My morning

No day is complete without the smell of scorching chocolate.

I sloshed this:
Chocolate Truffle Pie

2 c. milk
2 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 9" pastry shell, unbaked

Heat milk and chocolate until well blended. In bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Beat
eggs, until just blended, add to sugar with vanilla. Stir to blend, gradually add chocolate. Pour into shell. Bake 400ø for 35 minutes, covering crust with foil for last 10-15 minutes. Cool.


Also made this:
Grandma's Southern Pecan Pie

Beat 3 eggs thoroughly with 2/3 c. sugar, dash salt, 1 c. dark corn syrup and 1/3 c. melted butter. Add 1- 1 1/2 c. pecan halves and 1 TBSP rum. Pour into unbaked 9" pastry shell. Bake 350ø 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool.


Made these a couple days ago:
Noodles

2 eggs
Dash salt
2 or 3 eggshell halves water
1 tsp. baking powder (not level nor heaping)
Sifted flour

Beat eggs and salt. Then add water and baking powder. Add flour, 1/2 c. at a time until mixture is stiff and sticky. Flour a tea towel well. Pour mixture out and sprinkle flour on top. Knead and add sprinkled of flour on mixture and towel until mixture is stiff and still holds together. Roll out thin as desired. For real thin noodles roll until you can see the embroidered design on the towel. For thicker ones, roll as thick as a pie crust. Let dry. Roll up and cut the width desired. Then spread out and let dry more. Put in zip-lock bag, can be frozen. To cook, bring 2 qts. broth to boil and drop noodles in a few at a time. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. Let cook at least 5 minutes, or until done.

What I am thankful for

Just today:
For nine people in three small rooms, without fighting but with much laughter and love, food and affection, and endless snuggles.

For so much food we had to take seconds just to fit a few bites of turkey on the plate.

For an extra child who fits so well with the rest of us.

For my family's safe journey and inifinite love.

For a sister religiously sensitive enough to offer a grace that offended none of the five religions/lack ofs gathered in the room.


Always:
For work I do and do well, and like.

For my girls' chemically-restored sanity

For my boys' unflagging good cheer

For my husband. In oh so many ways. We have our problems, but together, we're bigger than they are.

For nbrooks. Without her, I wouldn't be nearly as prolific.

For a couple of steady doctors who are keeping their heads during this whole mess as my body goes kaput.

For readers and publishers and fans. You let me keep doing what I love best.

For the cats.

For the net.

For The Powers for never giving up on me and guiding me to where my feet can start the journey they were meant to take

For all y'all. Yes. You and you and you and you! The ones I know personally, the ones I don't seen nearly as often as I should like, and the ones I know only by net. You keep me informed, entertained, and emotional. MWAH!


And most of all for the sort of family that tells wacky stories instead of just grumbling at each other.
Obi: So there was a cheerleading camp at the same time as band camp.
jlm121: Was there a serial killer too? Because with a set up like this, there has to be a serial killed in there somewhere.
Obi: No, but I did have to show the girls how a French horn is played. (mimes holding it like a shofar or a hunting horn)