Month: November 2025

Sherry and Bourbon Balls Were Involved

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My Mom and Dad’s family loved to tell Ghost Stories and scary stories at our holiday gatherings . I should add that being able to tell a story and own the room was a prized spot to hold in our family and it’s probably why I started to write. I had great people to learn the art from.

This is a story that my Grandfather told me about the origin of the Christmas Tree. I changed up a few things, but Grandpa Bert wouldn’t mind.

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We were standing in front of  my Grandpa Bert’s  sister’s aluminum Christmas Tree. It was decorated with blood red baubles and sitting on top of the tree was a gold  star trimmed with silver.

” That thing could take your head off if you threw it hard enough. ” My Grandpa Bert said. His voice was tinged with approval and smelled faintly of sherry.

He chuckled and put his sherry glass down on the mantle piece and went to the small treat table where there was a small platter of my Aunt Irene’s bourbon balls and he popped one in his mouth.

Then he said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear  without sounding like he was shouting.

” Hey Anita Marie, do you know where people got the idea for Christmas Trees from? ”

I hadn’t thought of it, I was six. I shrugged. ” From Chubby and Tubby’s? ”

Chubby and Tubby was a hardware store where we bought our Christmas trees from.

” Nope. These people called Pagans- not so distance relatives of ours- ” there were a few chuckles and a few chortles and I heard my Aunt Irene  curse under her breath- I couldn’t tell you what curse word she used.

Apparently she could swear like a sailor but for my entire life I never actually heard one pass her lips.

” Well. The Pagans used to raid these villages and chop off people’s heads. Then they’d hang their heads in the center of their village on a tree they’d haul in just for that purpose  and they’d leave food and offerings to their Gods and then they’d start singing really loud and when everyone ran out to see what was going on, the Pagans- whose blood runs through you veins, I’ am 1000 percent sure of that-”

I remember pulling my shoulders back and smiling.

He continued:

“they’d light the tree on fire and ride off into he night on horse drawn sleighs festooned with bells.”

I looked at my Aunt Irene’s tree with admiration. ” So why did the villagers start decorating trees with little glass ornaments instead of heads and why did they put presents under them to each other?”

My Grandpa Bert popped a bourbon ball into his mouth and said sadly, ” Because the world is full of people who forgot how to raise a little Hell  and have some fun now and then. ”

From nowhere the thought popped into my head and out of my mouth, ” does raising me count as raising a little Hell and it’s fun. Right?”

” Yep. I believe so.  Merry Christmas Anita Marie. ”

Word of The Day Challenge: Apostle

I Went Out One Night

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Sometimes when I am walking my dog at night, I look for little flashes of sights or sounds that could inspire a story or two.

This painting reminds me of those nights

Artist: Paul Gustav Fischer.

Hooray It’s CATURDAY!

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May your Caturday be better then this cat’s Caturday

It’s a Funny Menu, Isn’t it?

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WP asked what my family’s three favorite dishes are and I’ve listed them here.

My recipes a colorful collection because my family is pretty diverse, so we have always been at each other to pony up and bring these to our family gatherings.

I pulled the recipes off line because I’ve been making them ( and enjoying them since I had teeth ) almost my entire life and I make them from memory.

These recipes are great because they’re basic and you can easily adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

Godfrey Family
1969

Seafood Enchiladas

Photographer Unknown

Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ½ pound fresh crabmeat
  • ¼ pound shrimp – peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped
  • 8 ounces Colby cheese, shredded
  • 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Sauce:

  • 1 cup half-and-half cream
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  2. Make the filling: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir crabmeat, shrimp, and 1/2 of the Colby cheese into the skillet.

  3. Arrange a large spoonful of filling across the center of each tortilla, then roll tortillas around filling. Place enchiladas, seam-side down, into a 9×13-inch baking dish.

  4. Make the sauce: Heat half-and-half, sour cream, melted butter, parsley, and garlic salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until lukewarm and well blended. Pour over enchiladas, then sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

  5. Bake in the preheated oven until crab and shrimp are cooked and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

Authentic Filipino Pancit

Photographer Unknown

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Servings:
6
Yield:
6 servings
  • 4 boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles
  • 2 tablespoons soy-based liquid seasoning (such as Maggi®), or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ½ large head cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, julienned
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add chicken thighs and boil until no longer pink in the centers and juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Strain broth into a bowl to reserve. Shred chicken thighs using 2 forks.

  2. Place noodles in a large bowl and pour in hot chicken broth, adding hot water to cover if needed. Set aside until noodles are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Blanch noodles with cold water and drain well. Place into a bowl and add soy seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.

  3. Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet or large wok over medium-high heat. Saute garlic in the hot oil until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken, cabbage, and carrots. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes; season with garlic salt. Mix chicken mixture with noodles, add soy seasoning to taste, and serve.

Toad in the Hole

Photographer Unknown

For the batter:

  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pinches cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup cold water

For the sausages:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 links pork sausage

For the onion gravy:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large red onion, minced
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, or to taste

 

 

Directions

  1. Prepare batter: Combine eggs, salt, pepper, cayenne, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, and milk in a large bowl; whisk thoroughly until batter is very smooth and no lumps remain. Whisk in water. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

  2. Prepare sausages: Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and transfer to a buttered 9×12- or 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour oil from the skillet over the sausages; brush oil with a pastry brush all over the bottom and up the sides of the dish.

  3. Start onion gravy: Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt; saute until soft and starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

  4. While onion is cooking, pour batter in and around the sausages. Place in the center of a cold oven and turn temperature to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Set oven timer for 30 minutes.

  5. While toad in the hole cooks, finish onion gravy: Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and return to a simmer. Add Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar and simmer until gravy thickens up and reduces, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  6. When timer goes off, remove toad in the hole from the oven; it should be browned and puffed. Spoon gravy over the sausages and garnish with green onions and chives.

  7. Serve with extra gravy.

Chef’s Notes

I used British bangers, but any pork-based sausage will work.

You can use lard or clarified butter in place of vegetable oil, and any onion in place of red onion.