I got the blueeeees and it's almost my favorite color....

I love Thanksgiving. Love, love, LOVE it. Simply adore it. I've always looked forward to big gatherings since as far back as I can remember. My favorite memories are going to my granny's house for the biggest feast of the year. Sherri would make her famous salsa and cucumber salad. Which, even as an adult, I can't get enough of. Granny would work all day on the turkey and dressing. All the kids would play "Simon Says" or "Red Light/Green Light" out on the deck. Sometimes the hot tub would be filled up. Sometimes we'd add bubbles. Granny would usually do her "This Little Piggy" dance. Phil's band would play. Everyone would play pranks on each other. In other words, Thanksgiving at my granny's house was pure delight. There was never anywhere else I wanted to be. It will always be a very special holiday for me. Even after I moved to San Francisco I would host the "Misfit Thanksgiving" dinners and everyone would come to my house to visit and gorge. A few years, those parties were HUGE. Those memories are of everyone being thankful to have each other and embracing the time we were allowed to spend together because of this honored tradition. Once I got to Utah and had family coming to visit around the holidays, I started making dinner. I mean making everything. From the herb butter to stuff under the turkey's skin to the giblet gravy and all the trimmings. I did that three years in a row at my father-in-laws house. This year, my husband and I bought our own home. I was stoked beyond imagine to FINALLY host Thanksgiving at my own home. Not so fast. My husband was called on a fire detail to Texas and left me out here alone for two weeks. I got to spend turkey day all alone in my new house. I would be sad except I decided to enjoy it just like I always have. I made my favorite, green bean casserole; and spent the day with some very good friends. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even as my family called me from Texas with all the "dysfunctional" stories that I love so much, I felt genuinely happy to be where I was and doing what I was doing. About 5 months ago, I decided to give up drinking; or at least take a much needed break for awhile. Thanksgiving of course, has usually involved massive amounts of holiday drinks for me. This was my first sober holiday is a very, very long time. This Thanksgiving was about learning to be okay with ME. Being comfortable in my own skin, enjoying myself and my surroundings. Embracing the people around me, and most importantly, learning to live in each moment while CHOOSING to be happy. I am overwhelmed with gratitude this year! Thank you...

I Like Chloe Moretz

Wow, what an auspicious little actress. Most of you probably know her from her role as "Hit Girl" in Kick Ass where she inadvertently made national headlines. Everyone was talking about the young girl with the filthy mouth. She was great. She kicked major ass. Everything I see her in I am blown away by her talent. She was adorable in 500 Days of Summer. She captivated as Chelsea Lutz in the the remake of The Amityville Horror. Let Me In was one of the better horror flicks I watched this year. She tore it up. Literally, ripping people to pieces and making it believable. Like this could actually somehow happen. That you could possibly have a vampire living next door to you, and befriend them nonetheless. I am almost embarrassed to admit that after having Netflix for only a few weeks and experimenting with various television shows, I got sucked into Dirty Sexy Money. An extrememly trashy, New York tale of the rich and famous. Chloe played Kiki George, the daughter of the main character. Somehow managing to steal the show. Wicked Little Things follows a widow and her two daughters to the woods in Pennsylvania. Chloe, as the youngest daughter Emma, totally takes the spot light. This movie seriously would have been horrible without Chloe's added charisma. This girl is top notch and a lot of fun to watch. I am excited to see her upcoming roles as I think she will definitely be leaving her mark on Hollywood if she hasn't already. Most notably, I CAN NOT WAIT for Dark Shadows! Yes, a remake of the cult-horror, TV classic! Okay wait, the best part? Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Lee Miller. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! You can read more about it HERE.

Potato and Leek Casserole

Most of you are familiar with potato and leek soups, but casserole? I got the idea for potato casserole from my friends and neighbors in Wayne County. They have a little something called "funeral potatoes" and believe me, there is a myriad of funeral potato recipes. To each his own. I believe you can make a fine judge of character by what someone will put into their "funeral potatoes". My friend and I have been discussing setting up a "funeral potato" cook-off at some point in our lives when we aren't drowned in work and stress.

You will need:

1 large leek (sliced)
10 potatoes (chopped)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of French's fried onions
swiss cheese (I would have used gruyere if I had it)
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
salt/pepper to taste

I started with boiling the potatoes and leeks to soften. About twenty minutes for the potatoes, ten minutes for the leeks. Guess what you do next? Mix them into the casserole dish with milk, butter, cream of mushroom soup, half of the cheese and half of the fried onions. Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty-five minutes. Add the remaining cheese and top with the rest of the fried onions. Cheesy.

Some approved additions: BACON! Fresh sauteed mushrooms

End of summer conglomeration...

In a panic to use up the remaining vegetables before we lose them all, I've been experimenting with different casseroles and salads. It's getting close. I mean, it was snowing already last week! It's scary, I know but I really am looking forward to my winter break. I need it desperately. I hate to use that word because it's so, well....desperate, but it's forthright.

Anyway, to get back on track. VEGETABLES.

One thing we have a lot of is tomatoes. I've been using them and abusing them regularly. The first recipe was so delicious I actually made it twice in one week and it's coming up again soon. You will need:

6 medium tomatoes (or a balance of big/small) whatever you have, really.
1 yellow squash
fresh grated parmesean cheese (as much as you like)
2 small baguettes
rosemary/sage (any fresh herbs will do)
olive oil

Cut the baguettes into cubes and coat in olive oil and herbs. Bake until crisp and put aside.
Slice the squash and lay it in the bottom of your casserole dish. Then slice your tomatoes and layer them on top of the squash. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with some of the herbs. Crunch the baked bread cubes over the top into crumbs. Top with parmesean cheese and herbs. Bake it covered for about 30 minutes and uncovered for about 10 more until the cheese is nice and browned. Super easy and cheap, right? Delicious too.

Another quick and easy salad that everyone will love is the timeless, cucumber and tomato salad. You will need:

4 tomatoes
1 small purple onion
1 cucumber
fresh parsley
rice vinegar
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Cut the cucumber into chunks and set in a bowl with very little rice vinegar. Let it marinate while you are preparing everything else. Add your tomato, onion, parsley and olive oil. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. DONE!

Cafe Diablo

This is my third season working at Cafe Diablo. Eleven years ago (when I met my husband) I came to Torrey on a 2 week vacation. I never went back home. I ended up staying for the summer, heading up north to see snow for the first time and ultimately traveling on to beautiful San Francisco. Somehow I knew I would eventually make my home here. Living in California, while stunning in it's own right, my heart always held a special place for southern Utah.

Cafe Diablo has been owned and run by the same chef for nearly seventeen years. Chef, Gary Pankow studied culinary arts *here* at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. People travel from all over the world to dine in his eclectic oasis of culinary fusion. Somewhere between southwestern and home-style cuisine, Cafe Diablo has something for everyone.

I am proud to be a part of such an acclaimed restaurant. It's all about having fun. We want the customers to (a) feel at home, (b) enjoy the atmosphere (even on those busy nights, you will find our customers mingling amongst each other) (c) feel satisfied, and (d) tell their friends how much fun they had!

Currently, the tulips are blooming in bold shades of yellow, red, white and even purple! They are clearly an indication that Spring has made it to Wayne County. Soon, we will be growing our own herbs and even some fresh veggies for kitchen use! Cafe Diablo will close for the season near the end of October 2011, so get here while you can!

Below is a link to events in our little county that you may find useful. Might I suggest dressing like your favorite super-hero and attending the Bicknell International Film Festival. I'm going to be Tank Girl....

Wayne County Events

Virtues of Humanity....

It seems to me that society has lost sight of what humanity really is. Sadly, the Government controlling our nation has completely and totally lost sight of humanity. In fact, I don't even think they're humans. They must be something else.

I'm not going to name any names, but I have a couple of people in my life that work for CERTAIN Government agencies. Two different ones to be exact. One of them, has been working for nearly 20 years and has recently gotten their company vehicle taken away (to cut costs). This angers me. It angers me because on the flip side, you have another agency that goes above and beyond to NOT CUT COSTS. It's the little things that matter here. Plane tickets, hotel rooms, fancy dinners....all on the struggling Government dime. What a joke. Can we only wish for responsible players? Are there too many ins and outs to comprehend? Here's an idea. How about getting everyone on the same page and start saving money in the areas that make a difference instead of where it hurts people?

Thank you.

Venison....and a grass-fed diet!

I mentioned before that our good friends gave us a bag of venison from one of their hunts. Did I mention how delightful it's been to have such fresh, lean, natural meat on hand? I would eat venison every night if I could. All of this, but I'm not a hunter. I doubt I could ever do it. I'm seriously considering it, though. We're running low on meat and I even resorted to buying hamburger from the grocery store. We don't have fresh, local, grass-fed options out here either. Yet.

UPDATE: I will never, ever buy ground beef from an unknown source again. After watching Michael Pollan on Oprah the other day, I am now informed that the hamburger on the shelves in grocery stores is meat from 1000-5000 different cows. I had no idea. Talk about not knowing where your meat comes from.

This brings me to my next issue. My husband and I are working on a business plan (it's looking really good, so far) to bring grass-fed meats to our local community. After reading articles like THIS I am reminded how important it is for us to know where our foods are coming from. More on this topic later as our business plan comes together.

I got some organic sweet potatoes (they were little, like fingerlings) in my Bountiful Basket last week. I peeled and chopped them into chunks. Into the slow-cooker they went. Along with a turnip, jalapeno, gray squash, celery, onion and pan-seared, marinated venison. A little barley, and voila! It was delicious and I plan on doing it again. None of my recipes ever turn out the same. Just improved from the time before.