TMI Tuesday - 12/27

‘Tis better to give than receive…?

For this week’s TMI Tuesday why don’t you tell us:

1. What was your favorite Christmas gift that you received ?

My husband gave me a lottery ticket. If I win, I can guarantee you that will be my favourite gift.

2. What was the most practical gift that you received?
Sinus rinse and unscented body lotion from one person and shampoo and deoderant from another.

3. What was the silliest, most fun, crazy or impractical gift that you received?
Oh...maybe you folks can tell me what you think I should do about this. I haven't told anyone in my family about this...I've just been rolling it over in my head. There's this elderly lady that I make a cake for every year. She normally gives me a cake in return, but a special cake traditional to my culture. Soon after last Christmas, she phoned me to say that she would not be making that cake anymore as she could no longer manage - not surprising, as she's very small and frail -- and offered me the recipe. I gladly took the recipe and told her that from now on, I'd add that cake to my Christmas repertoire and that I'd be sure to bring her some every year. So this Christmas, she got one of my regular cakes AND two of our traditional cakes, along with a small gift from me that I usually sneak in - often some warm socks and a soft t-shirt or something similar. I left and about two days later, her daughter arrived at my door with a gift bag she said her mother asked her to deliver to me. When I opened it on Christmas morning, the bag contained four items of clothing. Three were items I had gifted to her on previous Christmases, one still in the box and tissue just the way I gave it to her and the fourth was a personalized shirt that clearly one of her grandchildren had made for her as a gift. All smelled like camphor balls. None will even come close to fitting me. I can't decide if she compiled these things because she wanted to give me a gift and didn't have anything else (in which case I'll accept it gracefully), or if she gave me the bag in error (which makes me want to return it), so I'm still undecided as to what - if anything - to do about it. She certainly wasn't in a position to feel obligated to give me a gift at all, as I made it clear to her that I'd be happy to take over her tradition and to make the cakes for her - we even agreed that she'd get two cakes - one for Christmas and a second for her birthday which follows early in the year. What would you do? I seriously don't want to offend her, but I know she doesn't have a lot and I don't want her to feel like she has to give me presents in return.

4. If you had a special holiday meal, what was your favorite food?
Definitely the turkey. Low fat, I can eat pretty well as much as I want without the worry.

Bonus: Share the recipe of your favorite food from the holiday meal.
I make a delicious but healthy stuffing to go with my turkey. I almost never cook from a recipe, so I've just put in brackets approximately what I used this time for your reference, but cooking's not science - you can add more onion and less celery, etc. and make it your own!
I brown turkey sausage (I used 10 sausages) that I have removed from the casings. Once browned, add a small amount of apple juice (about 1/2 cup) and let the sausage meat simmer to cook through, then remove them from the pot. Then I saute onions (one large), celery (four stalks) and apples (2, peeled, cored and cubed) until the onions are translucent. I add chopped fresh parsley (big handful) to the pot and add the sausage back in. Then add two or three packs of StuffnSuch Cornbread (or chicken or turkey...whatever) flavoured boxed stuffing mix. Then I add chicken broth (around 4 cups) until it reaches my desired consistency. I made it the day before, so just before we ate, I added some additional chicken stock (about 2 cups) and just kept turning it over in the pot until heated through.

Bonus, bonus: Whatcha doin’ for New Year’s Eve?
Probably the same as usual....nothing. These days I don't even bother to stay up long enough to ring in the New Year.

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