Thanksgiving. It’s all in the name – giving thanks. And I’m thankful for a lot. Here are my top 5 things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1. My family. They’re nuts. But they’re all mine. I like to spin the famous first line of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina to fit my nutty family: “All normal families resemble one another, but each crazy family is crazy in its own way.”
2. Layr-Layr (aka Larry). He’s nuts. But he’s mine. Maybe more importantly, I’m nuts and he digs it.
3. My friends. Ditto. Troy and Maria. Anne-Marie and Dave. Barney and O. Chatchy. Jeffrey. Matty A. Ris. Cyn and Mimi. Toddleberry. All you suckas. Love you lots.
4. My job. Hey, a job ain’t no sure thang these days. And I know what it feels like not to have one. I’m lucky. I like my job. Big thanks to Danny G for taking a chance on me.
5. My health. My cholesterol is probably through the roof and my metabolism is starting to go, but there are folks far worse off than me.

Happy T-day all! What are you thankful for?

I’m sure someone, somewhere said something like this at some point in time. Whatever. I’m saying it now:

“Don’t waste your time making excuses.
Make improvements.”

-Me

Photo credit: Misserion on Flick

We’re just a tequila kind of family. But we haven’t always been. My brother’s father-in-law, Jesse, introduced me and mine to the tequila tradition several years ago. And now, at our family gatherings, it’s customary for shots of chilled tequila to go ’round the room… and ’round again… and ’round again…

While I enjoy a good tequila, I understand the seemingly common aversion to it. A lot of my friends have this aversion and it typically stems from some under-age or just of-age incident where one imbibed massive amounts of horrifyingly bad, bottom-shelf tequila and what ensued was a rather unfortunate, unpleasant and/or completely unremembered experience. If that sounds familiar, I can’t say I blame ya for not wanting to taste tequila ever again, but hear me out on this one.

There’s a trick to tequila drinking. It’s not a complicated thing, but if you don’t follow these rules, the probability that you’ll have a less than satisfying experience greatly increase.

How to drink tequila the right way

Tequila and food go hand-in-hand.

It doesn’t matter what you eat, just keep it comin’! Tequila makes such a perfect drink of choice at our family gatherings because the one thing that’s sure to always grace these events is a huge amount of delicious, homemade and often traditional food. The idea is to eat a little, drink a little, eat a little, drink a little. And repeat until you feel fat ‘n happy.

Brand does matter.

If you’re not drinking the good stuff, then my sincerest good luck wishes to you! Bad tequila is just that. Bad. It’s not only bad when you’re drinking it, it’s consistently bad through the next morning when your head is pounding and your stomach is turning. Bad.

There’s so much good tequila out there that it’s just unnecessary to pick the bad stuff. Just like wines, tequila aficionados have different tastes and preferences about what they think is “good.” Personally, I’m a Cabo Wabo girl. Jesse and his wife, Helena, really enjoy a tequila called Oro Azul. When you get the good stuff, it’s also good by itself. The traditional way — plain, without salt and lime.

Whatever you choose, it should be 100 percent Agave (the plant tequila’s made from) and shouldn’t contain fillers like sugars. Agave itself already has its own sugars and they’re also fructose-based, making it easier for your body to break down. Other “filler” sugars that are often in types of tequila called “mixtos” may be harder for your body to break down and may contribute to a nightmarish hangover.

Age isn’t just a number.

Different ages of tequila will taste differently. There are five basic age classifications of tequila:

• Blanco: Or “white.” Clear in color and generally un-aged (sometimes, blanco is aged for up to two months in oak barrels).
• Oro: Or “gold.” Oro is like a blanco in that it’s un-aged, but it has an extra ingredient (sometimes sugar, oak extract, or just coloring) to give it the illusion of being aged.
• Reposado: Or “rested.” Aged at least two months but no more than one year in oak barrels. Has a caramel coloring.
• Añejo: Or “aged.” Aged at least one year, but no more than three years in oak barrels.
• Extra Añejo: Or extra “aged.” Aged at least three years in oak barrels.

I like a good blanco because it has a clean taste to me. If you appreciate the smoothness and complexity of an aged liquor, then you might be more of an añejo fan.

Always drink tequila in good company – and with good company.

Tequila is a social beverage. Drink it with people you like and love, and make sure to share!

Like I said, there’s not much to good tequila drinking. Yet, so many unfortunate souls still make the mistake of drinking bad tequila and paying the consequence. Don’t let this happen to you. Respect your tequila — with good food, a top brand, your choice of age and good company — and your tequila will respect you.

Photo credit: ILoveButter on Flickr

If you’ve never experienced the glory of the German pancake, you’re missing out. A German pancake, aka a “Big German” or “Dutch Baby” at the Original Pancake House (that’s OPH, not OHOP), is a cross between a pancake, popover and crepe. Only it’s gigantic. When you order it at the Original Pancake House and the server brings it to your table, there inevitably follows some “oohs,” or “mmms,” or “damn, that’s big!”

A German pancake is an individual experience; everyone seems to have their own way of eating it. Some like it with lemon and powered sugar, others like it with jam, still others like it with butter and syrup. Like an Oreo, there are different methods of consumption, like ripping off a slice, rolling it up and gulping it down. Or perhaps the more civil approach of cutting dainty pieces with a knife and fork. Personally, I like lots of lemon and powered sugar, via the Rip’n'Roll method.

My friend Cora originally found the German pancake recipe online and knowing that I shared her love (obsession) for such glorious gastronomy, she was kind enough to pass it along. Ever since, my fiancé Larry has been serving up German goodness, perfecting it with each trial. (I, of course, am always happy to be the guinea pig.) After several recipes and numerous iterations… drum roll please… we think we got it! The perfect German pancake.

German Pancake

Makes one pancake, serves 1-2 people

What you’ll need

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cream or vitamin D milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter (1 1/2 for batter, 1 1/2 for pan)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional, but recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but recommended)
• a touch of nutmeg (optional)

What you do

Note: It’s important to use cream or vitamin D milk. Two percent and more skim will result in a thicker pancake that doesn’t retain its puff.

Turn oven on to 400 degrees. Stick a 12 inch oven-safe sauté pan in the oven for approximately 20 minutes (the idea here being that the pan needs to be ripping hot).

Then, combine eggs and flour, whisk until smooth and pale yellow. Add the cream or milk, about 1 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter, the sugar, salt, and any extras if you want ‘em (i.e. vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg). Mix.

When the pan is rip-roaring hot, add about 1 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter to it and put back into oven for about a minute (don’t forget the oven mitts!). Then, pull the pan back out again and quickly add the batter.

Note: Getting your pan super hot is super important. If your pancake doesn’t puff up, the pan may not have been hot enough.

Place back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, the pancake should have high puffed-up sides, a bubbly, slightly browned middle that will quickly fall, and an overall awesome appearance. Remove from oven, let cool briefly and eat!

Now that’s what I call mmm, mmm, gutë!

My new nephew and God-son, lil’ Sebastian. Have you ever seen a chili pepper that looked so sweet?!