For most folks the beginning of the Christmas season is when various decorations pop up in stores sometime after Halloween or the unofficial start Black Friday. However for me it is when the ginormous Christmas Tree is lit up at Rockefellar Center. Mind you I wouldn't be bold enough to stand in the crowds to see it lit. I tried one year and I was too far away to even get a good look. I rather sit in the comfort of my couch and watch it light up. Did you get to watch it or have a tree lighting in your city/town?

I love cooking. I think that is pretty well understood. It is fun for me to try out recipes and see which ones I like and work well. But sometimes I have no problem getting help from prepaired foods and since Trader Joe's sells products with mostly no preservatives I don't have a problem getting the help from them.

Niel recently purchased their Potatoes Au Gratin and it was ever so delicious. We also tried their Wisconsin mac and cheese but I wasn't too crazy about it. I think I'll stick to Kraft or the generic store brand. Or of course make both from scratch. Heh heh. I can't wait for the new Trader Joes to open near us. Niel thinks we'll pretty much do all of our grocery shopping there. I can see it now bags of Au Gratin, Nan, Chutney, pitas.......

Niel heard about the Cliton Station diner in New Jersey. Their claim to fame is they serve enormous burgers. He had wanted to go last Thanksgiving but we never got around to it. Luckily this year we managed to get our acts together somewhat and a few of us went. They have burgers in various sizes from the cute nanos to the 50 lb burger. Of course since its a diner they also have other meal options and a nice bakery. There were articles posted in the front of the restaurant about people who have attempted to eat the various sized larger burgers. I believe one person even ate 60 of the nano burgers in 15 minutes.

Before we left we were weighing various objects on a scale to get a grasp as how big our burgers would be. We were so way off their actual size. The portions were for giants.

Niel and Kelvin ordered the 2 pound burger, I got the 1 pounder, Mike got the 5 pounder and Shawnda got the Nano burger which are adorable mini burgers accompanied by waffle fries. I really should have ordered that.

A little girl even came by after she saw the size of the burgers to take a picture.

Mike ate half of his burger which Niel named Dougie(we name everything), Niel and I finished the meat but not the bread. Kelvin finished half of his burger too. Shawnda was able to finish her meal, Erin ordered waffle fries and Anthony ordered an omelet. They were able to finish their meals. Heh heh. Pictures here.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving and weekends were nice. I really enjoy Halloween and Christmas but I'd have to agree with Niel that Thanksgiving is really underrated. It was great having extra days to be home, enjoy delicious and in some cases grossly oversized meals, have a successful Christmas shopping outing. Yes we attempted Black Friday this year, although we didn't mean to. Got to spend time with family and friends. It was great.

I have a gazillion vacation days and I took Wednesday off to cook and clean because we always host Thanksgiving and its easier to have an extra day. It was a small group, my parents, my brother and Niel's mom. We appreciated everyone who was able to make it. After a small snafu with my brother showing up at the wrong house we got dinner started. Niel and I served Turkey, corn pudding, salad, cranberry sauce, broccoli rab, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffed mushrooms and a pumpkin pie. Niel had also brought apple pie, cherry pie and a carrot cake. My mom brought over a beet dip, feta and cottage cheese phyllo rolls, flan, Baklava and a cute plant with a turkey shaped pot. Niel's mom brought over her stuffing and a pumpkin pie. We had a nice dessert selection this year. We ate, and some of us fell asleep on the couch. Before I forget our Turkey had a third leg. We were pretty grossed out.

A little while later Kelvin and Shawnda stopped by and watched the Gameshow Network with us. It was nice to see them. I know its especially nice for Niel since they don't live so close.

Friday I had a quick appointment in the morning then met my mom to show her the new mall. It's right by her but she has never been. So we walked around for a bit had lunch at Johnny Rockets and then went to get some work done for my grandmother's grave stone. I told her a Trader Joe's is opening up in her neighborhood. We're all glad about that. I then went home to get ready because in the evening Niel and I took out my parents for their anniversary. Niel got home from planting bulbs with the scouts, took a quick shower and we were on our way to enjoy some seafood.

Saturday deserves a post of its own so tomorrow I am going to tell you about ingesting a grossly insane amount of food in one sitting.

Sunday Niel went over to Kelvin's and they made a computer together. I went grocery shopping and made some stock. I know Niel was appreciative to have a new one but the poor guy came home sick with a bad headache and threw up. He still has a bit of a headache today but still went in to work. I hope he feels better soon. Pictures here.

This video makes Niel and I laugh and occasionally break out into spontanous song and dance. Ok admittledy most things do. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend is going well.

Are you worried about eating too much during the holidays? I read this article the other day on Yahoo that says the foods you will eat at Thanksgiving are actually good for you. So eat away!

I just finished reading Marjane Satrapi's latest book Chicken with Plums. Satrapi's work is poignant yet funny. If you are a fan of her's or graphic novels I recommend it.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Saturday was my wedding anniversary. Five years. But also ten years of being with Niel. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. My husband is an incredible person and I feel very lucky to be with him. Niel planned a visit to our favorite diner The Waffle House. He found one in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The food was still as tasty as we remember it. But this Waffle House had the friendliest staff, was clean and had speedy service. Bethlehem is also the birthplace of The Rock. A little wrestling fact for you. Heh heh.

Since we were in PA we also decided to do a little bit of guilt free shopping at the Tannerville outlets. Shannon O was kind enough to suggest them. We both scored in finding outer wear. Niel found a great pair of boots he had been looking for, for some time. I got some items at a store I normally can't find items in my size or liking.

Then we were off to our final destination Scranton. Where our favorite TV show The Office is based in. Yes folks some people travel to exotic destinations and we go to Scranton. Yes we're dorks. Shut it. Scranton is a business oriented as well as a college town. It reminded us of Albany. It is also very very very hilly. We got pretty lost at times. But it was very funny. Did you know that Scranton was the first city with a trolley and this is why it is known as the Electric City? The trolley museum is located at the Stanton National Historic Site in downtown Scranton. We didn't feel like driving the two hours back so we stayed for the night and had a nice dinner at Foley's. We couldn't find Coopers. Did I mention we got lost a lot. Otherwise we would have gone there since Cooper's is mentioned on the show a lot. Yes Coopers is a real place. We took a little walk around the mall and found out Rain Wilson who plays Dwight Shrute on The Office is going to be in Scranton in December. We also got a picture of the towns sign that is in the opening credits of the show. As well as the sign Mifflin. Cause the name of the paper company is Dunder Mifflin. Heh heh.

Although we didn't get to go away as long as we would have liked it was still a very nice anniversary. Pics here.

Love Song - The Cure

whenever i'm alone with you you make me feel
like i am home again whnever i'm alone with
you you make me feel like i am whole again

whenever i'm alone with you you make me feel
like i am young again whenever i'm alone with
you you make me feel like i am fun again


however far away i will always love you however
long i stay i will always love you whatever
words i say i will always love you i will always
love you


Happy 5/10 Niel.

We typically purchase Italian sausages for various recipes but recently Niel purchased Johnsnville orignal Brats(Bratwurst) and man is it so flavorful and different.

I hope our supermarket gets their other line of products: Chorizo, Beer Brats, Cheese Brats etc. I highly recommend them.

Time magazine's recent issue is all about the best inventions of 2006. They voted You Tube as the best invention. And although I agree You Tube is pretty awesome I have to say that there are a few other inventions which I thought were even cooler.


A Kinder way to Kill Lobsters:
I do love a good lobster basked in a garlic butter blend but I don't like the way the lobster is killed. Recently a lawyer from England thought of a new way to kill the lobster without it being in a lot of pain. I'm not any means vegetarian or a vegan but I do think we should put thought into how our food comes from the farm to the supermarket. It's kinder, safer and healthier.


Super Water:
This is my favorite invention because not only with this machine clean your produce very well, but it also comes in a spray form that you can use to clean your countertops, bathroom and non wood floors. No more unfriendly environmental products to use!


A vaccine that can possibly prevent Cervical Cancer:
Now we know that Cervical cancer is caused by a virus, scientists have now come up with a vaccine to give to pre-pubescent girls in the hopes that it will prevent Cervical cancer. Amazing.


Helping Stroke Victims Gain Movement:
Much of the time stroke victims will lose strength and sensation in one arm. They now can be helped with this special robotic suit that assists the victim gain strength in their weak arm with their strong one.

Bringing Water to the Waterless:
This one blows my mind. I'm afraid for our natural resources and this invention puts my mind to ease about our greatest one, water. The Rainmaker is a water harvesting machine that can produce 500 gallons of water out of thin air.

Saving Limbs:
There have been so many accidents and fatalities of lost limbs and lives working with power tools. A new machine helps to prevent this because it comes with sensors which tell the difference between flesh and wood.

A Lifeline for Firefighters:
Firefighters save lives and now the FDNY(Fire Department of New York) has invented a a fire proof speed control harness that will hopefully prevent our bravest from dying if they are ever caught in a burning building.


Robots that help wounded soldiers in the field:
Developed by the military the The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR), has arms that can support soldiers up to 400 lbs. It can climb hills, balance and maneuver all sorts of ways.


It is wonderful what people can come up with to help better the world. It is very exciting. Which inventions do you like?

I am really enjoying Taco Bell's Caramel Apple Empanada. I know it's terrible for me but it tastes so darn good. Plus their sauce packets have funny sayings on them.





Song Stuck In My Head:Come Back to Me by Vanessa Hudgens

I've finally been enlightened to the benefits of double and triple coupons. Why I waited so long? Beats me. Niel and I have always tried to save as best as we could. We would buy things on sale or the store brand or whatever had the best unit count. Recently I saw an episode of Rachael Ray where this woman saves $5,000 a year buy clipping coupons. I went through the circulars and compared what products were the cheapest and tried to apply coupons on top of that. Let me tell you it was exciting to see my grocery bill drop. Of course you shouldn't buy items you normally do not because it obviously won't help you save. Yes I've finally turned into my mother and no I don't care if that is weird.






Song Stuck In My Head: Here It Goes Again by Ok Go

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. One of the two days the weather was very nice. Saturday Niel and I did some veg shopping at a farmers market then took a nice walk around the park. In the evening we went over to the new mall by us because they were having a holiday party. They had decorated the mall with a Christmas theme and were giving out free Starbucks, had Niel's former high school's cheerleaders and new marching band perform, as well as had Aaron Neville sing. I don't know why they had the holiday party before the Thanksgiving party which is this coming Saturday, but I guess they could only get Mr. Neville for November 12. Anyway I've mentioned the new mall before. It's called The Atlas and is very nice. It's an outdoor one and although is mostly upscale they have a lot of community activities. Two weeks ago they had a Halloween trick or treating event for the kids. I know the purpose of the activities is to get more people to shop there, but I think the extras are nice. So we wandered around the newly opened Borders and a few of the other stores, then left. It was getting too crowded to hear Aaron Neville sing. Though I did find that one of the stores sold The Barefoot Contessa's baked goods.

Did you all watch The Office? Wasn't it fab? And its only going to get better. Oh the tension.

Niel also got to see Kelvin who dropped by a Scouting event on Sunday.

I also enjoyed watching all the Thanksgiving shows the Food Network was airing. I feel a bit more prepared than I did a few weeks ago. Things have been crazy and I have not enjoyed the holidays(from October on) as much as I normally do. We also taped Iron Chef. Niel used to be really into it then got bored with it, but last night they had on two of his favorite chefs: Gia De Laurentis and Rachael Ray. I think he likes them not so much for their recipes but because he thinks they are cute.





















Song Stuck In My Head: Tchaikovsky's Toy Soldiers

I had extra cold cuts that I didn't want to go to waste so I made my own hot pockets with some biscuit dough I purchased on sale at my local supermarket. They were delicious. Some were eaten and the rest frozen for later consumption.

Niel brought some new yogurt for me to try. It was really good. Then I noticed the name of the company was Danone. I wondered if it was a company Dannon yogurt purchased? Or Danone had purchased Dannon? Or was one copying the other? I couldn't make much sense of it from the website. Any Canadian bloggers know?

I'm pretty excited because I saw a commercial for Reba on the CW. I hope this means that it will be back or at least the cliff hanger from last season will be resolved. I love this show! Plus Scarlett Pomers who plays her younger daughter Kyra is back to. She has an eating disorder and took some time off to deal with it.

I'm also pretty pysched for the Thanksgiving specials the Food Network is beginning to air starting on Thursday. I love their specials during the holidays.

I am pissed at myself though for missing two episodes of celebrity Jeopardy. Damn.

You think I would have learned to be more careful when purchasing something after my water fiasco(August 29 2005 post) but I haven't. Every couple of months I purchase new toothbrushes for Niel and me. And even sooner if one of us gets sick. So I was at the drugstore recently and I brought two. I go home and put them in the toothbrush holder and used mine. All without noticing(until Niel brought it up) that the toothbrushes have names on them. My purple toothbrush is called Rob and Niel's blue one is called Jenny. We laughed at my silliness and the fact that toothbrushes are given names but were impressed at the names being matched with colors they normally wouldn't be.

I heart Martha Stewart's new magazines for the holidays. The first is dedicated to crafts and the second is for cookies! I wish the craft magazine came out before I started Christmas shopping but maybe I can make one or two of the items. I will definitely be trying out the cookie recipes though.
Also go see Borat! Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius. Mission Impossible 3 much better than I though. It was the hoopla I think surrounding TomKat that turned folks off. Nacho Libre funny! The Break Up, also better then I thought it would be.

Last but not least congrats to Lisanne on the birth of her little girl!





Song Stuck In My Head: "A Time To Change" The Brady's

I'll be on a tiny hiatus. Need some R & R.