countdown to thanksgiving 2010!

i'm getting very excited for tomorrow! i started researching recipes and getting a game plan going over the weekend, and i think i have all my bases covered. there will be some things that are the same as every year and a couple new recipes thrown in as well. usually i change up the appetizers and the next day sandwiches, whereas the stuffing, mashed potatoes and turkey stay the same year after year.

i know most people will consider this a complete crime, but i never cook a turkey anymore. i used to, but then a couple years ago i discovered a wonderful company called the honeybaked ham company. so, each year i'll order one of their meat combos...this year i ordered the 1/4 ham, prime rib and half turkey breast trio. i started doing this a couple years back when we had a small thanksgiving and i didn't feel like cooking a huge turkey that would go to waste. also, the only organic turkeys around here are preordered through whole foods and i just was lazy to go through the whole ordeal. after that first thanksgiving we were completely sold on honeybaked because it always tastes good and it is much more economical. more importantly though, ordering this portion of our meal allows me to focus on what i love the most which is cooking up appetizers all day and having no less than five side dishes that are piping hot because the oven isn't cranking all day with a huge turkey in it.

the other portion of the meal that i have been purchasing are the pies. eventually i want to bake my own pies...hopefully i can start next year :) but for now we've been ordering our thanksgiving pies through bakers square, but they recently closed down all their california locations, so for the first time ever we ordered our pies from a little place called shari's restaurant.pies. they offer buy two get a third free, so we ended up with a pumpkin, a pecan and a northern berry.

i wont be able to post a review on these pies until tomorrow, but i will say the place was packed and they were turning people down who hadn't ordered in advance!

hello learning exchange...

will someone please teach me how to make delicious light sauces??? please!!! i love food like this and i have no idea where to start or what recipes are good when i'm reading ingredients...sauces are definitely something i need to work on. i love watching iron chef because the sauces always look amazing and i'm sure they're unbelievably delicious...how do i apply to be a judge on that show by the way?

so, one of the last times my father-in-law came out for a visit from new york we took him to spend a day in san francisco. we ended up at the golden gate bridge, which he had never been to in his entire life! how exciting is that? and we lucked out and hit it on the right day...the skies were clear and the view was absolutely unbelievable...we were all very awestruck. afterward we ended up at ghirardelli square and had lunch at mccormick and kuleto's seafood restaurant. of course it's pricey, but the atmosphere is wonderful and the view is spectacular, and the food is excellent, so it is well worth the price. anyway, here is the dish i want to learn how to make...i didn't think to remember the name of the item from the menu, but i couldn't resist taking a picture!


all i know is that it is prawns grilled to perfection over sauteed spinach and polenta with some absolutely delicious sauce that i have no idea how to replicate. great...now i'm drooling!

i love ramen

here's a little video of my new favorite ramen shop in shizuoka!

kara's cupcakes

i think what i enjoy most about cooking is watching people eat and enjoy the food i've made. i especially love watching my kids eat...everything from the goofy faces they make when you first put a new flavor of mashed up baby food in their little mouths to how they wolf down one of their favorites without even tasting it...with the intermittent 'tastes good mom'. desserts at restaurants are always fun!...sweets of any kind really.

when we're in san francisco we usually always stop by ghirardelli square because we love chocolate, and it really is a nice little plaza. the last time grandpa zizak visited we treated the kids to some cupcakes at kara's cupcakes. it was an expensive treat, but the cute pics and happy faces were well worth it. cupcakes aren't really something that i have a taste for, so i can't give a taste review...but i will say that they are beautiful and the shop is adorable and with the huge dollop of frosting on top i think anyone with a sweet tooth will find them worthy of their $3.00 a piece price tag. in this picture suki is enjoying her 'vanilla chocolate' cupcake.

kara's cupcakes at ghirardelli square, san francisco