I'm in a New York state of mind...

The Mister and I are headed to NYC in the morning.

Five days of shopping, eating, drinking, shows & sights - just what the doctor ordered!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and relaxing holiday weekend! Can't wait to hear all about your Turkey Day's when I get back next week. Lots of love & smooches to you all!

Oh, and let's all say a quick prayer that my bag isn't over the 50 pound weight limit, shall we?

Wrong...Oh So Wrong

I may have said I don't care for leggings. Okay, fine. I said they were horrid.

I WAS WRONG.

Leggings are pajamas you can wear in public. And that is just awesome.

I was worried that leggings wouldn't sufficiently hide my more than ample arse. Well, throw on a long sweater and they're actually sort of flattering. And did I mention comfortable?

I may never wear pants again.

Going to my happy places...

Don't you just love Sundays? Whether it's a lazy Sunday, a football Sunday, a shopping Sunday, it's usually the most relaxing day of the week. For me, today is a shopping Sunday and I'm looking forward to it!

I don't always love going to the mall. We live in a tourist mecca so the mall is usually a zoo. Seriously, this place is a spectacle. Especially in the summer (tourist time!) and at the holidays.

But, it has some great stores and it's 10 minutes down the road, so I'm occasionally willing to brave the crowds. Sometimes you just need to see things first hand, try things on and pet the pretty, pretty shoes in person!

Today is one of those days. Christmas is just around the corner and I'm behind on my shopping. I'm going to go check out a few things I have in mind for the people on my list. And maybe a few things for me too....

First stop, Starbucks for some shopping fuel! Venti skinny vanilla latte please!

Next up...shoes, shoes, shoes! Bloomingdale's has the best shoe department in these parts, so I'll head here first. Although, it doesn't hold a candle to the shoe department at the Bloomingdale's in Manhattan, which is almost an entire floor of shoes. Doesn't really make much sense to shop the crappy condensed version today since I'll be shopping the real deal in just four days. But, like a swallow to Capistrano, I can't help but return again and again.

I'll probably head here next and drool over stacks of cashmere sweaters and gorgeous ruffled blouses.

The Crew is right next door to Williams Sonoma. I'm sure the smell of whatever yumminess they're sampling today will draw me in. And then I'll spend an hour looking at KitchenAid attachments, table linens, Le Creuset cookware, and other kitchen lovelies.

I can't believe I forgot to find a picture of Anthropologie. Anthro is neighbors with J. Crew & Williams-Sonoma, so you KNOW I'll be spending some time & money there!

If my hands aren't too full of bags, I'll probably head down to the other end of the mall and see what kind of pretties I can find at Ann Taylor Loft. I think ATLoft has really been stepping up their game lately. I used to think that their clothes were pretty boring and matronly, but I've been finding so many adorable things at the Loft lately. And, they're running a friends & family sale right now, so everything in the store is 30% off with the F&F coupon!

My last stop of the day will probably be Barnes & Noble. I have quite a few readers on Christmas list, so this is a must for my holiday shopping. Here's hoping I can find the self-control not to fill my up my basket with books for myself. If my dad is reading this (Hi Dad!), he just said to himself, "Fat chance!" My dad and I share a love of books and reading and can easily spend hours wandering the aisles of B&N. (Starbucks in hand of course.) We always meet at the checkout counter with piles of books. A GREAT way to spend a couple hours, if you ask us!

So, there's my Sunday plan. I hope I find lots of great gifts for my family, but if I don't...NYC here I come! Poor husband...he has no idea what he's in for.

Turkey Day Recap

Here it is...my "Turkey Day" recap. Better late than never, I hope!

If you remember, I'll be spending Thanksgiving in New York City this year, so I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner a couple weeks early this year. Making a turkey for two seemed like a waste, so The Mister and I invited some friends over to join us.

I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning to get started (after a big UCF victory against Houston on Saturday and quite a bit of celebrating on Saturday night). I set the table first, because I was worried I'd get crazed after I started cooking and never get to it. (Definitely would have happened by the way.)

It's lacking that fall, Thanksgiving-y feeling, but it turns out I don't have fall colored table linens. Guess I'll need to invest in some before next Turkey Day! I think I'll check out the Holy Trinity of Home Goods (Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, of course) for sales after Thanksgiving and stock up for next year.

After the table was set, it was turkey time!!!! I decided to go with Ina Garten's classic recipe for roast turkey. I stuffed the cavity of the bird with bunches of fresh thyme and sage, a halved clove of garlic and a halved lemon. I made an herb butter, also with fresh sage and thyme, and rubbed it both underneath and on top of the skin.

Vegetarians and queasy folks, you might want to scroll down quickly. You're about to see a raw, naked turkey.

Isn't he lovely? I named him Mario. It only seemed fitting.

Here's Mario in all his golden glory. I actually think it looks rather disgusting. I was worried about burning the skin and I think I covered the turkey with foil a bit too early. He looks kind of under-done. Gross.... But he tasted delicious! Very moist and flavorful.

Here's the thing...once the food was ready and out of the oven, taking pictures became the last thing on my mind. I had five hungry people on my hands and they weren't really interested in waiting for me to put everything out in pretty serving dishes so I could photograph "the spread." So, the sad partial picture below is all I have to share. I'm still trying not to obsess about the fact that some of the dishes are still in the pans they were cooked in and not in one of the many gorgeous serving dishes and platters we were giving as wedding gifts.

Here's most of the spread:

The full menu was turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, my mom's cornbread stuffing, mac'n'cheese, corn, bacon braised green beans, an amazing sweet potato dish my girlfriend Michelle brought and rolls. Oh, and cranberry sauce. (From a can. The horrors! But my husband likes it. What you won't do for love!) For dessert there was pumpkin roll and apple crisp.

I have to brag on two dishes. First, Michelle's sweet potatoes. Holy deliciousness. I don't have much (okay, any) experience eating or cooking sweet potatoes so I was glad when Michelle volunteered to bring them. I am now a big fan of the sweet potato! I'm not sure how she made them, but I do know there were sweet potatoes, brown sugar and Mountain Dew (!?!?) involved. They were heavenly. I'll have to ask her for the recipe because it was too good not to share with all of you! Second, the Bacon Braised Green Beans. I could not stop eating these. Bacon really does make everything better. If you're looking for something to serve in place of soggy Green Bean Casserole, give these a try!

Emeril Lagasse's Bacon Braised Green Beans

from Food Network Magazine, November 2009

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices bacon, diced
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons sliced garlic
2 pounds green beans, rinsed, ends trimmed
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green beans and toss to combine with the bacon and onions. Increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken stock. As soon as the stock begins to boil, place the lid on the pan and cook the beans for about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, season the beans with the salt and pepper, and toss well. Replace the lid and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and transfer the beans to a serving dish or small platter.

The only picture I managed to take which included people is this one, of my sister showing my husband how to carve the turkey. He did a great job carving his first turkey!

I'm not sure what's up with their Boston themed outfits...maybe they called each other and planned their outfits?

The picture taking pretty much stopped once the food was ready, but everything was delicious and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I think we can call my first Thanksgiving Dinner a success!

After eating leftovers all week and a Thanksgiving lunch at my office today, I'm pretty much turkey-ed out. I think this is the last you'll be hearing about turkeys around here for quite a while. (Collective sigh of relief from the crowd...)

Turkey Daze

I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday and it went really well. I have pictures and a new recipe to share but I'm just. so. tired. Must be the leftover turkey I've been eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner since Sunday. Too much tryptophan. Or something like that...

I promise I'll be back soon with the pictures & recipe, and hopefully something interesting to say.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...Almost!

The holiday season has begun and Christmas is just around the corner. I could not be more excited! I know some people wait to start celebrating and decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving but I am always in favor of starting early. Why deck the halls tomorrow when you can deck them today?

Christmas music always makes me happy but my favorite way to get in the holiday spirit is to watch Christmas movies. There are so many wonderful Christmas movies but these are my absolute favorites:

"You guys give up or are you thirsty for more?" Oh how I love this movie! I remember watching it as a kid and thinking that it would be so much fun to have a house to myself, but also thinking how scary & sad it would be to be all alone for Christmas. I know it's a "kid" movie but I love it just as much today as I did the first time I saw it. Another classic from the late, great John Hughes.

Speaking of classics...




"Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." This movie warms my heart. Watching Clarence show George Bailey what Bedford Falls would be like if he'd never existed...George deciding he wants to live and realizing what a "wonderful life" he had...and Clarence earning his wings...gets me every single time. I've seen this movie more times than I can count but I can't help but cry at the end when George sees how many lives he's touched and that the town has raised enough money to save the Building and Loan. It really is a wonderful life and this movie reminds me how lucky I am for the blessings in my own life. (And apparently turns me into a giant sap too!)



My final favorite holiday movie isn't a classic (yet) but the first time I saw it, it earned a place on my list of favorites.




I think this is a wonderful movie for so many reasons. It's happy and sad, hopeful and hopeless, funny, romantic and just so real. The eight love stories are woven together so masterfully and each showcases a different aspect of love. Everytime I see this movie I have a different "favorite" love story. Sometimes it's Colin Firth's character, the writer, and his housekeeper who fall in love despite the fact that they don't speak the same language. When he proposes in broken Portugese and she replies in imperfect English...so romantic! And sometimes my favorite story is the love between the stepfather and stepson as they struggle through the loss of their wife and mom. The innocent love between the porn stand-ins is so sweet and the singer and his manager who really are each other's family... I just love the message that love comes in all shapes and sizes. My heart just breaks for Emma Thompson's character who realizes her husband has been unfaithful but stays for her children, and for Laura Linney who can't make a romantic relationship work because she's so committed to her mentally ill brother, and for the man in love with Kiera Knightly but can't have her because she's married to his best friend. Love isn't always easy or perfect. Despite these sad stories the movie is still so fun and uplifting. The music is amazing and who doesn't love all the British accents? Love really is all around.



These are my favorite holiday movies...what are yours?

Publix: Where Shopping is a Pleasure.

My mother has dubbed me the "Turkey Whore."

Allow me to explain.

Last night, I went grocery shopping for the Thanksgiving dinner I'm hosting on Sunday. The original plan was to go to Super Target so I could browse around for other things but it got late and Publix is just around the corner. (For those of you outside the south, Publix is a grocery store. And pretty much the only decent grocery store in Florida, other than Whole Foods.) As I said, it was late. So I went in my pjs. I know, I know. So not classy. But if you own a pair of Vicky's boyfriend sweatpants you understand - they're too comfy to take off. And I already had them on. If you don't have the boyfriend sweatpants - well, then...you're just missing out.

Anyhow, I'm strolling the aisles of the grocery store, tossing in all the makings of a turkey dinner, and I make my way to the meat department. I scope out the turkey situation and see that they have fresh Publix brand turkeys and frozen Butterball turkeys. Having planned to buy a fresh Butterball turkey, I was stumped. (We'll call this Poultry Predicament #2.) What to do? Call Mom, obviously. Ever so helpful, she says "Ask the butcher."

So, seeing no butcher I wonder the aisle like a lost puppy for a few minutes, staring alternately at the frozen turkeys and then the fresh turkeys, as if waiting for one of them to holler out "Pick me!" None did. After a minute or two of this, the butcher appeared.

I posed my poultry predicament to the butcher and he promptly replied "Fresh. Definitely fresh." I asked him if he was sure because this was my first Thanksgiving turkey and I didn't want to screw it up. He laughed, grabbed one of the fresh turkeys, put it into my cart and ripped the price tag off of it. I must have looked bewildered because he said "Hang on, I'm gonna hook you up," and then walked into the back of the meat department. When he came back a minute later her reached into my cart and put a new tag on my turkey which said "No charge. Mario." I tried to explain to him that I didn't need him to pay for my turkey, I just wanted his opinion on which was best. He wouldn't hear of it an insisted that the turkey was on him. "Only at Publix," he said as he walked away.

As I loaded my free 14pound turkey into my trunk, I couldn't help but wonder why the heck Mario decided to give me a free turkey. Heaven knows he wasn't hitting on me - I was wearing sweatpants and 7am makeup. Definitely not my best look. Maybe he saw me talking to the turkeys and took pity on me? I have no idea.

I called my mom from the parking lot to tell her my turkey tale and it was at this point that she called me the "Turkey Whore." Gee, thanks Mom. As if I wasn't feeling trashy enough in my sweatpants, hoisting my pity turkey into the trunk. :) I fear I might have a hard time kicking this nick name...

Oh well. To my boy Mario - thanks for the free bird! I'll try not to spend the entire $24 you saved me on booze. xoxo The Turkey Whore

Thursday Morning Thoughts

I would make an awesome SAHW. (Stay at Home Wife.) It's a real thing, I swear. At least it will be once I convince my husband to let me stay home while he works!

I'm working from home today. (Actually, I'm not working, I'm learning. I'm watching a live webcast of an 8 HOUR legal education course. Holy boring-ness Batman!) It's 9:00am and I've done two loads of laundry, changed the sheets, done the dishes and sent my husband to work with homemade pumpkin muffins for his office party. I rock!

Figures. I finally find something I'm good at and the pay is crap.

WWIGD?

I think I've mentioned before that The Mister and I are spending Thanksgiving in New York City. We've never been to the city together, so we're really looking forward to the trip. But, as excited as we are, we're still sad that we'll be missing Turkey Day with our families.

I've decided that if we have to miss our families, we shouldn't have to miss out on turkey too. So, I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner - only a week and a half early. This Sunday, our sisters and some friends are coming over for a traditional Turkey Day dinner on an untraditional day.

It will be my first Thanksgiving dinner but, perhaps foolishly, I'm not too worried. I've tried to limit the number of side dishes and think I've planned appropriately so that everything will make it into the oven at the right time. I'm also planning to make a few things ahead of time. Between the turkey, the sides and the desserts, this is a must.

Here's the problem - what the heck should I do with the turkey??? There are so many options, how do I choose? Deep fried? Wet brined? Dry brined? Traditionally roasted? Herbed Butter? Soaked cheesecloth? Stuffed? Unstuffed? Ahhh - it's enough to make a girl lose her mind!

What to do when faced with such a culinary quagmire? I find myself asking "What would Ina Garten do?"

Thank heavens for the Food Network! A quick search and there it was - the answer to my poultry predicament. Ina's Perfect Roast Turkey recipe. Simple and classic, just like the Barefoot Contessa herself! Here's hoping I'm able to pull together a Thanksgiving dinner that would make Ina proud!

By the way - I am SO glad I didn't ask "WWMSD?" ("What would Martha Steward do?" - obvs!)Because according to this, Martha is a fan of the brining method. A 15 pound turkey swimming in a giant bag of salt water in my fridge for 24 hours? Yeah - that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Thursday Smorgasbord

I have a DVR full of shows to watch and my eyelids are getting heavy, so let's do this quickly shall we? A few things I want to share with the group:

• Have you seen Wanda Sykes' special on HBO Ima Be Me? Flippin' hilarious. I laughed the full 90 minutes. You can still find it "On Demand" on HBO through November 9.



• Swoozie's is having a great stationary sale. They're offering free personalization on their adorable note cards, free shipping on the personalized stampers and a bunch of other great deals. If you need stocking stuffers, hostess gifts or gifts for friends or teachers, check it out.



• We're getting a Nordstrom Rack in Orlando. Wahoo! I considered going in late to work tomorrow so I could be there for the grand opening at 9am, but then I remembered I hate the pack mentality of people at grand openings. People who sleep in line for three days at Ikea for a free chair? Not my preferred shopping partners. I'll go once the crazies leave. Same goes for the H&M that opened last week.



• Does anyone know the name of the song playing on the trailer for the movie "Precious"? I love it. I really want to see the movie (despite the fact that Mariah Carey is in it) but it just looks so heartbreaking.



• Are you watching The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe on the Oxygen Network? NO? What's wrong with you?!?!? Chef Blythe rocks my socks off. I want to go the Big-D just to eat at Central 214. Steaks slathered in butter and lobster mac'n'cheese - yes please!



• Confession: I bought five (FIVE!) pairs of shoes last week. Don't judge.



• My sister is heading to Boston in the morning to spend the weekend with our baby brother. (Who hasn't been a baby in oh, 22 years.) I couldn't take the time off of work so I'm not going. {insert sad face here} They've both been warned that they are to have absolutely no fun without me. I'm going to be one sad pup this weekend knowing I'm missing everything!

• Starbucks rolled out their red holiday cups this week. I got my first of the season this morning and it made my day.

I think that's quite enough randomness for one night. Happy Friday everyone!

EDITED TO ADD on 11/7:

I found the song from the Precious commercial! It's "Happy" by Leona Lewis. I've decided I really want to see the movie but it won't be in Orlando until November 20th...

Also, I went to the Nordstrom Rack last night. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. Aside from some great prices on designer sunglasses (Gucci, Kate Spade, Coach, Christian Dior - for $70) there really wasn't much. The shoe section, which I was most excited about, was terrible. I think I'll stick to Off 5th and Neiman Marcus Last Call when I'm looking for designer bargains.

Why I finally went back to the gym.

This is it:

I can't stop myself from eating this cake. Resistance is futile. My willpower is no match for this cake. I tried to stop myself by throwing it away but The Mr. threatened my life. It's that good.

Behold - the Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Friend of the sweet tooth, enemy of diets everywhere. This cake is so moist and has a great banana flavor. And cream cheese frosting - need I say more?

Did I mention I'm allergic to bananas? And I still ate this cake. A LOT of this cake. (I'm not deathly allergic. They just make my throat and ears itch. For the record, the cake didn't. Guess there wasn't enough banana. Or maybe my self-diagnosed banana allergy isn't the real thing... The world may never know.) My eternal gratitude goes to The Novice Chef for bringing this delicious cake into my life. Seriously, forever indebted. I may name my first born after her.

A word to the wise: make this and take it somewhere. Do NOT let it sit in your house. You might just find yourself licking the cake plate five days later wondering who the hell polished off an entire cake. I'm just saying....*

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from The Novice Chef

For the Cake

3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk**
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 mashed bananas

For the frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (This is not a typo. I know it's ridiculously low, but this is the secret to the super moist cake.) Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans. (The original recipe calls for a 9x13, which would be easier. It was sort of a pain to turn this into a two-layer cake. But either will work - just depends on how ambitious you're feeling.) In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Took a bit longer than an hour in my oven.) Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. I added some chopped walnuts to the sides of the cake, but that's optional.

Enjoy!

*Just so you don't think I'm a complete piggie, I didn't make the cake with the intention of polishing it off myself. I made it for our barbeque on Saturday but no one saved room for dessert. I sent my sister home with a few pieces, so really The Mr. and I only polished off 3/4 of the cake. That's better, right?

**I never have buttermilk. If you don't either, just measure slightly less milk than you need and add in some lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes and stir. Voila - buttermilk.

Oh my word...

Have you ever seen such preciousness in all your life?

Anthropologie has clothing for little people. How did I not know this? Is this new? Has Suri heard about this?

Halloween Fun

What a weekend! We had so much fun celebrating Halloween. On Friday night The Mr. and I went to dinner & then came home to carve our pumpkin. Actually, I carved the pumpkin and he watched. We make a great team. :)

I asked The Mister how I should carve "our" pumpkin and he said I could carve it however I wanted - so I chose polka dots!

Isn't it cute? I'm not exactly Martha Stewart, so I was really happy with how it turned out. The Mister loved it too. (He was probably just happy he didn't have to clean it out and carve it.) When I was done I roasted the pumpkin seeds - they were so yummy. Well, I thought so. The Mister didn't. He actually spit them out! haha

On Saturday we had friends over to watch the Florida-Georgia game and grill. The Mister grilled hamburgers and I made my first Beer Can Chicken. It was delicious and so easy! I'll definitely be making it again. After we were full and the Gators were well on their way to a victory over Georgia (GO GATORS!), we put on our costumes and headed out celebrate Halloween with the grown-up version of trick-or-treating: bar hopping. :)

I have to give my sister credit for coming up with a great costume idea: We were Amazing Race contestants! I was sold on the idea as soon as I realized I could wear a t-shirt, sports bra, running shorts and sneakers to a bar. No wig, tights, fake eyelashes or itchy face paint? Perfect. By far the most comfortable Halloween costume ever.

It was such a fun night! Hope you all had as much fun on Halloween as we did!