So, okay.  Today I was watching TV and a commercial came on and the announcer said the product was “very unique”. Does this bother anybody else?  Either something is unique or it isn’t.  You cannot quantify uniqueness.  It’s like being pregnant.  Either you are or you’re not.  I am so tired of hearing news people, announcers, commercials, reality show personalities, talk show hosts, etc. saying things like “this is really unique”, this is awesomely unique”, “this is soooo unique”.  You are unique, there is only one of you.  If there were more of you, you would not be unique.   Even twins are unique, no matter that they look alike, are they exactly the same?  NO!! 

            Something can be rare, or rarer, or the rarest.  Think books.  A first edition can be rare if there are only three copies, but rarest if there is only one.  However, if there is only one then it is unique.  If there are three, it is NOT unique.  It is rare. 

        And while I am on the subject of words, does anyone else have a problem with bring and take?  Bring me a glass of tea, take this tea to your mother.  I saw a sign on Chik-fil-A in town the other day and it said “Bring our iced tea to your next picnic”.  This is just plain bad English.  It is grammatically wrong and I almost flunked English in High School and even I know this is wrong.  IT SHOULD READ “TAKE OUR ICED TEA TO YOUR NEXT PICNIC”.  Bring is toward, i.e., bring me that glass of iced tea.  Take is away.  Take that glass of iced tea to your mother.  If you happen to be standing next to mother then you could possibly say “bring your mother a glass of iced tea”, but if you are in another part of the room or house or wherever, it would be “take your mother a glass of iced tea”. 

        I don’t think they actually teach English in school any more.  I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “educated” people say “I seen them”.  THIS ACTUALLY HURTS MY EARS, and sets my teeth on edge.  I just want to scream at them “IT’S – I SAW THEM – NOT SEEN”.

        I know this is a short rant this week, and not too sweet, but Thanksgiving is coming up next week and we all have a lot to be thankful for.  America is a GREAT country, we have freedoms others envy, we have wealth beyond comprehension and I’m not just talking monetarily.  SO TAKE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO GIVE THANKS, SAY A PRAYER, and bring that iced tea to your very unique party where you seen all your family.  

Thanksgiving always makes me think of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and family gathered around the table stuffing their faces.  It is also a time to reflect on what we are thankful for.  

        I have a long list:  the fact that I wake up every morning and am still breathing, my sweetie-pie hubby, my great children and grandchild, my cat, my house, the sun shining or the rain, toilet paper, toothbrushes and paste, microwaves, my church, the fact I can go to church and not be afraid, my friends, living in the Greatest Nation on Earth, computers, telephones, cars (no cleaning up after them), Dr. Who, my doctors who keep me well (or at least try).  There’s so much more, actually too much to list.  When you think you’ve thought of everything, something small pops into your head and then off goes another stream of thankfulness for things you seldom think about.

        I was watching Buying Alaska the other day and all the “cabins” had outhouses and no inside running water.  You had to use the outhouse and bring water in from a well.  That got me to thinking about how thankful I am for showers.  And that led to general indoor plumbing, then air conditioning and heating (no more chopping wood or hauling coal), and that lead to microwaves and Weber grills.  See, one thing always leads to another. 

        So when you sit down to eat that turkey be thankful you did not have to raise it, feed it, see it everyday and then kill it and de-feather it and prepare it for cooking.  All you had to do was go to the store and pick one out.  I am thankful there are other people who do that for me.  I am also thankful there are people who grow cranberries and make sauce.  I cannot imagine the first person to say, “hey, those look tasty, let’s see what we can do with them”.  I like jellied canned cranberry sauce; I do not like homemade sauce with the berries.  Just saying, I am thankful there is an alternative, some people like the berries.

        And talking about food, we cannot forget the pumpkin pie.  I have food allergies, my children have food allergies, and we all love pumpkin pie.  So this year I was going to make a pumpkin pie that was wheat free (crust), dairy free (cream cheese), soy free (tofu), and starch free (corn starch, tapioca starch, etc.).  It took 4 tries, but the 4^th time turned out okay.  It’s still not quite custardy enough, but it does look and taste like a real pumpkin pie.  I am thankful for all the recipes on the internet and in all the cookbooks I looked at and finally came up with my own recipe, which follows this rave.

        This is not really a rave, except I do love Thanksgiving and all the trimmings, and it gets the Christmas season off on a good start.  Now the shopping gets serious and the decorations and everything else for the celebration of our Lord’s birth.

         Happy Turkey Day All……..

BIZZYLIZZY’S PUMPKIN PIE

Crust:    Set oven to 350 F.

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup almond meal or flour

about 4 T. melted coconut oil (it might take more or less)

Put pecans in VitaMix blender if you have one, turn on low and hit the high button two or three times to make the pecan “flour”.  Do the same with the walnuts.  If you don’t have a VitaMix any food chopper will do.  It will just take longer.  Mix pecan flour, walnut flour, almond meal or flour in a bowl and began adding the coconut oil, one Tablespoon at a time.  Mix between additions.  When the flour is substantial enough to spread without breaking apart, then you have added enough oil.  Spread in a 9” pie pan.  ((If you are using a deep-dish pan, you might want to double these ingredients.))

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 F.  Let cool completely before filling.  Turn oven off.  You will not need it for the next steps.

Pumpkin Pie Filling: 

1 cup almond milk (or rice, soy, coconut, or cow)

4 T. coconut flour (at your local “health food store”)

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. nutmeg

1/8 t. cloves

1/8 t. ginger

(OR JUST USE 1 teaspoon PRE-MIXED PUMPKIN PIE SPICE MIX)

½ cup brown sugar

1 15oz. can Libby’s Pumpkin (ingredients:  pumpkin)

Pour milk into boiler and begin heating.  When it begins to form bubbles around the edges, begin adding the coconut flour.  Use a whisk and whisk flour into hot milk.  When you have added all 4 T. it should begin to thicken (this step will happen fast, so be prepared).  Take it off the heat and whisk in spices and brown sugar.  Make sure all are dissolved.  Then add the pumpkin.  Put boiler back on burner and cook and stir (I use a wooden spoon), for 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool somewhat.  I let mine sit for 30 minutes.  Pour into baked nut crust and refrigerate. 

It needs to sit in refrigerator for at least 24 hours to form that custardy texture. 

When you are ready to serve, just remove from fridge, cut and serve with your favorite topping.  Be careful and try to use a cake server, this has no eggs nor any starch (corn, wheat, tapioca, or rice) so it will not hold together quite like a regular pie.