Nice ginger bread. Good luck. I made a chocolate roll cake and a snowman today, so I'm down with the season.
Are they sixteen tiny gingerpeople? If so, you're about to knock their socks off.
And good job on getting that gingerbread house to hang vertically like that.
Way to take the cheap shot I didn't.
http://explosm.net/comics/4154/
Merry Christmas from Arrakis you reprobates!
It's finally warmer in NYC than here, also raining.
Wait, it loaded fine last night on my ipad! I thought 4 was a genuine cheap shot about shoddy construction and I didn't get it. Now it's wonky. Who works around here?
Also let me say: Jammies' family celebrates christmas in a super anticlimactic way. If you open all the presents on christmas eve, and santa doesn't correctly guess the most exciting present ever, then you're left with kids complaining that Santa forgot to put the candy cane full of M&Ms in their stockings.
It's 7:30 am and we're all fighting already! And the monkey bread treat breakfast didn't come out right!
this has been the longest week of my life.
Everyone seems a little happier now that we fed them, at least.
you know, pull-apart rolls covered in caramel. I was told to buy Rhoades Frozen Bread and it turned out that there is a category sign header exclusively for Rhodes Bread. I guess its popular.
OMG We're out of ketch-up on xmas day!!!! it's only 8 am, all the stores are closed, what will we do!
what will we put on our tortillas??
Merry Christmas, heebie. Your narrative is making me feel even better about (a) not having kids and (b) not having to travel for the holiday for the first time in 17 (!) years.
(c) having mustard for your tortillas.
Anyway, I never heard of that kind of bread or the brand. Nebraska has a more sophisticated palate.
We actually didn't travel this year because of surgery, and we don't have houseguests, which is part of the problem - we're just going stir-crazy alone at home.
On the plus side, I find the raw bread dough monkey bread weirdly delicious. Also my vacation gets to feel ten times as long as it really is.
When I made monkey bread I just used cut-up biscuits from the refrigerator cans.
Our two year old just "blah blah blah"'d us. As in, she got into a fight with Pokey, and was recounting this elaborate scene, and part of the story was, "An' I said, 'blah blah blah,' and Pokey said, 'blah blah blah' to me!"
26: the caramel part also turned out really badly. I dunno, it was Jammies' undertaking.
Also the 't' is sticking on my keyboard and it's driving me nuts.
Currently the children are screaming further away from me than previously, which is nice.
Tell them I'll never make them muffins again if they don't shape up RIGHT NOW
We had 14 people last night. A bit hectic but it was fine. Video distractions for the small kids are a life saver.
31: that's where they're screaming from! It's very nice. Jammies tells me they are making up short, one-person plays about their private parts.
10: Right, the picture was fine originally! What happened?
I guess the kids are Universalist Unitarians, then?
Anyway, even if it isn't, I have unfamilar baked eggplant dishes to make. If it's still sideways, it's staying that way till Boxing Day.
Fine on my phone. We're having cow parts.
7: I don't see why it should be any weirder in principle than a man sitting in a hide tent.
40 If it was hand sewn by Jame Gumb.
I now can't hear it as anything other than "Get dressed you merry gentlemen"...
The picture was only sideways on my computer last night, not on my phone. It's still right on my phone; I don't have the computer with me to check.
Anyway, Merry Christmas from Phoenix, which is also colder than New York right now.
I'm at the merriest place on earth, a dog beach. Dogs on the beach are having a good time! This one is also on property of the US Navy, so don't say the Navy never did anything for world happiness. Merry Christmas, may you all have a day as happy as these butt-sniffing dogs on a naval base are having.
It's right side up now.
What's the print LB? It reminds me of one of Kuniyoshi's 47 Ronin series (my grandfather had one that I've long coveted and may end up getting, it's one of 2 samurai chasing each other around a rice paper screen in a kind of pisces type motion.)
I see from FB that a local friend got a snowbike for Christmas. Lot of joy in the pictures of him riding in the back yard.
(We got a couple inches last night, and already had 5 or 6. It's snowing very lazily right now.)
I prefer navel sniffing dogs on a butt base.
I'm losing my mind. Reinforcements arrive tomorrow.
Heroinopolis was the same temperature on the winter solstice as it was on the summer solstice. that doesn't often happen this far from the equator.
When they come for me, their one unresolved question will be why my search history includes "british heroin capital." (The town in the East Midlands that shares a name with a US President, apparently.)
We received an Echo. I'm trying to determine what to do with it.
"We received an Echo. I'm trying to determine what to do with it."
There is actually a setting that will make it do that.
Well, that's good. Cutting and pasting on a phone is hard.
For Mobes: I was pretty pleased with my Christmas pun. My girlfriend's parents got her new salt and pepper shakers, and I said, "'Tis the season."
And you're now in the ER because they shot you.
I am thirty miles past my limit with AB's mom. AB may be 90 miles. Bossing the kids while they open presents. Talking to herself while doing the crossword in the same room with others. Talking on her phone in the living room amidst the whole family. Insisting on finishing her stupid stories long after everyone has made clear that they understand the point.
Such a fucking annoying presence. Everything else is delightful and stress-free.
Stanley's pun was good enough that I shared it with AB. And had to explain it to Kai.
And then I shared the picture with AB, who gasped and said, "That's amazing! Go show the kids." Who were suitably impressed.
You have a picture of Stanley's girlfriend's salt and pepper shakers?
The kids really want box mac and cheese in addition to the regular meal. Why not.
We received an Echo. I'm trying to determine what to do with it.
You could ask Alexa.
I'm refusing to play snowball tag, which makes me the asshole, apparently. Still, not many nine-year olds will cheerfully eat leftover squid for dinner.
Possibly, my brother is just that good at the cooking thing.
I got a fancy hiking compass with various features I can't understand. In theory, I can adjust the magnetic declination but the manual doesn't say which way is plus and which way is minus.
I can understand the ruler even though it's marked in something called "cm". The mirror works for checking my hair, except the slit down the middle seems poorly placed for that.
I got a bunch of shot glasses. Folks should come over and we'll have some whiskey. Or some Williams, maybe . . .
I'm closer than usual but still pretty far.
Leave now, and you can be here in time for lunch tomorrow.
It's Christmas. I'm way too drunk to drive.
We're cooking yak steaks tomorrow. It's what St Stephen would've eaten. If he'd escaped to Tibet. And someone killed one in the kosher manner.
On FB, an acquaintance is talking about how, in all of her 39 christmases..., and I'm thinking, "You're probably 39 years old and this is actually your 40th christmas" but I'm keeping that thought to myself.
I'm avoiding pointing out that the guy wishing peace to all left out Protestant from his list of religions.
We gave Hawaii The Princess Bride for christmas and watched it with them tonight, and it is really a perfect movie for this age. They do a great job giving sufficiently redundant explanations of a complicated plot, with still being charming enough for grown-ups.
The latest movie I've gotten for the girls is Zarafa, which gets points from them for being French-African (though no Kirikou) and is interesting in that the child-friendly argument it makes is that being enslaved is awful because of the drudgery of doing the same thing day after day after day.
It was a good Christmas. I liked not having a big meal or doing anything major, though the older girls at least may have felt a bit cheated. They got gifts, though, and enjoyed that. I decided to make my Santa presents mostly things for them to play together and I like that idea and may stick with it.
Merry Christmas all.
And Heebie, ketchup has no place in Christmas food, so you will (have been) be fine .
Confirmed: Picture is now right-side-up on the computer as well.
80.2: My sister refused cocktail sauce on her shrimp because it's too close to catsup.
Merry Christmas all and any ideas re how to consume vast quantities of leftover cold filet would be welcome!
Belated happy Christmas to all feom Roc Island!
With cornichons, mustard, bread, and mineraly wine?
-e +r
Cold beef sandwiches with horseradish were invented for this situation, right?
Yes we had it cold for dinner with leftover horseradish sauce (we do main celebration on the eve), but at this rate we aren't to get through it. Our traditional dosas for Christmas breakfast turned into dosaa for lunch as well leaving boeuf neglected.
Boiled potatoes always an option per the English better half! Bring on the receipts!
Yeah good point. "Whatever will I do with this leftover roast beef?"
Ok, well, bring large pot of water to the boil, then put potatoes in the boiling water. Also, salt the water. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the water and toss them with butter and coarsely chopped parsley.
How does this help induce consumption of beef neb????
You'll want to use a potato that's of at most medium flouriness, and in my opinion, at least medium flouriness. Yukon Golds, that kind of thing.
You asked for "receipts" for boiled potatoes, didn't you? God knows no "receipt" is necessary to thinly slice the cold beef and "serve it forth" with some cornichons, mustard, bread, wine, and whatnot.
(Truth be told a "receipt" for boiled potatoes does rather strike one as approaching the limit of what a "receipt" could possibly be required for, but I know that some people, when faced with an unfamiliar kitchen task, need more explicit instruction than others.)
Anyway, I'd be happy to receive some beef at my residence.
Beef consumption may be accelarated by applying horseradish directly to beef slices and consuming. Because the bread/potatoes are just window-dressing, really.
Totally agree re bread potatoes to be honest.
Beef can be had chez boys. There's no livraison.
While you're in a helpful mood perhaps you can explain why I've decided I must watch Cleopatra? It's the most amazing rubbish.
Bread and potatoes are worth consuming in their own right.
Okay fine, I'd rather have a persimmon is all.
Rex Harrison appears to be fighting back the giggles in pretty much every scene. But then I've only gotten up to the eve of the ides. After 105 minutes mind you. Movie is a sink.
Haven't seen it, but the draw is Taylor/Burton chemistry, right? Has that shown up yet? I think its reputation has improved with time.
Possible variants for leftover filet: stroganoff, in ravioli, makes great sandwiches, with wild mushrooms on bread pudding.
The ravioli would need it to be cut fine and cooked down with reduced stock / gravy and some shallot and herbs, a little red wine, then used as filling.
How does this help induce consumption of beef neb????
Please take a photo of the beef neb before consuming, at least.
The Echo is ok, it's a decent Bluetooth speaker and has some useful things (Alexa, ask craft helper what's the recipe for an enchanting table) but now all the kids run around yelling at it and it's super annoying- it only understands child voices about half the time.
OT: Explaining your Martha Stewart joke to somebody with Alzheimer's really drives home how startling it was that she went to the pen.
Anyone looking for a festive vegetarian entree, this eggplant upside-down cake sort of thing came out excellent: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/dec/04/yotam-ottolenghi-recipe-vegetarian-christmas
I wonder if I can get barberries at the same middle eastern shop where I get halal lamb and goat. Probably, right?
That eggplant thing does sound pretty winning.
I haven't been paying attention and had to Google "Echo consumer electronics" to figure out what was under discussion as opposed to say this.
We have a stroganoff strategy and more importantly I am within 16 min of the end of Cleopatra!
Seemed wrong to go for eggplant in December but I suppose in London or New York there aren't many vegetable options that don't come from far away.
The Echo is impressive technology and a nice speaker but mostly good for discovering exactly what is and isn't in Amazon's included music universe, for no obvious reason.
Zucchini are called courgette in the UK? I never heard that before.
Re: 112
Cabbage, brussels, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, leek, etc. All in season in the UK. Plus lots of other stuff coning from greenhouses.
Re: 113
Wonder how it handles Scottish accents?
ObComedy:
(Actually funny, incidentally)
I used to find Siri handy in the car, but recently it has struggled.
115: makes eggplant seem a stranger choice, although mind I'd like to know where you keep all this bountiful fresh veg when I'm visiting ...
My belly is actually hurting from laughing so hard at the sketch in 116. Now sending it to all of my non-American-English speaking friends....
Re: 117
Er, in every supermarket and grocers. Or market.
As I always point out, the UK climate is actually pretty great for crops, except citrus and a few other things that require heat. It never gets that cold, it rains a lot, and the soil is mostly very good.
Oh, wow. I had no idea Rab was behind Burnistoun. I only know his games writing.
114: Yes. Americans have gone with the Italian word, and the British have chosen to use the French one. I don't know how we came to choose 'zucchini", but it makes sense that the English would use the French word.
113: Halford would not approve. It does not go to eleven.
re: 121
Yeah, I think Burnistoun came out of that, actually. It's hit and miss like all sketch shows but the very best sketches have an intelligence and a dark wit that is rare.
This sort of thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGTEOrX_I08
The first season of Burnistoun streams on Netflix and I binged a few nights ago, but no Lovecraftian horrors, alas.
The elevator sketch is hilarious. I think I've watched it 20 times over the years. The amazing thing about the Lovecraft sketch (other than the fact that it's funny) is that it exists at all. I wonder if it's still funny if you don't get the reference.
I wonder if it's still funny if you don't get the reference.
My stepdaughter thinks "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition" is hilarious, even though she has no idea what the Spanish Inquisition was, Humor works in mysterious ways.
128: Punctuation is also a mystery to me, apparently. The comma after "was" should be a period.
BTW, Walt, I can't believe the Carolina Panthers are 14-1.
130: They're actually 13-2, but I'm so proud of their amazing season. Keep pounding! Playoffs!!!1!1!!
I guess the joke and reality aren't allowed to converge.
Some of the dialogue in the Lovecraft sketch had me sympathizing with the elevator.
133: Don't you always sympathize with elevators?