Just a picture for my folks who haven’t seen our faces in about 4 months and also to show Mike’s neatly trimmed beard. It’s been growing out steadily though.

When I made my pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner, I didn’t use up all the pumpkin puree from the can. There was about 1 cup or so left and I didn’t want it to go to waste. While looking online, I found Elise’s recipe for Pumpkin Bread and I got really lucky with it. [Those who know me well, know that baking is not my forte.]

Thanks Elise, it was really yummy and the olive oil is a good ingredient.

Post-Thanksgiving is when most people make this dish. I used the thigh bones and wings from our turkey, a cup of rice, leftover turkey broth [chicken broth will do well here too], slivers of ginger root and chunks of century egg. It came out wonderful – so flavorful, with bits of turkey meat. I added some sliced scallions and cut-up pieces of yu tiao [dough fritters].

I’ve rediscovered jook and Mike, he absolutely enjoys it.

Some time last week, I made some sweet potato green bean soup. I used 2 medium sized garnet sweet potatoes [these are yellow fleshed], about a cup full of green beans, gula melaka/brown sugar and water. I put it all in my trusty rice cooker and set it on “Porridge”. It took about an hour I think but the beans were all softened and produced a steamy bowl down memory lane.

All I can say is, “Look, ma!”

A great happy meal for a good day. Here are more pictures.

Mike and I want to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. We wish we had our friends and family near us at this time of the year but we are truly thankful for your constant love and concern over the miles. We miss you all!

Stef is thankful for:

Mike is thankful for:

“I’m thankful for our friends and families and my fondest wishes go out especially to them. I’m grateful for my mom’s turkey gravy recipe and for good grades this quarter. For a warm home on a cold day in a city that we love. And for my amazing and beautiful wife. Stef, I’ll be your sous chef always ”

It’s that time of the year again when people adorn their front door(s) with wreaths. I personally enjoy driving down the street where people live and look at how they’ve decorated their homes. It’s the closest I can get to witness someone’s style without knocking on their doors uninvited.

This year, I want to get a wreath from The Hunger Site – it’s for a good and noble cause. Plus I’ll have bay leaves for the rest of my life – well, almost.

It’s been a fruitful weekend, in addition to making up our menu for Thanksgiving, we also:

• Went downtown for some shopping – got myself a new saute pan, a new scarf and some makeup.

• Baked cookies and bread
• Reduced apple cider to make cider syrup for pancakes post-Thanksgiving
• Made turkey stock ahead of time for the gravy
• Did T-Day grocery shopping so as to avoid crowds next week
• Watched DVDs curled up in chair next to fireplace with hot tea
• Packed holiday swap teas

Here’s to a easy short week and smooth preparations for the holidays!

One of my favorite moments about the weekend is when Mike makes me breakfast/brunch. He whips out his cast iron skillet [he adores it] and in no time, there will be eggs, bacon and toast on my plate. But this morning, he makes a sort of breakfast casserole under the broiler – almost like a simple quiche or fritata but it was delicious. Another recipe from good ol’ Alton B.

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The new MOMA has re-opened. Lucky you, if you live near enough to visit.