December already? I'm glad. Actually I love holidays, so this is a good month for them. I didn't get to the parade last month, and I love parades. My friends said they went and that it was great. Well of course, there will be more.

Do any of you notice that your closets are shrinking in size? It can't be that I keep finding more things I own, so it must be the size of the closets that are changing and can't accommodate so much. At least we can't be bored when we have so much going on.

This past weekend the Cayuga Community College craft fair and the Ukrainian bazaar at SS. Peter and Paul were Sunday. I can never miss both of these events. Now I don't have to cook for the craft show since I retired from the cafeteria at CCC. I just go and have a great time.

Skaneateles had its annual carriage ride by Chariots of Downtown. Doesn't that sound like a fun thing to do.

Wells College had its annual holiday concert, too. I've been to many of them, and it was always a great evening.

It's time to switch decorations. Usually the Sunday after Thanksgiving is when I redecorate, but this year, I'm a few days behind. I am starting stuff though. How do we always buy a few new flowers each season when we already have so many. That's OK because I get to give stuff to whoever needs it. When I worked at Springside, I used to decorate about six or seven trees, plus the bushes and garlands for all the railings. It really was a fun project. The house guests who came for the weekends loved it.

It's time for the Boyle Center Resident Christmas Party on the 14th. These parties are so great. Maggie Wells does a wonderful job of planning the event. We always pick a menu that's delicious, and Springside volunteers to prepare it for us. Then the restaurant sends two of the chefs to serve it.

I love being part of the holiday parties, and of course, the desserts we do once a month are a fantastic thing to do at both the Boyle Center and Schwartz Towers.

SS. Peter and John held the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble concert recently. It was wonderful. They played a variety of music ranging for Christmas carols to a brand new piece - so new that it was only the second time it has been performed. Usually the music is only instrumental, but they had Laura Enslin, who teaches at SU, sing a solo called “In Praise of Science.”

The concert ended with a sing-along with the audience. What a great holiday event and the director, James T. Spencer, makes it a wonderful evening.

Hope everyone has a healthy, happy December.

My ethnic recipe this week is Spanish and my other recipe is for stuffed onions.

Today's blooper:

This blooper happened to a friend of mine.

She went to the car wash, and the man said it would cast her $9.99 for everything. She said OK and went into the office to pay and presented her senior discount card. The same man was there and said, “that will be $9.99.”

She said, “don't I get a discount with this card?” He replied, “I already gave it to you when you left the car because you look like a senior citizen. She said, ”And all this time I thought I looked like a teenager.“

Diana Sobus, of Auburn,

specializes in making ethnic foods

Spanish Chicken

Makes 6 servings

6 pieces chicken, skinned

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons oil

2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, mashed

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup dry sherry

1 1/4 cups chicken stock

6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cooked ham, sliced

Heat butter and oil in skillet; saute onion and garlic.

Saute chicken until lightly golden.

Sprinkle flour into pan and cook, stirring until flour is absorbed and lightly browned.

Stir in sherry and stock and bring to a boil.

Add tomatoes and seasoning.

Cover and simmer gently for 50 to 60 minutes.

Cut cooked ham into strips and stir into chicken mixture.

Serve chicken hot with peas and boiled potatoes.

Garnish with parsley.

Stuffed Onions

Makes 8 servings

8 large onions, skinned

1 1/4 cups chicken stock

Margarine

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup light cream

For the stuffing:

3 cups breadcrumbs

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup pitted black olives

1 egg, beaten

Place onion, stock, margarine and seasoning in sauce pan and poach for 10 minutes.

Remove onions; save stock.

Scoop out onion centers and chop, mix stuffing ingredients with onions, add beaten eggs to bind together.

Stuff onion shells with mixture and place in roasting bag in a roasting pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place stock in pan and heat gently.

Add flour and stir until sauce thickens.

Stir in cream and pour over the onions.