I know that Thanksgiving is supposed to be about the turkey... I mean family... I mean gratitude...
I have to be honest... for me, its about the Stuffing. And ONLY about the stuffing.
Last year, I had to fore go stuffing because I had begun the process of cleansing my body of all grains, white sugar and flour. It was quite hard for me to smell the Stove Top and stay clear away from it. But I did.
This year was gonna be different. I didn't want to miss out, but decided that I didn't have to succumb to the crap that's in prepackaged stuffing mix (albeit extremely tasty!)
I took a loaf of this Whole Wheat seeded bread from Whole Foods and cut it up into cubes. I thew it in the oven and toasted the pieces. They I let it sit out for a day or two to get nice and dry. Then I sauteed some celery and onions (bought that already chopped from Ralphs, a little luxury for me) and threw in some sage and marjoram, chicken stock and into the pot went the bread.
It wasn't Stove Top, it was a heartier version. The bread remained dense, but really it turns out for me, stuffing is really sage and marjoram.
This will be a repeat offender for the coming thanksgivings. I might add some ground pork and mushrooms too since I don't think the husband ate any of mine. No sense is not catering to my own desires for the future :)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Whole Wheat Stuffing
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Hot Apple Cider
Man, nothing can bring fragrance to a room like Hot Apple cider, stewing all day while you are hitting the appetizers, main course, and desert.
I love making this because I literally put a gallon of apple juice in the Crock pot the night before. Throw in 2 cinnamon sticks, about 8 clothes and a star anise.
Some people will put the spices in a little bouquet garnish but I in the past just let the little guys float. This time, I added 1 nectarine to the pool... but studded the nectarine WITH the cloves... so no floaters! It was really neat, and easy and reminded me of some clove studded orange thing I made in elementary school... I can't seem to remember what the purpose of said ornament was (I'm gonna have to ask my mom now).
The apple juice totally sweetens this cider up but if its not sweet enough, go at it with your sugar of choice.
Keep the Crock pot on low throughout the entertaining process to keep the cider piping hot
.... could go for some now!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Turkish Apricots
I'm kinda obsessed with these things... just saying. They feel sweeter than anything I put in my mouth these days. I bet they'd make a good cheesecake.
i can easily eat 10 of these a day... that would pretty much be 10 proper apricots... without the water, which is a key factor in stuff making you full...
when these are gone... I need to stay away from Fresh & easy for a while.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sassy, confident and sexy
But... I love the dress. Nuff said.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Happy Birthday K
Today my little cousin Karisa turns 25... WTF. I remember when she was born... I was 6. I remember the shirt I was wearing when I was holding her...
Well, Happy Birthday Little K. For you, I baked this cheesecake in my beautiful Emile Henry pie plate that I got for my wedding from Josh and Kelly.
It's been packed away hidden from our "just joking" almost move back to NY. It was in the "we're only gonna be here for 6 months" box that I could do without for... 6 months. Almost 2 years later, I fished it out of a mis-marked triple packed box in a box in a box. Fun!
I'm really excited because this was the first time that I made a cheesecake in something other than a spring foam pan. It turned out really well. I baked at just 1 hour in a water bath. It's creamy and sweet (using dates that I just threw into the food processor along with the other ingredients).
Ok... I didn't make this for Little K's bday. It was just a fun reason to post this picture :)
xxoxoxo
Sunday, November 20, 2011
One Day
Not the case with other popular bestselling books. And this is usually why I stay away from anything hard hitting... You won't see me sitting under an umbrella on a Dominican beach with the Kite Runner, or sitting in a coffee shop with The Song of Salomon, or curled in the nook of my couch with Marlee and Me. Its just not gonna happen... (was on edge after book 4 of the Harry Potter series!)
Its no different than Romantic Comedies never willing Oscars... Its always the hard hitting movies like Precious or Boys Don't Cry that land those statues in glass cases or over fireplaces.
It was suggested to me by my friend Anne that I read David Nicholl's "One Day" rather then paying the $5.25 to see Anne Hathaway at my local theater. I put the book on reserve and announced to Anne that I was number 356 in line for the copy at the LAPL system...
Fast forward 8 months and I finally got my copy.
Anne and I read such "Chick lit" fiction such as Emily Giffen's Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a few other titles. Not always as predictable as the historical romance genre, I can usually pin point at least 1/2 way through the book how it will end...
But I didn't get that feeling until day 5 of book reading with fewer than 40 pages to finish... I won't give the book away. This is no fairytale. Nuff said. And I hate feeling anything other than elation. I get enough feelings from watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
Let me not give you the wrong impression... I liked the book. It was nice to dance for a week outside my comfort zone. The premise of the book was cool too... It takes place over 20 years on July 15th St. Swithin's Day.
Some of the book takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland and having been there, it was fun to be able to feel transported a bit. Especially to Arther's Seat :)
I'm gonna try my hand next at Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series. Another suggestion from some pretty awesome women :)
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thrilling Holiday Season
Lacey Pumps
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Madden Girl Mellony Pump |
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Perty
I would imagine that this shit is NOT good for you, but damn... I'm in in love with my hands! (Especially while in downward facing dog at 7:00 am on a Thursday.) It makes me smile.
I mean, the worst that would probably happen is poisoning... or my finger beds falling off... no biggy!
I had Anna (my manicurist) paint the white lines REALLLLLLY thin to really make them look the real whites of my nails. I'm in love :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Who am I?
Serenity and drunkenness don't really go together and safe for the occasional glass of champagne or wine with dinner, Sylvie doesn't drink alcohol. neither does she smoke or take drugs or eat red meat or bread or refined sugar or potatoes.
Um... this pretty much is me... with the exception of French Fries.
