Meatballs
3/4 lb ground beef
1lb ground pork
1 large onion, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 – 1/2 cup half & half or whole milk
Butter
Gravy
3/4 – 2 Tbsp drippings from meatballs
Butter (if needed) 3Tbsp flour
1 – 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1Tbsp beef boullion
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the meatball ingredients together, adding the half & half last, until well incorporated. you want your mixture to be a little sticky. You won’t actually be rolling these into balls. (They are more like little patties.)
Melt the butter and drop the mixture by spoonfuls into the pan. Press down a little to flatten. Cook until browned on one side. Then flip and cook until they are cooked through.
When the meatballs are done, remove them onto a plate, and keep them warm. Meanwhile, start on the gravy. Add the flour to the pan of dripping (adding more butter if necessary). Stir until you get a roux. Add the cream and whisk until your gravy has thickened (Adding more cream/milk as necessary) Finish by adding the beef boullion, salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the gravy and keep warm.
Brunede Kartoffler (Caramelized potatoes)
20 oz small potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp sugar
Boil the potatoes until they are just done. You want them to be firm, not mushy. Whne they are done, drain them, and cool. Then peel the skins off of them by hand.
Next, melt the butter in a fry pan. Add the sugar, stirring constantly, until it turns golden. Then add the potatoes and stir until the caramel sticks to the potatoes.
Mom– Well George, what should we talk about?
George- The holidays are almost over. And there seems to be a lot going on in the world right now.
Mom- What kind of things are you thinking about?
George– Australia, Iran, possibly another World War
Mom- Do all of these things cause anymore anxiety for you?
George- Not really, for some reason. It just has me thinking.
Mom- What does it have you thinking about?
George- The chaos. I don’t remember what happened in 9-11. I was only 5.
Mom- Do you think this could be like it was when 9-11 happened?
George- Possibly. It doesn’t bother me too much, but one time at the dinner when everyone was talking about it, it made me nervous thinking that the world might end.
Mom- But, you know that the world won’t end, right.
George- But you never know. But, I don’t think about it too much.
Mom- Let’s talk about something a little less scary. You got a new pet.
George- I really wanted another dog, because I am a dog person.
Mom- But you didn’t get a dog, did you?
George- Sadly, no. I got a cat, instead.
Mom- Why did you get a cat instead?
George- Because you said only two dogs in the house. That’s enough. And my focus isn’t enough for a puppy right now.
Mom- But, maybe some day.
George- But, my cats name is Tibbs, and he is basically a snuggle buddy. He’s been eating food at night because our puppy eats his food in the day. He’s pretty big, too. I think we got me a cat because I kept bonding with the barn cats.
Mom- Tibbs is really good to you, isn’t he?
George- Yes he is.
Mom- George has been kind of struggling with quite a few things lately. With the holidays comes a break in the regular daily routine. In addition to that, he lost his furry buddy, Abu. And the world news hasn’t been doing any of us much good lately. But, we are starting to get back on track. George’s brain is slow to process everything, but once it starts, there is no stopping it. I guess you could say it turns into an obsession. He just can’t seem to turn his brain off. Although, he is starting to (ever so slowly) move on from losing Abu, he still struggles. Tibbs is helping with that, because I think what George missed most was having a warm, fuzzy little friend to sleep in his bed with him. (Tibbs is PERFECT for this)
As far as what is going on in the world, George will ocasionally mention it, but I really don’t think he fully understands it all. Who does, really? But I think it’s the everyday kind of things that keep George’s brain going on a constant run. Things that he is personally experiencing. Things that are in “His world”. And when he did get nervous about the world events, it was when he though it may bring disruption to his world, like having a brother serve in the military during a war. I am grateful that George doesn’t get too obsessed with the world’s events. He has enough trouble getting his brain to slow down enough with with just the things going on around him directly. I can’t imagine what it would be like if he took on everything going on beyond his life.
My Piece of the Puzzle 