Educational note: The funny word in the header means “a confused jumble or medley of things.” Or, possibly hash.

• Tonight’s dinner is Kraft Mac & Cheese. Any questions?
• Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he’s delivered a festive batch of cold air, dangerous chill factors, and a dusting of snow to the Southern states. This goes to show that he likes us a lot more than those poor clowns in Boston and points north. A Facebook meme advised those of us in Georgia who aren’t used to snowy roads to drive as though granny’s in the back seat wearing a new dress and holding a crock pot of gravy on her lap.
• Dining by Rail. This is my favorite book of railroad dining car recipes and history. The book was written by a chef who compiled these culinary delights for home use. See my review on the Depot Cafe blog. The recipes are very good and worthy of trying out on granny.
• Santa brought me a jar of Burt’s Bees ointment. Little did I know that I was doing to get clawed up by one of our cats ending up with an arm that’s black and blue and bleeding. The bee stuff seems to be helping.  (I was not paid anything by Burt to include this endorsement.)
• Finally, Kumquats. Every year during kumquat season, I ask the produce manager at Publix where they’ve hidden in kumquats. The what? So, I’ve gone to the Publix website and asked the same question, and for years I’ve heard stuff like “our grower switched to another product” and “the kumquats got carried off by seagulls and manatees.” This year, for a brief shining moment, the store had kumquats. I think I bought most of them.
• Re-reading great books: I re-read books that I like multiple times. This week, it’s Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. This book is beautifully written even thought the Nazi actions and characters make me angry enough to spit nails–or worse. As an author, I’m impressed with the research Hannah had to do get her facts right while creating an authentic ambiance for the times and people. I feel the same way about The Dove Keepers and a few other books that my reading addicition draws me back to again and again.

Have a great weekend,

—Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell writes books that–well, at least some of them–are worth keeping on your nightstand to re again and again.