Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family! We are all rushing around trying to remember if we did, indeed, order that organic, brined turkey! Should we serve wine because someone always drinks too much and do I have to make candied sweet potatoes (because Grandpa always asks for them, but he NEVER eats them!)???? Sometimes it is alright to just slow down and think about what it is we really are thankful for.

Five Things that make Thanksgiving tolerable!

1. Pizza delivery!

It is 4:00 p.m.the day before Thanksgiving. Your house is clean and you are high-fiving yourself because you think you have all the groceries for Thanksgiving, but remember that you have nothing for tonight's dinner! You have Super Shuttle dropping Aunt Madge at 4:30 p.m. at your house. What to do? Order a pizza to be delivered at 6:00 p.m., open a bottle of wine and relax!

2. Grocery Stores open on Thanksgiving Day!

Can I tell you how many years that I relied on stores to be open because we forgot the butter to make the pies ( or decided we didn't want to make one)? Oh yeah-we need more wine-Aunt Madge drank 2 bottles last night!

It is also a good escape from the family for an hour!

3.Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Football!

It keeps the kids and the men out of my kitchen-enough said!

4. A Good Laugh!

Watch the latest installment of my favorite ladies, "The Real Housewives of Late Night" -they will make you forget your own family holiday drama! If you have time, watch the 4 episodes prior-they are hysterical!

5. Be Thankful!

For your family, your home, your health,your self, your job, your friends, and the food on your table.

(and be thankful that there is still another month until Christmas!!!)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from my family to yours!!!

Farm to Table

A couple of weeks ago, my husband returned from the Delta with BUCKETS of pomegranates, quince, pumpkins & persimmons. This was weeks after we cleaned out the 40 fig trees on the island to make our famous balsamic fig jam. My husband's business acquired a marina in the Delta last year, and attached is a bountiful 16 acre island. I have used the persimmons in salads, carved the pumpkins for Halloween, even gilded the pomegranates for the upcoming Thanksgiving centerpiece. The quince, however, was the big challenge! What is a quince??? It really is a cross between an apple and a pear, but the texture is awful! It definitely tastes better cooked. I recently catered a Spanish dinner and my client had purchased Manchego cheese and Membrillo. Membrillo is a Spanish quince paste, which is the quinced cooked down with lemon & sugar. Problem solved! I will make Membrillo to serve for the upcoming holidays. Hello! Make sure you have 2 days and a lot of patience! This was the most painstaking cooking project I have ever endured. I found a fabulous blogger online named Alejandra, as she chronicles her quince journey, so I credit her with the recipe. Check out her blog archive for November 2008 if you dare make the membrillo paste! The results: beautifully rich, burgundy colored paste that goes well with salty and creamy cheeses, Serrano ham or just on toast! Enjoy the fruits of your labor this season!

Throw an Eco-Fab Party: Yummy Dessert

Earth Day is 14 days away. An eco-fabulous party, Bay Area-style, is in order!

Dessert for the troops absolutely must be:

Straus Family Creamery ice cream on cones and in bowls, with fruit compote and yummy toppings!

Throw an Eco-Fab Party: Refreshing Drinks

> Pitchers of water (tap, of course!) with fresh mint and organic orange slices

> Champagne cocktails with acai juice

> Homemade Meyer lemonade

Throw an Eco-Fab Party: Simple Sides Dishes

Simple eco-fabulicious sides:

> Local, seasonal grilled vegetables tossed with saffron-scented Israeli couscous

> Arugula and butter lettuce salad with spiced nuts and organic Green Goddess
vinaigrette

> Grilled flatbread with wild mushrooms, Truffle Tremor goat cheese, and fresh herbs

Throw an Eco-Fabulous Party!

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Eco-Fabulous BBQ!

OK all you party girlfriends~ the countdown is now. Time to really say NO! to eco-crunchy and HELLO! to eco-conscience with s-t-y-l-e.

So, throw an ultra casual-fabulous “green” party that will inspire your friends to do good and help save the planet. This is a great idea for a school fundraiser!

For your main course, here's what's IT to serve:

> Hog Island Oysters on the half-shell, barbecued with chipotle butter

> Free-range organic grilled chickens with a balsamic vinegar glaze

> Niman Ranch HAUTE dogs

Final Countdown to Valentine's Day

For a punky Valentine's Day bash for the whole family (and some), what could be sweeter than this divinely quirky and candy-filled flick? { Rent it at the local vid store, and put on for the kids! }

Bring in the New Year: Mini Milkshakes

Kids will flip over fancy little milkshakes. Blend your fav gelato (or ice cream) and locally-produced milk. Then simply serve in your favorite shot glasses, like these from salviati. So cute!

{ For an over-the-top experience, kids can add a dot of whipped cream on top. Then, cut plastic straws into thirds, stick into the mini shakes, and serve! }

Bring in the New Year: I Scream!

Oh my.
Oh my.

While you and your fabulous friends are sipping sake, the wee ones can delight in their own ice cream -- I mean, GELATO -- bar. Hello!

Jealous? Make them share the Zabaione, Strawberry, and Lemon Curd from Ciao Bella. Or just keep the Pomegranate Champagne sorbetto to yourselves!