extra turkey gravy

Ingredients

• Pan drippings from roast turkey
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Chicken broth or water

Directions

1. After transferring roast turkey to a serving platter, pour pan drippings into a large measuring cup. Skim and reserve fat from drippings.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of the fat into a medium saucepan (discard remaining fat).
3. Stir in flour. Add enough broth or water to remaining drippings in the measuring cup to equal 2 cups;
4. Add all at once to flour mixture in saucepan.
5. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
6. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 2 cups - 8 to 10 servings

simple abundance: for what it's worth

• Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy helps guide a person through each day of the year, with quotes from famous people and well-known sources along with a daily topic. This is not Holy Writ or a recently re-discovered treasure from the Bard, so don't try to approach it as such. For what it's worth, it's a few hundred pieces of advice and recommendations for enhancing your home, yard and work environments, your lifestyle and sense of yourself and maybe even helping some of the people around you.

Author Sarah Ban Breathnach doesn't call upon insights or practices from expressions of any of the great faith traditions, so don't expect an exposition of scripture or interpretation of the latest news through the lens of a modern or ancient prophet. However, almost nothing she suggests is incompatible with most religious or spiritual practices.

Some of it's kinda funky, some close to caricature, but (for example) I can relate to "Decorating with the Seasons: Summer Houses" for 14 June, though my own Summer-Themed Habitat might not have the exact same details. "Classic Chic 102" is the subject for 04 June; it's about living spaces, but I like picking up the classic idea for the way I dress that tends to be touches of vintage, preppy, urban, prairie in almost equal parts, so an idea aimed at one aspect of life might inspire another direction.

This is a nice handbook to keep handy on a table, although instead of reading each page-long entry in order, I'd prefer to read at random. For what it's worth, take what appeals to you and leave the rest for another time or maybe never.

my amazon review: for what it's worth

living free: at the beach

festival of sail 2010: star of india 4

festival of sail 2010: star of india 3

festival of sail 2010: star of india 2

festival of sail 2010: star of india 1

festival of sail 2010 | 6

festival of sail 2010 | 5

festival of sail 2010 | 4

festival of sail 2010 | 3

festival of sail 2010 | 2

festival of sail 2010 | 1

essay contest winner...

...from 2001: First Place prize of $50 plus publication in I Love Cats magazine. I figured retyping it here would be a good idea.

"Pumpkin Marigold! Wake up! This is your day ... it's Halloween!" As the little orange cat untucked her head, blinked, stood up and stretched, the sun peeked through the window, shining on her beautiful fur. Pumpkin Marigold jumped off the bed and scurried out to the kitchen for breakfast. "Halloween?" she thought. "I always thought Halloween was for black cats." Her person read PM's thoughts.

"Sometimes Halloween is for black cats. But your name is Pumpkin, your color is orange, and Halloween fun is about orange pumpkins!"

Then her person showed something to PM. It was the costume she'd be wearing to the neighborhood pet party. As PM looked at the outfit, she started to purr. Louder and louder. Putting both paws onto her person's legs and contentedly running her head, the cute Halloween cat skipped into the black cat costume And later that day, Pumpkin Marigold faced all the cameras with pride as everyone took her picture. She's won the "Best Costume" award at the pet party.

"This really is my day ... it's Halloween," mewed the pumpkin-colored cat to her whole world.

gourmet burger joint: boomerangs

"You'll always come back for more."

I'll definitely go back for more to Boomerangs, San Diego, CA, where bright southwestern-hued paint and streams of natural light surrounded us from the moment we entered the building; as we enjoyed lunch, succulent burgers and accompaniments tantalized us. The website insists, "Boomerangs is the place for you. We make all of our burgers with 100% Angus beef with the freshest ingredients and our handmade sides are a must try!"

To create your own burger, you get to add any three toppings and mixers, one cheese and one homemade side to a basic 1/3, 1/2, or 3/4 pound Angus burger. Besides beef, there are additional non-vegetarian plus portabello mushroom or veggie burger options. The website displays most of the menu items we got to choose from in the restaurant. Prices are modest for such fresh excellence; due to its quality and the fact it didn't shrink much during cooking the 1/3 pound burger was so substantial I'd have been happy to be able choose a smaller, quarter-pounder, especially since the sides added more substance.

Paintings by San Diego-based artist Mark Smith arrayed themselves on the walls; Jose, our server explained the art was for sale but Boomerangs had the privilege of borrowing them for a spontaneous exhibit until they were sold.

If you're not too far from the San Diego area beaches it's worth a trip to Clairemont for lunch at Boomerangs. The restaurant is open every day of the week, so you can't miss. Other features include daily happy hour from 4 to 7 and brunch on Sundays from 10 to 2 with "free-flowing champagne and mimosas," fresh fruit and salads, hot entrees, omelets and desserts.

Most likely you'll always go back for more!