The 6th Day of Christmas and I got for me... (!)

A full day, again!

I tried the 4th tea I got for Christmas, this is one that I ordered for myself,

remembering how I had it in Luxembourg on our special trip 2+ years ago.

The depth I did not quite get from what I remember of it

but I was using a sachet in a smaller tea pot and will have to experiment with 

amount of tea and steeping time! 

It was good though, no question there! And nice big tea leaves. 

We had a lovely lunch of leftovers and I am just loving that small loaf

of brioche bread we were given for Christmas... with a bit of butter and

apricot jam, it's like opening a bit of summer sunshine into winter.

Very nice and very lovely also with a good pot of black tea! 

I got 3 books in the mail and opened them tonight... 

this Williams-Sonoma 1986! (I was 10!) Cookbook is a gem!

I got it on thrift books for a super good price (less than $4)... 

I think it is going to be my 'foodie read' for the 12 days of Christmas this year!

Believe it or not, I am ready to bake again!

Meanwhile...

Here is a collage of my Turkey Encore Casserole and here are the steps to this recipe 

and recipe source info, etc:

Turkey Encore Casserole (inspired by, named by and adapted from Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook) 

(Note I used cooked turkey + turkey gravy leftover and frozen from our Thanksgiving meal that I order from our grocery delivery service).

1. butter dish

2. melt butter in pan, add 2 tbs flour, mix into paste.

3. add cream, mix completely together

4. add turkey gravy (about 8 oz or so), keep stirring as it is simmering 

5. add chicken broth, keep stirring (I am aiming for about 20 oz of liquid here, i.e. 2 soup cans full but I think it was more than this and if anything I would have added *more* next time and perhaps some milk too as it it could have been a slight bit less thick, but only slightly!)

6. add a dollop of sour cream (2 cereal (the large not small) spoon fulls)

7. stir, make sure is thick but very easy to stir and add 2 cups diced cooked turkey

8. Add 3.5 servings of frozen broccoli (1 small bag) to it, stir.

9. Grate 8 oz bar of sharp cheddar cheese

10. Add half cheese to the roux with steps 2-8 (i.e. everything) in the pot. Stir and mix.

11. 1 package of cooked egg noodles (12 oz Pennsylvania Dutch extra wide egg noodles is what I used) cooked, drained and put in bottom of buttered casserole dish

12. Add Mixture in step 10 on top

13. Sprinkle evenly the rest of the grated cheddar cheese

14. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes

15. Add 3oz (basically cover the top of the casserole) with French Fried Onions (I used Trader Joes can of them, which is an 8 oz can, I used about 1/3 of it) 

16. Bake for 5 more minutes and serve hot! 

17. Watch everyone want seconds and clear their plates!

****

My Husband and I are, (LOL), already talking about possible other bookshelves ... 

we have a few,

very few, places left to put them... 

But it's so nice to be talking about the future in terms of what we hope for one day...

****

I am getting some deliveries in the next week or so, that I am looking forward to...

And books to read... and no fasting till Friday :)

The 12 days of Christmas is a very special time...

***

I am also grateful for friends who when one is struggling

(even in the good of these days, yep, still struggles, life is life right?)

one can reach out to and be understood. 

Such a blessing.

***

I can tell I have a lot of internal stuff to attend to, 

It's been a tough few years on a lot of fronts and I think I 

have some grief to process now that things are changing, for the better, 

from all we can see...

I keep wanting to hear these 2 songs on repeat the last few days.

and 

Well, it's high time I go to bed, church + church Christmas party, DV, tomorrow!