Temperatures threatened to drop to below freezing, and whilst we had been experiencing a slightly cooler November, December was looking to be the real start of winter!
Although small, celebrations were afoot at the office, for Grant's birthday, which was on Sunday. Matnee made a cake, and I managed to get the card signed by the staff, which was quite the feat, as last week had been short, and I had forgotten! I made a quick dash around, like a footballer in overtime, on the previous Wednesday afternoon had secured all but two, and I was one of those missing. The cake was spectacular, and with three layers even a small sliver was a large piece! I was not hungry when it came to the end of the day, which was rather a shame, because we were taking him out for dinner. Not only were we taking him out for dinner, but we were going to the Brazilian 'all you can eat' steakhouse. Monday night 'specials' includes dessert! I opted to partake only of the salad bar. Admittedly, the 'salad bar' includes soup, a pasta dish, a rice dish, another stew-type dish, as well as smoked salmon, meats, cheeses and of course, a variety of vegetables and lettuce! Yes, I did fill my plate. Dessert was boxed up! The birthday boy did have a good time. As we left the restaurant, we could feel the temperature dropping between the entrance and the car, and by the time we got home, the 'forties' seemed positively mild!
Tuesday morning was somewhat of an 'occasion'. There was frost on the grass. We rarely see frost! However, the glades were white and glistening. December was here, and the first signs of winter were upon us. Of course, this time next week all could be different, but it looked so pretty! It did remind us that we had to put 'decorations' on our shopping list, and in a couple of weeks, go and pick a tree to adorn!
All I know is that it was cold! Very cold! I wore my coat to get the post! I know its cold when ..... ! It was a quiet day, all around. Austin has so many variables. Rain stops play. Cold stops play.
Although a little warmer on Wednesday, it was still cool. The wind had started to pick up and that made it feel worse, but the sun was shining. I had made a fruit crumble, and was thinking about making my own custard. Although I was brought up with the thick powdery mixture in the small can that is made by the company, 'Birds', my supplies are limited and if I can replicate ...., or improve? Improvement is probably out of the question, as a 'taste' is a 'taste', and sometimes you can't beat a manufactured product, but I was willing to put it to the test! After all, my gravy was considered a great success. I came home before the end of the work day, and got to work. I needed a lot of egg yolks. For years, and years, egg yolks sat in the fridge, and were eventually thrown away. Recipes that called for egg whites were abundant, and when I got married, left home, and cooked for myself, I asked my mother what she did with the excess egg yolks. I was sure she did something with them, as she abhored waste, and always set them aside. She admitted that she, too, ended up throwing them away. Now, I have the opposite problem. I am left with whites. I thought I would check for alternatives. I 'queried', "Desserts made from egg whites, not meringue" There were many! The first was a pavlova! The recipe read, "To make the meringue mixture". The first one was discarded! The second was, "Winter green salad with peppers and egg whites." The second was discarded. The third started with the word, 'healthy'. I switched off! However, I digress. I needed to make Hollandaise sauce, and custard, not in the same pot, of course!
Once dinner was devoured, and pudding awaited, I warmed my custard. I had consulted one of my best friends in the kitchen, Mary Berry, and asked her how to make custard. She had obliged by giving me her recipe. Delia Smith was very kind and offered her recipe, Mary answered first. These lovely ladies live in my kitchen, in a box. Unlike the real, human variety, my Mary Berry and Delia Smith are two dimensional, and look up at me from their flat surface with such an encouraging smile. I am sure the actual ladies would stand and scream, "Noooo, not like that" from the sidelines, should they ever actually appear in my kitchen, but I doubt they will ever get the opportunity. For my part, I do not want the illusion to die! Whilst they smile, I am encouraged! At least, with Delia having a stake in Norwich City, an English football club, we would have something other than my alternative cooking methods to talk about! I think Mary would just look at me like my cookery teacher! Again, I digress. "If the custard separates, or splits, put in an ice cube and stir", said Mary, with her wry smile. As I took my custard from the heat, it had not separated. It had divorced! The ingredients very nearly jumped out of the bowl and back into their respective packages. The butter ran to the sides, the eggs leapt for their shells, and the other ingredients all but packed a suitcase and fled the scene! I was devastated. However, I looked at that smile and knew that here, in my kitchen, and being two dimensional, Mary was my very, very best friend! I dropped in an ice cube! "Flippin' 'eck. It worked, Mary", was all I could say. Grinning back at me, as only Mary can do, I could almost swear I heard, "Of course it did! I'm Mary!" The custard was amazing! The hollandaise sauce was mighty fine too, even if I do say so myself!
The wind took its toll Wednesday night. I saw my friend, Cyndie, off the premises as it were, and stood and chatted for probably less than a minute, but without a coat, or hat, the cold ran through me, and I could not warm up that night, or the following day. In fact, I felt quite chilled until the evening, when I came home, put on a pair of pyjamas and relaxed. It was most unlike me, but I sat down and did not a lot when I came home from work. Our mystery dinner was chicken. I am sure the three dimensional Mary would have everything neatly ordered, and marked in her freezer. My two dimensional Mary doesn't get to see anything after she is put back in the box! I took a package of leftovers out to defrost in the morning, and hoped for the best! It worked!
Friday morning was cold, again. Mitchel and his family appeared, and then reappeared. We walked around once, and they were by one of the trails. As we headed up the second hill, they appeared again, and followed us around. On our second lap, Mitchel came out to say hello. I do not think I have ever been so close to a deer. I think he was probably protecting his family, but was still quite skittish. Samantha managed to get some very good pictures before he, and the wife and kids, darted back into the brush. It was rather a thrilling experience.
Surprisingly enough, I felt like shopping on Saturday. Not just the regular shopping, but I wanted to go to the mall. Samantha obliged, and we headed back to her home town. The car park was a little busier than the previous weekend, and we wandered around after picking up a 'festive' coffee. I am not sure that there was actually any coffee in my beverage, but it reminded me of how my grandmother made it. She made a 'latte' before it was called a 'latte', and my mother did not drink coffee for years, as she thought that was it! My drink was a caramel brulee latte, with a hint of caramel and brulee!
The lady in one of the stores recognised me from the week before. She was pleased to see me. She knew I would be back! I didn't! We stopped in at a few haunts, and then headed backwards to do our real shopping. We did not do very well! We made an unscheduled stop at an equivalent to the 'dress for less' store, and walked in. "This is a mess!" I said, rather too loudly. I cannot quite describe how the shop was untidy, but it was. The clothes looked disheveled, and the were racks at angles. It looked as if a troupe of dancers had come in and swirled around with the stands, and just left them higgledy piggledy! The queues at the tills were winding around the store. I got in line, having taken an item that Samantha wanted from her, so she could continue to shop. I stood, and moved up, stood and moved up. As I came to be the ante-penultimate customer to be called to the till, I called her. It went to voicemail. I called again, and again it went to voicemail. Thankfully she came along as I was at the front of the queue, and she handed me the rest of her items over the stands. I walked to the cashier, and my daughter ran around to the exit, and up the wrong way! "That will be.....", said the cashier. "That will be....", I said to my daughter who was arriving at 'till 7'. The cashier strained as far as she could to see to whom I was talking, and then from behind the sectional, came a face. "That's the way to shop", we said. The cashier nodded her approval!
At the next stop, we achieved almost the same result but in reverse. Samantha stood in the queue, having decided she had found everything she was going to find, and I wandered. I didn't actually want anything, but was browsing. I browsed. The shop was far more organised than the last, but nothing was in the right place! Signs indicating one thing were not where they should have been. I chose not to offer my services and correct the problem, as the queue for check out would indicate that there was only one person who found this to be irritating! I found something I wanted, and headed to the line. "Cashier number five please", came the English sounding lady over the airwaves. Samantha came from the correct end of the queue, and I came from the other. "Hello", we said, in unison. "Can we cash these up separately, please", I asked the young man. He was still quite dazed. "We shop differently!" He laughed, uneasily!
The next stop did not have the queues. I found a coat and showed Samantha. She wanted it. She tried it on, and was very excited as it fitted, and was a size small. We spent a considerable amount of time in the shop, and she did not remove the coat! "It fits", she kept telling me. Finally we came to the till, and she took it off. "She has been walking around with that on for the last thirty minutes!" I said. The lady rang it up. "Do you want to put it back on?" she asked. "Oh no!" said Samantha, "I will not feel the benefit when I go outside, if I put it on now". I bit my lip. The poor cashier was a little confused!
Eventually, we headed to Walmart, and then went to collect Edward. We headed to Costco, and then home. However, as it was nearing five, I called Dana and he met us at a restaurant. As usual, we relayed our stories, and both males just sat and stared. "Had to be there", they said, in unison!
It was brisk this morning. I walked my usual four rounds, and came back inside. It got slightly warmer, but the wind was quite strong. After breakfast I walked again, and saw one of my neighbours. She was standing with her cat, in the sun. "I am showing him the birds", she said. We stood and watched the birds. It was glorious in the sun, but the minute we got into the shade, the coolness hit!
Next week it is going to be quite pleasant. Cool evenings, but back into the seventies during the day. I think we Austinites have had enough of winter, and are ready for a bit of a change. That's how we roll. One week at a time, and then back again! Texas won its match yesterday, Tottenham beat their arch rivals Arsenal by two goals to nil, and remain at the top of the Premiership! The Texans are holding their own, but in the third quarter down by four. There is still a way to go! Kent state have a week off. Missouri beat arch rivals Arkansas! Who cares? At the moment, I can stand proud. Next week, I may have to say, "It's only a game!" Life is fun when your team won!
Boots or sandals? That is the question for next week. I think the latter are probably not going to see the light of day. Mary or Martha? No not a biblical question, but which one will I call upon when looking for dessert inspiration? English or American? Who knows, but it will no doubt make headlines in ........... another story!
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