Thanksgiving Traditions

When my dad was growing up, his father had an apartment in New York City on Central Park West overlooking the park. Every year on Thanksgiving, my dad would watch the parade go by from his dad's living room, warm and toasty in his pajamas. It remains one of his favorite childhood memories.

Over the years, this cherished childhood memory has evolved into the same routine that played out every year when I was growing up.

Scene: The night before Thanksgiving, 1986-2003 (ish)

Dad: What if we got up early and went to the parade?

Daughter 1, suspiciously: How early, exactly?

Dad: Oh, around 5 am or so. It's gonna be cold!

Daughter 2: How cold, exactly?

Dad: Oh, real cold! We'll get some cocoa though, don't you worry. And the crowds will keep us warm.

Daughter 3: Crowds?

Dad: Of tourists, of course! Come on, it'll be great!

Daughters, in unison: Oh, just sounds terrific. Maybe next year.

Now, before you go feeling too bad for my dad and his joy-killing daughters, here's what the scene has evolved into now that we're older:

Dad: What if we got up early and went to the parade this year? You guys always say no.Poor me.

Daughter 1: Let's do it this year!

Daughter 2: We're totally game.

Dad: .........Really? You know, it's going to be pretty cold out there.

Daughter 3: Not too bad. Come on, we'll get you some cocoa.

Dad: Those crowds are going to be rough though.

Daughter 2: That's part of the charm. The magic of Thanksgiving, if you will.

Dad: And it's going to be so early. Just so early. What if we just watched on TV in the comfort of our pajamas?

And then we eat some pie.

Then last night, I was speaking with my mom on the phone when she informed me that, for the first time ever, my dad didn't want to do the parade this year.

Instead, he wants to go to the Rockaways and volunteer.

Sandy may feel far away, but there's still so much to be done. People just minutes from the suburb I grew up in are living in shelters, with their homes reduced to rubble. Queens and Long Island residents still don't have heat, or lights, or hot water. It's sobering, to say the least.

So this may not be the year that we make it in for the parade, but that's okay by me. Instead I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with my family (whose safety after this storm is what I'm most thankful for this year) giving back just a little to people who weren't as lucky as we were. 

Pastrami, Amendments, and Spatchcocks, Oh My

Is it just me, or is anyone else having trouble believing that we're barreling into the holiday season and there's only two more days til I'm bus-bound for Long Island? Perhaps it's just been the busy nature of this fall (the previously alluded to hectic time at work, Hurricane Sandy, the 2012 elections), but it just doesn't feel like it's nearly Christmastime yet. I, for one, am still writing 'October' on everything and refusing to pull out my warm jacket. It won't be winter until I say so, damnit.

As much as I try to deny it, this weekend certainly had the feel of a busy holiday season. Friday night we took it easy and decided to try out the new Jewish-deli inspired restaurant in Dupont Circle. Since Jewish deli food is hard to come by in this area (and it's one of my favorite cuisines, naturally), I'd been eagerly awaiting this place for some time now.

 The verdict?

Latkes with Apple Preserve and Creme Fraiche

As my grandmother would say, "Eh, better than a sharp stick in the eye." However, it wasn't my favorite. The cocktails, pickles and latkes we ordered were all excellent. But the pastrami sandwiches we both ordered tasted more like ham than pastrami.

Yes. You read that right. Ham.

The pastrami wannabe

Yes, I know it wasn't actually ham. And I don't keep kosher and normally enjoy ham very much. But when I order a pastrami sandwich in a Jewish deli (albeit on delicious homemade rye bread with house-crafted mustard), it's a little disconcerting to be tasting what appears to be honey-baked and spiral cut. I'll go back to try their other offerings, but I'd advise them to re-think their pastrami brine recipe.

Saturday morning I ran errands, then joined some friends for another long-anticipated event:

This government major was highly impressed. My only quibble was that I wish I had read up on the 13th Amendment and the history surrounding it before going to the movie - I learned so much that I wish I had a little knowledge base going into the theater. That being said, that's my fault and not the movie's -- The makeup, acting, directing and writing were all spot-on. I'll definitely be going to see this one again.

After the movie I roasted some chicken for our dinner and tried out a new cooking technique that has very quickly become my new favorite word: SPATCHCOCK.

Sorry, this looks kind of gross. But I wanted you to see how to do it for yourself.

SPATCHCOCKING (I can't stop!) is when you cut out the backbone of the bird you intend to roast, allowing you to flatten it out on your roasting pan and get a greater ratio of crispy skin to roasted meat. (Plus, if you're into making your own chicken stock, you can save the backbone in your freezer until you're ready to make stock.) I roasted the chicken with some baby potatoes, asparagus and mushrooms, which let the veggies cook in the chicken juices.

Finished product

I served it alongside roasted carrots and parsnips, which I'd never tried before but which were surprisingly delicious. We invited our friends over at the last minute (they live on the floor below me, which makes last-minute dinner invitations possible), and served everything with a few generous helpings of red wine.

Perhaps too generous, since I woke up Sunday reminding myself that opening a third bottle of wine is never, ever a good idea. After a revitalizing breakfast sandwich and trip to the Dupont farmer's market, I met up with some friends for a manicure and a pre-Thanksgiving spin class.

Favorite coffee mug and my very first shellac manicure

Some of you may remember that I've written about my awful habit of picking off my manicure -- The solution, I've discovered, is a shellac manicure. I've never had one before, so I'm pretty amazed with it so far. Will not chip!

What have you been up to on your final weekend before the holiday season? Are you picky about your pastrami? Have you ever gotten a shellac manicure? Are you planning on spatchcocking any birds this week? Leave a comment and let me know!

Friday's Fancies - Fall Favorites

Today's theme is "Fall Favorites" -- if it were up to me, I'd spend all of fall wearing the outfit below!

Pearl Earrings: A classic year-round, but I particularly like to wear them in fall/winter.
Mug of Tea: I have recently become a tea drinker - lately I've been sipping Celestial Seasonings "Tension Tamer" blend - perfect for pairing with my favorite Trader Joe's cookies!
Cozy Sweater
Leggings
L.L. Bean Wicked Good Moccasins: These barely leave my feet in the winter. Plus, L.L. Bean has an amazing customer guarantee that allows you to send damaged merchandise back to them for a free repair or replacement. This has come in handy, since I have literally worn through the soles of these slippers, I wear them that much.
Chapstick: This is really less of a "favorite" and more of a "If-I-don't-have-chapstick-nearby-at-all-times-I-will-FREAK-out," but it's a total necessity for fall.
Tall Brown Boots: The fall shoe version of the little black dress. Goes everywhere, does everything. I love this pair especially!

What are YOUR fall favorites?

Friday Fancies - Inaugural Ball

So as you may know, SK and I are a bi-partisan couple. Months before the election, we agreed that no matter the outcome, if we could get tickets to an Inaugural Ball, we would go. I went to one in 2008 -- actually, it was on my first full day living in DC -- and it was one of the best events that I've ever attended. After months of stress, anxiety, worry, and hard work going into an election - for either candidate - it's so fun to just kick back and celebrate a new administration.

While I'm not sure we'll get to go to a ball this time around (I saw one ticket going for $400 today!) I put together a dream outfit that I'd wear to a gala like the Inauguration.

How I Feel About the Upcoming Week

That Time

You know that time that I had a whole post planned, and I was going to have a relaxing couple of days, and then it turned out that I might have to take a business trip at the last possible second instead of spend two days writing a paper that I've had six weeks to write but left til the last second?

Yah. That time.

How about some food pictures and a promise to do better next week!?

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce while waiting out Sandy

Fish Cakes at ThaiTanic after Sandy

Taco Night

The Hot Mess

Pre-Dinner Snacks at Hank's

Sorry team -- I promise I'll come up for air soon!

October Goals Recap/Looking Ahead to November

So, about those October goals....

......*crickets*..........

Yep. I made them.

Did I follow them?

Well, I did try....

1.  *Only buy lunch once a week*

I feel like I did an okay job with this one - definitely did not manage to accomplish it every week, but I certainly made a good showing through mid-October.

2. *Spin/Barre 2x a week*

Not even close. When I sat down to write this I thought I'd accomplished it - then I checked BikerBarre's logs and realized I'd accomplished half of what I set out to do. Le sigh.

3. *Ride my bike once a week*

Almost! Really, almost! I rode twice, and then one weekend SK's back was hurting so we went to Great Falls instead of biking. And then there was a hurricane. And now it is November. I'm counting it!

4. *Set up at least two friend dates*

Unfortunately for me, DC is a ghost town in the fall --  most people I wanted to meet with are out campaigning or doing election-related work. I did a spin class with my friend T for the first time, so I accomplished 50% of this one.

5. *Snooze less/Read the news more*

HA. I don't even know what I was smoking when I wrote that. Snooze-tober.


What am I planning for myself this November?

Some repeats, namely:

*Only buy lunch once a week*

+

*Spin/Barre 2x a week*

I'm also going to try to:

*Budget, budget, budget*

Between Hannukah gifts, Christmas gifts, holiday parties, traveling home for Thanksgiving, traveling home for Hannukah...I need to start saving money pronto.

*Stop buying so much junk at Trader Joes*

Grad school is across the street from a TJ's, so twice a week I pop in before class "just to grab dinner" ...and promptly walk out  with $30 worth of edamame hummus, Three-Buck-Chuck, Cinnamon Cookies (p.s. have you guys tried these Cinnamon twisty cookie things? They're my whole world right now) and who knows what else. (Probably mini-Bries. My other downfall.) If I'm trying to stick to a budget, I'm going to have to significantly diminish my relationship with Joe.

*Get back into reading*

I've written before about how much I love reading, but after  SLOGGING my way through Game of Thrones 5 (seriously, George? When HBO is worried that you may drop dead before you finish writing the damn series, its time to PICK UP THE PACE), reading and I took a little break last month, as if I was a college freshman and realized that I could watch AS MUCH TV AS I WANTED and there were NO PARENTS and WHO NEEDS READING ANYWAY? (Me. I do.) I need a good recommendation this month - who's got one for me?

Happy November, everyone! What are your goals?

Sandy update: My parents are doing just fine - still no power or heat, but they're hanging in, and we're all grateful that they aren't suffering through anything worse. Gas shortages are becoming a problem across the island, however, so they might be sitting at home for a little while longer than initially anticipated, though.