Tag Archives: Nablopomo

9 November, 2011  |   Comment

Helen Jane’s Hot Chocolate Recipe

This hot chocolate is 94% better than instant hot chocolate.

That said, it does require 20% more work than instant hot chocolate. If you’re using Groupon math, that means that you are totally coming out, like, eight hot chocolates ahead. (A screaming deal.)

Ingredients
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 of a tiny pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups whole milk

Directions
Mix the cocoa powder, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk together until blended and smooth. Pour the milk into the chocolate mixture while whisking until it’s all incorporated.

6 November, 2011  |   1 Comment

Sunday Update

For when I'm blueI didn’t really believe in the concept of a soul mate until I met my dog.

I think James is with me on this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 November, 2011  |   3 Comments

Setting a Thanksgiving Budget

You may thing I’m a weirdo for setting a Thanksgiving budget this far in advance of the glorious meal, but I assure you, if I don’t, I won’t have enough money by the time turkey purchasing day is upon me.

Happy Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving budget is $340.

That might sound like a lot for the holiday, but consider this:
1. Wine. I like to have at least three bottles of good wine for Thanksgiving.
2. No potluck. My brother is flying in from Chicago for the big day (also his birthday!) so there are additional costs of a birthday cake as well as being responsible for all the sides.
3. I live in Napa Valley, yo. Food, although glorious, ain’t cheap.
4. It includes food for the next day.

Where do I plan to spend out vs. be cheap?
(Naturally) I made a table:

Spend out

Be cheap
Wine Table settings

$100

I know, wine seems like a silly thing to spend an entire third of my budget on. That said, I hail from the Napa Valley, good wine does cost a little more than that $6 jug. It’s only once a year and like I said, it’s also my brother’s birthday.
P.S. My Napa Valley brethren are giggling at me right now for saying that $100 for 3 bottles of wine is my budget. “Cheapo-head,” they just muttered in their brains.

$0

What with reams of child-produced art, dried gourds from years past and very little spare room on the table, I’m going to go ahead and excuse myself from spending any money on my table setting.
Turkey Cornbread & Dinner Rolls

$50

Since so much of my stuffing ingredients come from my turkey, I spend a lot of money on my turkey. Yes, it’s a lot for a big piece of meat, but if I want to make sure my turkey was raised in a world with fewer chemicals and breast modifications, I’ll spend my ducats.

$5

Cornbread is inexpensive to make, so are dinner rolls. And as I use them as a turkey/gravy/stuffing vehicle anyway, I’m fine to go with a less spendy alternative.

Vegetables (roast brussel sprouts, green beans, cranberries)

Potatoes

$50

If I want to eat more vegetables, my veggies need to taste better. Good tasting vegetables often come from organic or local sources. And they often cost more. We have a farm stand in town that I adore — and I’m much happier knowing I’m paying the proprietress for my produce than some giant weirdo importer from Chile.

$5

Mashed potatoes smashed potatoes. They’re regular. Of course, mine are spectacular. I also cannot abide sweet potatoes. Sorry traditionalists.

Cheese & Appetizers

Dessert

$30

The thoughtful Thanksgiving host always has something for the circling sharks to nibble on before the big meal. Mostly crudités, but also a more substantial American cheese. I love these Artisinal American cheeses (Thanksgivinggy!).

$15

One pumpkin pie. One birthday cake. One container vanilla ice cream. One pint whipping cream. Thank you Easter Bunny, bok bok!

Day after Thanksgiving meals

Thanksgiving day meals

$75

My day after Thanksgiving meals are only eaten once a year, so I invest in making the most out of these rare and unusual leftovers. Good bread for sandwiches, thick bacon for breakfast, I maximize those remainders.

$10

Thanksgiving day meals, eh, who needs them? Cereal for breakfast, picked on leftovers for the evening, you know it.

What are you spending out on this Thanksgiving?
What are you pulling back on?

3 November, 2011  |   4 Comments

Just today

Lucky dog.

After walking the dog,
I return to a quiet house,
to make my coffee,
get their breakfast ready,
pack lunch, do this before they wake up.
Because if it doesn’t happen then, inconvenience is the morning’s noun.
James goes to his job, which I wish I could make better, but I don’t know how, so I kiss him on the mouth and tell him to have a safe drive and that I love him and I mean it.

After the first “Mama,” I take the stairs two at a time to snuggle damp morning pajamas and talk about what we hoped would happen today,
Nora Lea, “Cupcake,”
Dottie, “Shrek,”
Helen Jane, “Pay a bill.”

I dress them both. It is Pinot’s birthday today. The girls will have some cake, we will sing the birthday song to the dog.
I'm reading the Harry Potters to the baby.

After we go downstairs, we sit at the table for breakfast. It is the first time the girls have ketchup with breakfast potatoes. I put supper in the slow cooker. Pinot will eat a short rib. It’s her birthday treat.

BFFFFFfffff.

After we wipe our breakfast faces, the jackets go on. The girls go to the stroller and climb in. “I’m SO COLD,” said Nora Lea. I remembered my childhood in Wisconsin and stopped myself from up-hill-ing-it-both-ways to them. After all, they are toddlers.

After we tuck into the stroller with blankets, we run down the sidewalk to the trail. We walk down the trail to their other sidewalk and go to school. It’s going to be a good day.

Still don’t feel like talking about Thanksgiving. Try as I do, I can’t muster up tips. Everyone else is doing it, better, timelier, more planned out, prettier.  Instead of writing about that, in the spirit of Nablopomo, I still need to write, so an account of my day is the best I can do.