November and December

My two favorite months of the year are, without a doubt, November and December.  The weather is crisp, the leaves are beautiful, the weather is finally bearable, and family abounds!  During these weeks, I cannot do anything but sip hot chocolate, knit, watch my favorite holiday movies, and count down days until the whole family gets together.  This past weekend, I had so much fun spending time with my cousin Rachael and her two adorable boys.  Here were some photos from our fun:

Thanks-Giving pt. III

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving!  I write today to share my grandmother's amazing stuffing recipe with you.  This year, I'll be making a small vegetarian batch of this goodness.  The vegetarian batch will differ from the "regular" batch only slightly by replacing the turkey broth with vegetable broth.  The original recipe also calls for margarine, but I use butter in my cooking for both taste and "natural" reasons.  Make and alter as you like and please use as many fresh, local or organic ingredients as possible!

GRANDMA'S STUFFING 

INGREDIENTS:

• Loaf of slightly stale white or wheat bread 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter
• 1-2 stalks of celery
• Medium yellow onion
• 1/2 tsp. Sage
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, pepper, and dash of marjoram and cloves)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Turkey (or Vegetable) broth 
• One egg
• 1/2 to 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut bread into cubes and put into a big roaster to mix.
2. Saute celery, onion, and seasonings in butter.
3. Combine celery and onion mixture with bread cubes and mix.
4. Add broth to desired consistency (i.e. not too dry, not too wet) a little at a time.
5. Beat egg with milk and add to the bread mixture.
6. Bake in casserole dish at least 45 minutes (Can also be cooked in a greased slow cooker for 3-4 hours on the 'low' setting)

Thanks-Giving pt. II

Darling Bloggers, as promised I'm posting the most delicious, most wonderful, super simple spinach artichoke dip from the Whole Foods Cookbook to enjoy as a Thanksgiving appetizer or as an any-time appetizer.  It may need reheating after awhile if you don't gobble it down immediately... and, if there are any leftovers, it is an amazing topper for baked potatoes (just re-heat and place a big spoonful on top).  And please use as many local or organic ingredients as you can!

Whole Foods Spinach Artichoke Dip

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
· 2 cups grated Parm Cheese
· 2 Cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
· 1 cup Mayonnaise
· 1 cup Sour Cream
· 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and diced
· 1 (10 oz box) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
· 6 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Combine cheeses, mayo, and sour cream in a large bowl until well blended.
2. Add the artichoke hears, spinach, garlic, and pepper. Mix well.
3. Place the mixture in a casserole dish and bake the dip uncovered for 15 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling.

4. Tastes great with blue-corn tortilla chips (or regular-corn tortilla chips) or with crackers or lightly toasted baguette rounds.

Thanks-Giving

This holiday season, I am most thankful that I get to spend Thanksgiving day with my family.  It has been 4 years since I've been able to say that because:
4 years ago I was studying in London and didn't get any time off from school to fly home;
3 years ago I was trapped in a hotel room in Memphis and in the air after trying to get home for Thanksgiving day, but not making it until late Thanksgiving evening after the meal had been eaten and left-overs had been packed away (i.e. close, but no cigar);
2 years ago I was studying like a madwoman through Thanksgiving break for a business associations and tax finals; and
Last year I stayed in Cleveland and made an entire thanksgiving meal with Christopher and enjoyed desserts with the Pollis Family.
But, this year, I will be snuggled up with Maggie and Kendal watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Dog Show and watching Elf for the first time and helping prepare the Thanksgiving Day meal.  Because I am going (I use this form of the verb because, while I have given up all meat, I'm clinging to crustaceans for a bit.  However, I've been 'animals with a face free' since August) vegetarian, there will be no turkey on my plate.  Instead it will be filled with the supporting cast of delicious sides.  I'll be making, from scratch, Alton Brown's green bean casserole recipe.  I'm super excited to try this version that doesn't use processed-soup or other foods.  Instead of Campbell's, I'll make my own cream of mushroom soup and instead of French's, I'll make the fried onions.  Here's the recipe:

I'm also making a vegetarian version of my Grandmother's beloved stuffing, a vegetarian gravy and a spinach-artichoke dip from the Whole Foods Cook book for those tummies that cannot wait until dinner time to be filled.  I'll post those recipes later in the week as we get closer to Thanksgiving Day! :)  Happy cooking and safe travels!

The Gilded and Glittered Holiday

My father hates glitter.  From a young age, I remember attempting to bring glittered crafts home from school and sunday school but being stopped short of entering the car.  I don't remember tears, but I'm sure there were some as I was forced to stuff anything glitter into a bag (or worse, being thrown away) before getting in the car for fear that some of that magical glitter would escape and be forever embedded into the car's upholstery.  But my father's hatred of glitter didn't end with my sisters' or my childhood- just the other day he went into a christmas store, and as the story goes, was appalled by all the glitter on everything and was nervous that some of it would get on his shoes.  Needless to say, that visit was short.
I tell this anecdote because, unlike my father, I LOVE GLITTER.  I love sequins, and shiny metallics and gilded everything.  I love the silvers and the golds and the icy blues of the holiday season.  I love things dipped in glue and then dipped in glitter, and if some of the glitter falls off, it just makes everything merrier... right?  This post is about all the lovely glitters of the holiday that are showing up in fashion and accessories and are absolutely perfect for the upcoming days.  Do not shy away from mixing as many as these amazing finds together as you can.  It's the holidays!  Go Glittery! (p.s. I need to find a holiday party asap to wear these amazing things... scratch that, I need to find a job so that I can buy these things...)

Gem-Laden Snood (circle scarf) from J.Crew $99

Glitter Jacquard Ballet Flats from J.Crew $188 (gold)

Disco Sequined Silk-Chiffon Jacket by J.Crew from Net-A-Porter $495

Sequined crept T-shirt by Vince, from Net-A-Porter: $295

DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Night Sparkling sequin-embellished silk waistcoat $355

D&G Sequin-embellished crepe mini at Net-A-Porter $375

(...and this is exactly what I was looking for to wear to law prom.  Why, oh why am I always a season early with my ideas?)

Antik Batik Pop Sequined chiffon dress at Net-A-Porter $625

(I LOVE LOVE LOVE this... paired with some opaque tights and booties and a sequined hair bow)

Halston Heritage Metallic ruched jersey gown at Net-A-Porter $475

Falling Snowflakes Necklace from Ann Taylor $138

...in other news, I'm an official licensed Texas attorney... scary and exciting all at the same time!  Now I'm just waiting for a prosecutor position to open up somewhere (read anywhere) in Texas.

Halloween Fashion Pt. II

I realized this morning that I hinted at my halloween costume for this year in previous posts, but never updated you darling readers on the final project...  I was the Tea-Party!  My other favorite thing about halloween (aside from the fashion-bonanza) is that it falls on the weekend before general elections.  And politicians never fail to provide fodder for costume.  In fact, while at a bar in Austin over halloween weekend, I ran into another 'Tea-Party'.  Kid. You. Not.  His costume was... okay... but he definitaly did not allow his costume to consume his entire week-before-halloween like I did.  Without further ado, here's the masterpiece...

Sadly, some of these people won their races...

Until next halloween, stay creative and stay political!

Christmas List

Having received the best present of my entire life this past week (Passing the Texas Bar Exam!), I'm fully aware I don't really "need" anything else.  But, with the almost-insane amount of holiday cheer abundant everywhere, I can't but help make my yearly Christmas-list.  I'm aware that my list will not come close to Oprah's favorite things, or Ellen's 12-days, but these things are on my wish-list for 2010:

I promise I'm not being a brat... My mother requests lists from my sisters and I every year... alright, I guess they don't have to be in PDF format...  Happy (Early-Beginning) Holidays!