Tapas-giving 2011

Happy beginning of the Holiday season! I hope you're not stressing out about all of the weight you'll gain because of the holiday season. This is the best time of the year, people! So, I implore you to stop freaking out about eating too many pieces of chocolate or munching on too much bread. Here's a tip: eat what you want, stop when you're full. Boom! Now go, eat, and be merry. But fist, finish reading this post...

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays. Mostly because I love food. Family and friends are pretty awesome too. I knew it was going to be a great day as soon as a song from 'Newsies' was performed at the Macy's parade. Once it was time for lunch, my day just kept getting better. Because of my new vegetarian status, my mother deemed me the "problem child." Not that she doesn't love me, oh on the contrary! I received my own personal bowl of stuffing (meatless) and vegetable gravy. It was a rather traditional meal full of turkey, stuffing, jell-o, and love.

After a much needed power nap, Tapas-giving commenced.

For the past couple of years (maybe closer to a few, or half-dozen, I honestly can't remember) my family and I have been going to our family friends' home for an after-Thanksgiving party. There was so much food, music, and fun! This year my family brought patatas bravas with dipping sauces and a chick-pea chorizo salad. The potatoes were AMAZING.

I loved the mayonnaise/garlic dip. It was amazing with everything. But seriously, what is not to love? Mayo AND garlic. Yum. My friend Emmy sneakily maneuvered the bowl in front of her sometime during the night. Luckily I was sitting next to her, or there would have been an issue.
I'll get the recipe from my father and add it to here soon because everyone should try this deliciousness. Seriously, it's amazing.

I love a good party full of people talking and laughing. There is always a moment at a party when the food is placed on the table, everyone digs in, and the next twenty minutes of conversation are about how wonderful everything is. Is there ever a moment when food doesn't bring people together? How horrible is it when a party has nothing to munch on? On a scale from awesome to super-lame, it would sit somewhere between taking the ACTs and my normal Friday night (which often includes bed by 11pm and knitting).

I love the holidays! So much food and so many friends! Please be sure to enjoy your holiday time! I know I will (mostly due to the new elf-suit I just purchased...best Black Friday buy EVER!)
Much love to you,
Michelle!

My blog is becoming like the eggplant I left in the fridge...

Hello all! Welcome back to Michelle's blog. This was an extensive hiatus and I do apologize.

I live one of those thrilling lives you only read about in magazines. And by magazines I mean 'Boring Life' and 'So You Spend Every Free Moment Doing Homework'. Obviously the readership of these magazines lack in numbers. So instead of making up dumb excuses about the past, I'll just go forward and hope you lovely readers (if there are any besides my lovely friend Emily [who reminded me to blog]) forgive and appreciate my written word.

This past weekend I, and twenty other people from my school, traveled down to Georgia to protest the School of the Americas (check out soaw.org for more information). It was a twenty-two hour drive one-way and boy was that exhausting. For supper we stopped at this Tai restaurant and I was ravenous. Like, if that waiter didn't stop filling my water glass and get me my damn food, I was going to eat him. After a million and three quarters of an eon, my curry arrived. This, dear reader, was the tastiest curry I have ever had (no offence Dad) with vegetables cooked to perfection. At that moment, if someone would have attacked me and politely gave me the option of my purse or my curry, I would have gone with the purse. (Joke is on my attacker, I have no money.) After we got back from the protest (LONGEST DRIVE EVER!) I had two days of school and then Thanksgiving break! Woo! I got home and Dad took me out to an Indian restaurant and of course, I ordered the curry, medium spice. Again, this was delightfully wonderful. Not as good as the curry in Georgia, but darn close.

Many times in my twenty years of existence, I have overwhelming jealousy for certain people. My darling friend Kelsey, http://roahg.blogspot.com/ , is one of those people. She is currently in Rome. She just got back from a trip to Paris. She is going to Dublin. She is such a wh@%e! In a good way of course. I hope she gets eaten by leprechauns. Tonight we were chatting and Kelsey informed me of the world's most beautiful sandwich. I have yet to make said sandwich, but according to Kelsey, "it's like a chorus of heavenly winged babies."

I'm going to call this the Cherub Melt:
Grilled bread of choosing
Fancy French Fromage
Camenbert
place on previously prepared bread in skillet
spinach over the cheese
fresh of course
not too much
on the other slice of bread you must spread some apricot jam
grill (with flip) until golden brown as desired

Now, if anyone out there (who is not Kelsey) tries this, let me know. I will get on it once I buy some groceries. I love sandwiches and if you want to know the extent of my sandwich love see my previous post "You scream for ice cream, I cry out for a sandwich" I'm told it's a goodie.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving loyal reader! I will be sure to post on this marathon of food I will be partaking in (from a vegetarian stand point!)