Month: November 2020

Like many , our Thanksgiving celebration this year was different. We, for 30 plus years, have traveled to the San Francisco area to be with family for the holiday. We always look forward to the road trip with excitement. It is our “kick off” to the holiday season. We always enjoy stopping at the lovely Magnolia Inn, in Jacksonville, Oregon on the way. We enjoy the drive down; the magnificent views of Mt. Shasta; and sharing the holiday with our Aunt Grace. We enjoy the hustle bustle of the whole weekend : shopping in Union Square; seeing the Christmas lights in the city at night and dining in our favorite restaurant overlooking the Wharf. But this year is not the year for travel. So it was dinner for two at our dining room table instead. And although it was different , it was no less special. It reminded me of a package we received from our friend Bonnie, right before the holiday. It set the theme for our Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday to come :

So we “Stayed Cozy” this Thanksgiving. Whether traveling or at home , no matter what the setting, we are so thankful for what we have together and the blessings of family & friends in our life, near or far. And dinner for two & cozying up at home was exactly what felt right this year. We enjoyed my husband’s delicious smoked turkey and cozied up later with a slice of scrumptious Pecan Bourbon Pie ; recipe courtesy of the Pioneer Woman

And since we started putting our Christmas decorations up last weekend we were surrounded by holiday cheer. And in 2020 , we all need an extra helping..or two.. of that !!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/drunken-pecan-pie-9503267

© 2020 – 2024 Every Day is a Holiday. All rights reserved.

I know there is a “National Dog Day” ..and this is not it.

But it seems appropriate to talk about pets this week …as we lost a cherished member of our family : our four legged , brown eyed handsome nephew, Gatsby. And he was THE GREAT GATSBY for sure, living up to his name. Our brother got him in 2009 as a rescue, but I think it was the other way around. He came into our brother’s life at a dark time for him and he brought a much needed bright light. We had also just lost a few months before , our beloved dog Steve. Gatsby came into our lives and stole our hearts too.

I have heard it said that he was an 80 lb lapdog. And it was true. If you were willing, when his paw would go up on your knee , you knew that next he would be cozying up in your lap . Well as cozy as an 80 lb dog can get in one’s lap! But he sure tried and always seemed to succeed in looking totally comfortable even if you weren’t : ) But how could anyone say no to that face?

Not taking anything away from our dogs, who we loved and still love dearly, but Gatsby had the sweetest face of any dog I have known… and the sweetest disposition.

For a big dog he was frightened of many things…small noises, and sometimes if someone came to the door , even someone he knew, he’d balk. Who knows what he endured in the year before our brother rescued him to make him so skittish. But all that was behind him when Gatsby came into his new life. He was loved by not one , but two caring Dads and spent many happy hours with them and his brother the furry handsome Cole, who we imagine right now is sharing a bed with him that is ridiculously too small for them both, but they seemed to always prefer that and make it look totally comfy..

We took care of Gatsby many times and always looked forward to his visits. They always went too quickly. Just seeing that face was enough to make you smile. With his passing this week, it surely doesn’t seem like there is anything to celebrate. But Dogs give us so much and what they give us far outlasts their short years. Gatsby’s presence in all our lives and his continued place in our hearts, is a gift that we will always celebrate and cherish.

© 2020 – 2024 Every Day is a Holiday. All rights reserved.

Celebrations don’t have to be marked by holidays on a calendar.  Growing up ,  simple moments just “felt” festive : homemade meals prepared by my grandfather and mother with great pride at a big white stove in the cavernous kitchen with the efficiency of  chefs; our Aunt Rose’s famous meatballs, golf size morsels gracing bowls of sauce laden ziti;  and my Aunt Marlene’s chocolate cake,  made with 3 boys under the age of 6 fighting over who was going to lick the beaters first—just like being the first to open a birthday present.

So that brings me to Chocolate ! And Fresh out of the oven : a version of Barefoot Contessa’s  Chocolate Chunk Blondies !

These remind me a lot of my mom’s favorite chocolate chip bar cookie. That recipe is somehow long gone , but Barefoot Contessa’s Blondies are almost the same , except I added some coconut and I use pecans instead of the walnuts in the original. And you use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips  So it packs more of a chocolate punch… and what’s not to celebrate about that ?!

Chocolate Chunk Blondies- 

Ingredients

1/2 lb (2 sticks ) unsalted butter , at room temp.

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 pecans

1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks   ( but I have also  used 12 oz semi sweet  chocolate chips)

1/2 c or a more of Coconut.

Directions :

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13 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 pecans, chocolate chunks or chips and coconut.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 30 minutes exactly. Don’t overbake!

Cool completely in the pan and cut into bars

© 2020 – 2024 Every Day is a Holiday. All rights reserved.

Summer is but a memory. But in our autumn garden right now the Patsy Cline Rose is blooming . It’s a beautiful variegated rose, with a shock of red and pink. It’s a lovely souvenir of summer.  We are “Crazy ” for it . And that it is still blooming in November … is cause for celebration!

© 2020 – 2024 Every Day is a Holiday. All rights reserved.