Pity party, table for one

I always find it hard to get back into the swing of things after the Christmas holidays.  To transition from seemingly endless activities to the bleakness of January can be a bit depressing.  Thus, I always try to do something to liven things up.

So, Thursday night after I had trimmed some chicken to cook for dinner, I decided to vigorously scrub the cutting board.  While doing that, the large, sharp knife I had previously wielded somehow fell into the sink—blade-side-up, of course—just as I pushed the sponge downwards.

Ouch.

I basically punched the blade of the knife with my right-hand pinky knuckle.  Thankfully, EP Dude is an Eagle Scout and promptly patched me up.  After we got dinner together and Wee Ninja Girl to bed, we decided to go to an urgent care to have professionals take a look, just in case I sliced a tendon.

Hmm, I probably should have put a DO NOT EAT WHILE READING THIS POST warning at the top.  Oops.

It turned out that even if I did knick a tendon, since the cut was straight up-and-down rather than across the knuckle, it would heal just fine.  So now I have to wear a splint on my finger for TWO WHOLE WEEKS.  Ugh.

I have learned since then just how important the pinky fingers are, and hope I never take them for granted again.  And I learned that tenanus shots hurt worse than lacerated fingers, so now I have a sore hand AND a sore shoulder.  *whimper*

At any rate, I'm thinking of knitting up a splint cozy to keep grime from grossing up the medical tape.  I think I have some lovely sock yarn left over that would do quite nicely.

But in the meantime, I will probably just eat some ice cream while riding around in this:

Most. Insane. Duet. Ever.

So. I caught the beginning of the Alabama/Texas game this evening, just in time to see the pregame inanities and hear the National Anthem sung by Josh Groban, accompanied by Flea, on bass guitar.

Josh Groban.

Flea.

Yeah.

Hold onto your hats, folks, the apocalypse is near!

Twelve drummers drumming...

Aaaaaaaand we're back.

So today is the Feast of Epiphany, or the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Any Christmassy things that were neglected so far must be done NOW or must wait until 12/25/10.  So there.

There was really only one thing I hadn't done in time (aside from the Christmas cards, but those are all sent now!  And there are still gifts to send to the Pittsburghian relatives.  Darn it!) this year, and that was make Figgy Pudding.  So, I made some today.  And because I'm extra nice, I will post the recipe here for you to enjoy next Christmas season.

Not THIS Christmas season, though, because that will END TODAY.

Mary Cratchitt's Figgy Pudding*

Ingredients

• 16 oz. dried Calimyrna Figs
• 1 ¾ cup milk
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 ½ tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup butter; melted and cooled slightly
• 1 ½ cup fresh bread crumbs (3 to 4 slices white bread)
• 1 tbsp grated orange peel (bottled)

Brandied Hard Sauce

• 1 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup butter; softened
• 2 tbsps Brandy
• ½ tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2.5 quart metal pudding mold or fluted tube pan.  I recommend spraying every square inch of the pan with Pam or your friendly neighborhood grocery store brand vegetable spray.  Seriously, spray that thing until it drips.  Well, maybe not that much, but close.

Chop the stems off the figs and then cut them into small pieces. I find it helps to slice each one once longways and then two or three times across.  They will be really sticky, so as soon as you finish chopping them up, wash your knife and cutting board.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, cook figs and milk, covered, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (mixture may look curdled). Be careful not to let mixture boil.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

In a large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat eggs for 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low; add butter, bread crumbs, orange peel, and warm fig mixture. Gradually add the flour mixture; beat until just blended.

Spoon mixture into the greased mold, smoothing the top. Use the spoon to push the mixture into all the cracks and crevices of the mold, and try to get the top as even as possible. Next, cover the mold with a sheet of greased foil.

Place the mold in a deep roasting pan and place on the oven rack. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan to come 2 inches up the side of the mold. Bake the pudding for 2 hours or until it is firm and pulls from the sides of the mold.

While it is baking, mix the hard sauce. In a small bowl and with mixer at medium speed, beat all sauce ingredients until creamy. Refrigerate if it is not served right away. It makes about 1 cup of sauce, which should be enough.

Remove pudding from water bath; remove foil and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and remove mold. Serve warm.

*I originally found this recipe online several years ago, but the website where it was posted no longer exists and I haven't been able to find it again.  Luckily, I had printed it out and am now returning it to its internet home.

The sauce is extremely sweet, so don't overdo it!  I like to put some on it while the pudding is hot and let it seep in, and then keep some extra for those who have a sweet tooth.  Or twelve.

Merry Christmas and Happy Epiphany!