7+ hours in the kitchen

Well I made Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. We had chicken though...but by the time it made it to the table it didn't look like chicken. I dont really know how to cut chicken into pieces...but neither did the rest of the family. They don't eat chicken that often, and when they do, it's chicken breasts, and usually fried (that's one thing that I really really miss...food baked in the oven. The oven is mostly just used for baking...I only remember one time that a main dish was cooked in the oven...too much grease in the frying pan). Anyway, I was trying to cut it and then Manfred proceeded to take one of those bone meet electric cutter things and just cut right downt he center of the chicken and then Carola just kind shredded it into pieces and put it all on the serving plate. It was funny, but sad, because my beautiful chickens were mangled and torn apart. Oh wel it's just food and its all gone now. I made stuffing too, and that was some darn good stuffing, thanks to a mix of Aunt Kathy's recipe, allrecipes.com, and my own ideas. And then mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole (allrecipes.com), Jello (sugar free from the states...they have jello here, but only about 3 flavors..and no sugar free. I think everyone thought that I made it from scratch, lol, because they kept saying that I have to make it again), rolls (grandmas recipe mmmmm), and a pumpkin pie. I have made this pumpkin pie (same recipe) before and it came out beautifully. BUT because of the lack of fresh pumpkin, and canned pumpkin puree, I had to made due with chunks of pumpkin in a jar in water. I figured it would work, I would just blend them up and it would be the same. So I did that, and then see that they dont have sweetened condensed milk here, just condensed milk. SO then I had to check the internet for the content of sugar in sweetened condensed milk. 40%. ok...I'll just add 40% worth of sugar. Ok did that. The mix doesnt look dark enough. Ok a little more sugar and more nutmeg and cinnamon. Ok it looks ok i guess. Now put it into the pie dish. Stupid pie dish! Not the same as AMerican dishes, too deep. Half of my perfect crust has now caved in over the top of the pie. oh well we are just going to eat it. Ok in the oven. 15 minutes later I add the topping. 45 minutes and it should be done. 45 mintes later...well thats definitely not set. ok a little longer...and longer... ok it should be set by now. if i wait any longer the walnuts in the topping will be charcoal. oh good, its cooled and not shaking, althought it looks like its deflated. hmmm ok time to eat it now. cut cut cut, slice. well that definitely doesnt look or feel like pumpkin pie. more like mushy chunky slightly dipping pumpkin baby food. oh well too late now to cook any longer. put it on the plate. not pretty like normal pumpkin pie. the only thing that made it taste partially good, in my opinion, is the topping. everyone else liked it, or said they did. well they ate it, although didnt go for seconds, like normal with everything else i have made. i wasnt happy with it at all. i am on a mission to find real pumkin...and i saw a recipe on the internet that uses melted ice cream rather than sweetened condensed milk. and i at least know that ice cream has sugar in it. so i will try that one. it had a lot of 5 star ratings. so thats my plan.

It snowed another few inches last night. I just love it. Its so pretty but sooo cold! The other night around 9pm it was -12°C....that's 10.4 F- and the daytime temp hovers around 0°C. But thats good because it means the snow isnt melting. Its snowing right now too. Melanie, last night I ate some snow for you. I just finished taking a shower and opened the window to let the fog out and scooped some fresh fallen snow off of the window sill and ate it for you. I love the sound too. When it is dead quiet, but you can just hear it all falling and landing on the ground and in the trees, etc. I even when trotting around in the snow covering the lawn outside my room before I showed. in a tank top and shorts and even rolled in it...it was dark and cold and snowing but fun!!!! muhuhauhauha