Let's get the weekend started a tad early

I'm in a good mood for at least five minutes so let's Get Off with Foxy:



And get a little Knee Deep with Parliament and George Clinton:



Then let Slick Rick tell us a bedtime story:

Our Internet is out...

And I haven't been able to post. BlackBerry is problematic for posting and I try not to blog at work so I'm in a blog bind.

But I can still read so I'm following you guys even if I can't post much.

      *** Sent from my BlackBerry***

My mom called last night...

To tell me the husband of one of her longtime friends died over the weekend. Then some of her first cousins died. And she felt like everyone was dying.

She was sad and teary.

By the time we got off the phone she was gut laughing. I'm glad I could make her feel better.

A possible change in the works...

Tomorrow I am traveling to another city to talk to some folks about a career opportunity. It would be a great move for me if it happened, but would require a lot of change and sacrifice for Mr. SLS.

Despite that, he is happily supporting me and encouraging me and even helped me pick out the right outfit and shoes so that I would make the best first impression.

But still, there are things to weigh and discuss and work out, if I come home with good news. It's no longer about what's best for ME, but about what's best for us. Us.

Thoughts while under the hairdryer...

I don't really like this BlackBerry, I want an iPhonem

I can't even see what I'm typing on this damn thing. I could see on an iPhone

Tiger and Elin

Clearly Tiger missed this hit last year:



I feel sorry for Elin. And I don't condone any abuse against anybody.

But, I understand.

If Mr. SLS gets crazy and decides to wander, in the words of Miss Sophia from "The Color Purple," I will bash his head open and think about heaven later. KNOW THIS! Cause he does.

Thanksgiving recap: Recipes

I never laid out my menu for you so you could see what a bad azz I am in the kitchen. LOL!

But really, here are a couple of the dishes we had that our guests loved.

I brine my turkey -- which is always fresh, never frozen! -- then cook it breast down in a roasting bag. Turn it over during the last 30 minutes and split the bag open so that it can brown. Baste it well. Add a chopped onion, some celery, some garlic cloves, fresh thyme, rosemary and sage to the inside.

You can find brine recipes all over, but here's one a chef/food writer friend of mine recommends (video and recipe). You can also go to Williams-Sonoma and get a brine as well. I've done both of them and got rave reviews on my turkeys each time.

This year I did a couple of new (to me) dishes: oyster stuffing and pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin pie, but Mr. SLS has been asking me to make him one for two years so this year I decided to try it. I found this recipe for a pumpkin gingersnap pie in the O Magazine that seemed simple enough to pull off and it was easy, though I did make some variations because I cook by instinct more than following recipes by the letter. This was a winner. My brother-in-law wanted to take the whole thing home and told my husband, he "had it good" and thanked him for marrying me. LOL!

As for the oyster stuffing, my aunt makes this and I hadn't tried it before, but thought I would switch up this year. It was a hit as well. I can't really share the recipe for what I made, because I didn't follow it to the letter either, as I decided to try a twist on the breading and added some other stuff. But, the google will give you plenty of recipes. I'll probably be making this every year.

Mr. SLS made an au gratin, using gruyere, cream, nutmeg, white pepper, shitake, crimini and oyster mushroom. It's easy to make and a regular crowd pleaser.

Finally, our guests brought this dish, which was a winner with me and Mr. SLS: brussel sprouts with bacon and figs (video and recipe).
Happy cooking!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night as I baked my pies (pumpkin and sweet potato), made my cake and prepped my ham, greens, beans and other stuff so I could get them cooked in an efficient manner today, I talked to my two grandmothers. They like to "help" me when I'm doing big meals.

Grandma wants to make sure I washed the greens good and got the smoked turkey to season them with while they are cooking. She reminds me that fresh turkeys can taste gamey and walks me through her secret for fixing that.

Granny likes to give me little tips when I'm baking. "Cut it with a little butter and it will taste better." "I know it said a 1/2 cup, but add an extra 2 tsps."

For my grandmothers, cooking a big meal right (right to them means folks can't stop talking about how good it is, eat seconds and thirds, leave with plates and call making requests for specific dishes -- so far, so good) is evidence that they trained me up right in being a good wife and homemaker.

My mother -- who is very NON-homemakerish -- taught me about being independent and strong. To speak my mind.

My dad taught me to "control those things I can control."

And for all that and much, much more, I am thankful. Have a great day!

I don't normally do this...

Cause y'all know for the most part I'm incognegro on this blog, however, this is a video from the debut performance of the new orchestra Mr. SLS is playing with now and the music is great so I'm sharing.

What is it that's supposed to be so good about pizza?

I've never understood the seemingly universal love for pizza. I do.not.get.it!

So you out there in blogland, I want you to explain to me how a piece of flat bread with some red sauce, veggies and cheese all swimming in orange grease from pepperoni is GOOD to eat. Yes, I know the pepperoni is optional but, it's nasty with or without.

How is this something that people want to eat all of the time? I'm flummoxed by this!