Mixed emotions

I can’t decide how I feel about the fact that my star recipe for using up Thanksgiving leftovers got gazumped by one of the biggest food blogs around.

Should I be annoyed that Simply Recipes posted an entry for Turkey Mushroom Risotto yesterday? Or thrilled that I had independently come up with a recipe so similar to one devised by an internationally known recipe guru?

Happy Thanksgiving

Just popping in on a break from the cooking extravaganza to wish all who celebrate a very Happy Thanksgiving. (And for those of you who don't, an extra lovely Thursday/Friday.) My Thanksgiving Gratitude List hasn't changed much from two years ago, except that this year I'm extra-grateful to have DP with us for the first time in three years.

And, as you can see, Miss B has us covered in the turkey department. Enjoy!

Holiday traditions

If you like food blogs and you’re not from the United States, I imagine you’re thoroughly sick and tired of reading about Thanksgiving by now. I’m getting fed up with it myself, and I’m preparing the whole traditional meal—turkey, stuffing, apple pie, the works—two days from now. I wasn’t going to post anything ahead of time about it; I haven’t really gotten the hang of being the kind of blogger whose content is dedicated to filling (or maybe it’s titillating?) seasonal user need. (Probably the reason I only have 12 followers.)

But last night I made homemade cranberry sauce, and couldn’t stop admiring its glowing, festive color. Then my sister called me three hours later and asked if I had posted a recipe for homemade cranberry sauce on my blog. “No, but I will tomorrow,” I promised.

Glorious cheese

This past weekend I went into downtown Kansas City solely to visit a cheese shop I’ve been hearing raves about since I moved here. The fact that I walked out having spent nearly $50 on cheese is the best proof I can offer that it lived up to the hype.

I didn’t try any new cheeses, although there were loads there that I’d never seen before, because I was too busy getting re-acquainted with old favorites. Between my sojourn in Australia, where European cheese costs a fortune, and the supermarkets I go to in KC’s Northland, where the selection is rather limited, it had been a long time since I had been able to get my hands on any real provolone. Or gorgonzola, for that matter. So I stocked up.

Either/or

Prominent among the many personal rules of thumb that enable me to live a life of cloudless serenity (*cough cough*) is the rule that, in order to qualify as suitable for company, desserts should include either chocolate or fruit. Very occasionally they may include both, and even more occasionally I may be coerced into serving something that includes neither. Certain people in my household who shall remain nameless (but whose names rhyme with BP and Kiss Me) would like to make that coercion happen far more often or, failing that, to go for the chocolate option every. Single. Time.

Action points

Conferences are great, especially if, like me, you work alone most of the time. They allow you to re-connect with friends and colleagues, resolve problems in a five-minute discussion that would’ve taken days over email, brainstorm projects for the future, talk about things using jargon and shorthand that only your co-workers can understand and appreciate. They send you home feeling professionally recharged, motivated, and inspired.