Christmas has come and gone here at Viewpoint Golf and RV Resort, just like it has everywhere else. Most of the residents here spread the Christmas spirit by decorating their homes. Some of the streets go as far as adopting a theme which everyone more or less follows. The management provides a tram – a small train with open cars pulled by a small tractor. People get on the train at the lot in front of the office and it takes them on a tour of the facility to look at all of the lights and decorations in the evening.
We had a fairly quiet Christmas Day. Our Christmas dinner included a honey-glazed spiral-cut ham. I sliced russet potatoes which Donna made into a very tasty side of au gratin potatoes and I cubed a butternut squash that she sauteed with fresh ginger and spices. Cubing a butternut squash was harder than I expected! She also made green beans tossed with shallots cooked in butter. And for dessert, she made Nanaimo Bars, a Canadian Christmas treat (recipe here). Donna fixed three plates that she delivered to three different homes where she assists the elderly residents. They live alone and were very appreciative to have a home-cooked Christmas dinner. She also delivered Nanaimo Bars to some of our neighbors.
Christmas Eve was about as wintery as it gets around here. The temperature only reached 59 degrees and an inch and a half of rain fell! We exchanged gifts on Christmas morning – I gave Donna a pair of diamond stud earrings that I bought online from Blue Nile. She gifted me with a nice set of Sony noise-cancelling headphones. I spend a fair amount of time on YouTube lately and these headphones are a treat.
We’ve had several wet days with heavy overcast since Christmas and I’ve only been out once for pickleball. Donna managed to get out for tennis a couple of times and also played a round of golf on the nine-hole Executive course. My days have revolved around reading and practicing guitar – I’m working on learning some new material. I ordered a Christmas gift for myself – a set of custom hand-wound pickups for my Strat-type guitar. They’re being made by Adam Asmus (dba Tone Hatch Pickups) in Norfolk, Nebraska and I’m looking forward to getting them in a week or so.
Last week, we watched the Beatles documentary, Get Back, on Disney Plus. It a three -part film with about 6 hours of running time culled from over 150 hours of film recorded in 1969. It was interesting to watch their creative process as well as the tensions that developed in the group at that time. It was well worth paying for a month of streaming Disney Plus.
Before Christmas, I made a batch of my signature Japanese fried rice. Donna grilled shrimp for a simple, delicious and savory dinner.
On Christmas Eve she kept it simple – we were gifted a delicious clam chowder from Hancock’s in Maine. And the day after Christmas, she made green chile pollo street tacos. She tried something new with the chicken filling, it was a different seasoning on the chicken and it was topped with a green chile sauce she made. They were outstanding.
After Christmas, we had our fill of leftover ham including ham sandwiches and slow cooker beans with the ham shank. Donna gave us a break from the ham with another new chicken recipe. She split chicken breasts into thin fillets, pan fried them and made a sun-dried tomato and cream sauce topping. It was very good!
It’s hard to believe today is the last day of 2021. Tomorrow a new calendar year begins. It looks like we’ll be off to a relatively cold start – the forecast calls for clear skies with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s over the weekend before we begin warming up next week. After taking a holiday break, I’ll resume the Tuesday afternoon pickleball coaching clinics next week.
*Just so you know, if you use this link to shop on Amazon and decide to purchase anything, you pay the same price as usual and I’ll earn a few pennies for the referral. It’ll go into the beer fund. Thanks!
The sun dried tomatoes and cream sauce sounds good! Is there a recipe or did Donna just make it up? 😁
I followed this recipe though I did have to substitute sundried tomatoes for sundried tomatoes in oil. I just rehydrated them and then added oil to them. It definitely would have been even better with sundried tomatoes in oil!
Thanks, can’t wait to try it!
Mike & Donna,
We met a few years ago at Richardson Park next to Fern Ridge Reservoir,outside of Eugene Oregon. I believe you’d had some work done on the coach in Veneta. I’m the guy showed up in the mini cooper convertible with Beak Breaker IPA and roasted hazelnuts from our farm. I still read and enjoy your stuff, and find it interesting.
I’m wondering if you might share your recipe for Japanese fried rice. I’ve been looking for one, and would appreciate your expertise.
Thanks in advance,
Mike Justis
Mike, my method is rather labor intensive, I never had a written recipe, just tried to do what my mother did – she was Japanese. But here goes:
Ingredients
Half can of Spam cut into small cubes (this is optional, you can substitute with ham, pulled pork or chicken, I like to use Spam to achieve the umami flavor profile I’m shooting for in the final product)
2 cups short grain white rice (I use Calrose in a rice cooker)
3 medium or two large carrots diced
1 or 2 celery stalks diced
3 green onions sliced thin – use all but the last couple of inches of green at the top
1/4 to 1/3 head of cabbage sliced thin and chopped
1 or 2 eggs beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
soy sauce
I start by frying the Spam in a small pan until it’s slightly crispy.
Add vegetable oil to wok on medium-low heat and fry carrots for about two minutes, then add celery. After another minute or so add the green onion and then the cabbage. Stir constantly until the cabbage is soft.
I add the rice straight from the rice cooker – some people like to use cold rice. I’ve tried it both ways and I like rice hot out of the cooker. Immediately pour the beaten eggs over the rice and keep stirring.
Add the previously fried Spam. Keep stirring.
After about 20 minutes I add the sesame oil. Keep stirring and add soy sauce until the rice takes on a light brown color.
Voila!
Total time for prep and cooking is about an hour and this makes a large batch of fried rice – somehow my mom always made this much faster than I can.
PS – we enjoyed the hazelnuts and we’ve wanted to get back to that area to check out the wineries.
Mike,
Thanks for the recipe, it looks like a good one. I’ll be giving it a whirl.
There are plenty of wineries in this part of the world, some I expect are rather highly touted. I have an allergic reaction to the sulfites in wine, hence I’ve been a beer drinker.
Thanks again for the recipe, and good luck to you in the New Year.