Cocktail and the annual Trivial Pursuit showdown

I'm not sure I can call it a showdown since T has won nearly 85% of the times we've played in the last ten years (Thanksgiving in 2002 being our first-ever Trivial Pursuit match), but nonetheless, we enjoy our annual, and sometimes more, battles and tonight was no exception. I made a killer cocktail, the Applejack Rabbit, T popped a Belgian, the Saison Dupont tripel, and off we went. Presently it's T with 5 pie pieces, me with 4, and I think we're calling it a night. To Be Continued!

Cipollini confit, gumbo dinner

I made and loved this cipollini confit last year on Thanksgiving so decided to add it to my annual regimen. Soooo good. Cipollini (and boy were these fresh; thank you onion goggles), raisins, pine nuts, sherry, red wine vinegar and oil...cooked down for nearly 2 hours to a syrupy (in the best sense) mess. Aah.

While rustling through the freezer for the pine nuts, I came across some frozen gumbo. What a perfect find for dinner, yes? It was indeed.

And then we watched Secretariat. I really don't love Diane Lane and  Disney slightly overdid parts of this film, but what an AMAZING animal. Friend JS in Princeton, have you watched this? Afterwards, we looked up and watched the original video from the '73 Belmont (incidentally, the very day my parents were married) and it was absolutely mesmerizing. I had goosebumps. What a majestic, incredible horse!

Have decided to ignore cold, on tap for dinner

I am, at this point, so flipping annoyed with my snorting and other cold manifestations that I have decided to pretend it doesn't exist. To the best of my abilities. I fully intend to have a glass of cold white tonight as we will be enjoying fresh Pacific cod and a fennel/Meyer lemon/green olive/garlic dish I'm currently concocting in my head. Don't these ingredients look lovely?!

As I believe I mentioned, Jack's school called midday; he felt sick and wanted me to come. I hurried over, and within five minutes of picking him felt sure he was half-faking. He is totally pooped, this is true, and doesn't have school until next Monday, so I didn't much mind, but I must say that at this point I'm feeling a little talked out as he and Ol have NOT been meek ones this afternoon. PLEASE GO TO BED. I swear to you that if I hear any from a handful of words (all scatological in nature, really), I'm going to start spinning like the Tasmanian devil. Oh, and no they're trying to pick each other's noses. Jesus. What happened to the overabundance of knock-knock jokes? At this point, I might accept those back.