NFC North Champs

Our win against the Bears last week made us the NFC North Champs! Hip hip horray! I've been too busy to write about the game, but I liked where the offense was heading last week, and the D came up with some big plays as well. If only Mason Crosby could get his groove back, we'd be in business! Anyhoo, it was a great win, and a good feeling to clinch the division! Go Pack!

Holiday Wine Club!

We had our Christmas Wine Club at my friends Kelly and Jonathans house this past Tuesday. As always it did not disappoint! Their house was festively decorated, there was a fire in the fireplace, there was Christmas music on the radio. They set a pretty table with some really beautiful placemats, and it was just so fun!
We had salmon with caperberries (my first caperberries EVER!) and tarragon (I think) and potatoes made with maple syrup and cloves! So delish! I went back for seconds, and may have even sneaked thirds!
Our class was on dessert wines, so they were pretty sweet. (We tried a sauternes, eiswine, vin santo, tokaji, and a muscat.) The vin santo tasted like a sweet port, and the Mom made a banana tarte, and I made a baked brie (that acquired a hole somehow in the oven so all the cheese melted out! what a disaster!) and Kelly made a really tasty chocolate cake, that was only semi-sweet and really complimented the dessert wines.On top of all that we had a couple meat and cheese plates and crackers! You cannot imagine what a lovely evening it was! Ahhh...so Christmassy! Here are a few photos of the festivities!

Naughty but Nice Xmas Cookies!

I made Christmas cookies again this year! Well, actually I enlisted the help of my friend Daniel, who happens to be a wonderful baker, and I just assisted him. But anyway, I opted out of the traditional snowmen and Santa shaped cookie cutters for a more original twist on the classic holiday cookie. I decided to use the lingerie cookie cutters my mom bought me in France a couple years ago. I have a bustier and a bra and panties (or one piece and two piece swim-suit if you prefer something more conservative). Anyway, it took one night to bake the cookies, and a second night to decorate them all. It was a lot of hard work, but very fun. And we drank champagne and listed to holiday music the whole while, so that helped out a lot.  I think they came out great, AND they are 100% original. You can't buy these tasty treats in any store. Anyway here are a few photos.

The "Winter Wonderland" collection

Men's wear

The "Holiday Classics" collection

"Holiday Classics" Seperates

Yummy Cookies!

Oh la la!

"Feliz Navidad" 

Pearl Harbor Day

Today is the anniversary (if such a happy sounding word can be applicable) of the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the United States entry into World War II. I have been to the memorial twice, once when I was 11 or twelve, and the second time last year. Both times I was so moved by the experience that I thought of nothing else for several days. It's the closest I've ever come to war, and the encounter was one of the most emotionally confusing things I have ever experienced (both as a child and adult). That the most shameful acts of humanity somehow always manage to produce the greatest acts of valor in humanity is beyond my ability to rationalize. It was shocking to learn that most of the seamen killed at Pearl Harbor were kids. 17, 18 or 19 or so, just boys really. I saw photos of them.
War is...there isn't even a word I know of that describes it adequately. A terrible, awful, sad, tragic, regrettable, devastating, unnecessary, gut wrenching thing. And that's just how I felt as a tourist to the memorial on a beautiful, sunny Hawaiian day. I can't even watch movies about it because of my sensitivity to the senselessness of it all. It gives me nightmares. I know in the past war has often been a necessity, and I do not mean to disrespect the men and women who have given their lives so that I may sit here and expound upon this. Rather, I just wish that no one, not a single person, ever had to die in war.
The fact that it happened right before Christmas makes it even more sad (if that is even possible). It's been an unusually somber day for me amidst all the holiday cheer I've generally been feeling. But I don't want to ignore it or overlook it. I think that  too few people these days really understands what war is. I feel like too few people despise it truly. If we did then no one would be playing video games, and enjoying movies that depict it. It's a sad day. And while I have holiday cookies to decorate tonight, and company coming over,  my thoughts will be with the boys still aboard the USS Arizona, at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.

The Perfect Gift...

Everyone has that friend, or family member that is hard to buy Christmas gifts for. You know the one I'm talking about right? Well, consider your problem solved! Why? Because  a good old fashioned hand made Christmas sweater is the perfect gift for ANYONE! And where can you find these festive and merry jumpers you might ask, why at: http://www.myuglychristmassweater.com of course! Here are a couple of my favorites! (The dresses are especially fun don't you think?)

Oh Christmas Tree!

Bringing the 'lil guy home!

Squeezing through the door!

All the while the reindeer is watching us:)

First ornament of the season! Bacon!

And finally the tree topper!

Christmas is here! Christmas is here!!!

Week 13: Packers vs. Vikes

Game Day Mimosa at LG Bar and Grill

Well, yesterdays game started out strong but kind of fizzled, and for a while there I wasn't sure we were going to come out on top. Thank goodness for Morgan Burnett!
The Rodgers to Jones TD in the first quarter was spectacular. Jones really did a great job of hauling that one in. The run game went OK, although Minnesota's run game fared slightly better. Lol. (Adrian Peterson had a record day, with a career long 83 yard run for a TD). I don't think it has so much to do with our running backs lack of skill so much as the offensive line not executing the run blocks effectively. They just can't seem to create the gaps that other teams are able to, and it leaves our backs...well, on their backs. I do like the Starks/Green combination, and I think playing both of them is working out.
Crosby is on his way out for sure. I hate to say it because he has been so awesome for so long, but he almost missed a 30 yard field goal, at home, and then did miss the 53 yarder to end the half. If we are going to make it to the playoffs, we cannot afford to only make a 3rd of our field goal opportunities. I'd be really surprised if they stick with him for the rest of the season. It's too bad, and I feel for him. And I feel awful saying all this but it's true.
The end of the first quarter, beginning of the second was sort of blah. There were a bunch of 3 and outs and then Jordy Nelson hurt his hamstring. GREAT. That's just what we need. At least Greg Jennings is back out on the field.
I thought the play calling was really conservative yesterday, and I didn't care for it. McCarthy was definitely playing it safe all the way. Twice we were at 4th and  inches and McCarthy chose to punt. I know AP (Adrian Peterson) is a threat, but with the Vikes main receiver out of the game, I would have given the offense a shot. I know the decision probably has to do with the backup personnel on the field, and not being exactly sure what the offensive line, in particular, would do. But Rodgers was out there, and Jennings and Cobb, and Kuhn, and Green. I mean for crying out loud one of those guys could have moved the ball 2 inches for a first down. We didn't play an aggressive game, and that annoys me, because that's what football is all about. But anyway.
Then on the first play after the half Crosby made yet again another huge mistake. (The rule is if you kick a ball out of bounds between the 5 yard line and end zone on a kickoff, then the ball automatically gets moved to the 40 yard line.) The next play AP took it all the way down to the 13 yard line in one run. It was around then that I started to get nervous. But luckily Burnett got those two interceptions int he second half. If not, I'm not at all certain we would have come away with the win.
The defense played OK, but not great. The Vikings had a +200 ground game, but our secondary did well against their (almost) non-existent pass game. There wasn't much pressure on the QB, and I was a little frustrated by that but...Oh well.
All in all, I guess it was an OK game. And we got a division win, and the Bears lost. So all of those are good things. I just wish we were playing less sloppy (I think we had between 8 and 10 penalties yesterday), and more confident. And what happened to the no huddle? Is it because of the offensive line issues? We take on the Lions next week, and I really hope the O-line protects Rodgers and gives him time to make some plays. I also hope Matthews is back by then to give our pass-rush a little life.
Until then!

I Saw Santa!

I missed most of the Christmas Parade this year due to bad weather and a the temptation of a nice cozy seat by the fireplace to read. But I managed to make it out for the last couple minutes. And I made it in time  for the best part which is to see Santa wave at me and hear him wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Hoooray! AWESOME! Only 22 days till Christmas!

Rainbows

The weather has been pretty warm the last couple weeks, but we have still had a couple rainy days. Two days in a row there were rainbows over town! One even started downtown on Santa Cruz Ave! Who needs a pot of gold when you live in Los Gatos? Wait...I do.

Fight Club

Velasques vs. Dos Santos

Now that I am super into kickboxing I am also becoming more interested in watching fights on TV. I've accompanied my BF to watch fights before, but I wasn't exactly excited about it (but went that way he could have a couple beers and enjoy himself and not worry about driving home). But now that's beginning to change. I like boxing a little, but I really like the MMA (mixed martial arts) fights, since some of the moves they do I have learned in kickboxing. And just like any sport that you actually know a little something about, it has become much more interesting and less violent that I had first assumed. Of course they are fighting, so there is obviously going to be cuts, scrapes, blood, black eyes, swollen ears and faces, but for the most part all the guys fighting are very respectful of the rules of the sport, and each other. They aren't angry or borderline murderers or anything like that. They are athletes.
But I can still watch the fights both ways. The old way that found it horrifying and gruesome and my new way. We went to Hooters to watch the George St.Pierre fight a couple weekends ago. And it was actually really fun! I was able to spot moves that I knew how to do which was awesome. Like the "superman punch":) and I came to understand much more clearly why our kickboxing coaches are always telling us to do things like extend our arms when we punch, or keep our hands up at all times. It makes sense when you actually watch people who are fighting. And there is a strategy, a point system, and all kinds of rules that are (believe it or not) intended to protect the fighters. So that was all interesting too. But then I had a moment where I looked around me, and there on all the 30 or so TV's were two guys covered in blood (and I mean blood on the guys, on the ground, all over the place),  beating the stuffing out of each other and I thought to myself, "What in the world am I watching?!?" and had to cover my eyes because it was so...painful to watch. And they went for all 5 rounds so it was a good fight, but it just looked so painful you know? I must have too much empathy or something.
LOL. Well, the next big fight is at the end of December, and one of the fighters is a local San Jose guy, Cain Velasquez. My BF actually recognized him and his family walking around Los Gatos this summer and stopped to say hi! So I'll be cheering for him. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to the fight...ha ha. Who am I?

Packers vs. Giants: FAIL

Uggg....I don't even know how to begin. Last night's game was AWFUL. Just terrible. Not since the...beginning of the 2009 season have I seen such a horrendous game! It was so awful in fact that I'm not even going to give much commentary because it was all so awful. I know why it everything collapsed, because key players were out and they were trying to "make do". But shoot. Do we have to melt down while playing the freaking Giants, on Sunday night football? Oh the torture! Oh the suffering! As if the Giant's fans are not obnoxious enough already.
But I am a true fan. And yes, I did watch the entire game, to the bitter, BITTER end. Som looking on the bright side of this train-wreck of a game:
Cobb played well
Kuhn got his longest run
Hawk played solid, like he always does.
Rodgers "Movember" mustache was amazing
McCarthys "Movember" 'stashe was kind of squirrly, but still cool.
Hopefully they figure out what to do with the O-line by next week, and Matthews is back. And...well, that's it. That's all I have this week.

Thanksgiving

This year I had a relatively quiet Thanksgiving. Just me, Mom and my Sweetie. He decided to go play soccer with a bunch of his friends so that left me with the morning free. So I went for a really nice run outside. I haven't done that in a while. Run outside I mean. The weather was warm and sunny and very summery, but it at least looked like fall. The leaves (well, some of them anyway) are falling, and while there is still a lot of green, there are  some really spectacular burst of color here and there. And along N. Santa Cruz Ave, by the grocery store there are these really huge trees, with equally huge brown leaves that crunch under my feet when I run over them. And it's quite breathtaking when a big gust of wind rustles the branches and the leaves spin and fall all around.
I cooked my second turkey, and am pleased to announce that I cooked it the right-side-up. I may have mentioned this before, but it has always seemed counter intuitive to me to lay the bird on it's back. At any rate, I thought long and hard about it before setting it in the pan, and managed to do it correctly. I also made a few other sides, potato stuffing (a brilliant recipe that I acquired from my old roommate), and green beans. Mom brought over pilaf (my Pepere Joe's recipe) and a kale salad, and a pumpkin pie.
I watched football, and was very disappointed to see the Lions loose. I really wanted them to win. And that was pretty much it. Like I said, it was quiet, but nice;) Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

A Wine Club Thanksgiving!

Our Fortified Wines

Last night was Wine Club night again, and it was my mom's turn to host. She put out a beautiful Thanksgiving spread, complete with fancy (and I mean FANCY!) hors d'oeuveres. See the photos below for the details. My favorites were the deviled quail eggs with caviar! So tiny, but so delish! Our class covered fortified wines, i.e. wines that have had spirits added to them halting the fermentation process and increasing the alcohol content. Fortified wines include, ports, sherrys, and Australian Muscat. Most of them tasted somewhat how you'd expect, but the "fino" sherry caught us all by surprise. It smelled wonderful but it tasted briny and sort of salty and...quite frankly gross. It was a little like sparkling water, with the same mineral quality mixed with pure alcohol. Anyway, you won't fine me ordering that off the menu ever. I'll stick with the sweet cream sherrys. We learned that wines began being fortified after the English boycotted French wines in the late...1700's (I think, I can't remember). England started getting their wines from Spain and Portugal, but half the time it was no good by the time it reached England. So they started adding grape spirits to the wine to stop the fermentation (which if it continues too long produces vinegar) and voila! they had a wine that could withstand the journey, and practically NEVER  went bad. Ports come from Portugal, sherry from Spain, and of course Muscat from Australia. 

After class we (the guests) made fun Thanksgiving bouquets to take home while mom finished cooking. We had a wonderful and hearty (thank goodness, because I'd just sampled 6 fortified wines!) Thanksgiving dinner! We had cranberry stuffed turkey, brussel sprouts with apricots (OK, ok, I admit I am not the biggest fan of ye'ol brussel sprouts because I find them to taste very bitter. But the way she made them, the outside leaves were SUPER delicious, especially with a bite of apple and almonds!) And there were sweet potatoes as well. So tasty. I even had seconds!

The night was topped off with pumpkin mousse and homemade gingersnaps dipped in white chocolate! It was such a great "party"!

I'll tell you, I don't even miss the parties I used to have in college. Kegs full of cheap beer and 7 different kinds of potato chips. No sir! This is how I roll now. Beautiful, thoughtful food, a little education about what I'm drinking, and plenty of time to sip and enjoy with friends. What a night! And what a perfect meal to get in the holiday spirit! Thanks mom!

On the Road to Tahoe

This weekend my BF and I went up to Lake Tahoe for a quick little overnight "get away". I was hoping for a little fall/snow, you know, to get it the holiday spirit. My expectations were exceeded a thousand fold! The drive up and back was hands down the most beautiful drive I have ever taken in the Sierra! There were gorgeous fall colors, and picture-perfect snow covered Chrismas trees (technically pines and redwoods;). And the weather was spectacular. We got a sample of pretty much everything you can imagine. On the drive up we had sunny skies to start, then cloudy skies, then rain, hail, light snow, heavy snow with HUGE snowflakes, more hail, more rain, fog, more snow. The drive ended with sunny skies and poofy white clouds over Lake Tahoe, and a beautiful blazing orange sunset.You know how they say life is a journey, not a destination? Well, this trip was a perfect example of that. The drive there and back was definitely the best part of the weekend! Here are a few of my best photos! Enjoy! (P.S. These were taken from a moving vehicle, and I was trying to avoid barfing as we careened around the mountains, so I apologize if some of them are a little blurry.)