Thanksgiving 2013

This year we made more friends and broke bread (and cheese) with them. I played hostess and crafted my finest fall cocktails. The best part of any holiday is spending it in good company, with good conversation, and good cheese. We finished the night off with a backyard bonfire and smores, naturally! 

(My hair still smells like smoke!)

 I made the above spread with, can you believe it, everything from ALDI. Seriously, they've got really good seasonal cheese. 

Here's the spread:

From Left, Brie, Toasted walnuts with salt and truffle oil

Red grapes, honey, basil and tomato cheese, salami

Middle, Smoked gruyere,  Jarlsberg, and soft garlic and herb spread

Bagel chips and wheat crackers.

The above platters were from Anthropologie, Crate and Barrell,  and martini glasses from Dollar Tree. I am quite the savvy shopper. I just have to figure out how I want to cook that butternut squash and that acorn squash. They were so adorable, I just had to. I want to point out that this season, cheese boards are the new dinner plate.

One Bad Apple Martini

1 oz Salted caramel vodka

1/2 oz whipped vodka

1/2 oz vanilla vodka

1&1/2 oz Simply Apple Cider (highly recommend this brand)

Shake over ice and pour into a cinnamon and sugar rimmed glass.

Garnish with a cinnamon sugar apple slice

Pumpkin Pie Martini 

1oz Pumpkin Vodka (or regular)

1 oz whipped vodka

1/2 oz  Irish Cream liqueur

1 tablespoon pumpkin puree

dash of half and half

dash of cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dash of ginger

Shake over ice and pour into a graham cracker rimmed glass.

Disclosure: I mix according to intuition and taste. Try the above recipes, but adjust according to your preferred alcohol levels,

taste, and guest reaction. When my guests make "yummy noises, "

I know I just made the perfect drink.   

 

 

This morning, I used the 
 pumpkin puree for pumpkin pancakes. De-lish!

Every year there is more and more to be of which to be Thankful! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Cinco de Mayo

 Bully's ready to celebrate this day of Mexican Pride!

He knows his momma was Mexican in another life by the way she eats.

 The Fifth of May is not Mexico's independence day, but in fact, small Mexican army's victory over France, according to the History Channel (and they know what they're talking about). We in the States just like to drink beer and eat food on this day. So that's what we're gonna do!

I'll let you know later how the Pinto bean and Quinoa tacos turn out...
 
In the meantime, enjoy a 1994 flashback via Liz Phair, my favorite indifferent indie queen from my adolescent days:

Green eggs & waffles

I believe every holiday is an opportunity to color your food.

Happy St. Patrick's day. Enjoy pics of our breakfast.

 Green eggs look terrible, so I ate them with my eyes closed.

This Hubbs is one lucky man. I hooked up another picnic breakfast. Today's high is 71, whoooo! And for tomorrow's Fat Baby Cookout (will post about that tomorrow) the high will be 80. WHOOOO!!

And I'm a lucky wife.

I reminded myself of this last night as we were watching The Notebook. Every couple should watch this once in a while. I spent the night sobbing and clutching him tight with all four limbs, and vowing to love him forever and to be more sweet and less Tasmanian Devil. Its a fictional story, but it works.

Impressed

My Hubbs is no ME, but he does good work.* I am impressed with his efforts yesterday.  He has the sweetest of intentions, and made me a happy, happy old lady.

He gets overwhelmed by the three big events within a month from each other, but I tell him we have the whole year to think about it. I remind him that my birthday will not take a backseat to our anniversary (within the same week), or Christmas. Each day has its own special meaning.
It always bothered me that the season from October to December gets treated like one big retail-obsessed holiday.  There are so many great holidays in there, but they all get mushed together. I love the season and fall is my absolute fav time of the year, but can't we relish each holiday without stocking the shelves for the next one right away?

(*Sigh*) I know the answer is no. I work in retail.

I am just asking for Halloween and Thanksgiving and my B-day to be over before decking the halls. In my house, not the ones everyone else's house. I understand families get together only a few times a year, so you gotta decorate while you got 'em captive. That being said, there is no excuse to not make each of our momentous occasions especially distinct from each other in our house.

This year was a bit different, though, with all the reception hoopla, and the fact that I didn't wanna make a big deal out of this birthday. 

"I am so handsome it drives my momma crazy."

The day was fabulous. I was served pancakes in bed. I enjoyed a leisurely walk with my hairy son, took in this little fat robin in the back yard.

"You want to squeeze me!"

After work, I got ready for our dinner date. I met him at Taste of Thai, glass of wine in hand, as planned. I enjoyed watching him walk in with a pink bag & box. Dinner was tasty and we made it to the 10:15 showing of Burlesque (Disclaimer: I sat through The Inside Job on Thanksgiving with two finance guys, Interesting, yes, but I felt like I was in class. I told Hubbs I wanted to see Burlesque after all the derivative talk). The movie was entertaining and we cut up like teens, being the ONLY ONES in the theater! We laughed a lot, made our Cher impressions, and went home for more gifts :).

Showing off his bling mug, munching a tiny biscuit

I am so proud of him for trying so hard. He makes me happy, and I feel lucky to be loved so unconditionally. We make each other better people.

Stay tuned for our (actual) first anniversary this Friday! I got him the perfect paper gift!

ta-ta!

*I am obsessed with perfection, of which I usually cannot achieve alone, but I try anyway. Sometimes get disappointed, but am learning to let go. By the grace of God, help from my mom, and my Hubbs, I am learning. Its tough.