Happy Thanksgiving!

We will be having the family over today for Thanksgiving.  Jessica, Pat and the boys will be here as well as Jeff's mom and Aunt Joy, and Jeff's dad and Robin.  Justin will be here but Sarah is still in Spain on her 5 week work/vacation.  She is due home on Saturday.  She's been to London, Spain, Portugal, Casablanca, Morocco among other places.  We'll be having the traditional menu of turkey, dressing (this year I'm making dressing with cranberries and apples,) mashed potatoes and gravy, my special yam casserole, Aunt Joy's Zesty Carrots, steamed French green beans with slivered almonds, a kale side dish with asiago cheese in a bechamel sauce, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls and a green salad.  Our dessert is never the traditional pumpkin pie as most of the family can really take it or leave it so I'm auditioning a White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse cake from Costco.  If we like it, we'll have it for our Christmas Party next month.  Here's a tiny photo of it from the Costco website.  You can see that it will make a nice Christmas dessert!

So what to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers?  Can't beat a good turkey sandwich with cranberries on the side but if you have a lot of leftovers from all the dressing and side dishes, you can make what I call a "Pilgrim Pie!"  It's similar to the British Shepherd's Pie.  You basically line a casserole dish with leftover dressing, add turkey, top with some gravy, add leftover veggies and make a top "crust" with mashed potatoes.  Here's a more formal recipe but you can pretty much improvise and it'll turn out great!

~ Pilgrim's Pie ~

2 cups leftover stuffing

2 cups cooked turkey

1 cup gravy

2 cups leftover cooked vegetables

2 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 350°F

Press stuffing into a greased casserole dish

Layer with turkey, chopped into bite sized pieces

Pour gravy over top

Top with leftover cooked vegetables

Finish with a crust of mashed potatoes

Bake in 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until warmed through

Serve with cranberry sauce

Half Century Ago...

People always say there are certain events in history that you can vividly remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.  50 years ago, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, was one of those moments in time.  I was a young girl but I remember that 1960 election as being the first time I ever was interested in a presidential candidate.  I remember it was very controversial that he was a Catholic.  We loved his pretty, stylish wife, Jackie, and young Caroline and John-John.  On November 22, 1963, I was sitting in a classroom when a funny tone came over the loud speaker and it was announced that JFK had been shot and killed in Dallas.  We looked to our teacher to see what it all meant and he was crying.  We were scared, didn't really know how to take it all in.  The next few days were so sad... everyone was glued to their TV sets watching the events unfold and the funeral.  It really marked the end of innocence of our country and the next decade brought us more tragedies like Viet Nam, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy.  Now we have September 11, 2001 as one of those days that everyone knows exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

Annie's Meme:  What's for Dinner?
Do you prepare a menu for the week?  Do you stick to it or are last minute changes a habit?  Not a week ahead but maybe 3 or 4 days and we often change plans if something comes up and we need a quicker dinner.
Do you spend a lot of time planning menus?  No, now that it's just Jeff and I we don't do much planning
What is your family's favorite menu for dinner?  Barbecued anything.  We probably BBQ 3 or 4 times a week, year round.
Do you eat out during the week?  Regularly or is that a special treat?  We have Friday Night Takeout...doesn't everyone?  (I've convinced Jeff it's a given.)
Is dinner simple or elaborate?  Not sure... it's always healthy with a salad, crusty Rosemary bread, fish, chicken or lean meat, a fresh veggie and a healthy carb like quinoa, wild rice, or risotto.
Do you have dessert after your meal?  No
What beverages are served at the dinner table?  Small glass of wine
Do you serve different foods in summer and winter?  We might add something like vegetarian chili or a soup in a crock pot during winter but we can still BBQ here year round.

Hearth and Home

Having Jacob here with me all day makes it hard to get around to blogging.  He always wants me to sit with him, be with him, play with him.  The only time he is on his own is when he has my iPad or Jeff's Kindle.  We don't want him to spend too much time like that so we only allow it during his quiet time in the afternoon.  He used to often fall asleep during that time period (1-3 PM) but that doesn't seem to be happening anymore.  He is four now so maybe just doesn't need a nap.  I really do enjoy being with him as he is super fun and so sweet and he loves to go with us on dog hikes or Costco trips.  This weekend, Jeff and I went to see Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks.  This time of year is when we always try to see the movies that will be nominated for Academy Awards.  Next I want to see 12 Years a Slave.

Thought I'd answer Annie's meme:  "Hearth and Home".
What does your dream home look like?  Can you describe it inside and out?  As long as we are dreaming, I would have 3 houses, not just one.  Each would be beautiful but not huge mansions.  I'd like a sprawling ranch house in our nearby Santa Rosa Valley where you can have horses.  I wouldn't have a horse but our dogs would love having an acre or two to run around.  Then I'd have a fancy log cabin in the mountains where it snows... maybe Mammoth, California or in the Colorado Rockies.  Finally a beach house... in Maui!

What style of decorating do you lean toward, or are you an eclectic decorator using whatever is on  hand?  My style is eclectic, I'd say.  It's traditional- heavy with touches of modern and rustic.  Look at a Pottery Barn catalog and you'll know my style.

What about fireplaces or woodstoves? Have one?  Love it or too much work?  I hated the fireplace that came with out home.  No mantle!  What's a fireplace without a mantle?  It was so blah so after many years of disliking it, we finally did a total makeover.  Here's a before and after:

Before

After 

Describe your idea of the perfect day at home.  Well, pretty much every day is a perfect day at home.  What we need is some perfect days doing some traveling around the world!  It's time for that!

One Man's Treasure...

...is another man's trash!  I know I reversed that saying but that's how I felt after spending the day at the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market.

As the sign says, this flea market is held on the second Sunday of every month.  Some people never miss a month and many come from all over California to attend.  It's really huge and would take all day long to walk around and see everything.  I hadn't been in probably 5 or more years and I think it's been 30 years since Jeff came along.  He was a good sport and didn't complain but I think we both felt it was not our cup of tea.  One of the notable changes since I was there a few years back was they have completely cracked down on all the counterfeit handbags!  Aw!  You used to be able to pick up a Louis Vuitton bag for 20 bucks!  I know some people are opposed to fake handbags but me... not so much.  I think it's totally ridiculous the prices they charge for handbags... often in the thousands and even tens of thousands.  HERE's a site listing the 10 Most Expensive Handbags in the world.  

The other interesting thing is that with all the smart phones, you can easily check if you're getting a good deal on something.  I came across a booth selling Melissa & Doug Toys and I was able to quickly check and see that I could get the same thing through Amazon.com for the same price or less.  I guess you can use that as a bargaining tool but I'm not that much into haggling over prices even though it is expected there.

They have a huge section of "vintage clothing" but it made me wonder if those sellers don't scout out all the Goodwill Stores and other thrift shops and then bring that junk to this event.  I am not much on thrift shops either... they always make me feel itchy!  Maybe there's something to that name... "Flea Market!"  

Boys are both here today for Veteran's Day so Jeff and I are hoping to take them on a hike or something to enjoy our beautiful 85 degree weather!  Happy Veteran's Day! 

Only in LA

I haven't posted lately in my "Only in LA" blog label so I thought I'd share something that recently happened.  Our cousin David (who lives in Taos, New Mexico) is married to an artist Tracy Turner.  I've linked before to her wonderful paintings.  Tracy flew into LA to spend time with her best friend who lives in London.  Her friend participated in one of those "Home Exchanges" like in the movie, "The Holiday."  Her friend has a villa in France and she swapped for a very famous house in the hills of Malibu.  Tracy and her friend stayed in "The Wing House."  It's a home made from the parts of a 747 airplane.  The huge wings serve as a roof and many other parts of the plane were incorporated into the home.  HERE's a link to The Wing House.  It's really quite fabulous and famous!  Scroll down to see all the photos.  We had a really nice dinner with David and Tracy and hope to visit them again in Taos.  David built their home and on the property, Tracy has an artist studio and Aunt Joy (David's mother, Audre's sister) has a casita that she says we are welcome to use anytime.  She only spends one month there in the summer so it's free most of the year.

Speaking of London, Justin's girlfriend Sarah arrived there on Monday for a business trip.  She works for Yum Foods Corporate and they have Taco Bells and KFC's all around the world.  Yesterday she was in a rainy Manchester and posted on Facebook this fun fact:  When ordering "chips" at a Taco Bell in England, you need to clarify if you're asking for fries or nacho chips.  She will be gone for 5 weeks.  She's combining a vacation in Spain with her business trip.  Her aunt will meet her in a couple of weeks and they will travel around Spain and other locales.  

Halloween 2013

Jeff and I went Trick or Treating with Ryan and Jacob last night.  I wore my leopard pjs and painted my face with whiskers, etc which the boys enjoyed.  "Silly Nani," they like to say.  Ryan was really brave this year and marched right up to every house and said, "Trick or Treat," "Thank you!" and "Happy Halloween."  Jacob did well, too, even at one point when one house was slow at coming to the door, yelling out in frustration, "Come on!"  Not a day goes by that he doesn't say something that makes me laugh and wonder where he gets these things from.  Just this week he said, "I'm freaking out here!" and also, "Speaking of Halloween time, when will it be Christmastime?"  But there is always this one house in their neighborhood that scares them.  The people go all out decorating their entire front yard and even their roof.  The have a bunch of skeletons climbing up their chimney and the homeowner sits outside wearing a pumpkin head and "surprises" (or in Jacob's case "frightens") the children.  I didn't have my camera but took this blurry photo with Jeff's iPhone.  You can see the pumpkin man and Ryan with Jacob behind him leaving the porch.  At this point Jacob was in tears crying, "Mommy, I scared!"

We got home around 7:30 and actually got a few trick-or-treaters.  I had left out a bowl full of candy in case anyone came while we were gone but we had several groups show up after we got home.  Then Jeff and I watched American Horror Story that we had DVR'd and that was a good end to Halloween night.  Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Annie has started a new meme and since this weekend is the end of Daylight Savings Time, we are stepping "Back in Time."

1.  What games were popular with you as a child?  Candyland, Chutes & Ladders and Uncle Wiggly
     Any TV program that you looked forward to?  Lassie, Rin Tin Tin and so many others.... always an animal lover and avid TV watcher!

2. What subject rocked your world in school?  I'm answering all these questions back as a little girl so I would say I loved spelling because I was good at it.  I also loved PE for the same reason.

3. What subject did you really dislike, if any. Why?  I don't recall disliking any subject.

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did it happen?  I think I always wanted to be a mom and a teacher.  I wish I had grown up in an era when girls thought bigger and had less sexist aspirations.

5. Do you still keep in touch with old friends from school days?  Yes, several.  Helen who I've known since 1st grade, I believe, and Christine who I've known since 7th grade.  I'm in touch through Facebook with quite a few others from elementary school and beyond.

6. If you could turn back the hands of time, would you go back in time?  Hmm... not if it meant any change in my husband, kids or grandkids but there are things that I would do a little differently if I knew then what I know now!

7. What did you consider a good time when you were a teen?  Summertime!  Going to the beach every day of the summer and Drive-In movies at night.

8. What or who influenced you most from your younger years? Why?  My mother.  I was her only child and we were close.  There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for me.  My dad died when I was only 15 so it was just the two of us until I got married at the age of 23.  I think she influenced the mother that I became.