Yes, I realize that it has been an age since I've posted to my blog. Many of you are well aware of my personal computer woes so I will not bore you with yet another play-by-play recount of what has now become known in the bingo circle as Betty's Burning Issue. Suffice to say that I am now typing from a brand new used laptop and the stench of burning plastic is nearly erased from the spare bedroom in my ranch style. I figure one more bottle of Febreze Papaya Nights might just save my lace curtains, which my very own great grandmother Beatrice (I am her namesake) crocheted herself in her eighties, with arthritis and one cataract eye, mind you. However, I just thank the Lord Above that my Precious Paws American Idol Plush collection was securely sealed in its glass display case when my Dell burst into flames on that fateful night. That would have been a true tragedy!
With the holidays quickly approaching, I am sure many of you are feeling the cool winter breezes from the North as well as the tension building in your neck and sciatica from the thought of spending yet another Thanksgiving with your extended family, dysfunctions and all. You are not alone. Let me remind you that we all have our Lindsay Lohans and John Wayne Gacy's in our family trees, those nuts you'd rather not have pass through the threshold of your double-wide on a day that is meant to be about graciousness. You must remember, however, that each family tree also has the beautiful flowers and sweet fruits we cherish so: the Clay Aikens, the Barry Manilows and Liberaces that grace our homes and fill our gatherings with cheer and a song or two around the piano or karaoke machine. My very own songbird and nephew Reese and his college friend Calvin are flying all the way from Maine to share the holiday with me, my grandson Jeremy, and Myrtle Bush (no relation, whose own children have apparently forgot how they got to set foot on God's Green Earth in the first place).
Oh how I do look forward to hearing all about Reese's tales from the beautiful New England coast, where he and his college friend Calvin own the cutest bed & breakfast, "The Come On Inn", in Ogunquit. Reese is the featured pianist at The Stony End, a restaurant and bar just across the street from their B&B. Every night except Mondays Reese entertains the patrons who gather around his grand piano to sing classics like "Moon River", "Papa Can You Hear Me", and "I Am What I Am". This Thanksgiving I'm hoping that he won't mind leading us in a tribute to one of my all time favorite singers, Helen Reddy, on my Casio Tone Bank keyboard. I am woman, hear me roar! I can't wait!As for the ubiquitous (a word from my Daily Word World desk calendar, which, sadly, did not survive the inferno) holiday feast, Jeremy, a culinary master as well as styling genie, will once again perform his magic in my kitchen. Last year for Christmas, Jeremy deep fat fried twelve Cornish hens, one for each of the days of Christmas (from the song) which we served to the homeless at the Jesus Give Me Shelter shelter across from the bus depot on I-90. And let me tell you those poor souls ate them up faster than you can say "unemployment". This year for Thanksgiving Jeremy is preparing Chicken Fried Pheasant in a beer batter, served with garlic truffle aioli (whatever that is). I am in charge of desserts, naturally, and in addition to my World Famous Pearly Gates Ambrosia, a Kirkland's pumpkin pie from Costco, and my World Famous Butterscotch Needle-In-A-Haystacks, I am preparing my classic recipe Don't Monkey Around Bread. You may have tried standard Monkey Bread brought to a pot luck dinner or a slice from the Widow's League at some unfortunate soul's funeral, but my Don't Monkey Around Bread is out of this world, literally. The recipe was "given" to me in a dream by none other than the late Julia Child (before her revelation as a WWII spy). The recipe is complicated and somewhat time-consuming, but well worth it for special occasions and special persons, like my dear nephew Reese and his friend from college, Calvin. I will post the recipe below the winners circle at the bottom of this entry, so you to may share it with your family members this Thanksgiving (or at least the ones you still talk to).
So I bid you a lovely holiday next week and ask you to remember all whom you are grateful for in your life. It is too easy to get bogged down in the mire (also a Daily Word World entry), messes and shenanigans of our misguided relatives and forget the gems we take for granted. This Thanksgiving, give an extra-long hug and a quick wink to your favorite nephew, niece, aunt or uncle. Just don't be too obvious about it, for you don't want to hurt the other people's feelings who bothered to show up and eat your food and drink your entire bottle of Baileys Irish Cream even though they arrived empty-handed.
Til next time, ladies, Eyes Down.
Miss "Bingo" Betty Sanchez
Here are the names of last week's winners:
$5 prizes go to: Barbara Faber, Jesse Gillespie
$10 prizes go to: Esther Ortiz, Carol Crowe
$20 prizes go to: Amy Higginbothom, Jerri Terry
And the $25 grand prize goes to: Kiki Goldstein (again!)
Don't Monkey Around Bread
Ingredients:
4 cans refrigerated biscuits, opened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 cup whole red candied cherries
1/4 cup whole green candied cherries
1/4 cup dried pineapple
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup golden raisins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease with lard or Crisco a 9-10 inch tube or Bundt pan. Combine all the fruit in a small bowl. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized Ziploc. Cut the biscuits into quarters and place six to eight biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake like crazy. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Sprinkle mixed fruit on top and continue with another layer of biscuits and fruit, until all the biscuit pieces and fruit are in the pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a decorative plate. Drizzle with Bourbon Street Icing and serve.
Bourbon Street Icing
Ingredients:
1/2 pound cream cheese
1/2 pound butter
1 pound powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of good quality bourbon
Directions:
Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with a mixer and slowly add powdered sugar. Mix for exactly 12 minutes (do not mix less than that). At 11 minutes, add the liquor.
