Second Blooming

Thanks Given

I'm a little bit slow with my Thanksgiving recap here. I blame the fact that Aunt Grace is visiting more than an overdose of tryptophan. Though I have eaten a considerable amount of THE BEST TURKEY EVER. And because, well frankly, it wasn't particularly eventful. All went well. Food was good. Company was good. A fine time was had by all. Yawn. Nothing interesting like an oven fire, or a snow storm, or a trip to the emergency room. Just a nice day. I'm bound to have something to say though...hmmm, let me see...

In looking back over the last several years of Thanksgiving recaps here on Second Blooming, I have realized that every year I say that it is THE BEST TURKEY EVER. Clearly, I love me some turkey. And either I'm getting better and better every year at turkey roasting, or I have short-term memory loss and don't accurately remember the year before. But seriously, this was a particularly damned good one if I do say so myself. I am now a dry brine convert. SO easy, and flavorful. And...I have to give a shout out to Darren, who did a particularly damn fine job of carving again this year. He studied a few YouTube videos on the subject, and went with Alton Brown's thick sliced method, which was an excellent choice. Mucho moist.

The weather has been super duper good. Yes, I am writing about the weather. That's how unremarkable Thanksgiving was. But really, it's been delightful. Cool and crisp and autumnal. I love that word, autumnal. Usually, we get a week of nasty Santa Ana winds around Thanksgiving, that drive the temperature up to the 90s right when you have to keep the oven on all day. But this year was a lovely high in the 60s and a low in the 40s. Autumnal. Yeah, I know, nobody cares.

Hey, I have a question for y'all. Do you put eggs in your stuffing? I always make Mama's cornbread stuffing, and there's no actual recipe, I just dump stuff in until it looks right. But the other day I decided to actually look up a recipe for the hell of it, and about half of the cornbread stuffing recipes on the internet say to mix in a couple of eggs. I feel sure that Mama never did that. Doesn't it make it kind of gummy? Is this one of those things that every family does differently? Hmmm. Fascinating.

Have I ever shown you my cornucopia? Well, it was Mama's cornucopia first, and I kind of love it. Not many people have a cornucopia nowadays. Here is the ubiquitous holiday table shot...

Didn't your family always used to take a "table shot" every holiday meal?

 You can't really see the cornucopia there can you? Here's a close up taken today...

The plenty in the Horn of Plenty is a little worse the wear by now, but you get the idea. It's pretty, right? I think Mama would be happy that I still put one out every year. So that was interesting.

Decided to serve from a buffet this year instead of having to pass everything at the table. Everyone was pleased. So that went well. 

Okay, this is just pathetic. 

Oh yes! I know you are all dying to know what I came up with for an appetizer! (Where's that sarcasm font when you need it?) I took everyone's advice, then kind of mixed it up and added in some shrimp for Jimmy. Many folks suggested some combo of cheese/crackers/bread/meat/olives/relish stuffs. There's this great store near us called Larchmont Wine and Cheese that makes amazing meat/cheese trays, so I decided to do my best to copy it and make one of my own. Cheeses, grapes, dried figs, good olives, ham rolled up like they do, sliced salami/sliced baguette, sprigs of rosemary for a garnish. Looked really good, I must say. Then I too Katherine M's advice and made Jimmy this Southern Living recipe for Marinated Shrimp. It was  super easy, do-ahead and delicious! Thanks everybody!

 Alright that's all I got. Y'all can go back to watching Adele videos.

 

 

Spin Cycle: Binging

You know, tv's been damned good lately. It used to be that television was Hollywood's red-headed stepchild, where all the B-level talent went when they couldn't get work in the movies. But no more. Now the very best of the best of actors, writers and directors have headed to tv. Between cable stations like HBO and Showtime and internet streamers like Netflix and Amazon, the competition has gotten fierce.

So here's my list of some fab shows that I have been obsessing over lately...

The Best of the Best -

The Honourable Woman

So stinking unbelievably good. A BBC production starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as an Anglo-Israeli heiress/Baroness/businesswoman. Middle East/British political intrigue. Sex. Coooooomplicated characters. Gyllenhaal is so excellent that she just floored me. She is...delicious. Powerful. Raw. Strong. And her British accent is absolutely flawless. Can't recommend this enough. (Netflix)

Second Best American Actress Playing a Brit -

The Fall

Gillian Anderson plays a Scotland Yard superintendent investigating a series of murders in Belfast. Good Brit whodunit stuff, but with tasty, gritty, many-shades-of-gray characters. And speaking of shades of gray (or Shades of Grey if you will), Jamie Dornan plays the bad guy, a seriously twisted but strangely sympathetic serial killer. Fun. (Netflix)

Best Most Screwed Up Family on the Planet

Transparent

Ah, the Pfeffermans! They are a wonderful train wreck! And I'm not talking about Mort/Maura, their transgender father, she's a lovely human being. It's the kids! They are the most self-absorbed group imaginable, and yet you still love them. What an amazing cast! They are ALL fabulous - they just completely go for it - no vanity here, they all allow themselves to be SO vulnerable and...human. Jeffrey Tambor, as Maura, is delightful. Judith Light, as the mom, is stunning, and let's herself be as old as she is. No small thing in Hollywood. No Botox on this woman. Melora Hardin, who usually plays the lovely, aspirational, feminine character (remember her as Monk's dead wife Trudy?), tears it up as Tammy, the narcissistic lesbian. And Bradley Whitford is almost unrecognizable as Maura's transgender friend, Marcy. Warning: LOTS of what I think of as "real people" sex and nudity. By that I mean not the kind of "prettied up" sex you usually see on tv. So you may have a few "I did not need to see that" moments. (Amazon)

Best Documentary That Will Make You Cringe -

State of Play

An HBO Sports documentary produced and narrated by Peter Berg about the culture of sports. Each episode takes a stark and ugly look at a different aspect of sports - searching for happiness after a sports career comes to an end, living with a disabling sports injury, life for a sports wife, and the brutal violence of football (which features my alma mater, Westlake High School in Austin!). But the most cringeworthy episode of all, is the movie which kicked off the series - "Trophy Kids". Anyone who has any kids playing any sports anywhere has to watch this. It follows five obsessive Southern California sports parents and I'm telling you, it's painful. And it makes me wonder why in the hell would anybody agree to let themselves be followed around with a camera like that. You'd have to be pretty out of touch with the reality of your world to think that what you're doing would make you look good on the small screen. Yikes. Watch. (HBO and On Demand)

Best New Brit Myst -

Bletchley Circle

Everything you need in a British mystery series. Period piece. Clever women. Tracking down the killer. Terrific British actresses. Curl up with a cuppa tea. (Netflix)

Best Look at the Juicy Underbelly of the World of Classical Music -

Mozart in the Jungle

Yes, it really is sex, drugs, and classical music. It's a world I adore - New York, the arts, theater, music, temperamental artists - it's good stuff. The show manages to steer clear of the silly, soap operay tone of Smash, and instead reminds me of the brilliantly funny Canadian series Slings & Arrows (which would also be a damned good binge - available on DVD only at Netflix). I adore Gael Garcia Bernal, who plays the passionate Argentinian maestro, who takes over the symphony and shakes things up, and Malcolm McDowell is terrific as the forced-into-retirement older maestro. And it's great to see Bernadette Peters in anything! (Amazon)

Best Silly, Fun, Formulaic (But I Don't Care) TV Show That Isn't New At All But I Just Discovered It (But I Don't Care) and How the Hell Many Episodes Of This Thing Are There Anyway? (But I Don't Care) Sci-Fi Show -

Supernatural

Yes, I know. It's been on for ten years. But I never watched it because, seriously, who on earth over the age of 15 watches the WB/CW channel? But based on my previous sci-fi binging, Netflix kept "suggesting" it to me and when I realized that Kim Manners of The X-Files was one of the producers, I gave it a go and now I'm completely hooked. It's really clever and funny and well-written, and I love watching those Winchester boys kick some demon butt. I am now on...oh good Lord, really? Season 6. That's a lot of demon butts. I keep stepping away and watching something else, but I keep going back for some more Sam and Dean. But I don't care. (Netflix)

Best Show I Can't Binge Because It's on Network TV So I'm Forced to Wait a Full Week Before the Next Show and It's Killing Me -

Empire

I only have to give you one reason to watch Empire. Taraji P. Henson. She is the best thing on television. Seriously. I mean, the rest of the show is fun, but as the jailbird matriarch, Cookie Lyon, Henson is amazing! I watch the show just waiting for her to come on screen. I love her. She's one of those rare characters, like Maggie Smith's Dowager Duchess on Downton Abbey, that makes you want to needlepoint throw pillows with all of their best lines. Only Violet's pillows would be silk crewelwork, and Cookie's would be make out of faux animal print. (FOX)

Okay, so that's what I'm watching lately. What's your latest binge?

 

The Feast 2014

This year was our sixth Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes with this enthusiastic and stalwart group of friends...

Strangely good picture, considering the photographer was a 12-year old.

and these, their children...

Strangely less-good picture, considering the photographer was a 40-something year old.

 I love these people not just because they are lovely, smart, generous, and fun, and therefore excellent company, but also because they are...good eaters. Yep. No picky eaters in this group. They "ooo" and "aaah" over everything I serve, and gobble it all up.

For those of you who are uninitiated in the ways of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a quick lesson...

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is the Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve. According to the internets: "The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence." We're supposed to be fasting on the eve of a holy day (Christmas) by not eating meat, only fish. Just like eating fish on Fridays during Lent. Why seven? Nobody's sure, except that it's a...bibley number - seven days of Creation, seven sacraments. You get it.

While I am not Italian by blood, I have whole-heartedly adopted this tradition from Jimmy's family. We never really had a traditional Christmas dinner growing up, Mama liked to mix it up - a turkey, a standing rib roast, a ham. So when I first experienced a big Italian Christmas Eve feast, it was a huge "aha!" moment. This was the feast for me!

From what I know, every Italian-American family has a different version of The Feast. Mommy says you don't really have to cook seven fishes. It could be whatever you want. She does the same dishes every year (well, she used to, I'm afraid she has now retired herself from the big meal preparation) - shrimp scampi, linguini with crab sauce, Alaskan King crab legs cooked in marinara sauce, and flounder stuffed with crab.

It's DELICIOUS, but I love the fun of mixing it up and the challenge of preparing seven dishes. The menu is different every year, but I sometimes repeat a dish from previous years if it was a favorite. The menu this year was...drumroll...

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

The Barefoot Contessa's recipe HERE. Super easy, but infinitely better than just the usual old boiled shrimp cocktail.

NOTE: The shrimp were the only dish from The Feast that the children were actually allowed to consume. The kids are all fed at a table in the office - they get pasta and fish sticks. This was completely acceptable when they were five years old, but now they've pretty much outgrown the office and the fish sticks. It's a concern. But I'll think about that...tomorrow. Fiddle dee dee.

Trippy picture of the children who have outgrown the office.

Steamed Mussels with Sausages and Fennel

Really good. The broth was delicious, so I served it with a crusty baguette to sop up the juice.

This is a recipe that serves six as a main course, but I halved it since it was just one of many courses. I could have made more, they ate every bite.

2 lbs. sweet or hot Italian sausage (I used sweet)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large fresh fennel bulbs, sliced

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

3 cups dry white wine

6 lbs. fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded

chopped Italian parsley

In the biggest pot you can find...brown the sausages in olive oil. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add fennel and saute until softened. Add garlic and red pepper and stir for about a minute. Add the wine, cover and simmer until fennel is soft, about 10 minutes. Slice the sausages into 1 inch chunks. Add mussels and sausage to the pot, cover and simmer until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Serve in a big bowl with bread to soak up the juice.

Men & Mussels

Tuna Crudo with Lemon Vinaigrette

Crudo is basically the Italian version of sashimi, and focuses on simple, fresh ingredients. Recipe is HERE.  It's very tasty. You must get good, sashimi-quality tuna. It's not cheap.

Awful picture of me putting together the crudo. I swear that all those bottles behind me were used for cooking, not for drinking. Well, not just for drinking.

Octopus Carpaccio with Arugula, Shaved Fennel and Satsuma Salad

This is the second year I've made this, and I'm afraid it wasn't as good this year. Peculiarly, last year I overcooked the octopus, and it was delicious. This year, I cooked it according to the recipe, and it was tough. So...whatever. I'm not even going to give you the recipe, because I know that none of you will EVER make it (if you really want it, feel free to message me and I'll get it to you). It involves cooking octopus then pressing it into a mold and then cutting it into a salami-like dish. But here's a picture...

It was delicous. But not...as delicious.

Frutti di Mare (Mixed Seafood Pasta)

I don't have an actual recipe for this. I basically just make a marinara sauce then add in the seafood and let it sit for a day or two so the sauce takes on the rich taste of the seafood. You can put in pretty much any kind of seafood you want. The only thing you have to be careful about is the order in which in you add the seafood and how long you cook each addition - kind of use your judgment. This year I used crab legs, scallops, squid and clams, but you could also add shrimp or fish (something firm, maybe halibut or cod, cut into 1-inch chunks) or whatever looks good to you. I prep the crab the way Mommy taught me - steam the legs in a pot with a lid for a few minutes until you sweat out the extra liquid. If you don't, your sauce will be runny. After the sauce is pretty much cooked, toss in the fish that needs to cook the longest (squid, fish) and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Then add whatever needs to cook less time (shrimp, scallops). Finally, add whatever has already been cooked (crab legs), warm through then turn off the heat. After it has cooled, stick in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. When you're ready to go, heat the sauce while you boil the water for your pasta. When you have it bubbling, toss in the clams (or mussels if you want), cover and steam until the shells have popped. Discard any that don't open. Serve over pasta. Yum.

Orange Roughy Oreganata

A hearty peasant dish. Easy to make. You could use any kind of soft, white fish. I used the roughy because it looked good at the fish market, but tilapia would be good.

4 fresh fish fillets

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper

1 cup bread crumbs (fresh or Panko are best)

1/2 cup (or more) grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano or 2 tsp. dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4 tbsp. melted butter

Make roasted garlic - Remove papery bits around the cloves, but don't peel. Place the garlic cloves in some aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, then wrap the foil tightly around the cloves. Place in the oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes. When they're roasted, you can squeeze the soft garlic out of their peels.

Make crumb mixture - In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, oregano and garlic powder.

Rub the outside of the fish with the roasted garlic - the garlic will melt right into the fish. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a roasting dish, then add the fish fillets. Pour wine over fish into pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly pack the crumb mixture over the fish. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Fish will be flaky and crumbs should be nicely browned.

Serve with lots of lemon slices.

Petrale Sole with Warm Pine Nut Dressing, Wilted Greens and Fennel Puree

While the roughy was peasant food, this was much more sophisticated. And I must say, it was really quite good. It sounds a little complicated, but it was easy to get prepped ahead of time, and then just sear the sole at the last minute. Again, you could use any kind of soft, white fish.

1 fennel bulb, cut into thin wedges

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup plus 2 tsps. olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup pine nuts

5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

4 fish fillets

2 ounces baby greens (I used baby kale)

Make fennel puree - Place fennel and 5 of the garlic cloves on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil into a packet and roast in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Transfer the fennel and garlic to the food processor, puree and season with salt and pepper.

Make pine nut dressing - In a small bowl, place dried porcini. Cover with boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and save the mushroom broth. You won't need to use the mushrooms here, but don't throw them away - they'd make a great omelette. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add the pine nuts and the remaining 1 clove garlic and cook over moderate heat until the nuts are golden, about 3 minutes. Add the porcini liquid and balsamic and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic clove. Add 4 tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large skillet. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Sear the fish fillets in the pan until cooked through, flipping once.

Spread the fennel puree on a serving plate (or on individual plate). Top with fish fillet. Drizzle with 3/4 of the dressing. Add the greens to the remaining dressing in the skillet, and warm until wilted. Mound the greens on the fish and serve.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Trifle

Oh good God this was good! I love a good trifle. And I love Mexican Hot Chocolate. So how could this go wrong? The recipe is out of Southern Living magazine's Christmas issue (my dear Cousin Keith gives me a subscription every year and I pour over every issue). You can find it HERE. It's amazing layers of moist chocolate cake, chocolate ganache and marshmallow cream. And you serve it with some of the ganache warmed up as a hot fudge sauce!

Not as good of a picture as the one on the website, but looks pretty damned good nonetheless.

NOTE ONE: This is pretty complicated. The cake takes forever. HOWEVER...don't wimp out and make a simpler cake! It's super rich and moist and full of cinnamony goodness.

NOTE TWO: It wasn't until I got to the assembly point in the recipe that I read the part that said "Makes 15 to 20 servings". Which is ridiculous. I actually froze an entire cake layer.

So that's it. This year's Feast of the Seven Fishes. At the end of the night we went around the table and everybody reminisced about their favorite dishes over the last several years. I have written these down, and next year? A "Best of" year. Should be good!

Hope everybody's Christmas was very merry!

 

 

Catching Up

Well hello.

I don't seem to have been paying much attention to y'all lately, have I? I'm so sorry. I think about y'all all the time, but I just haven't been able to sit down and write anything.

It's funny, the other day I was telling my friend Melissa that despite the fact that I hadn't seen her in months, I felt like I had because I often talk to her INSIDE MY HEAD. I could pick up a phone and call her and actually tell her things, but instead I have long conversations with her INSIDE MY HEAD. She was happy to hear that she's very witty and charming INSIDE MY HEAD, and I love that she always laughs and laughs at my jokes and wholly appreciates what I'm sharing with her. INSIDE MY HEAD.

And that's just where I've been blogging lately. INSIDE MY HEAD. I have written, maybe...15 posts. INSIDE MY HEAD. Trust me, they were all very witty, and clever, and you all loved them all. INSIDE MY HEAD.

But now we are OUTSIDE MY HEAD, so I will try to catch you up a bit on Christmastide in Second Blooming world.

It rained. Finally. Y'all have to understand that we are in a serious drought out here on the west coast. It hadn't rained in moooooonths. So rain was good. What was weird was the way our 100-year old house reacted. About six months ago, the bathroom door stopped closing. The old house had shifted and the door suddenly didn't fit the frame anymore. We had somebody look at it, but he said he was worried about changing anything because it was likely to shift back, and if he messed with it, he'd ruin it. Well guess what? After the rains, the bathroom door now closes perfectly. But now the FRONT door isn't working. It's better now, but for about three days, the only way we could get in or out of our front door was for me to perform what Jude called a "This is Sparta!" on the door. Much like this...

 

 

It really was much like that. Only the role of the Spartan dude in the skirt was played by a middle-aged woman in yoga pants and Uggs. Me. I can't imagine what the neighbors thought. Jude LOVED it! He thought I was a read bad ass.

Jude is, sadly, no longer a believer. And in true Judelike fashion, he was in no way angry that we had deceived him Santa-wise, he was only worried that he had ruined Christmas for me. Because he knew how much I loved the whole Santa business. Sweet boy. So when it came time for him to write his letter to Santa (or letter to "Santa" as he now says with air quotes), he balked, and said he really didn't want anything. After much needling, I discovered that the problem was that he had suddenly realized that Jimmy and I pay for his Christmas presents. All this time he'd been thinking it came for free from the North Pole. How much do I love my kid? So I had to go kind of off-letter this year to figure out what he really wanted. I knew he desperately wanted a gaming computer, but sadly, they are a bit pricey. Then...a high school-aged friend of Jude's told me about...Zee. Zee is a computer geek dude who rebuilds computers and beefs them up with lots of RAM and...video card thingies (okay, clearly I don't have a clue here, it's all very technical and...stuff), and sells them to gamers on the cheap.

So I email this Zee, and he told me he could hook me up with just what Jude needed. All I had to do was drive down and pick up the computer in (cue the ominous dum-dum-dum-dum music)...Bellflower, California. Beautiful Bellflower is a wasteland of stripmalls and factories and storage units situated in the armpit of the 605 and the 91 freeways. Let's say it's in Southeast Hell. Zee then texted me this picture so I could find the building...

I swear to God, this is the place. The things we do for our kids.

Luckily, I did not get sold into white slavery, and Zee turned out to be a righteous dude. He set us up with this baby...

This picture doesn't do it justice - the monitor is massive!

The boy is in heaven. He gave me a hug that would be worth driving to Southeast Hell and back every day.

I managed to avoid a Great Teacher Gift Debacle again this year! See previous disasters HERE and HERE. Nosireebob, I have learned from my mistakes. This year, I found something quick and easy and usable, that has a long shelf-life. Just what I needed. I combined a couple of recipes and this is what I came up with. You should save this recipe for next year...

Rosemary Sea Salt

1 3-lb. box kosher salt

2 bunches fresh rosemary (destemmed)

Finely chop the rosemary. Place salt and rosemary in a large pot, and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it's heated through - about 10 minutes. Pour into a large bowl to cool. Add to wide-mouthed half-pint Mason jars and seal.

Made 11 half-pint jars. Weird amount I know.

My favorite Mondegreen of late...

Jude asked me why there was a Christmas song about "Korean eyes". After puzzling for a bit, I figured out what he was talking about and explained that the line in "Winter Wonderland" is "It will really be like a picture print from Currier and Ives" not..."Korean eyes".

It reminded me that I spent much of my childhood thinking there was a country called Orientare. As in "We three kings of Orientare."

Maybe folks from Orientare have Korean eyes

Well there you have it. Words have appeared OUTSIDE MY HEAD. In the next couple of days I'll be back with my Feast of the Seven Fishes menu for this year. It was goooood (if I do say so myself).

Merry Christmas, y'all!

 

Almost not bad picture of us if Jude had just stopped moving. Thank you Aida.

Another Thanksgiving in Bullet Points

• Best turkey ever. Seriously. For several years now, I've been brining my turkey using THIS recipe from Alice Waters. And it's been damned good. But this year, I decided to try something new and went DRY brine. Oh yeah. I used this recipe from good ole Southern Living Magazine. It was super simple and MUCH less messy than the wet brine. And the turkey was moist and yummy.

 Herbed Dry Brine for Turkey

3 tbsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tsp. rubbed sage

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

Stir all this together. Pat the turkey dry. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. brine into the cavity of the turkey. Reserve another tbsp. brine for later. Sprinkle the rest all over the turkey, rubbing it into the skin. Cover and chill the big bird for 10 to 24 hours.

When you're ready to roast, rinse the brine off the turkey and pat dry again. Then mix the reserved tbsp. of brine with 1/2 cup of softened butter. Loosen the skin over the turkey breast and spread the butter under the skin over the breast. Oh YES! Amazing!

Then just roast it the way you like to do.

• JUDE ATE SOMETHING GREEN! Spinach, no less! My best friend Kaysie's family always makes Spinach Madeline for holiday meals, and I decided to haul it out this year. I must admit that it's possibly the least healthful vegetable recipe imaginable, right up there with that Bloomin' Onion from the Outback. But he not only ate it, he gobbled it up and asked for SECONDS! Here's the recipe that Kaysie gave me long ago, but I'm afraid that the Jalapeno Cheese stuff can't be located anywhere, so you should substitute Velveeta and some Pepper cheese grated together. I'm thinking you could put in whatever kind of cheese you want, but don't try to make it too healthful or you're defeating the purpose.

Kaysie's Spinach Madeline

2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (boiled and squeezed very dry - reserve 1/2 cup of liquor)

4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) butter

2 tbsp. minced onion

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup reserved spinach liquor

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 oz. Kraft Jalapeno cheese roll (or Velveeta or Pepper Jack) - cut up or grated

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Melt the butter and saute the onions. Stir in flour to make a roux. Add evaporated milk and spinach liquor and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper. Add cheese a bit at a time, stirring each addition until it melts before adding more. Add the Worcestershire and garlic powder and spinach. Transfer to a baking pan. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until it bubbles around the edges, about 30 minutes. Sit in shock as your vegetable-hating child asks for seconds!

• I'm thinking that next year I'm going to find a folding table to set up on the side of the dining room and just go buffet. It's the same problem every year, there's too much food on too many large serving dishes that don't all fit on the table and are too hot and/or heavy to pass. I think it would be easier if we all just got up and helped ourselves. And that way the kids could grab their own food without their parents having to wait on them. Somebody (mmm...Lynn) needs to remind me of this next year!
• Best Thanksgiving purchase - a Girlmade Apple Pie. I am a total snob about store-bought desserts. As in...I won't allow them at my dinner table. I either make it myself or we don't eat it. However...this year I made a slight exception. Jude's school is very involved in do-gooding, and every year each class does an Adopt-a-Family thing. The kids all come up with ideas to raise money for their family. Six little girls in Jude's class got together and offered homemade apple pies, which they took preorders for and then handed out in the carline at school. Those little girls worked themselves silly and damn if that pie wasn't delicious!

• This last Friday after Thanksgiving was possibly the laziest day that our family has ever experienced. Jimmy stayed in bed all day. Really. All. Day. And Jude and I sat on the couch and played video games and ate leftovers until I finally decided that we had to do something productive. So we went and got ice cream. Yes, productive is a relative thing. We then curled back up on the couch with MORE leftovers and watched a double feature - The Princess Bride, followed by Spaceballs. A Sillyathon. Next year we need to add some Monty Python. I am proud to say that Jude is now walking around saying things like "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.", "Inconceivable!" and "May the Schwartz be with you."

Jude, eating ice cream at Scoops, our favorite neighborhood ice cream parlor. Please notice that Jude is dressed only because these are the clothes he wore in Thanksgiving night and he SLEPT IN THEM.

• Best leftover repurposing of the year. I made Aimee's Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions recipe again - delicious as always. But by Sunday we were totally OVER the whole leftover thing, so I had to get creative. So I sauteed a mess of kale (That's a Texanism - "a mess". It's a vague measurement that approximately equals "a buttload".), tossed in the leftover sweet potatoes and onions, added olive oil and a half a pound of cooked pasta, then sprinkled it with freshly grated Parmesan and YUM!

Okey dokey, that's all for Thanksgiving. I am proud of myself for not veering too far off my diet and leftovering myself back into my fat pants and for managing to get to the gym twice during the Thanksgiving weekend.

How were your Thanksgivings?

Spin Cycle: Hollywood Bowling

One of the greatest iconic Los Angeles summer activities is a night out at the famous Hollywood Bowl.

Built in the 1920's, the Hollywood Bowl is an amphetheater nestled into the Hollywood Hills. Every summer, they offer a series of concerts - classical, jazz, rock, world music, and special events. But it kinda doesn't matter what the music is, the fun is in the event. Everybody brings food and liquor and has a giant picnic. You can either go all hoity-toity and purchase the box seats down near the stage, or go more plebian and grab the nose-bleeds way up top - it's fun either way.

For the past two years I've been going with the Fun Moms from Jude's school to the Grease Sing-A-Long, which is just what it sounds like - they show the movie Grease on a big screen and we all sing along with it. Everyone dresses in silly Grease costumes and is very loud. It's a whole audience of Pink Ladies and Greasers and Beauty School Dropouts.  It's amazingly silly and fun.

Yes, we did wear the silly costumes. Yes, we did have the fancy box. Yes, I did dress as Rizzo, though I realized I was a little long in the tooth for that, so decided I was actually Rizzo's slutty mother. No, that's not a real cigarette.

We had lots of fun, and ate lots of food and drank lots of drink. But don't worry, nobody drove. The original plan had been for Jane's teenaged son to be our driver (excellent idea I thought), but he threw us over for a date with a cute girl. Hmmm...hot girl...carload of your mother's drunken middle-aged friends dressed in dorky costumes...can't understand the kid's decision.

Anyway, the picnic portion of the Hollywood Bowl experience is always pretty serious. Nearby restaurants have started businesses just catering for these upscale picnics. And I have to say, this group of ladies delivers the good stuff. This year was particularly innovative and yummy, so I thought I'd share some fab picnic at the Bowl recipes.

We started with Rachel's cocktail, which she dubbed the Pink Panties since we were all the Pink Ladies.

Pink Panties Cocktail 

1 medium watermelon, chopped then puréed

1 liter bottle 100 proof vodka

1/2 bottle pink lemonade flavored vodka straight from freezer

1 pint raspberry sorbet

 

Here's what Rachel did in her own words...

In the morning I chopped the watermelon in large chunks and poured in large ziplock bags with bottle of 100 proof vodka. 8 hours later, took it out of the fridge. Reserving vodka left in bag, I puréed the watermelon then placed purée in large fabric tea strainer and poured 100 proof vodka from bag through the purée in strainer. I gave it time to run through before adding more watermelon purée and vodka. Yield approximately 1 gallon. Then I blended 1 pint sorbet with 1/2 bottle of pink lemonade vodka and stirred into watermelon vodka and refrigerated.  Ice kept separately in ready to serve!

And it  went beautifully with my appetizer...

Watermelon Goat Cheese Bites

I got this idea from this recipe HERE, but I boogered with it some. I'm fairly sure boogered is a proper culinary term.

One seedless watermelon (you'll have lots of leftover)

One log of goat cheese

Fresh basil

1 cup balsamic vinegar

Slice the watermelon into big disks, about one inch thick. Lay flat and use a cookie cutter or the lid to a jar to cut out small (1 inch to 1 1/2 inches in diameter) cylinders. Then slice the cylinders into 3 or 4 disks. Arrange little circles on tray.

Slice goat cheese into little disks about the same diameter and thickness of the watermelon disks. Place on top of the watermelon.

Place one piece of fresh basil on top of each goat cheese disk.

Make a balsamic reduction by gently boiling 1 cup of balsamic vinegare until it reduces by half. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the little disks. Serve.

The original recipe called for bacon, but shockingly, I chose not to use it. But here's a picture of how it would look with the bacon (and if you were an extreme perfectionist - mine didn't look like this, but it tasted GOOD).

Super fresh and summery!

For the main course, Amanda made this amazing...

Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

It was so good that when she dished up huge portions for each of us, we all protested "No, no, that's to much!" then we all promptly gobbled up every bite.

The chicken recipe, which involves an incredible Indian spice and buttermilk marinade,  came from Amanda's friend Lisa's blog The Skinny, which you should definitely check out even if you don't make the chicken recipe, which you should. The recipe is HERE.

And her Mango Salsa recipe, which made it truly special is as follows...

2-3 ripe mango (you are looking for about 2-3 lbs. worth)
1 large jalapeno, or 1.5 small
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
a handful of chopped cilantro (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
grated zest of 2 limes
juice of those 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)

Chop the mango into a small dice.  (my tip: slice the fatty part of the mango - the "cheeks" away from the long center pit, then score it like an avocado - cutting a pretty narrow grid into the flesh without cutting through the skin.  Then scoop the flesh into your bowl - instant dice)  Put the mango in a medium size bowl.

Carefully seed and finely chop the jalapeno pepper (you should have 1-2 TBSP depending on how hot you want the salsa).  Add to the mango, along with the remaining ingredients. 

Toss together gently.  Season with salt and pepper to taste..

Refrigerate.  Serve within 4-6 hours.

Makes enough for 4-6 people

Then for dessert, Jane made these amazing treats, so good you won't believe it...

Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Chunk Blondies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 12 x 2 inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and with the mixer still on low, slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold the walnuts and chocolate chunks in with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes exactly. Don't overbake! A toothpick may not come out clean. Cool completely in the pan and cut into bars.

It was an excellent feast! And a super fun evening.

 

What are your favorite picnic spots this summer? What are you putting in your picnic basket?

 

 __________________________________

 

Check out Ginny Marie and my other Picnic Spinners this week. And come back on Monday for next week's Spin Cycle topic!

 

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Spin Cycle: Summer Things I've Been Thinking About Lately

Aunt Margaret's Summer Tonic

My friend Shannon, who is now a Manhattanite, but grew up in Big Spring, Texas, posted a recipe on Facebook the other day for her Aunt Melissa's Summer Tonic. It sounded so tasty that I tried it myself, then tweaked the ingredients a little and since I don't have an Aunt Melissa, I rechristened it for my Aunt Margaret, who I do believe would have enjoyed it very much. It's the perfect tonic for the summer heat!

Aunt Margaret's Summer Tonic

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add...

1 jigger of Citrus vodka

1/2 jigger peppermint schnapps

Fill the glass to the top with unsweetened iced tea.

Enjoy the freshness!

 

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

 

This is the stuff!

Oh dear Lord is this the bomb! It's a cleanser and a makeup remover and an exfoliator. It's a multi-tasker! They bill it as a "two-part skincare system". You start with the super rich and creamy cleanser, rubbing it into your dry skin. It has this amazing eucalyptus/rosemary spa smell and is not only really moisturizing, but it takes off makeup - even mascara. Then...you move to part two, which involves this cool little muslin cloth which you soak in hot water, then use to wipe off the cleanser. It's just the right amount of soft/scratchy to exfoliate your skin. I'm in LOVE with it!

 

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans and Cumin

Yes, I know, I know, it sounds a little too damned healthful, but I'm telling you this is so stinking good! I discovered it when I was on a quest for vegetarian meals to counter the whole cholesterol thing, and Jimmy and I both love it. It's really lemony and flavorful, and you feel like you're doing yourself a favor while gorging yourself. I guess you could make it as a side dish or salad (I'm bringing it to the next pot luck!), but we just eat it as a main dish. Give it a try!

 

Picture stolen from the Epicurious website which doesn't look nearly as good as it tastes!

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzos and Cumin

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3 teaspoons ground cumin, divided

1 teaspoon turmeric, divided

1 teaspoon paprika, divided

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (about 5), trimmed, quartered lengthwise

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine garbanzo beans and lemon juice in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil; press in garlic and stir to combine. Let marinate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, quinoa, and coarse salt; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Place zucchini on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Toss to coat evenly.

NOTE ON ZUCCHINI: I usually just "grill" it on the George Foreman. But when that is too much trouble, I just sliced it up and fry it in a skillet. I've also added broccoli. It's all good as long as you dump all those yummy spices on it!

Place zucchini on grill; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.

Add zucchini, green onions, and parsley, then garbanzo bean mixture to quinoa. Toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Please try!

 

Orange is the New Black

The bad girls are back!

Season 2 on Netflix

 

No second season slump here, the show is better than ever! I've been doing my Netflix binge thing, and tonight I watch the last episode of the season, so don't spoil it for me!

 

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

 

I know this is old news. In fact it won the Pulitzer for fiction back in 2009. But I just read it and loved it, and I think it would be a terrific vacation read. It's short stories, so easy to digest in short spurts, but also really rich and filled with character, so a serious upgrade on the usual beach reading. Olive Kitteridge is the one character which ties all of the stories together, and she's a beautifully drawn character, not completely likable, but stunningly real and familiar. It's a book that resonates.

What are you thinking about this summer?

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Spin Cycle: What Ever Happened to May Day?

When I was a little girl, Mama enthusiastically celebrated May Day. She would spend hours filling May Baskets with treats and delivering them to the neighbors. She always wanted to have a party for me where my little friends and I could dance around a May Pole, which she would decorate with flowers and colorful ribbons.

And I hated it. Why? Because NOBODY else we knew celebrated May Day in any way. The neighbors would smile uncomfortably when we brought them their May Baskets, confused about what it was all about and if they were expected to reciprocate. In fact, you're really supposed to leave the May Basket secretly on someone's doorstep and run away, but since nobody else did it, she always had to knock and explain what it was. It just wasn't a "thing" in Texas. I wanted to be enthusiastic about Mama's holiday, but it was just a little...embarrassing.

Why was Mama so into it? I don't know. She wasn't from Texas, she grew up in South Dakota, then lived in Chicago. I always assumed that the May Day thing was a tradition from those places, the distant North. Or maybe it was something she got from her Norwegian relatives - some Scandinavian thing.

I've poked around on the internet, and can't find any evidence for this - nothing special in either Norway or South Dakota. Maybe it was just that when it's that stinking cold for such a long, hard winter, when everything finally thaws out, you want to have a little outdoors fun.

It's still popular in Great Britain - lots of May Poles and Morris dancing. The Irish have Beltane, and the Germans and Finns have Walpurgis Night. And it's all wonderfully wild and pagan. Lots of dancing and bonfires where effigies of Old Man Winter are burned. In ancient Rome, tributes were made to Flora, the goddess of flowers.

Sadly, as I got older, Mama stopped the May Day thing. I don't remember any May Baskets by the time I was in sixth grade or so. I don't know if she just kind of forgot about it, or if she gave up on trying to get me interested. It must be lonely being the only person celebrating a holiday.

Interestingly, Jude's school celebrates May Day. Mama would LOVE it.  As it has always done throughout history, the Catholic church has hijacked the pagan holiday, and May Day is now a celebration for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every year they have a May Crowning, when they place a crown of flowers on the head of their statue of Mary. All the children bring bouquets of fresh flowers picked from their yards and gardens and they gather around Mary and sing things like "Hail Holy Queen" and "Immaculate Mary". The second graders all wear their first communion outfits. It's really terribly sweet.

 

Do you celebrate May Day in your part of the world? Did you when you were a kid?

Maybe I should try to bring back May Day. It all seems like a lot of fun to me, and it would sure have made Mama happy. I'm guessing my neighbors would enjoy a nice May Basket. Who wants to build a May Pole? Does anybody know how to Morris dance?

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It's All Magical and Mickey at Disney World Pt. 1

We Disney Worlded, y'all!!

For Spring Break, Jude and I flew across the country for a week at Disney World in Orlando! We were treated by Jimmy's brother Tony and his wife, the amazing Niki to an action-packed week of Disney fun. You will notice that Jimmy is not mentioned as part of this trip, and that is because he was not. Tony knows his brother very well, and knows that though he loves rides and certainly loves sitting by a pool, Jimmy is not the best with things like...lines and crowds. So he did not join.

And though you probably don't want a day-by-day travelogue of our trip...I'm going to give it to you anyway! Because it was all so much fun, and I can't resist.

I feel that I should put forth a disclaimer here that I have a love/hate relationship with all things Disney. On one hand, everything is so fake and glossy and artificially perfect, and on the other hand, everything is so fake and glossy and artificially perfect. I mean, I have to hand it to them, the attention to detail of the entire place is pretty amazing. And they make every detail of your trip extreeeeeemely user-friendly. But on the other hand, you pay for that - everything costs extra. But on the other hand, it's kind of worth it. So...

Monday: The Evil Red Eye

On Monday night, Jude and I hopped on a red eye at LAX and flew to Orlando.

About to take off.

Jude's artsy shot out the window.

It was five hours of hell. Seriously. That red eye was the one of the mostly physically exhausting experiences I've ever endured. I'd say 1. Childbirth. 2. Red eye. Neither of us slept for one minute. I would sum up the reasons for this as such - snorer, cougher, crying child, horrible cologne, movie nobody watched, turbulence, seatbelt. Jude's reaction? "Now I know what it must feel like to be a homeless person, trying to sleep on the street."

Tuesday - The Magic Kingdom

We arrived, blurry-eyed at 5:30 in the morning, stumbled our way to the Magical Express Bus, and as soon as Disney took over, everything went magically.

[Magical Tangent - Everything at Disney World is "magical". Every time you talk to a Disney employee, or "cast member" (Cast Member Tangent within a tangent - everyone who works for Disney is refered to as a "cast member". It's like Disney's wink to acknowledge that everything is fake and glossy and artificially perfect.) they tell you "Have a magical day!"]

I highly recommend to anyone visiting Disney World that you stay in one of the Disney resorts. It makes everything SO much easier. First of all, everything's so clean and...fake and glossy and...well you get it, but also, those cast members bend over backward to make your stay more magical. AND you get to use these amazing gizmos...

The Amazing Magic Band!

We pre-ordered our personalized Magic Bands ahead of time, connected it to our itinerary and to a credit card. So all you have to do is scan this puppy and you are in wherever you go. It's your motel room key, your ticket to the parks, it manages your Fast Passes, and you use it to pay for your food and all your shopping. It's a magical miracle.

We stayed at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, which is one of their "cheaper" motels. But I must say, we were completely happy and comfortable. The room was small, but it was all we needed, and it was SUPER clean and very quiet. Which came in handy when we got there at 7 am.

When we scanned ourselves into our room, we were greeted by this...

Mickey towels.

...and a phone message from Mickey himself, wishing us a magical stay.

[Mickey Tangent - Everything at Disney World is Mickey. Mickey-shaped waffles, Mickey-shaped ice cream, Mickey ears, Mickey shampoo, Mickey soap, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey.]

We caught 4 hours of good solid sleep, then hopped on another bus and headed for the Magic Kingdom to meet Tony and Niki!

Just like Disneyland only bigger and hotter.

Since we go to Disneyland here in California fairly often, the Magic Kingdom was a bit...redundant. As Jude put it "It's just like Disneyland, only with humidity!" But it's always fun anyway, and we loved being with Tony and Niki, who we don't get to see enough, and we enjoyed riding the rides at DW and comparing them to DL.

Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain were superior at DW (though we missed the groovy Space Mountain music they have at DL)...

Splash Mountain - We're the back two rows. Don't know the goofball in front.

While Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World were better at DL.

So we rode ourselves silly, grabbed a Disney meal and crashed back at the hotel.

[Nugget Tangent - Every restaurant in Disney World has chicken nuggets. I started thinking of them as "the ubiquitous nuggets". It didn't matter if it was a pizza place or an Indian restaurant, they had the nuggets. I remember a time back when Jude was about 4 when I would have thought that this was a miracle. But nowadays I found myself slightly disgusted.]

Wednesday - Animal Kingdom

We LOVED that Animal Kingdom. Seriously.

Selfie with Tree of Life. You can see that Jude's patience with the selfie is already wearing thin.

Jude's words - "It's like a zoo and an amusement park in one!" And it's the cleanest zoo I've ever been in. I don't know how they get those animals to not stink. It's part of the magical fakeness thing, but it's amazing. It's like all the animals are "cast members", trained in making everything magical. The park is divided into sections arranged around The Tree of Life, the coolest and fakest thing of all...

Not a real tree. But cool anyway. It's basically a Tree Statue. And this thing is HUGE, people.

There's Asia, Africa and Dinoland...

...each with their own vibe and appropriate animals and rides.

In "Asia", we found Mount Everest...

Okay, maybe a little smaller than the real thing.

...and our new favorite roller coaster EVAH - Expedition Everest. I promise, this is an excellent roller coaster - just the right amount of extreme. It's scary, but never makes you think you're going to barf...

The first time we rode Expedition Everest. Look at us in the front row. Then look at the dudes behind us!

And here we are again. About 30 minutes later. We're that kind of people.

We also really loved the Kilimanjaro Safari, which is in "Africa". It's so perfectly fake that you really feel like you're on a real safari. You ride in a big jeep with a guide, and you ford streams and hit real fake potholes. The animals are beautiful, and you get really close to them. I am absolutely fascinated by how they can have lions on one side of the road, and zebras on the other side, but nobody eats each other. There must be some secret, hidden fencing system that keeps everybody in their places, but I couldn't spot it. Jude LOVED it. And I must say that, unlike some zoo experiences, I had the feeling that these animals were all terribly happy and well-cared-for.

Tony and Jude on safari.

Elephant cooling off. There are no photo effects on this pic. I suspect that the bottom of the "pond" is painted that color by Mickey.

Could practically touch the giraffes.

It was fun and also genuinely educational. Actually, most of the Animal Kingdom was like that. We also loved the Kali River Rapids and the Dinosaur ride.

Then in the late afternoon, we took a bus to another bus to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort to something called the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, described on the website as "a hilarious, high-spirited hootenanny the whole family will enjoy, accompanied by a finger-lickin' countrified feast". Niki has a friend who had raved about it, so she made the reservations, and we all loved it.

Picture stolen from Disney website, and not the cast we saw. But I think those are the same wigs.

The show's a little hokey (okay a lot hokey), but the music's fun and the show is tried and true. And by tried and true I mean that they've been doing the same show a couple of times a night every night since 1974! The cast shifts around, I suspect they just pass around the costumes and wigs, but everybody is a real pro. Dinner was pretty damned good too - fried chicken and ribs and all you can drink beer and wine. Can't ask for better than that.

Wow! I've already written 1400 words and we're not even to Epcot yet! So come back next week for It's All Magical and Mickey at Disney World Pt. 2!

 ___________________________________

Oh look! Mama Kat's with me on this...

1.) Let's reminisce about the last trip you took...pictures please!

 

 

 

Spin Cycle: Staycation LA

There is good news and bad news about living in a city that is a popular vacation destination. The good news is that it's easy to get people to come visit. I've been lucky to meet quite a few of my blogger buddies because they just happened to be heading to Los Angeles on vacation. The bad news is that our already overcrowded city is constantly clogged with tourists. We used to live up in the hills right below the Hollywood sign, and it was always a battle to get in and out of our driveway around the knuckleheads standing in the street taking pictures of themselves.

Despite the overcrowding and traffic, Los Angeles really is a beautiful city and a great place for a vacation - mountains, beaches, great weather, culture - something for everyone. But unfortunately, when you live in a city, you don't really take the time to enjoy the attractions. I lived here 8 years before I finally went to Disneyland! I can't tell you how many New Yorkers I know who have never been to the top of the Statue of Liberty, or taken the Circle Line Tour.

What we need is a staycation. Not that we'll ever take one, because we always need to see family. But one can dream. Here are three Staycation LA ideas. Maybe one of you could make it an actual vacation!

Santa Monica

We often go to the beach. It's probably both Jude and Jimmy's favorite place to be. But we live on the other side of town, so every trip to the beach ends with a looooooong, torturous trek home, stuck in traffic on the freeway. It would be so nice to have a hotel out there so we could really relax. I dream of staying at Shutters on the Beach...

Shutters is the iconic Santa Monica beach hotel.

It's super luxurious and sits right on the beach. There's a pool and a fabulous spa, but honestly, just sitting on a private balcony looking at the Pacific with a book and a glass of wine sounds like about the best thing I can imagine. And while I'm doing the balcony/wine/book thing, I'll send Jimmy and Jude down the beach to the Santa Monica Pier, one of Jude's favorite places in the city.

Lots of fun stuff - a small roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, an arcade.

Santa Monica has so many  excellent restaurants that I'm not even going to choose a favorite. THIS link lists a Top 10 that makes me weak with desire. But one morning we'd need to drive up the coast to Malibu and have brunch at Geoffrey's, a favorite restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Aaaaah!

Downtown

Downtown LA is having a renaissance. After years of decline, it is now THE place to be, with lots of amazing new restaurants and hotels. And though the area around the Staples Center/Nokia Theater/LA Live/Ritz Carlton area is hopping and a major tourist attraction, I think I'd prefer to go a little old school, and stay at the classic 90-year old Biltmore.

We could grab a martini in the vintage bar (which just happens to be the last place visited by Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, before her murder) then head out to dinner at one of THESE restaurants. Then we could take in some culture, either a concert at the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, or maybe a play at the Ahmanson.

Disney Hall is AMAZING!

And of course, we couldn't leave downtown without a lunch at Jude's favorite restaurant in LA, Philippe the Original, the Home of the French Dip, which has been downtown since 1908.

Jude loving his French Dip.

Maybe we could stroll through historic Olvera Street or Chinatown for a little ethnic culture. And if it's Sunday, we could take in mass at the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Koreatown

Okay, this would be a real, genuine staycation, because Koreatown is our 'hood. Realtors refer to our neighborhood as Hancock Park adjacent (Hancock Park being the fancy schmancier neighborhood), but really, we're Koreatown adjacent. Though K-Town used to be kind of crummy and gang-infested, it has also gone through a gentrification, and is kind of a hip place to be nowadays. And though we could stay home and take in the sights, it might be fun to stay somewhere uber cool, like The Line Hotel...

The Line is the hottest new hotel in LA.

The Line boasts Pot, the latest restaurant from Roy Choi, one of the hottest chefs in America. But while in K-Town you also have to go for Korean barbecue, a real cultural experience which involves cooking your own food on tiny grill in the middle of the table.

Jude enjoying Korean barbecue. Yes, the kid eats squid.

You can't visit Koreatown without visiting a Korean day spa. I've written before about my visits to the cheap but delightful Olympic Spa, one of my favorite places in the world, and an amazing experience (though you must get over any issues with nudity fairly quickly). But maybe, if we're trying new things, we should visit Wi Spa, which is much fancier, and offers a place called the Jimjilbang, which is an area where the entire family (yes, kids too) can be pampered together. 

And no Koreatown experience would be complete without a little...karaoke. That's right, Koreans are crazy for karaoke. So we might have to pop by the Brass Monkey. Hmmm...a little Dusty Springfield, a little Pat Benatar, oh yeah, I love some karaoke!

Dang, now I really want a staycation! Though I REALLY shouldn't complain since we're going to Disneyworld in a few weeks! But still, I'd love to experience my city like a tourist, seeing everything through fresh eyes.

What would you do on your staycation?

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