Bird is the Word

Happy Thanksgiving!

A holiday centered around food & family.....sounds perfect!  This is Conor & My third turkey day with just the two of us.  With Thanksgiving being so close to Christmas it's hard to travel twice, get time off work, and pay for the flights.  But we aren't complaining, because we've began to really enjoy our combined family traditions and the way that we get to do things.  So here is a rundown of what was our best Thanksgiving yet!

This year we had the 1st Annual Keenan Family Thanksgiving Walk!

What a great way to start our day!  It was nice to get out in the fresh air and blue skies and burn some calories before our feast.  After our walk, it was straight to the kitchen to begin cooking.  And to get things started we popped open some bubbly that we purchased during our napa trip.  Knife in one hand, champagne in the other, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, skype open on the kitchen table....welcome to our t-day.

Conor is quite an incredible cook, so we're both in the kitchen together preparing this meal.  We use some family recipes and have come up with our own as well.  We each make different parts of the feast which has been the same for the past 3 years.  I always pick up the turkey and get it brining the day before.  Removing the neck and giblets is definitely not my favorite part, but Conor handles the turkey the rest of the way so I can handle it.  We also make our own breadcrumbs for stuffing the night before and let them dry out, and I try to make my pumpkin chiffon pie that night as well.  Pumpkin chiffon completely trumps regular pumpkin, plus it goes with a graham cracker crust!  I had made my own pumpkin (meaning baked sugar pumpkins and pureed it) back around Halloween, so I just had to look in the freezer for some "fresh stuff" and avoid the crazy ladies fighting over the canned stuff in the grocery store.   I love this recipe which comes from the Simpson side of the family.



This year we got our turkey from Whole Foods and it was oh so delicious.  I'm sure lots of you out there are organic haters, but bear with me.  While foods being marked "organic" is not important to me, "natural" is.  For all our meat, milk, & eggs we try to buy products that have no hormones or antibiotics added, and are on a vegetarian diet.  This makes for food that is better tasting and better for your body!

 Conor & I came up with our own stuffing recipe, but he is the one who actually makes it.  And then of course he stuffs the bird...his favorite part!

In Conor's family, they cook the turkey in a special oven bag...which I had never heard of before.  But when combined with an already brined turkey makes for a extremely moist and savory bird.  So turkey in a bag it is!  With dinner cooking in the oven, it seemed about time for some bloody marys!  About two weeks ago we infused some vodka with rosemary, thyme, basil, & jalapenos.  So these bloody mary's were extra special.

With two people cooking we have some time to kill while the bird cooks, so.....we get cleaned up, dress nicely ('cause it's still the holidays, even if it's just the two of us), and head to the theater to see a Christmas movie.  This year there weren't any holiday films though, so we settled on Due Date.  It was funny but nothing special.  Once back home, Conor finishes up with the turkey and makes gravy while I'm put together the mashed potatoes and a salad.  No cranberry sauce for us, but we did have cranberries in our salad :-).  Once we start cooking this meal for more people we'll add more side dishes, but this is plenty of food for the two of us.  And there's always leftovers....which I turn into turkey noodle soup.  Similar to chicken noodle soup, but with white wine. 

Finally it was time to eat!  I know a lot of families eat in the afternoon which is just plain crazy to me.  It's Thanksgiving DINNER!  I don't want to eat early and then get hungry again before bed, so we eat around 6.  Here's the man of the house cutting into our feast, cheers!

Everything tasted incredible and we had such a fun day together.  We definitely miss our family and friends, but at least we had the opportunity to skype with lots of them.   We'll see what next year brings!









Suzie the Snowbird

Conor's mom, Suzie, came for a visit recently to get away from the negative temperatures in Montana.  It was beautiful blue skies and 70s here in AZ.  That Thursday I picked her up from the airport and then headed straight home to get dinner going before Conor was off work.  Well it wasn't exactly straight home, since I got on the freeway going the wrong direction...but only a minor detour and we were back on course.  Guess I'm still learning my way around, even with the GPS!  That evening we sat outside with a bottle of Keenan wine, watched all the hummingbirds we have buzzing around our feeders, and caught up with "The Suz".  She is a busy women, so it was nice to have her here relaxing and all to ourselves.  Dinner was a delicious Sockeye salmon fillet (which can be hard to find all the way down here) followed by more wine and after dinner drinks.  A good start to Suzie's short visit.

Conor had to work again the following day, so just us girls headed to Old Town Scottsdale to be touristy and go window shopping.  Lots of interesting trinket shops & tons of jewelry stores.  I have no idea how all these places survive, but I guess they'll be a hotspot once all the little old ladies with money to burn make their way down here for the winter.  Suzie and I had some pretty good laughs about all the random stuff you can purchase and how hideous it all looks.  However, there were some beautiful art gallery's we peaked our heads into.  Lots of blown glass which I love.  I especially liked the blown glass pumpkins and various light fixtures....so pretty to look at.  We also came across a nursery full of what we thought were pretty standard garden plants....but oh no....once we looked at the price tags we realized these supposedly were some sort of rare/exquisite desert plants that we had never heard of. But they really looked just like the ones in our backyard...  We finished our walking tour with lunch at a local mexican place, Los Olivos....Suzie had  been craving some good southwest cuisine and I was not going to complain since I LOVE mexican food.  In fact Suzie loves it too, so for dinner we had mexican again!  This time, we went to a place close to our house called La Casa Blanca....soooo good!

Her last day with us we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens.  Now this is not my cup of tea, but I did manage to enjoy it.  To sum it up, there were lots of different types of cactus... and I mean LOTS!  Next stop was lunch at Queen Creek Olive Mill, our 2nd time there and again delicious.  I just started eating/enjoying olives about a week ago, so this is kind of a new and exciting food for me.  Now I want to put olives on everything!  For some reason sipping on a dirty martini (and liking it...) has been strangely intriguing to me.  So perhaps this is my first step in that direction.

We also made a stop at Superstition Farm where we just became dairy club members.  This was our first pickup.  Every two weeks we get to pick up a gallon of milk, fresh cheese, pint of ice-cream, butter (plain or flavored), & a locally made mystery item.  Boy do I love my dairy!   This week we got garlic & pepper cheese, mint chocolate chip ice-cream, molasses & pecan butter, and the mystery item was bananas foster bread with a sugary glaze.  Our fridge is stocked!  I'm already looking forward to our next pick up.

That night we took Suzie to downtown Chandler fora night on the town.  We stopped in at Kokopelli Wine Bar for a drink and it ended up being a horrible experience...  Bad service and even worse wine.  Well we know that AZ is not exactly wine-country... but yikes!  Luckily I opted for a kir royal and was very pleased with my choice.  But once again the bartenders had no idea what they were doing and the guy tried to open a champagne bottle with a wine key...In the words of my father: "Get an idiot!"  After breaking the first cork, he tried again....still with the wine key... least it came out this time. About ten minutes later, I had glass in hand.  Needless to say, we downed our drinks and left.  After trying to find a new place for a drink & dinner we came across interesting employees and more bad service...downtown Chandler you disappointed me.  Hopefully we'll learn the area a little better for our next guests' visit.  We did end up at a small local restaurant close to our house, Boatzhouse, which ended up being a nice little surprise.  Not exactly what we were looking for, but it was a cute & casual place owned by a young local guy and his wife.  We had good service, good food, and good prices.  Finally, a breath of fresh air to end the evening.  We were all pleasantly surprised, and Conor and I will definitely be back to this great tucked-away, neighborhood spot. 

Conor had to take Suzie to the airport early the next morning....he let me sleep in :-)  Her visit was much too short and we can't wait to have her back.  Or any guests for that matter, just let us know when you're coming!

*pictures to come, but they are all on Suzie's camera right now*

**'cause i know you're all dying to seeing the desert botancial garden shots, hehehe**

My Favorite Things

If Oprah can do it, so can I!  So here is a list of what I'm loving right now!

Tom & Jerry's:  It is a holiday favorite in the Simpson household.  Pretty much consists of bourbon & apricot brandy, hot water, and topped with a dollop of whipped sugar and egg.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Very strong, it has taken me years to appreciate this holiday treat.  The Spokane Club throws a tom & jerry's party ever Christmas, but I have yet to attend.
Worcestershire:  I have been putting this on everything lately....burgers, edamame, chex mix, bloody marys, pumpkin seeds, tortilla soup, sauted with mushrooms and onions, etc.  I absolutely cannot get enough of it!  If it's in a recipe, I at least double it.

Timbuk2:  Their bags are the greatest.  Realistic for everyday use, and so cute at the same time!

Pearls:  Channeling my Audrey Hepburn and sporting these beautiful things all the time.  And not to mention Julia Child who would wear a full string of exquisite pearls while cooking.  Earring, necklaces, bracelets, rings...all are this girl's best friend.  Maybe one day I will even get my hands on some Mikimotos!

Kir Royal:  The best new drink!  Nothing is as refreshing as champagne with a little black cherry liquor splashed in, mmm mmm mmm.

Vera Bradley:  My East Coast girlfriends turned me onto this brand.  So many patterns, so many styles...how do you choose?  I want a diaper bag so bad...and not for its said purpose right now...but because of it's size and numerous pockets!

Kindle:  I love mine and think that everyone should have one.  Also, I heard from a little birdy recently that they are coming up with a way to be able to "lend" books on your kindle to others for 2 weeks.  This is the best news because Conor isn't too happy with all of my amazon purchases.

Northface:  Everyone from the Northwest has to love this brand!  Nothing is cozier.

Trump Wollman Ice Rink:  People seem to think that the Rockefeller Ice Rink is the place to be in NYC, but they are all so wrong.  The Rockefeller rink is small, over crowded, and has a time limit!  The Trump Ice Rink is way better and in Central Park.  Think Serendipity: the skating scene in that film was in Central Park.

Whistler:  If you haven't been, go immediately!  This is best thing Canada has to offer.  Even if you don't ski or board, the shopping, restaurants, and scenery will satisfy you.  I haven't been in 3 years, but hope Conor & I will make it back soon!

Dry Soda:  A Seattle company developed by a woman who appreciated wine paired with food but needed something else to drink during her many pregnancies.  The flavors are so unique but taste delicious.  I would equate the drink to more of a sparkling water than a soda because it is not sweet.  My favorite flavor is Lavender.  Drink that with some lavender goat cheese and it is perfection.  Hard to find sometimes, but Whole Foods usually has it.  In Spokane it's at main market and possibly Huckleberries.

Glee:  I have officially become a Gleek and am trying to convert Conor, no luck so far.

Fro-yo:  Not TCBY fro-yo (although I do still love their white chocolate mousse), but the real stuff.  I only like the tart flavors though.  Most recently I fell in love with pomegranate tart.  Top with mini gummi bears and I have my favorite dessert.  Yogurtland is all over the southwest, and Spokane just got Froyo Earth.

Nordstrom:  Always has and always will be one of my favorite things!  Everyone loves when that silver box appears at birthdays, christmas, or just because.  I am a Nordies girl!

Candles:  I went to a candle part (similar to a tupperware party) about 3 years ago and it has since changed my life.   The best candle brand in my book:  Gold Canyon.
Cooking Light:  Love their magazine as well as their cookbooks.  Conor calls it "cooking with white wine" since any recipe with milk or cream is substituted with wine.  No complaints here.
Keenan Wine Club:  Not many wineries in AZ, so the local selection isn't great.  Solution: join a wine club.  A couple times a year you get wine deliveries to your front door of bottles that aren't distributed.  We got our first one last week and are quickly filling up our wine cellar.  I'm sure we'll tap into the collection on Turkey Day.
Dairy Club:  Speaking of clubs, Conor & I just joined  a dairy club at a local farm.  Twice a month we go pick up fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice-cream, and a mystery item.  All things I love.  This week's mystery item was Bananas Foster bread.  Pretty excited to try that with our molasses butter.  Looks like I'll be hitting the holiday food hard this year!
Conor Keenan:  Of course the love of my life is one of my favorite things!  Married life has been wonderful, and I couldn't be happier.