"As God as my witness...I thought turkeys could fly"
Thanks to the wonderful clumsy_chord for the oh-so-appropriate holiday icon. If a bikini'ed Bettie with antlers doesn't say "Christmas in SoCal", I don't know what does.
Christine successfully cooked her first turkey this Thanksgiving! Despite the fact that she left the gut bag inside the bird, it turned out really well - as did the side dishes and dessert.
Mrs. Slee is a vegetarian, so I can't imagine how difficult it would be to cook a holiday meal without the ability to sample much of the product. Item #1 on my Things About Which I'm Thankful List is an amazing, talented, patient spouse.
I admit that the holiday season is making me incredibly homesick for anywhere but here. It's really hard to adjust to the idea that seeing lights strung on a palm tree is somehow "Christmas-y". I guess I'm just painfully Midwestern in my holiday atmosphere ideals. Let it be said, though, that the dearth of holiday spirit isn't for lack of trying on my neighbors' part. They're going ape shit with lights, wreaths and lawn sculpture (of both the wire-frame and inflatable variety.) Hooray for tackiness!
I also wanted to send a note of gratitude to everyone on my f-list who extended the offer of holiday cards. I've been too mopey and insecure to take advantage of the generosity, but I wanted to let everyone know how much the offer meant to me.
Much more to say, but I'd hate to shoot my wad so soon after an extended absence. I've (prematurely, in all likelihood) whipped up a two-disc "Slee's Faves of 2005" mix that I'll upload tomorrow. I also have two separate picture posts - one with Catherine modeling x-mas gifts and the other featuring selections from our recent holiday photo shoot at San Buenaventura Beach.
Consider yourself warned.
Christine successfully cooked her first turkey this Thanksgiving! Despite the fact that she left the gut bag inside the bird, it turned out really well - as did the side dishes and dessert.
- 10-lb turkey (wee, but THANK GOD for that since I had to eat pretty much the whole thing)
- Vegetarian Dressing (just not the same w/o being cooked in the carcass)
- Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole (whipped and baked with a layer of brown sugar and pecans. Like dessert during dinner!)
- Green Bean Casserole (which is a scam perpetrated on the world by the unholy alliance of French's Fried Onions and Campbell's Soup)
- Broccoli Salad
- My Family's Super Good Cranberry-Apple Concoction
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Pie (hand-delivered to the house by a friend)
- One bottle of Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir
Mrs. Slee is a vegetarian, so I can't imagine how difficult it would be to cook a holiday meal without the ability to sample much of the product. Item #1 on my Things About Which I'm Thankful List is an amazing, talented, patient spouse.
I admit that the holiday season is making me incredibly homesick for anywhere but here. It's really hard to adjust to the idea that seeing lights strung on a palm tree is somehow "Christmas-y". I guess I'm just painfully Midwestern in my holiday atmosphere ideals. Let it be said, though, that the dearth of holiday spirit isn't for lack of trying on my neighbors' part. They're going ape shit with lights, wreaths and lawn sculpture (of both the wire-frame and inflatable variety.) Hooray for tackiness!
I also wanted to send a note of gratitude to everyone on my f-list who extended the offer of holiday cards. I've been too mopey and insecure to take advantage of the generosity, but I wanted to let everyone know how much the offer meant to me.
Much more to say, but I'd hate to shoot my wad so soon after an extended absence. I've (prematurely, in all likelihood) whipped up a two-disc "Slee's Faves of 2005" mix that I'll upload tomorrow. I also have two separate picture posts - one with Catherine modeling x-mas gifts and the other featuring selections from our recent holiday photo shoot at San Buenaventura Beach.
Consider yourself warned.