Thanksgiving with Luna

¡Feliz día de acción de gracias! ... or Happy Thanksgiving :)

As my Aunt Jean says, "You can't make a good gravy without a healthy amount of turkey grease!"

...

Now, my question is, can any amount of turkey grease really be all that healthy? Of course, of course, I know that nutritional health isn't exactly what my aunt was referring to, but still, that question just about sums up my feelings toward Thanksgiving cuisine in general.

Despite all that, my sister Hillary and I donned the requisite aprons in order to assist with the Thanksgiving feast preparations.

Here we are in the process of stirring said gravy.

However, in order to take a gastronomical detour from the typical American Thanksgiving spread, I threw together some "Tomatoes Teruel", a Spanish dish that I thought would add some color to the otherwise monochromatic table. These tomatoes were delicious, and I had to share the recipe with you!

Ingredientes

• 
  3 very large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• Fresh parsley (optional)

Preparación

Arrange tomatoes in single layer in shallow dish. Combine oil and next 8 ingredients in medium bowl, stirring to blend well. Spoon dressing over tomatoes. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours. Divide tomato slices among 4 plates. Spoon dressing over. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve.

Here is my finished product. ¡Delicioso! These tomatoes are a 

refreshing change as a vegetable side dish!

In other news, my sister just got a new kitten whom she named Heathcliff from the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He is as cute as can be, but definitely lives up to his namesake in temperament. He spent the week terrorizing my kitty Luna. The pictures that follow can sum up their relationship.

Hill and Heathcliff; perfectly happy.

Luna and I join the scene. Starting to look a bit apprehensive...

And there it is... the snarl.

Suffice it to say, we kept those two apart for most of the break. Regardless, it was a great time to be with family and take a break from work!

Hill and I both sported navy blue this Thanksgiving. I paired a casual Anthropologie tunic with some red denim similar to these from Urban Outfitters, while she belted a silk blouse from Banana Republic over some skinny jeans from Target. Add our white kitties to that ensemble, and we could almost be twins!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

-J