My homage to the Oscar Race

I thought "Milk" was a better movie, but "SM" was pretty amazing. "Milk" is a political story that could have been a scold but it is made with such a light hand that makes it fun to watch. Still, Danny Boyle should definitely win for Best Director for that opening scene alone. Acting was a little uninspiring once the kids grew up. I liked the jazz hands at the end.

Anyway, it inspired me to cook Indian for dinner Sunday. Despite his British heritage, Iain doesnt like Indian food. I chalk that up to the gloopy cafeteria curries he had at school. This is more of a southern Indian meal so not really geographically-correct, but highly recommended. Not difficult if you can find all the ingredients. Careful w the chiles - even with 1 in each it is still rather spicy. Click on the links for recipes.

Indian Shrimp Curry
Beet Cheera Pachadi (Beet Curry)

OK, so the crowns look silly

They are a British thing. Christmas dinner with Iain's family in London.

Christmas in Venice

Pictures from our lovely trip. Click on album to see larger version. Enjoy!

Venice Xmas 08

Live London, Die Young

I leave for London tomorrow. I'll be there for 2 weeks to spend the holidays with Iain's family. I'm really excited.

People ask me if I miss London. The answer is yes, of course, but it is slightly more complicated than that. London is like my imaginary first serious boyfriend: I was totally crazy about him. he was wild and good looking in an offbeat way. All I wanted to do was spend time with him. But the longer we went out, the more I realized that he was probably not great for me: we partied a little too hard, he made me spend all my money, and after awhile he started to come between me and my family. I moved out and try not to think about him too much anymore.

And I'd probably take the scoundrel back in a second.

Hawaii Pix

(Without the pix of me in a bathing suit)

Thanksgiving Pix

Thanksgiving: A Review

The NYT had an article on Wednesday about how to run your Thanksgiving Dinner like a CEO (“'It starts with asking yourself, as the Thanksgiving chief architect, what is your vision for this day and this meal,' said Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. ") If I manage at work the way I did the dinner last night...well...that explains a lot.

So the menu and the reviews:
Turkey: I tried the LATimes dry-brining recipe and let me tell you, dry-brining is the way forward. Totally juicy, totally firm/not fuzzy texture, tasty and and easy.

Mashed potatoes: An oversight. Lumpy.

Chestnut, Prune & Pancetta stuffing: Very tasty. Very good. Not good for you. Expertly executed by Executive VP of Thanksgiving, Laura.

Sunchoke Gratin: Easy and always a crowd pleaser.

Laura's Famous Pan-Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Love the little cabbagey-nuggets.

3-Day Turkey Gravy: I made the mistake of making the NYT "Turkey Gravy from Scratch" recipe. It was very good, but those are 3 days of my life I will never get back.

Rustic Apple Tarts: I almost ruined Thanksgiving with these freaking things. They sound easy, esp if you've bought the puff pastry, but there's plenty of opportunities to screw them up. Still, people were very indulgent and pretended like they liked them (after they scraped off the burnt bottom layer).

Pumpkin Spice Cake w Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting: Another star turn by Laura. I had another piece for breakfast this morning.

Wine: Laura brought a schmancy Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay which was yummy and really complimented the meal. I provided a St Supery Virtu - a white Meritage blend. That was slightly less successful.

All in all, a very enjoyable culinary outing. Pictures to come.