I'm not thinking about Sears this

morning.  In fact, I'm going to try to get it out of my head until December 20th.  Wish me luck.

Today I'm jumping back on the Christmas prep train.  I think I have four more presents to buy but they're not big ones.  It's all minor stuff.  No biggie.  I've also started menu planning.  I'm thinking about maybe making more sand tarts.  I ate a few because of that-which-will-not-be-named and now I need more.  There's something about sand tarts.  The texture, the little bit of sweetness, the pecans, the butter, I don't know.  I think I need more.  Well, the buttons on my jeans think otherwise but I think need more.

The recipe I use for the sand tarts is from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Cookbook, it's under the recipes submitted by stars who have performed.  This one is from Don Williams.  Every time I make them I get one of his songs stuck in my head.  It's usually this one.

I've always liked that song.  I guess it came out around 2nd or 3rd grade because that's when I remember hearing it a lot.  The cool thing is now that I opened my Christmas present early, which was an Echo, I was able to tell Alexa to play it while I was scooping the cookies out.  Then I told her to play it again.  Maybe I'll make another batch and play Tulsa Time this go around.  I really like that one too.  Speaking of the HLSR cookbook, I use a banana bread recipe submitted by Jim Nabors and there are quite a few bananas that need to be used.  The only thing is, I'm not really feeling banana bread right now.  Oh, weird.  Don Williams and Jim Nabors both died this year.  Oh, crazy, but so did Mel Tillis and he's in the cookbook too.  It's not a good year for the past HLSR performers/cookbook contributors.

So as I prep for Christmas and everything coming up, I'm trying to stay stocked up on everything I might need.  We have more cold weather coming this weekend with rain added to the mix.  Yuck.  Give me chilly, fine, I can handle it better.  Don't give me wet and cold.  I can't handle it.  I don't know how much more my plants can either.  I didn't bring them in when it snowed.

I didn't know if they'd make it but the rosemary and chives seem to be thriving.

I started a pot of potato soup yesterday that I'm finishing today.  Those chives will be good with that.

The basil though, I wouldn't exactly say it's thriving. 

Dead, maybe?  I guess I'll have to plant more in the spring.  That sucks too because it was doing so well.  My bougainvillea look pretty bad too.  Oh well, it was a good year.  My best year yet with both.  Maybe next year will be even better.  And also, maybe next year if there's snow, I'll think about bringing what I can into the garage... except for the rosemary and chives.

Now.  Is there anything that can go on the Christmas menu planning that calls for rosemary or chives?  Time to get back in the zone.