The Food Gawker

Have you heard of Food Gawker? I was blurking around this morning and found a link to a really cool website that has all kinds of recipes on it. You just click the picture that interests you and it will take you to the blog or website that the recipe is located on. Pretty cool! It is a great way to find tons of new "recipe blogs" and other neat sites. You can check it out by clicking HERE.

Thanksgiving 2008

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I had a very nice day. I got up bright and early to put the bird in the oven and then went back to sleep for a while. I wanted to go to the parade this year but decided against it since there would be no one at home to cook or watch the bird in the oven while I was gone. I just watched it on TV and had fun cooking my very first Thanksgiving dinner by myself. It didn't compare to my moms great cooking.....but I think I did a pretty dang good job!

Happy Turkey Day

I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends!

Down Home with the Neelys

I used to really dig Rachael Ray and then I moved on to Paula Deen. I have to admit that I have left Paula behind and have now moved on to the Neelys. Their presentation style can be a "bit too much" at times but their recipes appear to be RIDICULOUSLY delicious (and fattening...oops!). I think that their Spicy Chicken recipe looks very tasty! Neely Family Spicy Fried Chicken

1 (2 1/2-pounds) fryer chicken, cut into 10 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 quart buttermilk

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cayenne

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika Peanut oil, for frying

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a casserole dish. In a nonreactive bowl, mix buttermilk, hot sauce and cayenne. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours. Preheat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Into a large paper bag, measure the flour, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. Shake off excess buttermilk mixture and place the chicken, a few pieces at a time, into the bake and shake to dredge.
Place the chicken into the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes for white meat and 13 to 15 for dark meat. Remove from the fryer onto a paper towel lined sheet tray and season with salt and pepper.

Trimming the Tree.....

What in the world is that? You might think it is a construction site! Well, it kind of is. This is how they decorate the HUGE Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center every year. The tree is so ENORMOUS that they have to put scaffolding and planks all around it so that the workers can safely decorate it. I cant wait until the tree lighting on December 3rd....I am sure that it will as beautiful as it always is.

The Wedding Ring Finger

This video is a little funky....but I thought that its message was pretty interesting! I wish that I would have known about this Chinese way of thinking back while I was serving my mission. I would have loved to have loved to do a "demo" of this as I taught discussions about the importance of the family and fidelity, etc. Let me know what you think!

Perfect Jeans.....

I just bought these jeans and I LOVE them! They are SUPER comfortable and I totally dig the color and the pin tuck seam that goes down the front of the pant leg. The best part was the price. Originally $64....marked down a few times to $19.99.......I used a $10 off coupon.....I paid $10. Nice!

"I'm a model ya know what I mean...."

......and I do my little turn on the catwalk." Aren't those the lyrics to that crazy song "I'm Too Sexy?" Regardless, those are the lyrics that I have running through my mind and I cant get them out! I thought that this mannequins hair was ADORABLE so I had to take a few shots. I have had my hair cut like this a gazillion times but it never looks this cute. That is why I dedicate the "I'm Too Sexy" song to this mannequin....she is TOO SEXY for her hair! Don't you think

Pumpkin Pie & Crescent Rolls....Yum!

Saturday night was filled with baking, game playing, and good company! Alice and I made 5 pumpkin pies and 3 dozen crescent rolls (also known as "butterhorns"). It was quite a baking adventure!We got our pies baked and made the dough for the rolls....then we headed out to a Chinese restaurant in our neighborhood as the dough was rising at home.We got home and rolled out the dough. I didn't have a rolling pin (does that surprise you Michelle?) so we used a drinking glass.....it worked great!Then we played a million rounds of Mancala as we let the rolls rise some more and then we baked them. Here is our Mancala board....2 sweaty pumpkin pies.....and a bag of sweaty crescent rolls that Alice took home. Thanks for coming and hanging out last night....it was fun! When are we going to make those sugar cookies you were talking about? I'm ready!

ONE WORD about Nymanzanita...

RULE: Type only ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? CHARGING

2. Your significant other? HOME

3. Your hair? SHORT

4. Your Mother? AMAZING

5. Your father? BRILLIANT

6. Your favorite thing? TRAVELING

7. Your dream last night? CHRISTMAS

8. Your favorite drink? DR. PEPPER

9. Your dream/goal? HEALTHY

10. The room you're in? BEDROOM

11. Your fear? DEATH

12. Where do you want to BE in 6 years? CHILDREN

13. Where were you last night? HOME

14. What you're not? SHY

15. Muffins? DELICIOUS

16. One of your wish list items? 4-RUNNER

17. Where you grew up. TEMPE

18. The last thing you did? TYPE

19. What are you wearing? SKIRT

20. Your TV? BIG

21. Your pet? DEAD

22. Your computer? FLATSCREEN

23. Your life? ADVENTURE

25. Missing someone? FAMILY

26. Your car? FEET

27. Something you're not wearing? JEWELRY

28. Favorite Store? $0.99

29. Your summer? LONG ISLAND

30. Your favorite color? SALMON

31. When is the last time you laughed? TODAY

32. Last time you cried? THURSDAY

34. Who e-mailed me last? MOM

35. My favorite food. EVERYTHING

36. Place I would most like to be. COSTA RICA

Jive Turkey...grab, gobble, barf!

Have any of you heard of Jive Turkey? It is a place in Brooklyn that is famous for selling Deep-fried Turkeys. I first heard about it on the Food Network a few years ago and most recently on the Travel Channels show called Deep-Fried Paradise. They sell turkey year round and it is supposedly the "best turkey EVER." Well, I finally made the trek to find this place to try it out since after all we are in "turkey month." Let's just say that it was....ummm.....HORRIBLE! The picture below illustrates how Alice and I both felt about our experience there. 90 thumbs down!The place looks so cute on TV and the website (you can see it if you click HERE) makes the place sound warm and welcoming. That wasn't the case! It is SUPER small and kind of unkept and the staff wasn't very helpful. The worst part was that the food was NASTY! They boast of having so many flavors of turkeys and great side dishes but everything looked so unappealing. We saw the guy working there take two plastic trays out of the refrigerator and heat them up. We never imagined that it was our meals. Yup....it was! Nothing fresh about those meals! Here is my food. Can you tell what it is? HUGE potato wedges and a small turkey leg that was rubbery, dry, and smelled funky because it had been "nuked" for too long in the microwave. The only cute thing about the place were these jars of cranberry preserve from a guy in Oregon. I was tempted to buy some for Thanksgiving but opted not to after seeing my turkey and wanting to fall over dead. They front door of this place has list of all of the shows it has been on and they have a new one to add to their list. I just saw (tonight) the show, as well as this cranberry preserve, featured on "Down Home with the Neeley's" on the Food Network. I have no idea why everyone is so enchanted with the place....I give it a big thumbs down times 90.

Parent Teacher Conferences......

So...most of you know that I have been teaching a 3rd grade class this year. I was called in on the 4th day of school and asked to cover the class while the teacher was out. Well....she never came back! I have been there FOREVER now and today was finally my last day with the kids because a teacher who was out on sick leave is going to take over. They are adorable and have really been a TON of fun to work with (I wish I could post some pictures but I probably shouldn't because the NYC DOE wouldn't like that). We had parent teacher conferences tonight and I had to meet with all of the parents to introduce them to the new teacher and to give them the 411 on their kids. Well....let me tell you....I feel like I just woke up on Christmas morning! I have about 18 gifts to open up right now. I opened up a couple at school and among them were Escada perfume with a purse, an Indian (ya...like India) scarf, a Spanish music CD, 4 pairs of earrings, a fruit basket, and LOTS of cards and notes from the kids. I have no idea what awaits me in the other bags and boxes....but I am sure it will be interesting. Do all kids give presents to their teachers? This is new to me. I cant believe how generous these parents are.....they are indeed very thoughtful. One of the 5th grade teachers who is leaving on maternity leave got a Coach wallet from one of the parents.....not bad!

Dig In....

I hope that you all enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner as much as this little guy did. Now...that is how you should eat your turkey! Grab a leg and dig in!

I am addicted!

My parents have watched Globe Trekker for years! I used to watch it with them but didn't think much about it. Then in NY I would watch it when I would come across it as I flipped channels but as of late......I have it programmed on my DVR so I don't miss an episode! I usually have about 9-10 episodes (new, old, repeats, etc) recorded on my DVR play list each week. I can watch them for hours....I am addicted! My favorite "trekkers" are Ian Wright, Megan McCormick, and Justine Shapiro. They are all unique in their presenting style and make things very interesting. You should check it out if you have never watched it. It is a great show....the only bad thing is that it will make you want to jump out of your chair and catch a plane. I am itching for a new adventure somewhere....ahhhh

They will be mine........

Okay....you cant really see what these shoes look like in this picture but let me tell you that they are great! They are the Presidio by Keen. My mom has a pair that she loves and I have tried them on before. They are about the most comfortable shoe EVER....you fee like you are on clouds. I will be buying these soon but in the "tomato" color.....nice! This is the next shoe that I would like to buy but in BLACK. The black ones are cute because they little rectangle (seen here in turquoise) is red and it really stands out with such a dark background. This shoe is the Desiree by Dansko.....this is another brand that has crazy comfortable shoes. I cant wait!

Girls Night Out....

Tonight was really fun! Alice and I got together and went to Brooklyn for Dominican food and then we stopped by DUMBO to check out the view of the city and relax under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was beautiful because the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were peeking through the foggy night sky..... Then we sat by the Water Taxi pier and played Mancala. Have you all played this game before? I really grew to like it in college and then I got my family and roommates hooked on it too. My mom gave one to Alice when she was visiting AZ with me over the summer and so now I always bother her and ask her to bring it out so we can play it. I love it.

Shopping, Food, and Fun!

I didn't have to work on Veterans Day and so I wanted to have some fun. Jose and I got together with my friend Alice and we headed to Long Island for a LONG day of shopping, walking, laughing, and eating. We started out at the new outlet malls in Deer Park and walked and walked. We hit up Costco and Walmart (the Costco's in Long Island are better and we don't have any Walmart's in the city....they are banned so that "mom and pop" stores wont have to compete) and then we went for lunch at one of my favorite places. We had pupusas and other yummy food from El Salvador.....superb!Then we decided to drive out another 30 minutes into Long Island to the "original" outlet malls in Riverhead. They are WAY better than the new ones in Deer Park. We walked and walked and walked and walked! I saw these (cheapy) earrings at Claire's and I really liked them....I didn't buy them though....hmmmm!I really liked these shoes at Aldo (even though the leather looks kind of scratched and trashy in the picture) but I didn't buy them because they were either too big, too small, or didn't feel right. Shucks!Then we headed back to our stomping grounds in Queens and had Korean BBQ. It was very tasty and "hit the spot." Alice showed us the ropes on how to fill the lettuce leaves with the grilled meat and other veggies. We downed the meat pretty fast.....I think Jose liked it ALOT!Here is Jose and I after we chomped and chomped for about an hour.Here are the almost empty banchan (also spelled pan chan) bowls that we devoured while we ate our BBQ.And.....the empty grill. It was great!

Perfect Pumpkin....

I bought a HUGE pumpkin for Halloween last year and it only lasted a short while because I carved it. I decided to do things different this year and so I bought this PERFECT little pumpkin to enjoy during Halloween and Thanksgiving. It is adorable....I had it on my desk at work until just a few days ago but I decided to bring it home so I can enjoy it here. It is only a couple of pounds but I think it is cute!

Thanksgiving Fun....

TWAS' THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING, BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS, I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP. THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED - THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION. SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE. GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES, PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES. I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND, 'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND. I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE. BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES.... HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE. MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP. MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP, MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE, MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS. MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING BE BLESSED!!

Yup...you got it!

Yup....you guessed it! I am sure it wasn't too hard to figure out.....The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I thought that this Chicken Little balloon was pretty cute.......... We almost got squashed by this Jo Jo the Clown balloon.........

I'll be sure and share some pictures that I take this year......

Where's Waldo?

Okay...this isn't a picture for Where's Waldo! This picture is a clue for where I will be for Thanksgiving this year. I have only missed one Thanksgiving with family before and it was while I was on my mission. The picture below was taken while my parents were out in NYC visiting me for Thanksgiving in 2005. So, where was it taken? This is the same place I will be this Thanksgiving too. Any guesses? FYI....my mom and I had a blast observing the two guy/girls in the picture. They were OVER THE TOP and they were VERY entertaining....they made the freezing weather a little more bearable.....don't you love the glasses?

Brown Sugar & Fig

This is my all time FAVORITE fragrance from Bath and Body Works. I LOVE the Brown Sugar & Fig Foam Soap and think I have enough stocked up to add it to my year supply closet. I have slowed down on all of the other products from Bath and Body Works but I cant get enough of that soap.....yum!

What is that???

You might think this picture is a little strange....well, it is! I had a TON of cilantro that I had washed and I wanted to dry it really well before I chopped it up and froze it (yes, I freeze my extra cilantro and basil and then just shake out a bit into my soups, etc. and it works GREAT!) so I hung it all up by a clothes clip hanger. It worked like a dream!

Voting with the Glass Family...Bishop Glass that is!

You might remember a post that I did a few months ago about Kristy Glass and her cute little family. If not, you can click HERE and read the post. I was on her blog today and saw a video that she had posted and it was TOO amazing not to share on my blog as well....I love it! You see...she and her husband have had split political views (not sure how they are now) but she is 100% for Obama (a hard core supporter) and he wasn't too keen on that idea but may have changed in the end. Anyway....he is now the Bishop of the Astoria Ward in Queens and their family is adorable. They all went together to Vote the other day and this was their experience.....

Creativity at its best.....

I am a little late with this picture but...better late then never! My mom emailed me this scanned copy of an old family photo from Halloween. Pretty dang cute...right!? My mom is the cat, Royce is a hobo, Brian was some type of a hunchback, and Michael was sporting his funky clown mask. Seeing this picture reminded me of how much fun I used to have with my family on Halloween as I was growing up in Tempe. I don't think that we EVER went to the store to buy a packaged/themed costume. My mom had a Halloween box that was full of old masks, face paints, capes, and vampire teeth, etc. We would just find things and create new costumes. I loved it! I kind of feel bad for kids these days because the "norm" is to head to the store to buy a costume of the "latest and greatest" and I think that the creativity and imagination of costumes is being done away with. Oh well.....to each their own...right? What were some of your costumes when you were growing up?

Super Snorkeler....

Isn't this the cutest snorkeler that you have ever seen? This is my little nephew Ezra in Mexico last month....what a cutie!

Introducing Baby Max

Sarah and Nate finally had their little boy on Sunday. I went over and visited them last night...it was a treat to get to see Sarah's parents who are visiting from Arizona too. I loved this picture because he is so bunched up and has his little foot perched on his moms arm.....cute! Welcome to the world Max....welcome to NY!

Paparazzi on the loose....

Some of you have had the honor (ha!) of driving with me on the BQE either to Manhattan or Brooklyn. If you survived the experience....you can vouch that I am able to double task. You see....I have this horrible habit of taking pictures while I drive and I usually try and snap a few shots as I drive on the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway) because the views are insanely amazing! Sometimes they turn out great and sometimes the pictures are blurry and fuzzy or have a pole or truck in the middle of them. Well, I took these pictures last night on my way to Brooklyn and they are a bit fuzzy but they did capture how gray, foggy, and still the city was yesterday.....

The cemeteries out here are incredible! I should do a post JUST about the cemeteries....you would NEVER EVER be able to find a cemetery in the West that looks like the cemeteries in the East. The plots and headstones are basically on top of each other (very close) and most headstones are HUGE monuments. Here are some night shots on the way home. You can see the reflection of the cars behind me in my mirror.....Alice.....does this post remind you of when we were in Arizona and went to Sedona with my mom? You were a good sport....but I think I had the two of you on "pins and needles" with my picture taking and driving....sorry!