Pay it Forward

Believe it or not, there are a gazillion blogging events out there. From Daring Bakers, to "waiter, there's something in my..." to "heart of the matter" to ... gosh, they never end!

That said, I've found the event to end all events: Pay It Forward!

Here's how it works: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! I also promise that it will be (at least partially) edible, and most definitely tasty. The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making the same promise on your blog. Make sure you leave me an email address so that I can get your handmade surprise to you!Now that that's done, please do yourself a favor and buy the scrumptious chocolates from Ghirardelli pictured above.. The bottom layer is chocolate, the top layer is white chocolate studded with peppermint bark....OH MY GOD they're amazing! All kudos to Meryl and Benjy for making these a part of my life.

Ok, enough from me. :)

T-Day at my house: vegetarians, stay tuned

I'm always surprised that people are such haters when it comes to veggie Thansgiving meals. "What? You don't have turkey? How dare!" say their astonished faces. Well, now you know: I don't care about turkey. It's dry almost every time I have it, and frankly, I'd rather a spring chicken any day. Plus, when you have two kinds of cornbread, two stuffings, four things that could easily qualify as mains, four or five cranberry sauces and chutneys and relishes, plus pecan pie, apple cranberry pie and pumpkin pie for dessert, turkey becomes an afterthought.

Anyway. I'm writing to all the vegetarians lurking in cyberspace who read my blog. Yes, you: stay tuned, because I'm going to my parents' house on Sunday to help mom cook, and I'll be taking the usual array of photos, notes and tastes....and, of course, sharing recipes. So keep reading, and I promise some fantastic T-day suggestions soon!

Also, a note to you carnivores who are hosting T-day yourself: veggies need to be looked after. If you don't think carefully, you'll end up with "bacon in the brussels sprouts, gravy on the mashed potatoes, dressing stuffed into the bird and chicken stock in everything else" (from Melissa Clark in NYT; I couldn't have said it better myself.) So do make sure that you have some completely vegetarian dishes at your table. For any and all suggestions...you know where to find me.

***picture above is pumpkin and delicata squash ravioli with brie. The recipe was nothing to write home about, but like I said -- more to follow.