Thanksgiving Dinner
November 23, 2006
1.
Cocktails and wine
Pear anise cider with hibiscus
2.
Spicy maple walnuts
Bacon-wrapped chestnut-stuffed dates
Apricot «Türkiye»
Country bread
3.
Orange fennel salad
4.
Roast turkey
Cornbread, gorgonzola & mushroom dressing
Earl Grey cranberry sauce
Creamed pearl onions
Smoked paprika mashed potatoes
Roasted root vegetables
Roasted brussels sprouts
5.
Sweet potato cheesecake with maple cream
Apple crisp
Guinness gingerbread bites with ginger ice cream

Dan’s sister is having a baby. That makes me an aunt! Yesterday we saw pictures of the baby from a crazy 3D ultrasound.
I made the baby this hat and bootie set. Of course, I have no idea how big a newborn baby’s head and feet are. I guess we’ll see if they fit when the [...]

You know how on packages, often the weight of the package is indicated in net, such as “NET WT.  16 OZ”? As a child, and still, to this day, I see those words and giggle to myself, “Nit wit!” Why?

Washing laundry without paying with quarters. In a washing machine. In my house.
Hanging said laundry on a clothesline. A clothesline, for pete’s sake.
Gardening. I’ve got a small plot in the back with mustard greens, two types of kale, tatsoi, spinach, arugula (not looking so good), and mesclun greens.
Emptying the dishwasher.
Picking up poop with a pooper-scooper.
Driving [...]

Friends, do not get Great Stuff Insulating Foam Sealant on your person. Fun and alluring as it may be, all soft, like a yellow marshmallow, it is meant for sealing cracks and small holes around the house. It is not edible. Do not poke at it while it dries, or smear it across your face [...]

Sycamore Canyon, Clarkdale, AZ.

Life in the southwestern United States is very different than life in New York. I sometimes feel as though I immigrated to another country, but then I remember that most of America is more like where I am now than where I came from.
Of course, the climate is different—it’s November and it’s going to [...]

Night photos are some of my favorites to take, and this cafe in the tiny mountain town of Jerome, AZ was one of my first favorites around the Verde Valley. It’s stocked with homey 1940s and 50s decor and makes a mean americano.

Last night I attended a preview screening of the new documentary film Jesus Camp. The film follows a group of Pentecostal Evangelical Christian kids as they are trained, by their parents and religious leaders in their community, to be Christian warriors in “God’s army.” The kids are homeschooled by their frighteningly ignorant parents (“Creation is [...]