It Was All Sweetness and Light(s)

As soon as Cappy got off the boat the last time, we were engulfed in a sea of sugar, making his favorite Christmas goodies. Our son, Dan, was here and also up to his elbows in confectionary. Aha! caught him red-handed, sampling the wares, which he said were heavenly. He and Cappy made three batches of Heavenly Hash, til they got it right. The third try was truly heavenly. They also made an huge batch of Cappy's Momma's cocoanut balls, which are called a French name, which escapes me at the moment, but the name means Red Balls, shown below. After they are hand-rolled, they are covered in powdered sugar.

While the boys were outside in the 'cold', I made them some fresh, from scratch, gingerbread to "stink up the house...in a GOOD way", as Cappy calls good cooking aromas, and put a big pat of butter on it, just the way he likes it. I wanted the warm scent of Christmas to embace and greet them when they came inside from hanging up the lights. (Giggling here...I think they were very appreciative.)

One chore Cappy considered "sweet!", was picking Satsuma oranges and lemons, for the first time ever, from our citrus trees, then bagging them. We have babied those trees for about four years now, through hail and high water. We ate them til we were about blue in the face; they were Yummy.

Well, I can't mention sweet stuff, without mentioning our 'brats'...they sat together, on top of the back of the couch, in their usual perch, (Bichons think they are Cats) 'laughing' and enjoying the "goings ons".

Another treat we tried making was the traditional pralines. Last year we turned out lots and lots of them to send for gifts, but this year the humidity was just so high, that we couldn't get any to hold their shape. That didn't stop friends and family from requesting the 'flops'; they ALL said they wanted to crumble them on top of ice-cream. They got their wish. Those crumbly pralines were wonderful. The "Perils of Pralines".

Is this plate half empty or half full? ;-D

During Dan's visit we went to New Orleans again, this year, for the walking tour of Celebration in the Oaks. We really like watching the Cajun Night Before Christmas light show. Only in Cajun Country would you see Santa in a pirougue, (pronounced " Pee'-row ", meaning a small boat, used to go up and down the bayous) being pulled by eight "allima-gators".


Dan and Cappy did the 'guy thing', hauling the tree outa the attic, assembling it, and festooning it with lights. I decorated it later, at my leisure, which I had to eek outa somewhere, what with everything else going on. Actually, what I did was to send the boys 'over the River and through the wood to Gramercy' they went, to the Gumbo tasting festival...or the Festival of the Bonfires, while I tried catching up on things. Every year folks build elaborate log structures on the levees of the Mississippi River, to be lit Christmas Eve, so that "Papa Noel" will know where to stop to deliver his goodies. When they are lit it's an amazing sight. Some of them are as tall, and maybe taller, than twenty feet.

The guys had so much fun putting up the lights and seeing the sights, and now they are gawn. BAW!! Dan back to his family in Rochester, NY and Cappy back out on da boat. As I'm writing this, tho', it'll only be about another week and a half til he's home again, then we are off and running on new adventures.

As of today, I'm going to start taking down the ornaments, unwrapping the tree, and putting things away. It's going to be harder for me now that the sweets are 'packed away' and riding on my backside, and I sure aint light. Grrrr. Oh well, it's a New Year. I hope your Season was bright, and that your New Year has started out to be the Best ever.