Bountiful Blessings

Cooking away, no time to sketch, so posting a sketch from a few years ago. It really doesn't have to be a holiday for me to be thankful to all my friends in the blog world but you are most appreciated and enjoyed. Wishing each and everyone of you a very safe, blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! (even if your country doesn't celebrate it...have an awesome week!)

Team Spirit!!!

9x12 color pencil on bristol

I am not exaggerating when talking about how big a rivalry it is between two schools that play next Saturday. University of Alabama and Auburn every year play each other last on their schedule. Bragging rights for the year. Auburn won last year, going on to be the national champions. Alabama is ranked # 2 this year and very well may have a rematch against #1 LSU for the national championship. Too bad the game isn't in Tuscaloosa, home for U of A. It is often referred to as "T-town" which would made for a better tag line. Haven't had much experience doing cartoon type drawings but I really enjoy it!

8x10 graphite and color pencil on bristol

This was a commissioned piece from an old college friend to another old college friend for her birthday. She was originally from Michigan and this is for Michigan State. Both of them were once my college roommates. I mailed it to Florida last Wednesday and heard this morning that she loved it which makes me super happy!

Been busy, Dudley's care takes some time, he is still confined and has improved some. Can tell he feels better but his balance is still haywire, though improved. If we didn't have two staircases, both of which have a gate on them to prevent the Royal One from going up, I might would let him out. The vet mentioned that the antibiotics may upset his stomach but praise be it hasn't!!!!!!

Baking and cooking begins this week. The birthday cake was put off from last week until Thanksgiving, will post photos later.


MUST clean, clean out before the explosion of Christmas decorations go up and sadly I dread it so badly because both the cleaning and decorating is back breaking. My family will help, but it is so much. I love the season but it is greatly hindered (and usually dreaded which I hate to say) by this situation. I cannot tell you how many holidays have been spent in pain or horizontal due to this. Should have been doing it all along but I have a procrastinator....ugh. I will not give up though....me, the tree and glee will conquer!!!!

Dogs on Thursday: Late Edition

I've missed you.......but it hasn't kept me up, still able to rest my royal bod.

Embracing a little tv occasionally.

Paws down, my favorite thing in the world is wrestling with my best buddy. Using my fiercest growl with the occasional bark thrown in is simply thrilling and great fun!

Pretending that I'm really mad is such a rush, I wouldn't bite this boy for anything.

Minutes later, it's over and I'm tuckered out with my tongue hanging out and panting. Perfect for a lovely nap afterwards!
I miss chasing Dudley, he's been confined for a week now with inner ear trouble. Three trips to the vet. Wandering around the door mystified by the meows I'm hearing but not finding that furry thing drives me nuts!!! Hopefully he will be released soon and things get back to normal. Hope all my friends out there are healthy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with their two legged buddies.This year I'm thankful that my best buddy is here year round! Enjoy it Snuffles, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie, Snickers and it's barkaliciously good to see Annie doing so well!!!!

Blurring Traditions

Color pencil on 8 1/2x 11 printing paper, hurriedly sketched out this morning

There it was, the first commercial, the moment occurred last weekend, totally Christmas commercial, filled with Christmas trees, gifts, the hawking of a product. Ugh, here it comes, the bombardment, the beginning of the non-stop parade attempting to tell me I need to shop now, decorate now, decide what delectible treats to bake now. What I really should be plotting is the best prices on bags of candy for Halloween trick or treaters, what our favorites are so that we can fully delight in the eating of the leftovers. Oh c'mon!!!! Santa, GET OUT OF MY PAINTED LEAVES AND PUMPKIN PATCH!!! Give the ghosts and goblins a chance to lurch, stay away while I give thanks for all my blessings while enjoying a massive meal over the river and through the woods without having it invaded with candy canes. The shopping channels ripped open their snowy and holiday backgrounds with sets of perfected Christmas trees. Why start now? Why not have back to school sales and let the kids sit on Santa's lap telling what type of backpack you want, describe the designs desired for spiral notebooks and which lunchbox is their favorite. How come Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, groups of reindeer, elves, the Grinch, Scrooge, Frosty, gulp - baby Jesus - why aren't those costumes among the selection in the Party City sale paper? ("Ho, ho, ho!!! Trick or treat and Merry Christmas!" Toss some candy bars in the sleigh...) Thanksgiving....what? You know, that little holiday lost somewhere between the jack o' latterns, twinkling green lights and Christmas trees? Sure, the occasional pilgram appears at the grocery store, additional commercials and newspapers flashing the price per pound of a frozen turkey. The big event overshadows any decent observation of this tradition - Black Friday. Ack!!!! Fine, call me an old fuddy-duddy, I liked it when Christmas still seemed a long time away when you were watching the Wizard of Oz and eating popcorn balls, looking forward to the Halloween carnival at school and planning your costume. I liked it when we looked forward to seeing all my cousins, aunts, uncles and seeing what desserts were brought to the Thanksgiving dinner. I liked it when listening to the grown ups talk about Christmas briefly, made me a little excited that it was coming up next in the future. I liked it when we put our Christmas tree up two weeks before Christmas and took it down the day after new year's. Not now, nope, not these days. If you don't have the tree up and gazillions of lights strung outdoors the day after Thanksgiving, well, then, you're late! Please....I love the season, but I hate that decorations show up in the stores in July. I understand that businesses make the majority of their profits for the entire year during this time of year but it does make me sick that it is all encompassing, glitzy and over the top, then BAM! nothing the day after....why, cause it's all about the selling and once that day has come, the gifts are ripped open (yes, I like to open them too!) well then, the hoopla is over, commercially speaking of course. Somehow the decorations are annoying (to many) and they can't get past it quick enough. I say, if you can celebrate so big weeks and days before, why no celebration Dec. 26th? It is a time to celebrate the real reason for the season - the celebration of His birth. I know, I get it, we aren't all Christians, but, sorry, that IS the reason, no matter what type of spin is put on it. They may blur my Halloween and Thanksgiving but the essence of Christmas should remain. Whew. Huh, don't really feel any better, my opinion won't change anything, heck, even my own family isn't on the same page....oh well, gotta go carve my candy cane, er, uh, I mean pumpkin.

Treasured Recipe

There is still time for you to get yourself to the nearest grocery store, pick up the items and start preparing my dad's traditional, awesome cornbread dressing. I have posted the recipe as written by one of my beloved niece's (eldest grandchild). The first Christmas after my mother passed in September my dad insisted we have the dinner at his house. Not anything really new for him, being that he usually preferred to stay home and let everyone come there to visit. We never lacked for food around our house, especially during holiday meals. Mom always made what everyone liked, macaroni and cheese for me, fried okra, lima beans, creamed potatoes if no dressing, so that the beans and okra could stick to it for a trip to your mouth, deviled eggs, fruit salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cake......uh, you get the idea. All that food but much of the talk went to dad and his dressing, which is awesome but...you know....gotta give kudos to my mom while once again, dad's dressing is highlighted. My eldest niece, Stephenie, went out early to help with the making of the dressing. Frankly, I do not recall if dad made the cornbread alone the day before, probably, though he was weak then and the large cast iron skillet filled is heavy. He lived 45 minutes from she and I. She made a video of the whole process and I have yet to watch it, don't know if ever I will, but am sure that I want a copy to pass to my children. I have not made it in a while, deferring to my mother-in-law's recipe, which is very different, to please my picky eating husband. My kids like both recipes and this year wanted dad's. So today, I have baked the cornbread and cut up my vegetables, thawed my hen and am ready for tomorrow. My niece is making the dressing for my brother's (her father) side of the family's meal tomorrow. Her 4 year old little boy's is interested in cooking already, VolleyGirl is helping me tomorrow, just as she did today. The tradition will continue, hopefully.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Papa Loyd's Holiday Dressing & Giblet Gravy

Note: no shortcuts allowed. No broth instead of homemade stock. No store bought cornbread. I've tried the shortcuts and they just. don't. work. It's not the same.

1 hen (not chicken)
2-3 onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 large pones cornbread (if you don't know what a pone is you have no business making this recipe)
1/4 butter
2 TBS yellow mustard
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh sage, finely chopped (reduce amount if dried)
3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces
1 (8 oz.) can oysters, drained & chopped
3 TBS jarred pimento, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

The day before: cook cornbread & cool completely. Crumble both pones.

Day of Thanksgiving:

Remove giblets from hen and set aside.
Rinse hen and place in stockpot & cover with water, about 8 cups. Simmer covered until done, reserving broth. De-bone hen & reserve meat.

Preheat oven 350 degrees
In large saucepan melt butter & add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add all the broth from hen, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

In BIG ("dressing") bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, torn bread pieces, & the broth mix until it reaches spaghetti sauce consistency. If mix is too soupy, add more bread pieces.

Add all the remaining ingredients & mix well.

Pour mixture into a large roasting pan. Bake 1 hour until golden.

Serve hot with giblet gravy & hen meat on the side.

GIBLET GRAVY:
Finely chop hen giblets.

Simmer 3 cups chicken broth on stovetop. Add flour a little at a time, stirring constantly until a smooth, thin rue is formed. Add chopped giblets, blend well, and simmer.

Salt, pepper, and otherwise season to taste, can add one or two sliced boiled eggs to gravy if you want to be extra-Southern.

Yields: enough for a crowd of at least 10-15.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!!!

To all my great friends, whether your homeland observes Thanksgiving or not...I am so very thankful to have you all! I pray that those here that celebrate this day, it will be a memorable and safe one. Wish you all could come over and have a piece of German Chocolate cake with me. Everyone have a wonderful and blessed Thursday!