Please Donate Today!

For the first time ever, the Salvation Army is featuring virtual Red Kettles online for their Christmas 2005 campaign. Their corporate partners include Target, which has banned the kettles from their storefronts, and Walmart, which still allows the wonderful bell ringers to collect donations the old-fashioned way.

From today until December 31, 2005, I am sponsoring my very own Red Kettle. Please click on this link to donate as much as you can afford, early and often.

The Salvation Army has helped millions of Americans this year. Now you can help, too.

Thank you very much!

Strong Enough for a Man But Made for a Woman

A Woman Willing to Waste Money on Art Deco Kitsch

Black Friday is more than just a cool 70s song by Steely Dan that has been replaying on my internal jukebox all day. It is more than the busiest boxing day of the shopping season, although with pinpoint strikes I successfully acquired the two items on my most wanted list in less than an hour's time at deeply discounted prices - without waiting in line and with nary a tussle. I would like to brag about my brilliant strategery, but it was mostly luck.

Black Friday is the day when the colors of autumn turn from warm earthtones such as pumpkin, tan and sienna to red and green. Who says California has no seasons? Inflatable turkeys that adorned the yard are replaced by an inflatable Santa Homer Simpson - or is that only at our house?

The fiber optic Christmas tree is reassembled, the purplish-orange outdoor lights give way to flashing strands in primary colors, and we break out our finest linens. In our home, that includes paper towels designed by Mary Engelbreit.




I have a substantial Mary Engelbreit collection, including the product pictured above. But, really, is this necessary? Must the Brawny man be a metrosexual, too?

Saucy Leftovers

If you are bored with yesterday’s leftovers, you might consider recycling them as shepherd’s pie. The traditional version would feature turkey, gravy and vegetables on the bottom of a casserole covered by a layer of mashed potatoes.

For a tasty departure from the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving, mix shredded turkey with the barbecue sauce of your choice - adding vegetables is optional - for your bottom layer. Spread with mashed potatoes and generously sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top.

One of my favorites, Napa Valley barbecue sauce, is especially delicious with poultry or pork. The recipe below makes about 2 cups.

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. dry sherry (good drinking sherry, not cooking sherry)
1/3 c. water
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. salt

Saute the chopped onion in melted butter in a medium saucepan over low heat until translucent (for 10 minutes or so). Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Add more salt to taste.

To make Napa Valley chicken, dredge chicken pieces in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and sauté them in melted butter until golden brown. Place the chicken in a baking dish, smother in Napa Valley barbecue sauce and bake covered at 350 degrees for 1¼ hours. Naturally, I recommend serving Napa Valley chicken over mashed potatoes.

Birthday Blessings

Today is my brother Richard’s 65th birthday. As we are spending Thanksgiving with my husband’s parents and assembled siblings, nieces and nephews, we will celebrate with my side of the family on Saturday. Richard, who is deaf and has learning disabilities, has lived with us since his former caregiver, our sister, died unexpectedly two years ago. Although sometimes challenging, he is a blessing for which I thank God every day.

Another blessing is William F. Buckley, who turns 80 today. He is one of the towering figures of the 20th century, as influential in his own world-changing movement as Churchill, FDR, Reagan and Pope John Paul II. George Will’s column yesterday put his mentor’s achievements into historical perspective.

A Thanksgiving Warm As Snow

The most gifted writers of commentary possess intellectual clarity. The most persuasive among them transfer their clarity seamlessly to the reader.

Tony Snow has this rare gift and a disarming humility, a virtue he celebrates in his new column, Thanksgiving.

Tony was diagnosed with colon cancer nearly one year ago and I imagine that it must feel like the longest year to him and his family. If he thought ahead to Thanksgiving at all, it may have been to wonder if he would survive to see another. When you live with cancer, holidays become triumphant milestones. Today I am so thankful for Tony Snow's recovery.

Please read his loving tribute to the most American holiday and let his simple truths warm your heart. He is a national treasure.