There and Back Again...

Whizz - that was the sound of November!

Did my normal month close reporting the first week, spent a week in Colorado on business, came home for a week with my folks visiting that also included my birthday and cooking Thanksgiving dinner for seven adults and four kids, then back to Colorado for another week of business meetings.

Now I'm home, happy to be with my little family and enjoying the iPad I won. Yes, free iPad - not doing 3G or anything, but certainly having fun playing games and crawling blogs in bed. And if it had actually been delivered before I left for that second trip to Denver, I would've probably downloaded and watched some shows or movies. (Could've caught up on Glee!)

But it's maybe better that it didn't arrive until the day I left, because I ended up reading two good books instead: Take This Bread by Sara Miles, and Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. Really enjoyed them both; very affirming. (Although I guess I could have ended up downloading and reading them as well.)  Anyway, now two more weeks of working and then two weeks of vacation and holidays, which I am very much looking forward to.

I love what Juj's teacher has assigned for the kids for these last two weeks before winter break: nine 'gifts of kindness' and then a secret present exchange.  There are ten kids in his class, and for the next two weeks, each one has to do an anonymous gift of kindness (free or under $1) for one person in the class each day, until they have done a gift of kindness for everyone. (She told them that they could skip themselves, since they should always be kind to themselves!) On the last day, they are doing some kind of white elephant or secret Santa exchange (under $10).  I think it's a great idea; perhaps I should try it at work the next ten days myself.

Finally, although we haven't decided on the Christmas menu -- we've cooked for G-man's extended family, up to 20 of us, for most of the past ten or more years -- we did have a lovely repast on turkey day:

• Blue Cheese & Pear Tart with caramelized shallots (adapted from the Nov 2010 Sunset magazine that my mom brought with her)
• Turducken Roll (which G-man built out of all breasts - turkey, duck, chicken - with three stuffings: one cornbread and one Andouille sausage adapted from Paul Prudhomme, and one rice & mushroom improv) and a couple of turkey thighs roasted on the side for dark meat lovers
• Gravy
• Orange Cranberry Sauce (homemade, with a hint of chile added)
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes Mashed with salt, butter, and cinnamon with three toppings: one-third Plain, one-third Pecan Streusel, one-third with mini-Marshmallows (inspired by this but not so sweet and ground pecans instead of flour)
• Brussels Sprouts Hash with Caramelized Shallots (have had it for most or all of the past four years - nearly guaranteed to win over 'sprouts haters!)
• Apple, Fennel Salad with Walnuts (also from Sunset)
• Pumpkin Cheesecake (Splenda sweetened, pecan crust - something I came up with a few years out of two or three other recipes)
• Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream (OK, it was Jack Daniels, which some would say is NOT bourbon)

Mr. W brought the wines, so we had him, the three adorable W kiddos, my parents, Ron, Bill, and the G's Three.  And there was much feasting, drinking, playing, and a walk down the block to see an early Christmas lights extravaganza (a lot of folks in our neighborhood really go all out!) Really lovely afternoon and evening - although a Cherpumple did not get made.