What's making you happy today?

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by BigV

there's a fire in the firepit on the patio in the back yard (there's a hole in the bottom of the sea...)

Pork butt on the smoker, cold beer in the fridge. Cue company in 3, 2, 1...

Originally Posted by Firecat

Its Friday and I'm free

I was gonna crash the fire in the firepit on the patio in the backyard...but, I got lost.

Now I'm trapped in a pit in Big Sarge's basement. He keeps saying something 'bout lotion and a basket.

[Sundae]

I'ma gonna take over the Happy thread for a lickle while.
Good job we're pretty much in the Dead Zone for the Cellar. Well -yes, earlier would have been better, but I've been doing things. See below.

Mum gets up earlier than me, but stays in her nightdress while she does the housework. Sometimes until 10.00!
At 08.45 there was a knock at the door and a young lad delivered a parcel.
He had an electronic signature device, but fled before she could sign.
We think the nightdress might have put him off. She is called Mrs Robinson after all.
The parcel was for me, but I'd already left for school.

So when I came home I was really excited to find a big box, obviously from America, and bearing the return name and address of one Sarge. I deliberately did NOT look at the spoilers that Customs insist you include and Diz and I had much fun getting into it.
Well, I opened it and Diz tried to climb inside.

To my pleasure and surprise I had a veritable FEAST of American goodies.
Pork Skins, LOTS of Peeps (inc pink & blue rabbits), a Pecan Log Roll, Woody's Pecan & Walnut Praline, Rock Crystal Candy and Moon Pies.

Then also home made rye soap (in an evidence bag!) a National Guard hat and wallet (with notebook inside) and National Guard commemorative coins.

I hope I haven't missed anything out.
It was an amazing haul, and not what I expected. Sarge said he'd put something in the post, but this was more like a care package.

Now some pics.
Me in my new sunhat.
And greeting my pig snacks.

[Sundae]

Note to British Dwellars - Pork Skins as above are like the large pork scratchings you get in places - the puffed up ones. I'm going to send Sarge some real pork scratchings in response. The ones that sometimes still have hairs on them

What I thought would be cute was if I got a pic of Diz sniffing the open bag. Of course I had to open it, it was a strange and unusual food. What I forgot was that Diz will eat pork scratchings when he can get hold of them. He ran away with half a bag Mum left on the side of her chair once; we retrieved them, but he's a chancer. So there am I, letting him sniff the bag, camera at ready... and he's in and out like the SAS - a small piece in his mouth and scoffing it on the sofa. By the time I got my camera ready it was all but crumbs.

And Dads. He was rather suspicious (he was ready for his tea to be honest - meat & two veg no messing) but found them perfectly paletable.

I thought they were yummy. Less salty than pork scratchings anyway.

[Sundae]

PEEEEEEEPS!

My sister & nephew turned up unexpectedly.
I was on the sofa with packaging around me and fast food wrappers in evidence.
I even had Maury on the TV (waiting for the programme that came on next actually, since you ask).

I felt like a bloated cliche.

But 13 year old boys don't judge.
Samuel had two Peep chicks.
And after they left I took a self portrait of a Peep peeping out.
(Let's face it, it could have been a lot ruder)

[Sundae]

Moon pies are a lot like Wagon Wheels, but more cakey than biscuity (in UK terms).

I likey. Had one with my lunch today, and was really hoping someone would say, "Oh is that one of the things you got in your parcel?" I think they all thought it was a Wagon Wheel though.

Mum was quite keen too.
Have not zoomed in because I think our cluttered little kitchen is shown well in the photo.
I also think Mum looks really good!

[Sundae]

So, bottom line - thank you SO much Sarge.
I've loved it and my family have too.
You will get some token items in return - I just hope I can put as much thought into it as you did. And it's definitely not a tit-for-tat move - you know I've wanted to put something together for a while and this just prompted me to stop stalling.

Oh and thank your girls so much for the soap.
I've read about the process, but had no idea it could make something so very clean.
It's in our bathroom tonight.

[Pete Zicato]

You're a lucky woman, Sundae. I can't speak for Sarge, but I don't share my Moon Pies with just anybody.

[Big Sarge]

I was trying to giveher a taste of Down South junk food. I'm trying to tempt her to move. Can ya'll imagine Sundae slinging "chittlins"?

We even threw end a bar of homemade lye soap!

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by Big Sarge

I was trying to giveher a taste of Down South junk food. I'm trying to tempt her to move. Can ya'll imagine Sundae slinging "chittlins"?

We even threw end a bar of homemade lye soap!

You chose well. Pork rinds and Moon Pies are both great stuff.

It's hard to find Moon Pies in Chicago, but I found that they're available at the local Hostess discount place. I'm partial to the banana flavor.

[DanaC]

Moon pies were in the package my Secret Santa sent me. They're wonderful.

What really surprised me about the American sweetie snacks was that they seemed less sweet than their Brit counterparts. Compared to wagon wheels, the moonpies are really subtle.

[Clodfobble]

Probably because most American sweets don't use real sugar. The fake stuff doesn't taste as sweet, but it's so much cheaper that they can put in 4 times as much to compensate. The first time I made homemade frosting out of plain powdered sugar, I was completely stunned at the taste difference compared to the canned stuff, which supposedly had more grams of (fake) "sugar."

[footfootfoot]

fake=HFCS or Aspartame, et al?

[HungLikeJesus]

What do you mean by fake sugar? There are many kinds of sugars (5 and 6 carbon); are you saying one of these is more legitimate than all the others?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

What do you mean by fake sugar? There are many kinds of sugars (5 and 6 carbon); are you saying one of these is more legitimate than all the others?

The sugar that dare not speak its name...

Love sugar, always second best, love sugar different from the rest...

Dear Sir/Madam
I am Mohammed Abacha,the son of the late Nigerian Head of State who died on the 8th of June 1998.If you are conversant with world news,you will remember that, before his death, my father deposited several hundred thousand tonnes of sugar into a warehouse...

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

What do you mean by fake sugar? There are many kinds of sugars (5 and 6 carbon); are you saying one of these is more legitimate than all the others?

You can substitute the word "artificial" if you prefer.

The sensation of sweetness caused by these compounds (the "sweetness profile") is sometimes notably different from sucrose, so they are often used in complex mixtures that achieve the most natural sweet sensation.