badseed1980 | Happy Hogswatch to all! HO. HO. HO.

I would like to assure you that that WAS the sun you saw today, and NOT a mere ball of flaming gas illuminating the world.

Home now, doing stuff. Laundry and cooking, mostly. I had bought a jar of mincemeat (the kind made from apples/raisins/brandy/etc.), and hadn't used it for the purpose for which I intended it. So, today, I made a bunch of mini mincemeat tartlets. (Procedure: cut out rounds of store-bought pie crust with a glass, put into mini-muffin tins, fill with jarred mincemeat, bake at 425 until golden brown.) I had crust left over, so what did I do? I took those caramelized onions out of the freezer, put some in the bottom of a bunch of the not-yet-baked tartlet shells, and topped them off with goat cheese. Oh no! Still more left! Those ones got blue cheese and a slice of grape tomato on top. I baked them all, and when they came out of the oven, I topped the goat cheese and onion ones with a little light purple rosemary flower on each one. My rosemary plants have thought it was spring since I brought them inside, and they're flowering like mad now.

Now I'm doing my last bento of the year. I've been REALLY, REALLY slack with them lately, so I've been making bentos that I haven't enjoyed that much. Now I'm going to start putting in a little more effort. I have some colorful pasta in crazy shapes that I'm going to use in there, and I'm also marinating a chicken breast in dry vermouth, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh rosemary and thyme. I'll cook it, put some of it in the bento, and freeze the rest for next year. I've got some zucchini and red pepper that I think will be very nice in there as well.

I'm exchanging gifts with

pierceheart tonight. I hope he likes what I got him! Tomorrow, I'm working, coming home, and packing. Wednesday, I'm working, and then going straight from work to Rhode Island where J will pick me up and take me out somewhere. I'll spend that night at his place, then join my parents on Christmas Eve during the day, to get ready to go to the big family party at my aunt's. Christmas Day is the party at my parents' house. It should all be a good time, so long as I remember to pace myself on the drinking and eating. Not easy when confronted with all the good stuff there!