Tuesday, November 22, 2022

There Is No Title For This (I Wanna Be Your Dog)

Turned out that Owen, Gibson, and Maggie could not come over today because it would appear that Maggie has the flu. 
Well, shit. 
She's fine. She's just been tired and a little listless with that sort of sick-look around the eyes that we get when we've got something that our body is fighting. The boys went through the same thing last week but again- no alarming symptoms. No fevers, no overt sore throats or anything like that. But Lily, fearing that perhaps it was something that was mild in the children but which might be more serious in an older adult, took her to the doctor this morning and got her a flu test and she passed it. All should be well on Thanksgiving, though, as she's been experiencing this since last Friday. 

It's always something, as Jessie said today. 

So instead of hanging out with the grands, I made a huge batch of angel biscuit dough. Every year I say that I am not going to do that and every year I do. It's just such a nice biscuit and it makes me feel so rich and so prepared to have that giant bowl of the dough ready to roll out and bake before we eat. For a recipe of angel biscuits, you can go to this old post and learn how to make them as well as fig preserves. I wrote that post in 2008 which was about a hundred years ago and I was experiencing my first true sustained bout of anxiety paired with depression and it came far closer to being the death of me than I care to remember. 
In fact, I do not care to remember it at all because when I do, I weep for what I went through and it all comes rushing back. The terror (a far better descriptive word for it than "anxiety") grabbed me with bloody claws and would not release me at all for months until I finally went to a doctor and got medication. I felt so helpless and so afraid. It was horrible. And in truth, I always carry the fear of it returning. 
I suppose this is a sort of PTSD. 

But, the soothing powers of angel biscuits have been a thread in my life for many, many years and I enjoyed making up the dough today. It is now in a giant bowl out in the garage refrigerator, waiting to wake up and come alive on Thursday, resurrected by touch and shaping and heat. 

And I did a little weeding in the garden, too. Not very much. About an hour was all that my old knees could take and then I quit and that is fine. I feel bad that I have let the garden get weedy and in winter, at that! And yet I have. Tom brought over a huge bag of elephant garlic for me to plant and I need to get on that, too. It is time. 

Mr. Moon's smoker is not working so yesterday he went all over town trying to find another, which he could not because everyone and his cousin, Jim Bob, wants to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving. What he got instead is something I'd certainly never heard of which is a turkey air-fryer. 
Yes. Yes indeed, you really can buy an enormous air fryer for turkeys. This is far superior to an actual oil fryer for turkeys in that you don't have to buy twenty gallons of peanut oil and risk life and limb to fry a turkey which was, at least a few years, ago, a huge fad among the Jim Bobs of the south. My theory is that this is because men love to do things involving fire, large amounts of meat, and the threat of death and injury, plus fried is always best. 
Whatever. 
So yes, he bought an air-fryer for a turkey and he tried it out today with a nice roasting chicken and that's what we're having for our supper. 
I was telling Lis about this on the phone today and she said, "Talk about your non-essential appliance!" and I laughed but at least this one will be kept in the garage. 

I sometimes wonder what you people who live in exotic places like England and France and California think about the things I write. I am probably confirming every stereotype there is about the south here in the states and that's okay but I want you all to remember that we are, for the most part, a truly nice bunch of people despite our odd obsessions with cars and trucks and turkey fryers. We love our children and their children too and many some of our neighbors. We care about the world and we produce some of the best music on the planet and some damn good food, too, most of both of those things influenced by the enslaved people from Africa who, despite what Donald Trump says, are the people who truly made America great. 

Well. I certainly did not mean to go down that path. And yet I did. 

Here's a video I have posted before which is one of my most favorite videos in the entire world which has very little to do with anything I just wrote except for the part about American music which may seem odd because an English band is in the video. But if it took the Rolling Stones to recognize and celebrate the music of Muddy Waters, then so be it. 


And now I am going to go cook some okra and tomatoes to go with our whole air-fried chicken and please know that okra made its way here via the same people who brought us the blues, i.e. The People Who Made America Great despite the fact that we didn't deserve so much as a spit over the shoulder from them and certainly not the great richness of the gifts they have given us. 

Hoo boy. I'm hot tonight. 

Love...Ms. Moon

37 comments:

  1. This is what the wretched holiday should be about Mary you are not a stereotype you bring the best of the south and what it is to be human and recognize to life. XO Rebecca

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    1. Fifty-nine thousand kisses and sixty-thousand hugs.

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  2. I hope everyone's well on time and the recipe works its magic again. Always handy, a bit of magic.

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    1. Or Lord. Me too, Liz. Hoping that everyone's well.
      I've never had a complete failure with angel biscuits so I am hoping for the best there.

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  3. Well this exotic gal from down under got all excited about your recipe for biscuits and then remembered that our biscuits are your cookies and I was disappointed because I was all geared up to make Mary Moon's Angel Biscuits. I have not had your biscuits but I hear you have them with GRAVY? They look like our scones and they should be had with jam and cream.
    I await the verdict on the turkey air fryer with interest.
    And if everyone from the South (or the majority because, you know, orange) are like you then the South would have to be one of my favourite places. It's only 11.30 am here and I sound like I have been on the gin already. I promise you I haven't.

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    1. Oh. I am so sorry. I meant to clarify that these biscuits were not what my friends from far away call biscuits. Your scones are LIKE our biscuits, but in my experience, they are not the same. Scones are a denser sort of bread and have eggs in them and sometimes dried fruit and even vanilla if I am not wrong? Our biscuits are usually only flour, baking powder, butter or shortening, and milk or buttermilk. And salt. Ideally they are light and airy and fluffy with nice sort-of crunchy tops. And yes, we do eat them with gravy sometimes, sometimes with butter and sometimes also jam or honey or even maple or cane syrup! They are delicious when filled with egg and ham and cheese or any variation thereof. They are a southern staple.

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    2. Your biscuits sound more like our pastry considering the ingredients.

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  4. You are definitely on a roll or maybe an angel biscuit cause you are flying high!

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    1. These pre-feast days can be stressful. Spirits rise along with the biscuits.

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  5. Oh but you're so right...Happy Thanksgiving!

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  6. Well, I'm from California via The South, and you are damn right about near everything. People on the left coast are smoking and air-frying and deep-frying their turkeys, but instead of trucks, they drive Teslas and they sure don't eat okra.

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    1. Well they are missing out on the okra as you know. People in California have fallen for the fried turkey trend? How bizarre. You don't see a whole lot of Teslas around here.

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  7. Well, if anything could lift up a person, it would have to be angel biscuits. Just the name of them lifts me up. I may try to make them but I would cut the recipe in half. I had to look up self rising flour because we don't have that here but I could certainly just add the baking powder.

    Poor Maggie. Jack's been sick these past two days and I'm exhausted. I always find kids easier to take care of when they're really sick , as opposed to getting better and just being grumpy.

    Sending hugs and love and hope your turkeys turn out well.

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    1. Yes. That recipe makes a lot. For our Thanksgiving I make one and a half times the called for amount because we are feeding a crowd.
      And of course you can make your own self-rising flour but don't forget the salt!
      Poor Jack. I know what you mean about them being easier to take care of when they're sick sometimes.

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  8. Over here in exotic England…haha…I love to read about your food and way of life which is so,different yet so similar! Your biscuits are indeed our scones which we eat as an afternoon teatime treat with jam and cream! That’s the joy of reading blogs..an insight into different lives. Your home there in beautiful,Florida seems to me to be so very exotic and fascinating

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    1. Ha ha, England "exotic" - I was thinking the same thing Helen! Lovely, weird, but never exotic!

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    2. England IS exotic to us here in the States. I mean, not exotic like a tropical sort of exotic but in the sense that things are definitely a little bit different. See my comment to Sparkling Merlot above on what I think the main differences in scones and our biscuits are.
      I do love the way blogs open windows to other lives for us. It's so wonderful.

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  9. I love reading about your life because to me it is exotic. So different and "weird" (in a nice way) because I just can't imagine it. And of course stereotypes exist and while they obviously don't apply to everyone they exist for a reason.

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    1. You and I might as well live on different planets! At least when it comes to what we see when we look out of our windows. But not when it comes to things like being grandmothers and so forth.

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  10. Johanna from France here ! Love to read your blog. You are a part of my morning routine since years now. Coffee and some Bless our hearts is the perfect start of my day. You are so far from the stereotype bible belt American as anyone can be. Happy Thanksgiving to you !

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    1. Oh, that makes me so happy to hear, Johanna! Thank you!

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  11. Can you airfry all the things? And let us know? Love from La-de-da-Idaho

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    1. Air-fryer report to follow! I do love my kitchen air-fryer.

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  12. I am so sorry Mr Moon's smoker gave up the ghost, I love smoked meats. I like fried food too, but too much of that isn't good for me what with my high cholesterol. I've heard that air frying is just as good, but I think it would taste a bit different. I have heard you can airfry many foods.
    I hope that pesky flu departs quickly so you can have the grandchildren visiting again.

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    1. My little kitchen air-fryer has been a very fine addition to my life. I use it for many things. It's definitely not the same as regular frying but then again- hardly any oil use and it's fast and pretty darn tasty.
      Yes. I need to get my hands on those babies!

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  13. Ah yes, that " exotic" England, where yet again it is pouring with rain this morning ! Helen put into words how I feel about you and your food etc. We are so similar in many ways, but different in others....there's a deep thought for you!!!

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    1. I love that we find common ties here. I love how we find each other.

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  14. Of course I'm not your typical UK reader -- in fact I'm more a Florida reader than anything! So nothing you write is all that surprising to me. I AM surprised that Maggie apparently has the flu with no fever. I didn't know such a thing was possible!

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    1. Well, I guess children are different when it comes to flu symptoms. Who knows? I think of you as a England transplant reader, Steve. I know you get everything I say about Florida.

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  15. For the most part white christians refuse to acknowledge any contributions from anyone other than white christians. Like the fact that our constitution is based on the Iroquois form of governing.

    I made the butternut squash casserole yesterday. It's in the freezer waiting to be cooked tomorrow. Today I do all the prep...cubing bread, chopping everything that needs to be chopped, frying the bacon, etc...for the dressing which will get mixed together and cooked tomorrow. Made the cornbread yesterday as well.

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    1. You are so right about white people. Jesus we're a bunch of jerks.
      That casserole sounds really good Ellen. I bet your stuffing will be too.

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  16. You will have a lot of yummy food at your feast tomorrow. I hope Maggie is well enough to attend. I am roasting the turkey today so I don't have to stress out over carving at the last moment. I make a gluten-free, dairy-free feast because of my daughter. It costs more but still tastes delicious!!
    Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Mary Moon!

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    1. I am sure that you make a wonderful gluten-free, dairy-free feast! You're so sweet to do that for your daughter.

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  17. Well, now I have heard of just about everything! An air fryer for turkey! It certainly has to be a far safer method than dunking one in a vat of hot oil and endangering everyone in a 10 foot radius. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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    1. I wonder how many people show up in ER's on Thanksgiving with third-degree oil burns.

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  18. Hey Girl! I'm totally Canadian, and I get it. Our men are the same. My son, sons in law, brothers in law, they are just the same.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.