GO SEE THIS MOVIE

SERIOUSLY, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. I never go to movies on a Saturday night. ESPECIALLY during the holidays. This was worth every single penny, parking nightmare and crowd.

This Day In History

Sixty-six years ago today, Pearl Harbor was attacked. In total, 2,403 people were killed, mostly in the first fifteen minutes. They say cause of death for the majority of soldiers was suffocation or drowning. Today there are memorials across the nation honoring those who served and to remember the attack that entered us into WWII.

Sixty-six years ago today was also my grandma's cousin Ethel's wedding day. As they prepared for the wedding, fussing over dresses and hair, flowers and lipstick, my grandfather had the radio on and tried to tell the group what was happening. No one would listen. As my grandma put it, "Hawaii might as well have been on the moon. We were so isolated then. Just so sheltered."

My grandfather understood the depth of the attack, and knew right away we'd enter the war. He told my grandmother he had to enlist. She just looked at him like he was exaggerating and continued fussing with the girls. Poor Ethel, talk about someone raining on your parade.

By the time the ceremony finished, it was the only topic of conversation. All the young men in the family gathered around the table discussing what branch of service they would enter. No one wanted to be drafted and left without a choice.

The women tried to make the best of the celebration but couldn't ignore the cloud over the festivities. Definitely NOT your typical Jewish wedding filled with music and dancing til' the wee hours. The bride and groom left on their honeymoon as planned, but nothing was the same after their return. There would be rationing and coupons, women in the workforce, internment camps and air raid drills.

My grandfather joined the air force and was stationed in Italy. His cousin joined too and eventually flew B-52 bombers. My grandma said it was hard being away from him so long, but most of the women she knew had a husband stationed overseas. They banded together and watched after one another. Ahhh, the strength of women in numbers! I don't know much about my grandpa's time in Italy except my grandma said he enjoyed the country and the food. (Go figure.)

She also said something a few months back that stunned me silent. Before we decided to go to Argentina we planned on going to Italy. My grandma, completely off-handed says, "well, if you see anyone that resembles your grandfather, don't be surprised!"

WHAT??? EEEW. WHAT???? OH GROSS. (*twitch and shudder.*)

I shouldn't have done this but I asked, "You mean, he wasn't faithful?"

She said, "Sweetie, he was gone two years. I'm no dope. In those days you turned the other cheek and didn't discuss it. As long as he came home healthy, that's all I cared about."

And to think people still dismiss the elderly, when they have such gems like this story to share!

My Kinda McRib

In Slash's book he talks about how he fell in love with the McDonald's McRib sandwich and it became his guilty pleasure. I'm sure the low price played into the affair but he continued to eat them well after he became successful. Even becoming somewhat of a McRib connoisseur, citing a time when he found a McDonald's in Europe but was deeply disappointed when the McRib tasted nothing like it's American counterpart. When I was reading about how he'd have a McRib sandwich for breakfast before practice I nearly gagged. I have never tried the McRib for the simple fact that the meat is chopped and formed to make it look like it still has a bone in it. (Shudder.)

However, this is not to say I don't love ribs. Particularly Mr. Cecil's Ribs. I know this might make me somewhat of an outcast in foodie circles but I can say with all honesty, they are the best ribs I've ever had. And I grew up going to Texas annually until I was 17. I'm hardly the barbecue novice although I'm sure there are many out there with more experience than me.

Mr. Cecil's is technically a chain and has that polished Disneyland look; with train models in the window and framed blown up black and white photos on the walls. BUT, they have a full bar and cloth napkins, so it's just that kinda place. (Organic chicken, iceberg lettuce wedge, chips and salsa appetizer kind of place.) Real BBQ fanatics should not let the decor deter them from the best baby back ribs in the valley.

Hubbie and I spent another Sunday house hunting, and decided to spend another Sunday lunch at Mr. Cecil's. I ordered a whole rack of baby back ribs, and embarrassingly, ate all but three. A whole rack comes with two sides and I chose the coleslaw (as always) and cornbread. The coleslaw is a bit creamier than I prefer but delicious nonetheless. And it doesn't suffer the sogginess that is usual when it's drenched in dressing. Hubbie had the pulled pork sandwich and hush puppies. He hates to eat meat off the bone and particularly hates ribs. But once he tried one of mine he was a convert. No fat, no gristle and no weird stringy vein-y things. Just meat that falls off the bone. And like the menu says, try a bite without sauce first. You'll be amazed at how smokey and flavorful they are.

Should we move to this part of the valley I better get my butt on a treadmill because I'll turn into a cow from eating here too often. The prices can seem steep but trust me, when you see the portion size and the quality of meat, it's worth every penny!

Martha Stewart Rules

How much do I love Martha Stewart? For one, I heard on Howard Stern the other day that she hated the tree in the Sirius lobby, so she came in with her "team" over the weekend and revamped it- Martha style. She even made a cookie ornament of Howard and Beth. She's just so cheesy and over the top sometimes but how can you not adore her?

Although I don't think I'll ever be the kind of person to bake pies with eggs laid by my hens and apples from my orchard, I really do appreciate her Everyday FOOD recipes. They're just snazzy enough to make you feel like a chef, yet easy and accessible to the average Jane. Especially THIS average Jane who doesn't get home til' 7:30 at night and the only prepping I can stand before dinner is uncorking the wine.

As I said before I bought some ground lamb and was looking for a recipe. I chose this one from Martha's website and it was a knock out. Only problem was I overdid it on the salt. And by overdid it I mean I used salt when I really didn't need to. The hummus, lamb and artichoke hearts have enough flavor on their own. We ate the leftovers for dinner last night, (I made four pizzas total,) and they reheat beautifully. If you're looking for a quick Mediterranean weeknight meal, this one is for you. I served it with a spinach salad with walnuts, tossed in Giada's dressing. Finally all these hours of watching Food Network are paying off.

Lamb Pita Pizzas

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 regular-size (6-inch) pitas, split
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 containers (8 ounces each) store-bought hummus (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
• 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, squeezed dry, and quartered
• 1/2 pound ground lamb or beef
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Lemon wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange pita halves, cut side up, on two baking sheets; brush with oil.
2. Spread pitas with hummus; top with peppers, artichoke hearts, and lamb. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake until pitas are golden and crisp and lamb is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley; serve with lemon wedges.

Assembled and ready to throw in the oven!
Finished product. Look how pretty!
In other news, I just found out that two of my bridesmaids are pregnant. One of the girls I've known since the ninth grade, and to picture her as a mom just makes me gush. In fact, she was always the "mom" of the group. She always drove, always had lunch money if one of us didn't, always tried to keep us out of trouble and was the first person to give you a hug if you were having a bad day. Most definitely one of the most nurturing people I've ever met. When we were in Vegas for my bachelorette, she was the one shoving vitamin C and water down our throats. Yep, she's gonna be a great mom.

I just recently went through a pregnancy scare and I have to admit, it was really freaky. On one hand I was terrified that I wasn't ready. We'd drank wine the whole time in Argentina and we are no closer to having a house. Yet, the other part of me almost felt relieved to be shoved into the situation where I couldn't obsess about it. In other words, I knew I'd keep it either way, so if I was indeed pregnant, so be it! Turns out I wasn't but I'm having some ovulation issues. I had to go to the doctor to get a shot of hormones to induce my period. Not pleasant. As I told my husband this morning, it feels like Dick Cheney shot me in the a**. I can't help but be paranoid there's something wrong with my plumbing but my doctor assured me skipping a period is really common. Especially right after discontinuing the pill.

I think 2008 will be huge for us. This year was pretty uneventful short of the trip to Argentina. I really hope to be in a home and pregnant next year.

(Did you hear that Santa?)