THANKSGIVING DAY - Dia de Accion de Gracias

Los Angeles, CA - As we start celebrating the wonderful holiday season it’s time to give GRACIAS to all you have in your life.  A time to reunite with family and friends around the dinner table and enjoy each others company with good food.

Below, I have a recipe for my tangy Cran-Citrus sauce that will not only compliment your turkey meal this Thanksgiving day but is also great topped off over a slice of cheesecake or snacks (for example: brie or pepper jack on crackers) anytime of the year.

Some traditional dishes have no recipe…for example, if you ask my parents, aunts, or siblings for a recipe to one of their delicious dishes…they have NO written recipe…their dish usually calls for a handful of this, a pinch of that, 1 or 2 of these, etc…

I found myself doing a cup of this and a dash of that for my tangy sauce.  But with any dish there is usually no wrong way as you can add extra items or spices to create your own signature dish.

L.A.L.A.’s Tangy Cran-Citrus Sauce

-Fresh Cranberries (12 oz bag)

-1 Orange (for fresh juice & zest optional)

-1 Lemon (for fresh juice)
-Water (1/4 cup)

-Sugar (1 cup)

-1 Apple or Pear or both

-Raisins (1 cup)

-Walnuts or Almonds or both (1 cup diced)

-Cinnamon (a pinch here, a pinch there)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a pot, bring orange juice, lemon juice, water and sugar to a boil.  Add cranberries...

When cranberries start cracking add apple and/or pear...

Mix all ingredients and start mixing & mashing...

This is what it will look like...

Add raisins, walnuts/almonds and sprinkle cinnamon on top...

Mix ingredients for 5 minutes and you're done!

ENJOY!

Here's something fun and different to add to the table - TOT (The Other Turkey).  The kids will love this...

Enjoying the company of family & friends surrounded by delicious food is wonderful but watch your portions.  They say you gain an average of 5-10 pounds during the holidays.  Of course you want to try every single thing on the table – sampling is better than over stuffing.  Eat slowly and really taste your food – enjoy your deli-scrumptious meal.

Thank you all for reading my blog.  Please send any comments you may have.  Until next time.

LALA

"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." -- John Wooden

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS - Day of the Dead

Los Angeles, CA - Dia de los Muertos is a tradition in Mexico that started over 2,500 years ago.

Dia de los Muertos celebrates the death of our loved ones by making an altar (at home or cemetery), decorating it with sugar skulls and flowers (marigold), and placing food & drinks our loved ones enjoyed.  The 2-day celebration takes place on November 1^st (All Saints’ Day) to honor children and November 2^nd (All Souls’ Day) to honor adults.

Here in Los Angeles, events are held throughout Mexican-American communities.  People attend these events and many paint their face in traditional calavera (skull).  The calavera symbolizes death & rebirth.

The painted face is also a good costume for Halloween.  You can paint the entire face or half, as I will demonstrate below…

What you will need:

-Face Paint (white, black, and any bright colors of choice)

-Small Paintbrush

-Black Eyeliner

-Red Lipstick

-Water

-Damp & Dry Paper Towel (to clean fingers/paintbrush)

Step 1:  The Before Picture.  Make sure you have a clean face:

Step 2: Apply black eyeliner to your eyes (inside & around eye).  Also, with black eyeliner, lightly trace around your eye(s) and nose.

Step 3: Paint the rest of your face with white face paint.  You can use paintbrush or fingers to apply (I use fingers):

Step 4: Paint eye area and tip of nose black.  Make teeth and outline lips.  You can use paintbrush or fingers (I use paintbrush):

Step 5: Add fun designs with bright colors - there is no wrong way of decorating - be creative.

For girl, add make-up to the other side of face.

Step 6: Dress up in traditional Mexican wear and add jewelry.  Wha-la!:

Step 7: Have fun and take loads of pictures.
These image below where made from an app Instagram and the setting is called Toaster.  Pretty cool si?:

Playing loteria (Mexican bingo).

Playing the piano.

Start your own Dia de los Muertos tradition.  It’s great to remember those you love who have past, including pets, and keep their memory alive.  That’s what memories are for – to talk about them and relive the good times.

Speaking of pets, here are 10 Halloween Safety Tips for Pet Parents from ASPCA:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/halloween-safety-tips.aspx

And, all of that Halloween candy cannot be good for your teeth.  Here is a quote from Dr. Oz:

"Save money at the dentist and whiten your teeth naturally with strawberries.  They contain malic acid, which helps remove stains."  Not to mention strawberries are yummy!  Thanks Dr. Oz.

Thank you very much for stopping by and reading my blog.  Please send any comments you may have.  Until next time. 

LALA

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. -- Steve Jobs

MY FIRST BLOG.../Mi Primer Blog...

Los Angeles, CA - I'm creating a blog to share the many adventures of my life...
Please stay tuned as I will start posting soon!

LALA

L.A. through L.A.
(view from Marina del Rey towards the Pacific Ocean)