Random!

Tonight I made Francis Ford Coppola's Vesuvio pizza from his new restaurant Rustico as seen in this month's Food and Wine magazine. It was great! It's half pizza, half calzone and it has salami, rosemarybham, artichoke, red peppers, etc. on it. Yum!

In musical news I created my holiday playlist for the iPod with highly currated holiday tunes. While checking out Christmas music I also picked up a few Diana Krall songs and some Stereophonics songs. We can't forget that the Husband and I saw Elvis Costello and Diana Krall dining one night when we were at Milos! Granted, she always sounds a bit drunk when singing, but I do like her music.

Otherwise, I'll post pictures of the stockings later!

Thanks for Visiting!

Hi there! You may have received an invitation to read. Sorry to add an extra step (i.e. The need to login) but for the sake of privacy, and picture posting, I thought I might start utilizing the "invite" reader function.

So, thanks again for stopping by! (ps some Thanksgiving pictures will be posted shortly!)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

We almost went out of town, but then work schedules did not permit. (Hell, even I have a deal that's going on right now... and with folks in the UK who decidedly do NOT have Thanksgiving happening tomorrow, thank you very much).

So, instead, we've got a whole lot of food going on.

Ina Garten's smoked salmon dip (to be spread on bagels and one certified Pepperidge Farm Party Pumpernickle loaf!)

Caviar (to be put on deviled eggs... what can I say, it's low end caviar, but it is from Caviar Russe!)

Ham and Gruyere Puff Pastries

Then it's on to the traditional goodies...

A Griggstown Turkey, with stuffing (that includes sausage, apple and mushrooms), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, crescent rolls... I'd planned for onion tarts but of course, Wegman's always has to be missing at least one key ingredient and this year it was pearl onions.

To finish things off? Pumpkin Pie.

And what about "Black" Friday? Well, left over turkey made into panini with cojack cheese and apple slices, served with butternut squash soup.

Not only is it a time for good food and spending time with family and friends but it is a time for giving thanks.

So, here's a thank you for my wonderful family and friends who bring happiness to my life. And, for everyone else? They can just suck it! ;) Mahalo!

Sing-A-Ma-Jigs...

So, the Sing-A-Ma-Jigs are supposed to be one of those "big" toys this year... I'm checking them out on Toys-R-Us.com and they have some of them in stock, but with shipping the two guys who start at $9.99 become over $25.00 with shipping.

Go to Walmart.com... they have our first choice colors in stock, they're $9.00 and $8.54 respectively and shipping is FREE!

Love it!

Reason #535 Why Americans Will Always Be Idiots...

Apparently, Queen Elizabeth now has a Facebook page.

I visited it and you can tell the British users who are making posts because they open every line with "Your Majesty" and end with "God Bless You". Sure, one British poster did inquire as to whether the Queen has a favorite soccer team, but leave it to an American to post the following:


"If I become Friends with HM Queen Elizabeth II, do you think I might get invited to Prince William and Kate's wedding?? Hmm...I wonder if their registered at Pottery Barn???"

They couldn't even figure out which "they're" to use!!!

It's what's for dinner..

Tonight we had angel hair pasta with heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, artichoke hearts and sausage, with fresh ricotta. There was also a side salad and bruschetta.

Not bad.

Kind of made up for yesterdays Jambalya which did not hold up well over time... Alas basmati rice is too delicate!

Anthony Zimmer

Okay, so why did I not know that The Tourist is a remake of Anthony Zimmer until I read it today in EW?

Up in the Air

and Away We Go.


Hmpf. Late night Thursday is turning out to be a downer night on TV.

Lilly Warehouse Sale!

It's time for the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale! It is Nov. 19-20th at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia!! Up to 70% off original prices!

Salty or Sweet

Are you a salty or a sweet person? I know that there are some, like my Mother, who are both. (Meaning, after you have something sweet you've got to have something salty, and vice versa). For me, I'm definitely salty. While I enjoy chocolate, cookies and brownies as much as the next person (arguably, though, not as much as the next person if said next person is Miss B.), I'm much more a fan of salty things.

White Cheddar Cheez-Its, Ritz Crackers, and of course, the end-all-be-all of salty snacks: Salt and Vinegar potato chips.

Another random question: Why are there somewhere upwards of what seems like 37 different varieties of Listerine? Notably, each one more vile than the next? I was at Target the other day looking to replace a bottle which had actually been completely used and was met with a display that had to be not less than 6 feet high and four feet wide, filled with various varieties of Listerine (each with a different active ingredient). Some were plaque fighting, others antiseptic... but regardless each one works simply by burning off whatever may be foolish enough to be lingering on your teeth. Never before have I felt like I needed to counterbalance mouthwash with baking soda (or some other PH balancer).... Oy!

Mamet

Put the coffee down. Coffee is for closers.

Wondering when

the ability to spell fell out of vogue.

Is It That Time of Year Again? A Gift Guide for the Perplexed...

Yes, it may only be a few days after Halloween but the holiday season appears to be upon us. Christmas displays are already in stores, the Pillsbury people completely left behind their turkey themed Thanksgiving sugar cookies in favor of Rudolf cookies, and its just a matter of time before CBS FM starts playing Christmas jingles 24/7.

So in the spirit of the Season, below are gift ideas for you and yours.

Personalizable Jack Rogers sandals! . As if putting your monogram on something could get any better...

Well, perhaps it could, there is always a personalized Longchamp foldable tote bag.

In the way of tote bags, if you're going for early '90's chic, you could always go for the gold standard Prada Messenger Bag.

If the chic you're looking for is more of the mid-aughts chic, why not try hot pink Marc by Marc Jacobs?

If its the holiday season, humidity is low, which means dry skin abounds... so there's always the La Mer starter kit, because nothing says Christmas like a miraculous sea-weed infused miracle cure.

But what if skin care and handbags just aren't your thing?

Perhaps you're looking to provoke or otherwise annoy your vegetarian/vegan friends or PETA supporters? If so, you could always try Adrienne Landau's mink loop scarf.

While you're at it actively not supporting the ethical treatment of animals, why not go whole hog (or goat) and pick up a pair of red and turquoise distressed cowboy boots by Lucchese (FYI, in case you're wondering, I'm a 7-7 1/2).

Lastly, though I'm sure it's not tested on animals, you can still annoy your dirty-hippie gypsy friends by trying Trish McEvoy's latest Ready-to-Wear Make-up Planner.

What about the men in your life? Surely, they'll be expecting Santa to leave them a little something under the tree as well, right?

How about a lovely v-neck sweater by Malo? Nothing says pre-recession pricing like spending $1,050 on processed goat hair.

Is Purple Cashmere too sedate for the man in your life? Why not try some outrageous socks by Paul Smith. Personally, I'm always a fan of a statement maker (so long as the statement does not include a Starter Jacket or a gold chain).

Now it sounds like your man is all dressed up with no where to go. If he's willing to pull off wearing a purple cashmere sweater, we've got to assume he's a Prince fan, so why not get tickets to see his latest show at MSG. While you're at it, why not remember your special event with a ticket stub diary?

What about the kids in your life?

Personally, I'm partial to the UglyDoll Ice Bat, but if you can't decide what monster to get for your little monster, why not try the Ugly Doll Gift Set with gift tote. Or, you could always go the more creative route and design your own Muppet Whatnot.

And, for the little girl who has everything (and also wants to piss off PETA), there's Junior Gaultier's fur trim dress and striped shirt. (If you don't want to piss off PETA, you could look to all of the new offerings at Stella McCartney Kids.)

Not to be left out (or outdone by dad), you can also get a whole Paul Smith ensemb for the junior boy toddler set as well.

Now that the fam is covered, what about your four legged friends. How about a personalized dog bed for fido? (Available for cats, too, but face it, your cat will never like whatever you buy for them, so you may as well just forget it.) While you're at it, why don't you get a customized Erwin Pearl dog charm necklace? While your cat might never appreciate anything you do for it, you know your dog would buy you one of these if they had opposable thumbs or disposable income.

Are there people on your list who you're just not crazy about, but you have to give a gift to anyway? You know, co-workers, distant relatives (the ones who have sent you that same cheese crock for the past 15 years) or maybe your mailman, doorman or dog groomer? Then, going along with our aforementioned goat theme, why not buy them a share in a goat courtesy of Heifer.org. It's the perfect anti-gift. It's really not anything that most people would actually want to get, but since its a humanitarian donation they'll not be in a position to be able to complain about it! (And, I think the added bonus is it may just be a tax write-off for you, too boot). Score!

Lastly, are you looking to send a polite reminder to the friend who may have lost their way? Why not send over Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People?

Merry Hannukah and Happy Christmas, everybody! Now, go forth and spend.