wreath for every window. These windows are all metal so the only way to hang them is from suction or adhesive hooks, and we all know how dependable those are. I was lucky last year, but now I have to start over.

The mailbox is the worst. You're out there by the street struggling with wire and bows and fake holly for the whole world to see. Then when it's just right and you go inside, you look out later and see the bow dangling about halfway down and the greenery stuck out at all angles.

My free time today I spent doing the kitchen and dining room. It makes such a mess taking it all out and putting up what you don't want, but I got the 2 tables fixed and the Christmas mugs ready by the coffee pot.

I did get Darby's Christmas bed out too. She seems to be having to share it with Stella.

Or maybe it's Stella's, and she's letting Darby touch it.


I didn't make this for the animals. It was a former 1980's tree skirt - and very much in style once upon a time - I think. Along with ducks and hearts and blue and rabbits and gingham. It was there for a lot of memories through the years.

Anyway, it's a start. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow.

This is what went on just now. It makes the evening a little more exciting to pretend there's a mouse under the cloth.