A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Every year Larry and I host our annual ornament exchange party. It’s always a lot of fun. The concept is similar to a “white elephant” party, but instead of bringing gag gifts, that are often in poor taste and insulting (in my humble opinion), I have everyone who wishes to participate, bring a wrapped ornament instead. Then we can swap and “steal” to our heart’s content. The more “stealing” that takes place, the more fun the game and the party is. This is the only instance where I actively encourage a lot of “stealing”. We have been hosting this party for years and have no plans on stopping anytime soon. We had a houseful once again this year, with about 40+ guests in attendance. And yes, it was a fun, fun party. 🙂

I make my party a potluck party, where people can bring any kind of dish they want to bring to share with everyone else. Again, there is always so much food that this too is optional. Larry likes me to make main dishes since most people tend to bring either salads, appetizers or desserts because they are more easily transportable than main dishes. This year I made some green chili, that I served both as green chili on its own and then I made into some green chili pies. Colorado Green Chili

As usual when I host a party, I get very busy and don’t often take as many pictures as I intend to, but you get the drift. Both were a big hit.

I also made some turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey from the night before. This too received rave reviews from everyone. Turkey tetrazzini is a turkey and pasta casserole with a breadcrumb and Parmigiano cheese topping that is baked in the oven.

I also provided a baked brie topped with cranberries, figs and dates that I served with crostini slices. That was another big hit as well. Everything disappeared very quickly. These are just the dishes I provided. We had lots and lots of other delectable dishes that our guests brought that were also gobbled up quickly. Needless to say, NO ONE went home hungry. 🙂

These are some of the desserts on the table for everyone to enjoy. I always have lots of goodies around for everyone to enjoy too.

Karen was taking pictures of the day’s events, so these pictures are courtesy of Karen. I was busy playing hostess and didn’t see the pictures until after the party. 🙂

This is my favorite neighbor, Luke. He was a big help when it came time to start the game.

Let the games and the “stealing” begin. 🙂

As you can see, everyone was smiling and having a great time. We had plenty of good food and good times. 🙂

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

WOW!!!! What a busy weekend of fun holiday celebrations. On Friday, my friend Karen flew in from California for our annual ornament exchange party. This was her first experience with our ornament exchange parties. I thought it would be fun to have an early Christmas dinner in her honor. We had a small Christmas dinner celebration with Karen, Mike, Lauren and Larry and I. I cooked a traditional Christmas dinner that included smoked turkey and smoked prime rib with homemade horseradish sauce Merry Christmas – 2022, courtesy of Larry and his smoker; scalloped potatoes; roasted vegetables; Yorkshire pudding and a chocolate mint cake for dessert.

Everything came out delicious. I think this was Larry’s best meat smoking effort yet. Both the turkey and the prime rib were just perfect. They were so moist and tender and just full of flavor.

I wanted to make Yorkshire pudding because Karen is British, originally being from England. And I’m 1/2 Aussie, so I thought it would be very fitting. But I confess, as much as I’ve heard about Yorkshire pudding, I never really knew what it was; until now. It’s really just popovers topped with beef gravy or beef drippings. We had both. Karen brought her special English gravy mix and made that and I had the drippings from the beef. I have been making popovers for decades, without really knowing I was making traditional Yorkshire pudding, though I prefer butter to gravy on mine.

Yorkshire pudding originated in northern England in the 18th century as a “dripping pudding,” a savory dish made by cooking a batter in the fat that dripped from a spit-roast meat. It was an economical way to make use of every part of the roast. The first recipe for this dish, published under the name “Dripping Pudding,” appeared around 1737. The dish gained widespread recognition when the first recipe for “Yorkshire pudding” was published in Hannah Glasse’s 1747 cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. The “Yorkshire” name likely came from the region’s association with coal fires, which produced the high heat needed for a crispy batter. Over time, the dish became a staple, no longer exclusively tied to the meat drippings, and evolved into the modern version served today, often alongside a roast dinner. In America, Yorkshire puddings are called popovers. While they share a similar batter, the key difference is that popovers are traditionally made with butter, while Yorkshire puddings use meat drippings like beef fat. The American version is often made with butter and cooked in deep-sided muffin tins.  A fun fact about Yorkshire pudding – The largest Yorkshire pudding ever made measured 46.46 square meters and was cooked in Skipton, North Yorkshire in 1996. That’s the equivalent of more than 10 double decker busses – just think about the amount of gravy you could put in that!

Yorkshire Pudding

We followed Jamie Oliver’s way of making the Yorkshire pudding this time, by putting the canola oil in the muffin tins first then pouring the batter directly into the hot oil. This was a new way of making it for me. 🙂

Heat the oven to 450*F or 230*C.

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBSP melted butter (for popovers) or canola oil for Yorkshire pudding

Mix the batter together and let rest for at least 30 minutes, at room temperature. If you can make your batter the day before you plan to make them, even better. Refrigerate the batter over night.

Pour about 1 centimeter of oil into each of the muffin tins, and place in the oven for about 10 minutes to get very hot.

Once the oil is very hot, evenly pour the batter directly into the hot oil. Fill the tins between 1/2 and 3/4 of the way full. Place in the oven and DO NOT open until the batter is golden brown and quadrupled in size, and popping over, or for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve immediately with the beef drippings, gravy, or in my case, butter. You are never too old to learn new things and new ideas. I learned a few new things by making these. 🙂

Merry Christmas and safe and Happy Holidays to all. ‘Til next time.

Karen just left and I am just now editing all the pictures we took. We all had a great time and our ornament exchange party and dinner party were both deliciously fun. I will be back on track again tomorrow. Hang tight just a little longer. 🙂

We hadn’t been to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in a while, and we were both going through withdrawals. On a whim, we decided to go pay it a visit. NOT one of our smartest decisions, since it was bitterly cold and super windy. The skies were black and a storm was definitely coming in, and coming in fast. This was the only time we’ve been where we actually had to cut our visit short, due to inclement weather. But on a positive note, we saw quite a few bald eagles, and I got some great shots of them. I’ve never seen them this close before. They are so proud and so majestic.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe, stay well. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. ‘Til next time.

It is that time of year once again. ‘Tis the season. Now it is time for our Christmas party. I will be busy cooking and prepping for not one big food day, but two, both this weekend. I will also be picking up my friend Karen who is flying in from California, just for our party. So …. Needless to say, I am going to be a bit busy this weekend. But of course, you will hear all about our fun adventures.

We made it to OK for dinner. After a long day of driving, with another long day of driving ahead of us, dinner was about all we had left in us. We had to stop for the night (a play on words from the Eagles’ song Hotel California). We both wanted steak, since after all, the whole trip through KS, OK, TX, was through cattle and beef country. So we stopped in a place called Santa Fe in Ardmore, OK and enjoyed a delicious steak dinner, Oklahoma style.

It was real cute and filled with personality inside. Our server was also filled with a fun personality, oozing with southern charm and hospitality. We ordered our steaks and I went around with my camera as were waiting for our steaks to arrive.

Our salads and rolls came first. The rolls were served with cinnamon butter on the side.

Larry ordered ribs and steak.

I just wanted steak.

Of course we didn’t finish it all. It was A LOT of food, so we took the rest with us and had it for dinner when we went back to Ollie’s for one more night before coming home.

When we stepped out of the restaurant, there were so many Starlings all lined up on the wires singing us a lullaby. I’ve never seen so many birds all lined up like this before.

We got checked into our hotel and hunkered down for the night. The next day we started the last bit of our trek home. We tried to make a few stops along the way in OK, but most things were closed. I did still manage to get a few pictures of the old OK way of life though.

Sometimes there are just no words for things.

We did find a little OK homestead museum that was open. We stopped in to check it out.

Life was definitely not easy or glamourous for the early OK settlers. One room school houses

and two room shanties for homes were the norm.

Ranching and farming are still the way of life in OK, though things have changed a bit.

We were real close to the OK/KS border again, so we called our niece Lexi and asked if she was available to meet for lunch. She was and we got another short visit with her and the boys, before heading back to Hays to have one more night of visiting with Ollie before coming home.

Vacations and trips are always fun and exciting, but it is always nice to come home again too. The “kids” all missed us and were real happy to see us home again. We missed them a lot too. We had quite the welcoming committee when we got home. It’s so nice to be missed. 🙂

And so ends out latest adventures. I hope you enjoyed our travels through the Wild West. Larry will go back to Hays for a Billinger Christmas with some of his siblings, but I will stay home, with the “kids”. No more travels for this year, though there will always be more adventures waiting to be experienced. We are already making travel plans for 2026 though, which is just right around the corner.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is filled with adventures. Enjoy as many of them as you can while you can. Stay safe, stay well, and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. ‘Til next time.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, we said our goodbyes and it was time to start our trek back home. Our journey home led us mostly the same way we went to Texas, with the exception of going straight north rather than going back down through Galveston. We were headed back to Oklahoma, where were staying the night, with another overnight stay in Hays, KS with Larry’s mom Ollie as well, before coming home. It was another long driving day ahead of us, but we did make one interesting stop.

As we were coming driving through Dallas on our trip down to Beaumont and Sugarland, we saw something for The Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville that sounded intriguing to us. So on the way back home, we stopped in and paid it a visit. It was really interesting. The information is kept up to date so a lot of it is current and still pertinent today (latest update was 2018).

Life is hard in prison, as it is supposed to be, especially for the hardened criminals. Things have dramatically improved though since the early days and prison reforms are still changing and improving conditions for prisoners all the time. But it is no cakewalk, nor should it be.

The 85% Rule

The “85% rule” in prison, often part of Truth in Sentencing (TIS) laws, mandates that offenders convicted of violent or serious crimes must serve at least 85% of their imposed prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole or early release, significantly limiting good time credits and ensuring greater certainty that violent offenders stay incarcerated longer. It originated from federal incentives in the 1990s for states to adopt stricter sentencing, targeting crimes involving the use or threat of physical force.

We learned a lot of very interesting things. Like a lot of prisons, the inmates were/are expected to work. Many of the inmates are very talented craftsmen and women who make and sell all kinds of things, from art, leatherwork, woodworks and much more. A lot of inmates work and train dogs and other animals too. Here are some of the beautifully crafted items made by the inmates. Some are for sale to the public too. We bought a beautiful wood carved angel Christmas ornament, but we ended up giving it to Ollie, since she collects angels. I am seriously thinking of purchasing another one for me though. The inmates get to keep a portion of the money they earn, with some of it going to purchasing their needed supplies, and some of it goes towards the prisons for their care. Being able to work and create these beautiful items is a privilege, and the inmates have to earn the right to be able to work on such things.

There even used to be a Texas Prison Rodeo that ran from 1931 – 1986. It was called “”The Wildest Show Behind Bars”. It featured inmates in thrilling, sometimes dangerous, rodeo events like bull riding and “Hard Money,” raising funds for inmate welfare while drawing huge crowds and famous performers, but faced criticism for exploitation before ending due to funding issues and structural repairs needed for the arena. The prison rodeo performers never felt like they were being exploited though. Instead, they felt free and “normal” and proud to be a part of the rodeos. The Texas Prison Rodeo started in 1931 during the Great Depression as an income source and entertainment for prisoners and staff. Over the years, it evolved into a massive event, becoming one of Texas’ biggest sporting spectacles, attracting up to 100,000 people. A lot of top performers, such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and George Strait would go to entertain the crowds too. The final rodeo was held in October 1986, with funding shortfalls for arena repairs cited as a primary reason for its discontinuation. The rodeo ended because the state began getting money from the federal government for educational and recreational programs for the inmates. Texas no longer needed to raise money to buy educational and recreational materials.

The Texas prison system has housed many people, from all walks of life, including many famous people, from sports stars to musicians to authors and TV personalities.

The Texas Prison Museum shares the grounds with the Vietnam Veterans Museum as well, but we didn’t have time to go through that. Next time. We did walk around a bit on the outside though.

There are so many interesting things to see and do when traveling, whether in your own backyard or some place new. Larry and I are open to experiencing all that we can and are always open to learning more and seeing more, everywhere we go. We try it all. You just never know what you’re going to find. Keep an open mind, and all kinds of interesting things will come your way. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. ‘Til next time.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Texas, but we have been ready for Christmas here at home since before we left. We got the house all decorated and the cards ready to go before we embarked on our Texas trip. Usually, I like to celebrate Thanksgiving first because I think Thanksgiving is the most important of our holidays, and then I start getting ready for Christmas right after. But this time we made sure we had everything ready before we left because we wanted to be ready for our party, which will be this Saturday. If anyone is in the area on Saturday, feel free to drop in and partake in our holiday festivities. I always say the more the merrier. 🙂

We have also been celebrating the season as soon as we got home too. We’ve only been home a little over a week, and we’ve already been to three holiday festivities and parties. On Saturday night, the City of Westminster had its tree lighting ceremony. It was a fun and festive event for the whole city to enjoy.

We ran into some of our neighbors at the festivities too.

Celebrate the season and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving celebration with my cousin David and part of his family in Sugarland. We ate around 1-2 PM. In the morning hours, Becky, my cousin Wendy and I were in the kitchen getting everything prepared and ready for our feast. Becky had already cooked the turkey. She let it slow roast in the oven overnight as we slept. She had set the table beautifully before we arrived too. Becky is very used to serving for large amounts of people. After all, she and David have 3 daughters and 16 grandkids, and they all frequent the Wood household quite often. Our Thanksgiving celebration was a mixed family affair, with relatives from both sides. It was David, Becky, 2 of their daughters, 3 of their grandkids, Larry and I, Becky’s sister and one of their cousins, and some of Wendy’s friends all gathered together to give thanks for the bounties we have been provided. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful celebration of family with family. That is what Thanksgiving is all about. 🙂

David and Becky in the center, with Christy on the right and her two sons Justin and Travis behind her, Wendy on the left, with Larry and I behind her, and David and Becky’s grandson John in the middle. David is my 1st cousin, Wendy and Christy are my 2nd cousins, and John, Travis and Justin are my 3rd cousins. No matter how you label us, we all all cousins and we are all family. 🙂

David and Becky have already extended an invitation to us for next Thanksgiving as well.

Thank you David and Becky for including us for your Thanksgiving feast. We had a fabulous time. It was so great to catch up and to be able to visit with each other. Love y’all lots.

Another great suggestion my cousin David told us about was to visit the Naval Museum. For anyone who appreciates the military, it is definitely a great place to go. It is still a work in progress, but they currently have an old WWII destroyer and a submarine that you can tour through, to see what life is really like on these vessels. They are NOT for anyone with claustrophobia, that’s for sure. I also got to see what my dad’s life was like on board all the ships he sailed.

Of course there were more pelicans too.

I’ve been to most of these places. Tokyo is the only place I haven’t been yet.

We toured through the submarine first. All I can say is WOW!!!!!

The men bunked everywhere, even right above the engines. Every inch was utilized to the max. There was NO room to spare for anything.

No matter where it is, no matter how big or small, I am right at home in ANY kitchen I find.

The dining quarters served many purposes too.

Even the Captain’s quarters are tiny and cramped.

While touring through the submarine, we met someone who actually worked on modern submarines and he explained a lot of things to us too. This sub held about 60 men. The modern subs, though bigger, hold about 130 men. Because of the tight quarters, women are almost always assigned to ships rather than subs. He made a comparison that summed things up pretty well. He said anyone today could work the subs and ships of yesteryear, but it would be like driving a Model T Ford to a modern car. They would be slow at first, but soon they would have no problems at all operating the old vessels.

After touring through the submarine, we went over to the ship. I could do life on a ship much easier so than I could on a sub. Quarters were still tight, but not nearly as tight as they were on the submarine.

Once again, I am making myself right at home in the kitchen.

Everyone was strongly encouraged to their part for the war effort.

Larry helped himself to the ice cream station before finding the bunks.

Can you imagine sleeping nose to nose with a torpedo????? That’s what the sailors did and still do. These are bunks right below the torpedo.

Learning the language of the seas

and proper naval ettiquette.

Because my dad was both military and civilian military his whole life, I have always had immense respect for all the military men and women. But after getting a better idea of what their life is really like when at sea, that respect has grown even stronger. Thank you to all the brave men and women who have served, sacrificed and continue to serve today.

After leaving Galveston, our next stop was David’s house in Sugarland. Becky, David’s wife, prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner for us, and we all visited ’til the wee hours of the morning.