a week of traditions

This week we lost the matriarch of our family.  My mother and her brothers have gotten to spend a few days this week together remembering their mom.  I've been blessed by having a job allowing me to spend the whole week with my family.  We've been honoring my Grandmother's memory all week starting with a Kessler's and ginger ale toast Tuesday after her prayer service.  Last night we had a taco feast with margaritas, because those were her second favorite drink.  And for dessert I made her date nut pudding.

If you've never had date nut pudding, you may be imagining a creamy viscous liquid pudding.  This is not the case with this pudding.  It is a more traditional English pudding studded with soft dates and nuts.  It's honestly the easiest dessert ever.  I love taste inspired memories.

Recipe:

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped nuts [pecans or walnuts]

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk [dairy, almond, coconut, soy...]

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbl. gluten-free flour [just rice flour would be fine in this case, but my mom had an already made blend, so I used that.  this is not the situation in which you can substitute in a nut flour]

Method:

Combine all ingredients into a bowl until well combined.  Pour into a greased glass baking dish (size 7x11 is ideal but 8x8 would do).  Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and no longer jiggly.  

Enjoy as is.  

Or with whipped/ice cream.  Or my favorite way, cream drizzled over the top.

Lillian

Yesterday, March 25th at 6:52 pm central standard time my grandmother made her journey to heaven.  I was racing north to Minnesota to get home to support my mom when I got the phone call.  "She's gone, and I just am looking at her and she is so peaceful."  Praise God.  Peace is what she needed after a 90 year stint here on earth and enduring her past few years in immeasurable physical pain.  

Rest peacefully.  See you around, Gram.

So there's this thing...

Tonight I had every intention to do a deep clean of my house.  But instead I got upset.  Went to Walgreens.  And bought Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cups.

Seriously?

My only regret:

I didn't get chips too.

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A couple of things

1. It is Tuesday and we had tacos.  Unintentional Taco Tuesday win in the Gross household.  Can we just reminisce for a minute how much I love tacos?  See here & here [specifically number 8].

2. Apparently I really like numbering.  I don't know why I'm acting surprised.  I send Justin text messages with numbers too.

3. The guy on tv right now talking about some suicide case looks like the oldest Brady brother of whose name I have forgotten.  I know it's not Bobby...

4. Lady does this thing when she sees something out of the window, she thinks it's out every window.  Or something.  Today some kids dropped an informational packet about a food bank fundraiser off on our front porch and Lady went bonkers.  When a strange noise is heard in the dark of night she'll give off a little woof, but when a child comes innocently to the porch in broad daylight she decides to sound the alarms.  Weirdo.  Anyways, after the threat had been neutralized she ran to the back window to...watch them?  Obviously they weren't out there.  This dumbfounded her.  She is equally confused during the summer when the chipmunk [Stuart] teases  her outside our patio door.  He'll run down under the deck and Lady will run into the next room expecting him to be there.  Every time.  We've given up hope on her figuring that one out.

5. I have a secret stash of jellybeans that Justin can't find.

6. I've filled out my March Madness bracket and this year is the year.  Gonzaga will win!  I don't know where Gonzaga is even, but every year I choose them to win the championship because of their awesome sounding name.  I can smell it this year.  It's happening.  I also have Bucknell going pretty far.  Where the h is Bucknell?  Finally, why did I not go to a more excitingly named school?

And since it snowed another 4 inches yesterday [March 18th gosh darnit!] here is a picture from our honeymoon.  It was blessedly warm, and we ate so many hamburgers.  Disney World is the best.  But also... Hogwarts. Hogwarts.  Hoggy Warty Hogwarts. teach me something please!

Nerd.

fin.