Friday Things
1. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday yesterday! Our family deep-fried a turkey for the very first time, and everyone concluded that it was the best turkey they’ve ever had. It looks like we have an official tradition on our hands! I bought this indoor turkey fryer on a whim last week, and now I’m so glad I did!
2. Confession: I have never watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I feel like this is some sort of sin against humanity. There have been years where it’s been on the TV in the living room, in the background, but I’ve never actually sat down and watched it. Please tell me I’m not the only one?
3. Do you do any big shopping today? Did you hit the stores at midnight last night? I’ve never camped out or stood in line for items, but my Chief Culinary Consultant and I are on our 5th year of our own little Black Friday tradition. Each year, we bundle up and head to the outlets about an hour away. For some reason, maybe because everything is so spread out, it never seems as insanely jam packed as the malls. We get to listen to the Christmas music piping outside, enjoy the fresh, crisp air, and sip on hot chocolate while leisurely shopping. We hardly ever get actual Christmas shopping done, but it’s such a fun day!
4. Aaaand… a little Black Friday wisdom to keep everything in perspective today :)
5. Movie recommendation of the week: you must go to see Lincoln! I was totally blown away by it; such an amazingly done movie, gripping storyline, and a fascinating insight into the politics of that time. Two thumbs up!
6. Do you see the model train made entirely of… CHOCOLATE?! It just set a world record as the longest chocolate structure in the world. Made by a Maltese chocolate artist, Andrew Farrugia, in honor of Brussels Chocolate Week, it’s 112 feet long and weighs almost 2,800 pounds. I wonder how long it would take me to eat it? Who wants to help? Mmm, chocolate!
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7. So, I usually can’t stand when I hear the same song over and over again on the radio. I easily fall victim to overplay and end up despising said song. My caveat? Mumford & Sons. I started liking them after seeing their Grammy Performance in 2011, and now can’t stop listening to their new single, “I Will Wait.” LOVE.IT. I really need to download the entire album. Has anyone else heard it? Thoughts?
8. I can’t wait to start watching Christmas movies and specials with reckless abandon. I love this time of year!
9. You may have heard the news that Hostess is going out of business. As in, no more Twinkies, Ho Hos or Ding Dongs. If you didn’t hear the news, you probably saw that your grocery store had been wiped clean of all Hostess products. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it! Wow, people are passionate about their snack cakes! I decided to take matters into my own hands and whip up some homemade Twinkies…
Recipe coming on Monday!
10. TGIF! If you’re thankful for a pet in your life, raise your hand!
Hi Michelle, I absolutely love Mumford and Sons and their new album is brill! Download it, you won’t regret it – they’re music always puts me in a good mood. If you like this album you’ll probably like their first album too – it’s another classic.
I’m from London so have never tried a Twinkie before, looking forward to trying your recipe. Thanks! :)
You have to buy the Dadgum Cookbook by Masterbuilt! Their steaming recupes are to die for as well!
Thanks, everyone, for the Mumford & Sons recommendations – I downloaded the new album and LOVE IT!
Yay!
I LOVE Mumford and Sons- gotta check out that song! no Black Friday shopping for me. Way too overrated and I love that card! Yes, only in America.
Look so forward to reading your Friday Things post…..something a little different. Keep it coming! Also, the Mumford & Sons album is the best….new and old one.
Sounds like you had a great thanksgiving. I’m very appreciative of my cat, after having two children I especially appreciate how quiet she is.
I find it comforting that so many others don’t watch the Macy’s parade either. Call me crazy, but I find it kind of boring. And if certain people need an education in vapid, they’d find it with the parade commentary! :)
As for Lincoln, I’d love to see it and wonder if it’s kid-appropriate. My 9-year-old has read a lot about Lincoln, but it’s hard to know if it would be okay for him. So far we’ve limited his PG-13 viewing to Indiana Jones and Star Wars…
Your turkey looked phenomenal. And even though I’m not a big Twinkie person, I’m sure my hubby would be able to handle eating a batch if you had a recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Dana, Ugh, I feel totally useless regarding whether Lincoln would be appropriate for a 9-year-old. I don’t have kids so I rarely think in those terms. I can’t even remember what the movie was rated, yikes! There were some scenes from the Civil War, but unfortunately I can’t remember if they were particularly gruesome or not :-/ I’m sorry I’m not much help here! I might try poking around online to see if anyone has shared whether or not there was any violence of language that wouldn’t be appropriate for that age group.
I saw Lincoln, and thre are many many swear words. There are also some war scenes which even shocked me, being an adult. It’s a very dark film. But it is a realistic film that was very well done. I guess it woud depend on how “mature” your nine year old is. I would be cautious, but it also may be a good experience for your child. I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons. If you take your child, I would definitely take some time after to process with them the events of the film.
I have never seen the Macy’s parade either. We are too busy getting the meal ready. Tried to go to the Tanger Outlets in Washington, PA Friday night but the parking lot was full so we went to South Hills Village first and made our way back to the outlets at 3 am. Crazy I know, but we had fun.
Michelle,
I don’t sit down and watch the whole thing. I watch the first hour of it and the last few minutes. I enjoy seeing the Broadway shows, The Rockettes and of course Santa.
I made your homemade cranberry sauce for the second time this Thanksgiving. It was voted hands down the best recipe ever! My mother (who is almost 87) quickly copied it down. Thanks again for helping us make memories with our families.
By the way, I wouldn’t change a thing about this blog. I just wish I could clone you lol. I have two sons 18 and 24. I, too, am protective of our “Brown Eyed Baker”
Hi Lori, You’re too sweet! I’m so glad your family has enjoyed the cranberry sauce! A belated Happy Thanksgiving to you!
You guys were brave heading to outlets! I only live 20 minutes away from them and NEVER go on weekends. But my friends go every year too and they have a blast! And there’s a Primantis for those of us who no longer live/work in Pittsburgh.
I had a very rude comment earlier this week… my first really rude “shot” on my blog… and I followed it and it was spam… first spam I had ever received, too… so I suspect yours may be as well… don’t take it to heart.
The train… incredible! Can’t wait to see the twinkie recipe!