Thursday, November 13, 2008

a peek into my pantry and Christmas ramblings


My current pantry may not look like this one, but I do love it. I love whipping something up, tucked away in there, away from the rest of the kitchen. It's also where my Kitchen Aid resides once more - my replacement mixer arrived earlier this week. It sounds entirely different from the first one I had, which is probably a good thing. As is the case through the rest of the house, in my pantry glass jars abound. See that barley on the right? It's been there for way too long. Do any of you have recipe suggestions for barley which don't involve mushrooms? Adam can't eat them, and it seems as though barley is usually paired with those fun fungi. Let me know - I'd love to see your recipes.

And this little Martha-fied stack has been getting me in a festive kind of mood. I'm very excited that on Saturday, Annie and Ingrid are coming over for some Christmas crafting. I haven't decided what I'll be working on, but it won't be soap! I can't wait. I know that the whole Christmas thing isn't for everyone, but I am one of those people who love it. The planning, gifts, and food, of course. But especially the music. I'm very sheepish about my all-time favourite Christmas album, since it seems to be so out of character for me but I'll tell you - it's Mariah Carey's Christmas album. I know. In high school, a great friend (Hi, AC!) and I made incredible gingerbread creations each year for the annual school-wide contest, and I remember listening to it with her in her kitchen while we made a model of our school from scratch. I've loved it ever since. Listen carefully, and you just might hear me singing away in the car. Happy Thursday!

8 comments:

ingrid said...

Oh Lord. I need to get you Hawksley Workman's and Rosie Thomas' Christmas records so you can have something better to listen to!!

Heidi said...

Mmmm, barley! Beef barley soup is one of my favorites. In fact, I haven't had any in ages. I think I'll put that on the menu for next week. I also use barley in chicken soup since my son can't have wheat and rice noodles aren't a good substitute.

Oh Mariah...takes me back to the campus Christmas party my sophmore year of college = )

Sherrie said...

Thanks for the suggestion, Heidi! That's a good idea.

Ing, you miss the point. I LIKE the album. I enjoy it and sing along loudly. It is not for lack of options, although I would love to hear Rosie Thomas' album, too.

Angela said...

I always put lots of barley in my chicken soup ... if that's something you make. It really beefs up the filling factor - something that Peter is always concerned about :)

Anonymous said...

Sherrie, I still smile when I think of your favorite Christmas movie. In my opinion liking Mariah Carey's Christmas album is minor compared to your movie preference! I can't stand that movie but the thought of it brings you to mind so it's okay as far as that goes!

Unknown said...

hahaha WOW- that makes my day Sherrie! I LOVE that you still love that album :) I shamefully admit that I too love it, although I think the Nsync album might earn a very close second :P

Happy Holiday-getting-ready Sherrie! I also very much enjoy this time of year :)

Cheers, AC

Michelle said...

Hi Sherrie! In Malaysia, there is a popular drink made out of barley. I love it and you might like to try it. You can find a recipe here http://kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=2611 and here http://curiousfoodie.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/barley-drink-recipe/

Goatmeal_Crisp said...

Mariah Carey's Christmas album has to be infinitely better than Sasha's favorite -- the Conway Twitty/Tweety Bird project "Merry Twismas," featuring such favorites as "Happy the Christmas Clown." I wish I could say I was joking!

A lot of people seem to be obsessed with the Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton Christmas album.