Books Suggestions

Kirsten wrote:

Suggestions for Christmas Books:

Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle
by Jason F. Wright
http://www.amazon.com/Pennys-Christmas-Miracle-Jason-Wright/dp/1606411675


The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman
http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Christmas-Nancy-Tillman/dp/0312549652

Dane is Making Pumpkin Pie

Myrna wrote: Does Dane REALLY want to make pumpkin pie?

Kimberly wrote: Yeah, should he bring more than two?

Myrna wrote: Two is great. There won't be that many folks here though Eric said he would come in the late afternoon for pie. He is hoping for mince.

Sweet Potato Pie

Best Ever Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

1 (1 pound) sweet potato or about 2 cups cooked and peeled

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon white flour

1/2 cup canned milk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin. (Do not store the cooked potato in the refrigerator overnight if you can’t make the pie right away. It makes the sweet potato grainy. Just prepare it when you can do the whole job at once.) Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Using the mixer, stir in the sugar, flour, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and continue to mix. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools. Calories: 389  per serving. 

We always served this with whipped cream as a topping. However, some like it with a meringue topping. Place the pie on a rack and cool to room temperature before covering with meringue. For the meringue, using an electric mixer, beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is glossy and stiff, but not dry. With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue onto the pie, forming peaks. Make sure the meringue touches the crust all around. Sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until delicately browned. Cool and serve.

From Cousin Toni Jackson

Hi everyone,

    I've been getting calls and notes from friends saying that they must have been left out of the loop cause they have not received any updates from me in quite a while..... but that is because I have not sent any.  Just have been too busy with other stuff, plus don't want to bore you with too many details so I'll try to keep it relatively short.

    November has been a busy month and it ain't over yet!  We left on 11/9 & drove to So. Calif. for my daughter Kristen's wedding to Don Burks, a great guy she met thru' work... they both work at Edwards Air Force Base which is out in the desert (where the shuttle sometimes lands) & they had been living in the desert too... she in Lancaster, him in Calif City, and Kristen being a 'Bass Lake baby" wanted to live where there are some actual pine trees, so they bought a lovely home in Tehachapi.  The wedding was in a lodge in Tehachapi, and the weather cooperated by supplying sunshine instead of fog or ice, which was nice.  It was Kristen's first marriage, so was very exciting.  Also fun and emotional to see my 'ex relatives'.., all my own kids of course, my sister & a couple of her kids and THEIR kids. it all went well.  A beautiful wedding!

    While in So. Cal. I thought I may as well get an appt at City of Hope for another opinion on my treatment.  They are the largest breast cancer research hospital in the western states.  I made the appt. months in advance and saw a female oncologist who I liked very much.  She said the treatment I am getting here in Roseburg is exactly the right thing to do.  No reason to change anything unless, or until, it stops working for me.  She said some people live with diabetes and I will just live with stage 4 breast cancer!  Who knew?  It all still seems too easy (not complaining!) I may have some of the 'ugly' treatments in my future, but not now.  Thank you God!  We also went to Disneyland & California Adventure the next day.  I thought I'd want a wheel chair & we got one but it was almost more trouble than it was worth, so we just didn't cover a whole lot of ground. We also visited Craig's boyhood ranch with the rodeo grounds in Woodlake & had lunch with his step-mom Rosemary in Visalia on the way home. I got to sit in the sunshine by her pool..... nice!

    We got home last Monday, I had oral surgery Tues. & also discovered our dog was sick. He was still sick Weds. so took him to the vet where he spent the rest of the week with a temp of 106, on an IV, getting X-rays (ca-ching!).  He's ok now, never found out why he was sick but he had been in a kennel here in town while we were gone & the owner told me her dog had been sick the week before.  I think it's irresponsible of her not to keep that dog separated from mine (& all)!

    This week we will drive up to the Tacoma area and have Thanksgiving with my son Rick & daughter-in-law Kim and her family.  It should be a fun group!  Also want to try to see Dale Chihuly's glass museum in Tacoma while we are there (he's the guy that did the huge glass flowers in the Belagio in Vegas & I attended his glass school in the mountains above Seattle  in 1985) & also hook up with some old friends I've had since the 1960's!  So... still very busy!

    Basically I still feel "fine"... have some aches & pains, a little more bone pain in my left shoulder that makes me imagine a time when I won't want to turn a steering wheel or do my own hair. This yucky fog does not help!  Craig is sore too.

    So... guess this is not so short after all.. sorry 'bout that!

    Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Stay well!  Hugs,  Toni