Role Reversal

Tonight I'm stepping up as the nurse and Mummy's playing the patient. In a comedy of Thanksgiving Day errors she, first scalded her tongue on HOT chocolate, then bruised her elbow walking into a door, followed that up with slicing her finger along with the onion and brought things home by slamming her face into a chair arm when she bent down to pick something up. We've been through ice bags, pain meds and multiple bandages and I've just tucked her into bed. Let's hope she gets up on the right side tomorrow...

Kindness of Daddy who aborted his trip to Five Guys to race home and triage our patient after the knifing and tended to icing after the face plant...XXOO

Turkey Trotting

Weary feet shod in Tory Burch post running six (gold shoe) and seven (blue shoe) miles this morning in preparation for all the holiday gluttony. Wishing y'all a wonderful and family filled Thanksgiving too! Penance runs optional...

Kindness of Emma and Hilbils (who skidaddled her TB shod foot away to a friend's house pre-pic) for running in the rain with me early this am after very little sleep...XXOO

I Don't Get Out Of Bed For Less Than $10,000 A Day

Mummy says I need to start earning my keep...

Daddy needs help keeping her in shoes...

Fancy Feast, call me...

Kindness of Pilgie for at least filling, if not buying, my shoes during a very chaotic lead in to the holiday. We picked up Daddy at the train station this evening and are currently awaiting a homecoming with a certain pair of college gals about to walk through the door...XXOO

Two Halves Of One Fashion Whole

There's a reason aide-de-camp Lizzie is, well, aide-de-camp Lizzie. Much in the way Babe and I eerily think the same thoughts at all times, Lizzie and I are two halves of one fashion brain...

Case in point; the Iomoi lucite tray. Literally, the day I make a desk note to order Lizzie, ADC one as a wedding gift I get an email from her saying how she just ordered two to give as gifts and is eying up the Ling with Monkey Orange tray for herself...

Then, last week as fast as the Melissa Odabash New Collection email hit my inbox I was forwarding to my fellow M.O. acolyte:

moi -omg, getting at least one of the bandeau bikinis!

Lizzie -loooove the New York!

moi -the New York is my fav too!

Lizzie -of course!

Then a blackberry exchange in bed late Saturday night:

Lizzie -New obsession! To quote RZ (and I don't usually quote) "I die" www.roarkenyc.com

moi -omg!!! i want the le charot but can't decide which color! i kind of like the grey w/dark beading although i'm initially drawn to the emerald and navy i think this one would be more versatile. how fab would that look w/our st. james t and jeans!

Lizzie -i want the le charot in every color! i love the navy and emerald too, but my first choice would be the grey with light beading. it would look amazing with the st. james t or even just a white tee. i have to have one!

So, at any given time, in the hopeful near future, in separate locales, aide-de-camp Lizzie and I can be found dressed alike in our St. James nautical tees adorned with our Roarke New York le charots in grey. She'll have the light beading, I'll have the dark annnd we'll both still be dreaming of collecting them in every color...

Kindness of fivedaystilshe's Mrs. Casey Lawson, ADC for keeping me in the loop and allowing me to exorcise my clothing obsession without judgement. See ya Saturday night. I'll be the one in Milly and you'll be the one in all white...XXOO

Babe's Casserole Trifecta: Second Contender

Like a good hubby, Babe returned from his recent transcontinental jaunt loaded down with Belgian chocolates pour moi...

In exchange for lugging several pounds of chocolate through Europe, Asia then customs he was lovingly rewarded with his much requested Mexican lasagna upon his stateside return. Chocolates, Babe AND a post with one casserole...Who's the lucky one in this exchange?

1 1/2 lb ground beef

packet of taco seasoning

24 oz Picante sauce mixed with 2 1/2 cups water (4 cup measure works well for this)

large block of Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño, shredded

2 cups sour cream

small can chopped black olives

box lasagna noodles

Brown beef, drain and add taco seasoning and continue cooking according to packet directions. In large casserole dish cover bottom with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Layer with half the taco meat following with another layer of uncooked noodles. Repeat. Pour Picante sauce mixed with water covering entire dish. Wrap tightly with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 80 minutes. Combine sour cream and black olives. Remove foil, evenly cover with sour cream mixture then shredded cheese. Return to oven til cheese is completely melted, about 10 minutes.

You are welcome to substitute with whole wheat noodles and ground turkey in any attempts to gussie this dish up health wise. I even had a friend add two pureed veggies to my spaghetti pie. Pshaw...I'd be de-crowned as wife of the year plus I'd just be fooling myself considering I almost polished off all chocolates in a less than 48 hour period...

Kindness of Babe for knowing chocolate ranks right up there with Hermes enamel cuffs in the French-ish territory gift giving department and Melissa White for the Mexican lasagna recipe oh so many years ago...XXOO

I've Been Bitten

If it doesn't revolve around Gwynnie, Reese or Jane Austin I'm not one for test driving movies out of my preferred genre. Unless under duress, i.e. the influence of one Babe, I stick with my well dressed, well heeled, feel good family or period films. And, I am most especially sci-fi phobic...


But, leave it to Oprah to draw me into the Twilight Saga fold. Hours after watching her interview with Stephenie Meyer I was in line at Blockbuster and drinking the Bella/Edward Kool Aid...

Imagine my surprise when I get a phone call from the bff Kimba saying that she too was drawn in and devoured the first two books in the series this past week. After getting over my initial shock (she has even more rigid criteria than moi) I gathered my wits enough to secure a borrowing of the books upon her arrival to the beach next month...

Unfortunately, the New Moon will have to wait til next week when Hilbil's is home for Thanksgiving break. There ain't no way Babe would suffer through this movie. And, if he did, I would be the one doing most of the suffering...

Kindness of Oprah for luring me in, Kimba for promising to loan me her Twilight books and, moi for having the smarts to see a disaster in the making and circumnavigating it with a backup movie date...XXOO

Claim To Fame Oyster Dressing

If I were on death row, and requesting my last meal, at the very top of my list would be my family's oyster dressing. Since we are exactly a week away from Thanksgiving I thought I'd share now in hopes of giving you enough time to develop your game plan for aquiring some top notch oysters. I'll be making my yearly pilgrimage to Chincoteague with my trusty Playmate cooler for mine...

*1 pint Chincoteague oysters, drained and chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 cup butter
8-9 cups hand cubed soft bread crumbs (cheap loaves white bread works best)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage leaves (I am very generous with the sage)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (and, equally as generous with the thyme)

In a large stock pot, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until onion is translucent and tender. Turn off heat and stir in about half the amount of hand cubed bread crumbs. Turn into a deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Amount of bread cubes used with depend on how moist the oysters are so add in stages. Cook in a covered dish At 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Be sure to use quality, salty oysters (preferably Chincoteague) otherwise it's just not as delish.

Kindness of (fingers crossed) my Dad who will, hopefully, also be making his yearly pilgrimage to Chincoteague thus saving me a trip...XXOO