How to Celebrate a Kentucky Fried Christmas

It may be May (har har), but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate the warm, cozy, bizarre Christmas presented in this amazing find.

A fried chicken holiday spectacular.

Yes, ladies and gents, that is Christmas Eve... with Colonel Sanders. All of your holiday favorites, in one beautiful vinyl. It is sure to add spice to all of your all evenings.

Let's explore further...

...should we call for help?

The Colonel looks dead. More specifically, he looks like he was trying to suppress a giggle, then caught himself off guard by dying. Or he is trying to feign sleep so the giant Christmas chickens don't come back to life and seek their revenge.

Henri Mancini signed up for this?

It has all of your holiday favorites! Just think - you could sing with your kids, or plop them down and throw on an old timey fast food record. It is the true meaning and spirit of Christmas.

The only collector's edition of anything you will ever need.

...and don't you forget it!

Oh yes. This is a VERY special collector's edition for Kentucky Fried Chicken. To add to the rest of your Kentucky Friend Chicken record collection. Or porcelain bucket collection? Or basket liner collection?

In fact, a quick Google image search does yield the following:

2 Piece And A Biscuit Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Play Set in Original Package from eBay

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Play Set Complete in Box + Instructions from eBay

So we have that going for us. Touche, Internet! 

There also is a Christmas Day with Colonel Sanders, so the festivities never have to end.

Do you have a fast food Christmas tradition?

A Cruise Through South Pasadena Homes

Subtitle: My Creepy Afternoon.

This past week, I got very lucky and was gifted a half day of work. As such, I decided that I wanted to work on my stalking photography skills, and take some photos of the beautiful houses I often drive by. With more or less no knowledge of architecture, please don't judge my classifications too harshly.

Plus, doesn't this guy look like he needs a walk?

Such a sad, deprived dog...

To provide some context, when my husband and I first decided to move to South Pasadena, we felt as if the neighborhood houses had the ultimate "Americana" vibe. It was as if everyone in America, as portrayed on TV, lived on streets just like those we can find around here. Since moving here, we have come to realize that one of the main reasons we got this feeling is because, indeed, so many television families HAVE lived in these houses (in a manner of speaking).

South Pasadena is continually aflutter with film crews, many of whom work for popular TV shows, all filming the beautiful home exteriors. The houses are picturesque, classic Craftsman styles for the most part and ranging in size from grand to quaint.

To kick off our unofficial house tour, Dooley and I headed down toward Mission Street, aka South Pasadena's Downtown area, and wandered North into the neighborhood. Camera slung around my neck, I'm sure I looked like a snooping paparazzo with a furry alibi.

First up...

I LOVE this house. This may be my favorite house in the area, because it is the manifestation of a classic haunted house. It's like Old Man Withers' house, from which you and your friends flee after thinking you see a ghost in the attic while walking by.

It is so rare to see houses this size and this style in the Los Angeles area, with old school brick and meandering stairways. There even is a grand veranda. So dreamy. Even the gate's lighting is Gothic and beautiful.

If I were to daydream about moving into any style of house in particular, outside of the brick haunted paradise, it would be a Spanish-style home. The bungalow we live in now is decorated in hacienda colors and Mexican folk art, and I love the idea of an expansive Spanish- or Mission-style house.

Taking these photos probably made me look less like a creepy stalker, more like an insane person talking out loud to her dog about how we should live there.

We took a quick stop at this pretty street corner for some sniffing.

...after which he started sneezing for about a full minute. Doggie allergies, one presumes.

The trees in the general Pasadena area are also spectacular. The Jacaranda trees have purple flowers and only bloom twice a year. The Spring is gorgeous to behold, albeit probably a major pain to those who garden.

 

There are also a selection of more modest houses, bungalow-style. These look positively idyllic, like the home of the heroine in most chick-lit novels (the ones I read, anyway).

Look at this lemonade stand, for crying out loud. This is the cutest thing ever.

Even the fire hydrants are charming and quirky.

...before you go thinking that I work for the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce or have decided to become a realtor, I really am just a big fan of this area. The Pasadena area (once considered impossibly far away from the hip West Hollywood neighborhood I used to live in) is a superbly picturesque place, and would recommend to anyone looking for a place to live.

It is so fun for both woman and dog to explore.

What are your favorite Los Angeles neighborhoods?

Meandering Thoughts on Book Series

Is there any better way to spend a lazy morning? I sure as heck can't think of one.

The Ultimate Morning

Ryan is currently reading his way through the Harry Potter series, and it stirs up so many memories. I remember waiting for the midnight book releases, wand in hand (courtesy of my dear friend Cassie). I remember the enthusiasm for a book that truly did reach folks of all ages. I remember getting Order of the Phoenix the night before my brother's wedding, opening randomly to Harry and Cho's kiss and having my mind all aflutter until I could figure out the progression that got them there.

Of course, being in college, I was arguably too old to be reading these. But then again, everyone in the world was reading them so I hardly feel self conscious.

Being presently on the second book on the Fifty Shades of Grey series (which I have been somewhat reading for the last year, typically reserved for long baths), I can hardly say I have found a new series that captures my interest quite the same way. I poured through Hunger Games, Twilight and the Sookie Stackhouse series at a pretty steady clip, but they miss the humor, the world building and the intellectualism of Harry Potter. Even the quiet intellectualism that comes out in the names and the literary allusions.

And, let's be real, a lot of them just aren't up to the general quality bar.

Enter Game of Thrones. My geeky new obsession, albeit acknowledged that the first book came out in 1996. I am struggling to keep up with the books in tandem with the series, but am now on Book 3, A Storm of Swords. Holy cow are these books good. Some of the best-written female characters in literary history, as far as I am concerned (excepting Jane Austen). The ability to read a book in which you have genuinely NO idea where the characters' storylines are heading is exhilarating. There are so many opportunities for self-identification and reflection, it is like a breath of fresh air and a stein of heavy stout all in one.

I may have also gotten a little obsessed with both the books and the show over the last few months, resulting in me getting this for the husband for Christmas:

Yes, our sigil is a Golden Retriever.

I am sure I will have many Game of Thrones posts to follow. I own A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook, so food adventures are inevitable.

Does anyone else have any series they are obsessed with? Medieval recipes?

Freezer Binge Cooking - Day 2 (and 3 and 4)

The cooking day hath been completed, and several tasty meals have been born! Specifically, 45 individual servings of easy weeknight goodness.

For those of you who missed my first post (and its nerd-tastic planning), you can check it out here. This post is going to more 'memoir' than didactic, and I recommend checking out the recipes themselves for more of a detailed breakdown. It also may have morphed into three extra days of cooking, not because of difficulty but primarily because I am easily distracted.

One detail I was arguably way TOO excited about was the fact that I was able to procure some restaurant-style takeout containers in which to store two portions each. These babies are courtesy of Amazon, which was very handy for stacking (read: stuffing) our new food in our already-packed freezer. Hey man, four half-used bags of frozen peas take up space!

Ooooh, sexy containers. You headin' my way?

But what went in those containers, you ask? Oh I will tell you.

The very first step on the cooking day was actually remembering to take out the spinach for the lasagna I was going to make that afternoon, which has to be fully thawed. Thank you, planning notebook!

When it came time to begin the real cooking, the chili was first up. This is Pioneer Woman's "Simple Hearty White Chili," which cooks on the stove for several hours. I prepped the necessary produce for the recipe, and let it cook on the stove so I could move on to prepping the rest of the produce needed for the day.

On to Martha Stewart's Primavera Lasagna. Oh this lasagna is good. I started by making the creamy sauce (made with whole milk instead of cream so, you know, zero calories), then added the vegetables and let it all cook together while prepping the other lasagna components. Mainly cheese. If making at home, be sure to prep an extra cup of grated cheese or so for snacking, otherwise the lasagna won't turn out right.

Once prepped, the lasagna is layered and put in the oven. Here is the final product, pre-freezer:

Lasagna Primavera and White Chili. So so good...

Lasgana money shot.

Having pre-shredded all of the produce for Smitten Kitchen's Stuffed Cabbage, I cooked up the parsnip, carrot and celery and set aside to cool.

...then I realized I was running super late for my friend's amazing Crawfish Boil and decided to make the rest of the stuffed cabbage the next morning. Which, thankfully, worked out very well! This is a great place to stop if you have to dash out.

The next morning, full of crawfish, I picked back up and finished the filling, prepped the cabbage leaves, and assembled the rolls, letting them stew in tomato sauce.

Tomato-y goodness.

Turns out, doubling the recipe makes a LOT of stuffed cabbage, which I conveniently forgot from the last time I made this recipe. I'm talking 16 servings.

Ready to freeze.

As the cabbage cooled, it took no time to throw together the Black Eyed Peas in a Spicy Goan Curry. I immediately spooned small servings into freezer bags and stacked them so they could be frozen as sleek, thin rectangles.

Yes. I made a bit of a mess  by the time it was all done.

Cleaning service, anyone?

The one straggler that made its way to Monday was the Curry Chickpeas with Dill, out of sheer laziness. However, making a double batch on Monday yielded two dinner servings and three hearty lunch servings, so it was all worth it. It really does make an excellent lunch. No photos. Too hungry.

So.... there it is! A fantastic binge freezer cooking weekend (+Monday). All things considered, it really didn't take me long at all for the amount of meals that we have. It is also much cheaper to buy everything at once and prep in bulk. Highly recommended! We are reaping the bounty tonight and having a much more leisurely evening, no cooking required.

What are your favorite freezable recipes?