The Wig Rides Again

The holiday season was off to quite a start with Heather N' Brad's Holiday-O-Rama. The holiday spirits, including rosemary and cinnamon vodka, bourbon-spiked homemade eggnog, single malt scotch and a variety of Christmas ales, flowed freely in our crowded apartment. The $1.99 present swap couldn't have been a bigger hit - even if Brad hadn't invented the double-or-nothin' coin toss - and the word on the street is that a great time was had by all.



Once we cleaned up and recovered from the festivities, a week of Christmas shopping and holiday preparations ensued. Brad and I had some delicious Christmas Eve Eve dates with close friends and our own little present exchange before heading off to visit our families. The holiday itself was spent in New Jersey were Brad decorated our new car with Christmas Eve vomit and I cooked a Christmas day feast for the Marold clan.

After that we headed to Colorado Springs for a little Thomason time, and if all were going according to plan we'd be in New Mexico right now gearing up to ring in the New Year in Santa Fe, but the weather just won't let that happen. Today is day two of being stranded in Colorado because the interstate has been closed since Friday, and with just 12 hours of 2006 to go, we're weighing our odds on a standby flight back to Brooklyn in time for midnight. At this point I'd say festivities have pretty much ground to a screeching halt.

Wet Rat

A few weeks ago we took Francine to the vet and dropped a few hundred clams. One of the things we tried to address in doing so is why she's always so darn itchy. So, we've been feeding her supplements and an antibiotic for her coat for three weeks now with little change, and then it occurred to us . . . perhaps the problem is the cat.

We gave Turtle a bath the other day to rid her of any potential flees or other itch inducing bits in her coat. Have you ever seen a cat claw her way up a glass shower door? I have, and I have some nice welted scratches up my arm to prove it. But we pulled it off, I held her down while Brad gave her the scrub. And although she was not happy, she certainly came out clean and soft.


The other main to-do this week has been the preparations for our holiday party tonight. Brad and I are hosting a Holiday-O-Rama featuring a selection of "holiday spirits". I've been infusing vodkas, making peanut brittle and in an moment I'm gonna head into the kitchen to started cooking up some spiked egg nog. The apartment is glistening with Christmas lights and the only thing left to do is wrap up some gift swap presents and put on our "outfits". It outta be a good one!

It's Been Too Long Since This Blog Has Seen A Recipe!

My oh my it is good to be home. Brad and I returned late yesterday afternoon to our little apartment in Brooklyn, and it sure does feel big. Eight days in a little hotel room with nothing but restaurant food and home feels like a palace. We had a good time in Miami, saw lots of art, furniture design and more art. We attended the occasional party, drank a few cocktails, had a day on the beach, some time by the pool and watched plenty of bad TV.

Brad did a bit of shopping while we were there. He couldn't help himself in the presence of fashionable men's boutiques and brought home a few great new wardrobe items. I on the other hand brought home a nasty case of strep throat. After fighting it for the last few days of our trip, the plane ride did me in. Brad returned to work today and I happily spent the day in bed hoping to sleep off the last of it. So, despite my complete and total exhaustion with mediocre restaurant food, I am not so inspired to cook tonight and thought to fall back on one of our very favorite frozen meals, yummy homemade veggie burgers.

Veggie Burgers

*One of the great things about this recipe is that there is lots of room for experimentation (or error).

4 carrots, grated
4 parsnips, grated
1 large or two small sweet potatoes, grated
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2C bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 handful parley, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped

whole wheat English muffins
good cheese and Dijon mustard for serving

Combine all veggies in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In batches, pulse in a food processor adding oil as needed to process until coarsely chopped and moist. Return mixture to large bowl.

Mix in 1 egg, breadcrumbs, seeds, chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Use your hands like you would with any burgers to mix until well combined. If the mixture is too moist, add more breadcrumbs.

Form the mixture into balls, and place on a non-stick backing sheet. Press flat with the palm of your hand to form patties. The mixture should yield approximately 8 burgers.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the patties are soft and golden brown. Serve on a toasted English muffin topped with some good cheese, like goat or sharp cheddar, and Dijon mustard if you'd like. Goes great with a big mixed green salad.

Layer any uneaten burgers is a flat container with wax paper between them and freeze. To cook, simply place the frozen burgers in a 375˚ oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

The Gittery Side of Me

Last Friday, Brad and I attended the first of our holiday season parties. It was a raucous one, gift swap and all, but the most important thing that happened thanks to this event, was the discovery of our alter-egos - and they are good lookin'!


All it took was an invitation to dress up and a can of aerosol hairspray. Wind storms and tornado warnings be damned, that hair wasn't goin' nowhere. Fuhgedaboudit!

This Is An Expensive Blog Post

Maybe it's for the privilege of doing it in a overpriced bathrobe, but the internet is costing me $9.99 for 5 hours here at The Richmond. The little info card says the service is available for 1 daily fee, but when I signed on at 10am, it warned me the session would expire at 3pm. Oh, and the connection? Spotty.

Today is day 3 here in Miami and I am in fact sitting in a hotel robe watching the palm trees sway outside the window in front of me. Brad is over at the convention center installing some sculptures in his gallery's booth at Art Basel. I opted out after helping with a 9am-7pm on my feet day yesterday that left my dogs barking. And besides, I have all this important computing to do - emails, internet browsing, blogging and of course updating this year's amazon wish list* for receiving Christmas presents.

Since our arrival we have already managed to go on a shopping spree and take in a movie, as well as many restaurant meals, but tomorrow the real fun begins. The art fairs and accompanying parties will commence and Brad and I will slather on the sunscreen and hit the beach.

Maimi goal number: Return home to snow and freezing temperatures with a tan.

*Gifts accepted regardless of religious/holiday affiliation. Contact me for shipping information if you're feeling generous.

Chilling A Smelly One

I picked these leaves up off the path in Prospect Park this morning while walking Francine. It has been sunny and 60˚ in the afternoons all week and despite the fact that today is December 1st, there are still some leaves on the trees. Global warming or not, I have been enjoying the sun and the warmth.


The other thing I picked up and brought home from the park this morning was a vile of Francine's poop, per the vet's instructions. They say it is necessary for her records and when we were there last Friday they sent me home with a vile containing a tiny scooper, labeled 'prepaid'. My instructions were to bring it back half full and I have been avoiding the task ever since. But, this weekend Brad and I are heading to Miami again where we'll enjoy temperatures in the high 70˚s and attend Art Basel Miami Beach with his gallery, so today is the day to do all those chores I have been procrastinating about. That is why there is poop in my refrigerator.