Thanksgiving is rolling around again. Hard to believe it's been a year already since we had the last Great Debate (where to eat dinner). It is my favorite holiday, and I think I put too much pressure on it. All year I think about Thanksgiving and it gets built up in my head, and then the day arrives, and it doesn't work out how I planned, I don't feel any different, and I get deflated and frustrated by my lack of awareness. In fact, I would do a better job at making it turn out that way if I could remember what I had thought about all year. It's like going to the movie store; all week I think of movies I want to see and when I get there I can't remember even one of them.
We don't have a particular tradition, and I typically don't go to the same place two years in a row. There is just something about that day that makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside when I think about it, and I love it. It might be that it signals the start of the Christmas season. Although, that always sneaks up on me too and flies by before I can get in the spirit. It never fails that a week after Christmas I am suddenly overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit with no outlet for it. It might be that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday and there isn't any gift giving or commercialization involved. Or, it might be, cheesy as it sounds, that I like the prospect of reflecting back on the year and being thankful. At least, that's how I feel about it all year long, until the day arrives and I forget what to do.
Every year for as long as I can remember my father has read, or clipped out and sent to me Art Buchwald's tongue in cheek Thanksgiving Day column. In it Mr. Buchwald attempts to explain Le Jour de Merci Donnant to the French. While the preface is different, the column is basically the same every printing, and it never ceases to make me chuckle. The prospect of reading that usually is what ignites my love of Thanksgiving Day. Sadly, after being in and out of hospice, he eventually caught The Last Flight Out on my birthday in 2007, having filmed his own obituary. He also wrote a column to be published after he died where he talks about not having eaten enough eclairs in his life. That is a man after my own heart.
He's right, you know. The story of Thanksgiving is a little ridiculous if you'll pardon my saying so. The concept is great, but the actual history of it isn't, and it's probably best that we all instill our own meaning into it anyway. So maybe, this is enough. My Thanksgiving can be complete by reading his rendition of Kilometres Deboutish (Miles Standish) and les pelerins. I'll eat some eclairs (one for me and one for Mr. Buchwald) so I am sure to have consumed my share, and that will be my Thanksgiving. The tradition can travel with me wherever the day ends up, regardless of what else comes my way, and it will make me happy.
"Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time you've got." - Art Buchwald
ps. If I could list all the columns of his that I love I would, but the list would be long. If you have time please look him up online, The Washington Post has most of his articles, and read a few.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Cupcakes!
As promised, here is the recipe for Weight Watchers cupcakes, and, no, I’m not kidding.
1 box cake mix
1 can diet soda
Mix.
Pour into muffin tin and bake according to box.
Like I said, I’m not kidding.
Depending on the size of the cupcakes, they are 1-2.5 points. I usually get about 18 out of a batch. You can do all sort of things like Devil’s Food with Diet Coke, or Lemon Supreme with Diet Sprite. The combinations are endless, and don’t worry too much about the soda; it doesn’t really change the taste that much. I don't frost mine since I'm not a big fan of most frosting, but go right ahead if you want to. Just calculate the points and add them on.
The other variation I have tried is as follows:
1 box cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
Mix, pour, bake.
Again, the points are about 1-2.5 depending on the mix. I most recently made this one with a spice cake mix that was delicious! I used the plain pumpkin, but you can use the pumpkin pie filling if you want that flavor.
A word of caution - they are very delicate and fall apart easily. Letting them cool off helps this, but they still can make a mess, so maybe eat them with a fork.
1 box cake mix
1 can diet soda
Mix.
Pour into muffin tin and bake according to box.
Like I said, I’m not kidding.
Depending on the size of the cupcakes, they are 1-2.5 points. I usually get about 18 out of a batch. You can do all sort of things like Devil’s Food with Diet Coke, or Lemon Supreme with Diet Sprite. The combinations are endless, and don’t worry too much about the soda; it doesn’t really change the taste that much. I don't frost mine since I'm not a big fan of most frosting, but go right ahead if you want to. Just calculate the points and add them on.
The other variation I have tried is as follows:
1 box cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
Mix, pour, bake.
Again, the points are about 1-2.5 depending on the mix. I most recently made this one with a spice cake mix that was delicious! I used the plain pumpkin, but you can use the pumpkin pie filling if you want that flavor.
A word of caution - they are very delicate and fall apart easily. Letting them cool off helps this, but they still can make a mess, so maybe eat them with a fork.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Crazy Times
It's been a big few days. Actually it's been a big week and a half. Let's see...two Fridays ago I found out that I had a ticket to Game Four of the World Series!!!! I had to meet a man in a Wawa parking lot to get it, but I made sure people knew I was there and that I was ok after. It sounded sketchy to me, and sometimes I err on the side of caution.
Then I went to DC for the weekend and trained it back in time to get to the game Sunday night. Turned out that was the best game of the series, aside from Game Five #2 when they won. Sunday's game was fun, easy, and the weather was perfect. It was funny though; it didn't feel like a championship game. I mean, people were excited, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was the World Series. Anyway, it was a heck of a way to start the week. Monday was rough, and I never really caught up since I had Game Five and then Game Five again to watch.
Wednesday night I actually rushed home from dinner to watch the game, only to go back out to the bar next to the restaurant I had eaten in to celebrate! Sitting on the couch and screaming didn't seem adequate, and I was right. While I didn't venture near Philadelphia, the suburbs were nuts. Some kid across the street was banging pot lids together which I thought was funny. He was mostly in the house...just his arms and pot lids were outside the door.
Friday night was our annual Halloween Party. People stayed until 3:00am, 3 people spent the night, I had a hangover for 3 days and we have 3 weeks worth of leftovers. And a keg. Anyone need a keg? The amount of drinking I did didn't warrant the hangover I had which was frustrating. As for the leftovers, we don't like to risk running out of food so we go overboard. This year's menu was marinated pork loin, roasted turkey breast, pumpkin risotto (made from scratch), and salad, as well as all the nibblies that go along with a party. You know, cheese and crackers, a baked brie, dip, veggies, hummus, chips... The salad is easy - greens, feta cheese, craisins, and pine nuts with a vinaigrette - but it's one of my favorites. The pumpkin risotto recipe is from foodnetwork.com and I'll post it separately.
I also made Weight Watcher cupcakes that were awesome. I'll post those too. And the majority of the food came from Costco. That is my favorite place to shop. They have good deals, the food is high quality and usually organic, and it's so easy! I highly recommend a membership if you have one nearby. The toilet paper alone is worth it.
Saturday night I had a surprise party for someone who was at my Halloween party. It was SO hard not to ask him if he was excited. And then to hear him talk about the rest of his weekend without laughing! Of course the only thing I could think of to talk about was his party...so I tried to stay clear of him.
Then Sunday was an attempt to buy a sewing machine with A. That was unsuccessful, but we did buy a bunch of other things. JoAnn Fabrics had great deals (like 70% off!!) on Halloween decor so I stocked up for next year. Phew! I think that's everything. Actually I skipped the candle/pampered chef/handbag/jewelry party I went to at my aunt's and the massive clean up I am still in the process of from the party.
The most important thing though happened today - I VOTED!!! Everyone be sure to vote early and often. It's your privilege and duty as an American, so DO IT!
Then I went to DC for the weekend and trained it back in time to get to the game Sunday night. Turned out that was the best game of the series, aside from Game Five #2 when they won. Sunday's game was fun, easy, and the weather was perfect. It was funny though; it didn't feel like a championship game. I mean, people were excited, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was the World Series. Anyway, it was a heck of a way to start the week. Monday was rough, and I never really caught up since I had Game Five and then Game Five again to watch.Wednesday night I actually rushed home from dinner to watch the game, only to go back out to the bar next to the restaurant I had eaten in to celebrate! Sitting on the couch and screaming didn't seem adequate, and I was right. While I didn't venture near Philadelphia, the suburbs were nuts. Some kid across the street was banging pot lids together which I thought was funny. He was mostly in the house...just his arms and pot lids were outside the door.
Friday night was our annual Halloween Party. People stayed until 3:00am, 3 people spent the night, I had a hangover for 3 days and we have 3 weeks worth of leftovers. And a keg. Anyone need a keg? The amount of drinking I did didn't warrant the hangover I had which was frustrating. As for the leftovers, we don't like to risk running out of food so we go overboard. This year's menu was marinated pork loin, roasted turkey breast, pumpkin risotto (made from scratch), and salad, as well as all the nibblies that go along with a party. You know, cheese and crackers, a baked brie, dip, veggies, hummus, chips... The salad is easy - greens, feta cheese, craisins, and pine nuts with a vinaigrette - but it's one of my favorites. The pumpkin risotto recipe is from foodnetwork.com and I'll post it separately.
I also made Weight Watcher cupcakes that were awesome. I'll post those too. And the majority of the food came from Costco. That is my favorite place to shop. They have good deals, the food is high quality and usually organic, and it's so easy! I highly recommend a membership if you have one nearby. The toilet paper alone is worth it.
Saturday night I had a surprise party for someone who was at my Halloween party. It was SO hard not to ask him if he was excited. And then to hear him talk about the rest of his weekend without laughing! Of course the only thing I could think of to talk about was his party...so I tried to stay clear of him.
Then Sunday was an attempt to buy a sewing machine with A. That was unsuccessful, but we did buy a bunch of other things. JoAnn Fabrics had great deals (like 70% off!!) on Halloween decor so I stocked up for next year. Phew! I think that's everything. Actually I skipped the candle/pampered chef/handbag/jewelry party I went to at my aunt's and the massive clean up I am still in the process of from the party.
The most important thing though happened today - I VOTED!!! Everyone be sure to vote early and often. It's your privilege and duty as an American, so DO IT!
Who versus Whom
This is similar to the “me” and “I” question, and the trick to figuring it out is also similar. Many people use “whom” when they should use “who” because they think it sounds more formal. Be warned here – using “whom” even correctly can begin to sound pretentious. Just keep that in mind as a friendly reminder. So, here we go…
Who should I send this letter to?
Whom should I send this letter to?
If you can answer him, her or them then it’s “whom.” If you can answer he, she or they then it’s “who.” In the above example the correct word is “whom.” If you wanted to be a real stickler about it the correct question would be “to whom should I send this letter?” since we aren’t supposed to end a sentence with a preposition. In many cases, though, I think that’s ridiculous.
Who is going to the party?
Whom is going to the party?
The answer to this would be “she is going to the party” so the question should be “who is going to the party.” Make sense? Similar to the “Me versus I” post, this is a case of object and subject pronouns. Who is a subject pronoun; it is used as the subject of a verb. Whom is an object pronoun; it is used as the object of a verb.
Here is one more example to help you in the instance where it isn’t really a question:
Jack talked to Bill about whom he would take to the party. Jack talked about taking her to the party.
I would say, though, when in doubt go with “who." It will sound more appropriate than “whom” if you use it incorrectly. Nobody should give you a hard time for using "who" when you should use "whom." In most instances it sounds just fine.
That should do it for the “who” or “whom” question.
Who should I send this letter to?
Whom should I send this letter to?
If you can answer him, her or them then it’s “whom.” If you can answer he, she or they then it’s “who.” In the above example the correct word is “whom.” If you wanted to be a real stickler about it the correct question would be “to whom should I send this letter?” since we aren’t supposed to end a sentence with a preposition. In many cases, though, I think that’s ridiculous.
Who is going to the party?
Whom is going to the party?
The answer to this would be “she is going to the party” so the question should be “who is going to the party.” Make sense? Similar to the “Me versus I” post, this is a case of object and subject pronouns. Who is a subject pronoun; it is used as the subject of a verb. Whom is an object pronoun; it is used as the object of a verb.
Here is one more example to help you in the instance where it isn’t really a question:
Jack talked to Bill about whom he would take to the party. Jack talked about taking her to the party.
I would say, though, when in doubt go with “who." It will sound more appropriate than “whom” if you use it incorrectly. Nobody should give you a hard time for using "who" when you should use "whom." In most instances it sounds just fine.
That should do it for the “who” or “whom” question.
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