Vacay

Stick a fork in me. Five days of theme parks...three at Disney, two at Universal. Harry Potter, Spiderman, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Goofy, Daffy Duck, Millificent (she was creepy witch cool), Captain America, Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Hulk. If I made a list of the top ten ideal vacations I could take, this one might not have cracked it (save Hogwarts, probably). But as a testament to open-mindedness and to a theory my friend Stacey calls "putting your cruise ship face on", I had way more fun than I ever thought I would have and wouldn't have missed it for anything. More stories to come later, I'm sure...but for now, it's late, I have a crazy early pick-up for the airport, and frankly, I'm just tired. Moral of the story: be open to new locations and experiences that might not be an obvious choice for you, always keep your cruise ship face on, and whatever you do, do not misplace your express pass for the rides.

The Wizarding World of, you know...That Guy

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Yeah, my letter must have gotten lost in the mail. Or maybe the owl got lost, or eaten by a rabid coyote. Whatever happened, I might be bitter about it.

Thankful in the Magic Kingdom

Pumpkin cake. Sounds simple, right? Well maybe, but I can't be sure...I am at the mercy of the kindness of the chef at the Liberty Tree Tavern at Disney World to enlighten me as to the simplicity factor. Now, don't you think for a Thanksgiving second that I didn't try to find out. Our exceedingly cheerful waiter Mo from Morocco (LOVE how Disney employs staff, I mean "cast members", from all over the world) was patient enough with me to ask the chef for a recipe, then bring me an index card on which I was to write my e-mail address so it could be sent to me. (As an aside: Yes, I do realize the ridiculousness of asking a chef for his or her recipe for anything, and the compounding ridiculousness of asking for said recipe during Thanksgiving service at Disney World. I wouldn't normally behave in such a gauche manner, but that should illustrate my schmoopy feelings towards such a "simple" dessert) OK, back to the story...

I was writing my info and a grateful note to the chef and...huh?? You say that sending out the little index card was just a ploy to make me go away and not become a pumpkin cake stalker for the rest of the day? Hmm. 'Spose I might have been a tad overzealous. And what's so weird about it is that I have barely a smidge of a sweet tooth. Desserts are fine but I rarely order them, I just don't care all that much. I'd rather have cheese. Or more wine. But after a great Thanksgiving meal, I took one obligatory bite of the rustic-cast-iron-pan-looking pumpkin cake with vanilla bean ice cream (little black flecks of vanilla bean...check) and proceeded to dive right smack back into the family-style serving FOUR times! Or was it five? Six? Surely not. You know how when you bake cornbread in a cast iron pan, it has that crunchy crusty edge all around the outside? Yeah, so did this, but it was CAKE. And I swear I got a chunk of real, non-canned pumpkin in it...if I didn't, don't be a fun hater - just let me keep thinking I did. Anyway, if I get a recipe and permission, I will share it so you can experience the crunchy crusty custardy deliciousness for yourself. In the meantime, be thankful. For your family. For your friends. For anything delicious you had today and for being lucky enough to have it. I'm more thankful than I can say for all these things...and for an unexpected simple dessert.

Orlando

Epcot. Disney without all the princesses. Just one really sexy belly dancer. (How does she get her stomach to do that?) Snacks around the world. BBQ pork buns, vegetable egg rolls, strawberry oolong slushes, bratwurst with sauerkraut and pilsner, fish and chips with malt vinegar, french brie and baguette, ham and swiss tartine, creme brulee, lemon tart, english toffee, a chocolate and caramel covered marshmallow on a stick, and a peanut butter cup with a chocolate Mickey on top. Mind you, all of this was eaten by my entire family, not me personally. I just had a salad.

Fat Squirrels

Nope, this isn't some strangely abstract concept for pumpkin-carving. I learned last year that there wasn't much use in decorating my deck with an assortment of autumnal gourds, seeing as how the critters in my 'hood think they are so gosh darn tasty. This time around, I waited until after Halloween to get a cheap pumpkin so I could see if the furry rascals were as greedy this year. After this summer's garden tomato fiasco, I should have known.

Early Christmas

Very few things make me happier than a 20 pound box of new food books arriving in the mail on a windy Saturday afternoon. I guess we know how I'll be spending the evening. Good thing I have lots of leftovers, or maybe more popcorn!

Late-Night-Watching-The-Television-Set Snack

Well, hey there. What's up, interweb people? (and a shout-out to my long lost friend, Punkin, for borrowing his word "interweb") I've got lots of food stuff (foodstuffs?) to talk about, but don't really know where to start. My sentimental attachment to Fritos? The red curry pork rinds that Chef made for us recently? Or, for goodness sake, the story behind this blog title? Yeah, I'll get to all that...but for now, it's late, I've got a full DVR and I need a snack. Cooking is fantastic, but sometimes assembling is good, too. So make some popcorn - pop it yourself or use the microwave variety - throw it in a bowl with some Cheez-Its (or Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, or whatever version of cheesy crackers you like), and get this...toss it all with a big drizzle of truffle oil! Some people, and I don't want to know these people, think truffle oil is overused, but I think truffle oil makes just about anything taste better. Kind of like melted cheese or sausage cream gravy. So go crazy. Add some salt, some chopped herbs, some grated Parmesan, whatever you like...it's hard to mess up. I have a pretty picture of my concoction, but until I transfer my pictures from my camera to my computer, you can't see it. That can be a project for this weekend. Sounds like I'll need another snack.

Next day update!! Found the right cords for the camera, so we are ready to roll! I feel so accomplished now, I better have some lunch.

Dear Poodle....

Hurry up and finish beautifying this puppy so I can get to cooking and communing with my peeps...Momma's hongry!!