Holidays | Home Is Where The Haggis Is | Page 2

Category: Holidays
- Stocking Up For Holiday Entertaining
  
  Posted at 7:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Nov 25th
  Hello! So first, a bit of business. If you follow these posts from my Facebook links, I created a new Facebook page for this blog. After this post, all of them will appear at Facebook Home Is Where The Haggis Is instead of my personal Facebook page. If you want to keep following along, then just click the ‘Like’ button. Thanks in advance for your support readers!
  
  So, everyone asks if you’ve started your Christmas shopping, but my questions is: Have you stocked your wine supply? Shopping in general can be stressful, but perusing your local wine store can be a welcome reprieve. I picked up a few wines the other day, but still need to shop for some fun sparkling wines and plan to share those with you too at some point. Three of the wines pictured above I have never tried, but they came highly recommended from a friend and humble oenophile. Reviews to follow shortly.
  
  Here are few tips to get you ready for entertaining. Even if you plan a quiet night in however, these hints may still apply.
  - When shopping for wine, choose a range of price points and varietals. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations either. If you have a menu in mind, the wine salesperson may be able to steer you in a better direction. Stick with some of your tried and true favorites, but don’t be afraid to try something that a friend recommended (if she or he has the same taste in wine as you).
  - My number one to-do at any party or gathering is to serve your best/favorite wine first. Don’t start off with the cheap stuff people. Give your guests the crème de la crème while they can still taste the difference.
  - Another party foul is to keep saving your wine for that bigger and better celebration. I am not saying that you need to open a bottle of Dom for a party of 30 of your closest friends who would probably never notice the difference, but make sure you don’t keep putting off that special moment just for the sake of being prudent and practical. One article I read on this subject put it best when the writer was preparing to have people in town for his wedding. He told his fiance to grab some of the really nice bottles from the cellar and she protested, “Wait, we are saving those for a special occasion!” His response, “Our wedding isn’t a special occasion?” It’s funny how you can table those thoughts and keep waiting for the bigger, better reason to drink your best wine. If you are surrounded by a few close friends and/or family who appreciate wine, then go for it! And remember, wine has a shelf life which leads into my next tip…
  - If wine has been open for more than 2-3 days (4 max), it has begun to go bad and you may as well toss it out. Please don’t ever serve wine that tastes like vinegar to friends. Plus, what is the holdup on finishing that bottle? Sharing is caring. Call in the reserves the minute you open that bad boy. Hint: I can make myself available. Anything for a friend! 😉
  - Stock up on not only red and white wine, but think bubbly for the holiday season. There’s so much you can do with Champagne, sparkling Rose and Prosecco. Drop in a cranberry and watch it dance in your glass, add a splash of cranberry or orange juice. Voila! Instant festive vibe.
  - Invest in a stainless steel tub to pour ice in and store cold drinks. It makes it much easier for guests to grab from there rather than you traipsing over to the fridge or out in the garage for another chilled wine or brewsky. If you think you won’t use the tub that often, repurpose it by rolling and storing towels to keep your linen closet organized and bring it back out for those special occasions.
  Wine Arsenal – pictured from left: Kirkland Chardonnay ($7.99 Costco), Kung Fu Girl Riesling ($9.99 Binny’s), Root 1 Cabernet ($8.99 Binny’s), Cannon Ball Cabernet ($13.99 Binny’s), Conundrum red blend ($19.99 Binny’s), Quilceda Creek Cabernet 2009 ($119, Library Wine from Quilceda Vineyards), Del Dotto Syrah 2012 ($85, Del Dotto Vineyards), Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Magnum 1995 (price available on request from Dunn Vineyards, Library Wine)
  
  Special thanks goes out to to my brother-in-law and his wife who provided the Dunn Vineyard and Quilceda Creek wines to open when they visit. You both have excellent taste in wine and are welcome to visit anytime. 🙂
  
  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Oh, and if you try any great wines over the holiday, please share the names with me.
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  Posted in Holidays, Wine | Tagged Cannon Ball Cabernet, Dunn Vineyards, Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Quilceda Creek Cabernet, Root 1 Cabernet
- America’s Heroes
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  May 25th
  Usually Memorial Weekend means you have an extra day to relax, plan a BBQ in your backyard or get some gardening done. It’s easy to forget why we celebrate this holiday unless you lost someone close to you in combat or have a family member who served and made it home to tell their story.
  
  Here are a few of our family’s stories.
  
  John J. Kelly
  
  My husband’s great-uncle, John Kelly served in the Marines during WWI at the age of 19. His duty was that of a runner. He carried a stretcher onto the battlefield, picked up wounded soldiers and carried them back to the trenches.
  
  On October 3, 1918 at the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge, Private Kelly, ran 100 yards ahead of the front lines and attacked an enemy machine-gun nest. He killed the gunner with a grenade and shot another member of the crew with his pistol. He returned through the barrage with eight prisoners. For his bravery and going above and beyond the call of duty, he was awarded both the Army and the Navy Congressional Medals of Honor. He was the last recipient to ever receive two Medals of Honor.
  
  John J. Kelly – The most heavily decorated war hero of WWI. The Army Medal of Honor is on the left and the Navy Medal of Honor is next to it, also called the Tiffany Cross.
  
  Grandpa Jay holding my dad. (pictured right)
  
  Jay C. McVicker
  
  My grandfather, Jay served in the Navy during WWll. He was a gunner on a Merchant Marine ship that carried supplies from America to Britain.
  
  My grandfather witnessed German torpedoes hit ships around him, but fortunately they missed his ship. The most devastating blow occurred in London, ironically by an ally ship that accidentally ran into my grandfather’s ship and sunk. The American ship sustained serious damage and in order to get it repaired they needed to sail back across the Atlantic. At one point, the front of the ship split in two while they were still hundreds of miles from shore. That was when some men fell apart and panicked because they were certain they were going to die at sea. My grandfather as well as some other men kept their heads and safely docked the boat. While he was away, my grandfather missed the birth of his first child (my dad).
  
  Rolling around in the waves.
  
  Navy burial at sea.
  
  Loading a 36 inch shell.
  
  Victor A. Cavallari – United States Marine
  
  Victor A. Cavallari
  
  My father-in-law, Victor joined the Marines in 1962. He had Basic Training at Paris Island and Basic Infantry Training at Camp LeJune. At the time, his unit was not called in for duty, but if it came he would have gone in a heartbeat. He was in the reserves for 6 years with a summer training camp lasting 2 weeks at Camp Pendleton and Little Creek, VA.
  
  Dennis J. McVicker-Platoon Sergeant
  
  Dennis J. McVicker
  
  My dad, who prefers to be called Denny by his friends, was drafted into the Army in 1968. He served as a Platoon Sergeant in Vietnam. His tour lasted nine months.
  
  There were lots of land mines and what they called “foot poppers” (explosions that were small, but someone always lost a foot when it triggered) over in Vietnam. One morning my dad was standing by a tree near a village and some children came running over to greet the soldiers and a land mine exploded. A girl began screaming because her leg had been blown off. Without hesitation, my dad rushed over to the girl, scooped her up and put her on a helivac. There were mines everywhere in that area and for heroism, they awarded him a Bronze Star. He was also awarded a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury to his right foot in a separate incident, but he declined the medal because there were men who had suffered more serious wounds or lost their lives and he felt it wasn’t right to receive that medal.
  
  The biggest firefight he was involved in occurred in Ho Bo Woods, north of Saigon. Fifty four American soliders walked along a bamboo hedgerow. My dad preferred to walk near the front of the line where he could see better and suddenly, his platoon was hit by a sniper. Their point flank man, who was standing right next to my dad, took 30 rounds in the chest from a Viet Cong in a spider hole. Everyone got down on the ground and my dad tried shooting with his M-16, but it was tough to get a good angle. When the same sniper shot at him with an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) and missed, my dad tossed a handheld grenade back in his direction. The Viet Cong shot another RPG missing him again. After the third grenade had been tossed in the snipers’ direction, my dad finally “smoked him.” This particular firefight started at 9:00 a.m. and didn’t end until 4:30 p.m. When it was finally over, 8 American soldiers had been killed, 12 wounded and 49 dead enemies lay strewn across the ground. For valor during the firefight, my dad was awarded the Silver Star.
  
  Dad receiving the Silver Star. Louis Capocious (next to him) received a Bronze Star.
  
  Todd (pictured left) outside a prominent government building north of Jalalabad.
  
  Todd J. McVicker
  
  My brother, Todd joined the Army in 2004. Things were still hot over in Afghanistan and he was motivated to serve in the US Army Intelligence and Security Command as an interrogator. After basic training, he went to Fort Huachuca to begin intelligence training. He then went on to study and pass an intensive course in Monterrey, CA learning how to read, write and speak Arabic.
  
  During the first part of his tour, Todd was in one of the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan, with the second highest fatalities in the country. He interrogated at a detention site on base and rarely left the compound. His living quarters, called a B-Hut are pictured below in the center. The second part of his tour, he was in Nangarhar Province, a safer region. In that area, Todd drove or rode TC (Tactical Commander) in a Humvee to villages to speak to the locals. The terrain there was mountainous and rocky and they needed to drive fast and aggressively to avoid any IEDs that might be planted in the road. Although he still can’t divulge much about what he learned from people while he was over there, Todd did say that hundreds of his reports helped our troops on the ground. He did two back-to-back tours which lasted 18 months in 2007-08.
  
  A Humvee hit by a suicide bomber.
  
  Soldiers’ living quarters.
  
  Local upscale shopping in Asadabad.
  
  To say that I am proud of my family who served in the military is an understatement. I admit that I tear up writing about their stories because of their humility and bravery. Our family is incredibly blessed to have each one of our soldiers come back safely.
  
  My dad, brother and father-in-law all seemed willing and even eager to share their memories with me and I think talking about their stories with others has proven to be one good form of therapy. Being a soldier forever changed who they were before they entered the military. All of them became a little quieter, more serious at times and, on a lighter note, “ate whatever that was put in front of me” as my father-in-law humorously recalls.
  
  There are so many great stories that go untold. Regular civilians never get to hear and appreciate whole truth. These men and women who served are real flesh and blood heroes.
  
  Please take the opportunity to reach out to those who served our country. The next time you visit your friends, family, neighbors or see anyone wearing a uniform, look them in the eye and thank them for their service, their sacrifice and their bravery. We live in a great nation because of them.
  
  God bless America.
  
  Acknowledgements: A big thanks to my dad and brother for their patience and explanations after numerous phone calls to them. I learned a lot and hopefully captured everything you explained accurately. XOXO. L
  
  Sources:
  
  Wikipedia: John J. Kelly
  
  Tropic Lightning Newspaper: Ho Bo Woods
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  Posted in Holidays | Tagged Afghanistan War, Dennis J. McVicker, Ho Bo Woods Firefight, Jay McVicker, John J. Kelly, Memorial Day Reminders, Todd McVicker, Vietnam War, WWI, WWII
- No Resolutions, No Regrets
  
  Posted at 7:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Jan 1st
  Happy New Year everyone! Tell me, did you eat, drink and make merry in the wee hours of the night?
  
  We celebrated with friends and kids galore. I made a Buche De Noël cake with mushroom meringues. My brother-in-law, who actually flew home from visiting family in France with my brother last night, would (hopefully) be proud. I am such a sucker for woodland whimsy. The cake was delicious! Not to mention gluten and nut-free.
  
  For 2015 do you set resolutions? I like to avoid resolutions at all costs, unless they are fun or pleasant like trying a new recipe each month and drinking more wine each night. The word resolution sounds like drastic change(s) to torture you until you finally give up and feel worse about yourself. I am all for making small changes or tweaks, however. This year I’d like to incorporate the following changes:
  - Revert back to using a spiral-bound planner. My iPad has botched my schedule more than a few times this past year due to time error entry and not being able to pull up my schedule so it’s back to good old-fashioned pen and paper for this gal.
  - Organize all closets, nook, crannies and cupboards. Not all at once, but by summer….
  - Incorporate more vegetables into our family diet. My husband and I could also stand to eat more fruit and consume less sodium. We love our chips, popcorn and crackers around here. Has anyone tried Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipes from her new cookbook, It’s All Good? The vegenaise breakfast toast with avocado sounds interesting and Kimchi too.
  - Try being a better listener with friends. I am like a guy in this department. I listen to women vent and want to help them so I offer some suggestions and get the look of, “Why are you talking when you should be listening?” I promise to try to lend a sympathetic ear with ample head nodding and zero advice from now on.
  - Drink more wine. Specifically, do not let a week pass by without consuming it.
  That’s it! Have a very happy and healthy 2015.
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  Posted in Holidays | Tagged Buche De Noel, New Year 2015, No Resolutions
- Pumpkin Pecan Granola
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Dec 20th
  Ahhh! Christmas is just a few days away and that means only one thing…panic! Oh, and bake. Even if you are limping to the finish as I probably will be doing, you may have time (after Christmas) to try this recipe over winter break. It’s a nice way to mix in some healthy food along with all of the other tempting and delicious options out there. The spices also really add to the flavors of the season.
  
  Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy
  Pumpkin Pecan Granola
  - Servings: 8-10
  - Time: 1hr
  - Difficulty: easy
  - Print
  Ingredients:
  
  3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  6 Tbl flaxseed meal
  3/4 cup chopped pecans
  1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
  1/4 cup canola oil
  1 tsp vanilla extract
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  3/4 tsp ground ginger
  1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  1/4 tsp ground allspice
  1/8 tsp ground cloves
  1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  2/3 cup dried cranberries
  
  Directions:
  
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss together oats, flaxseed meal and pecans in a large bowl.
  
  2. Tear off 3-4 sheets of paper towels and lay on clean surface. Scoop pumpkin puree onto towels to absorb some of the moisture. Blot the top and sides of the puree as well.
  
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, honey, canola oil, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves until combined. Pour over oat mixture. Toss with a rubber spatula until mixture is evenly coated.
  
  4. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet into an even layer. Bake in oven and toss mixture every 15 minutes to ensure mixture does not stick together and bakes evenly. After a total of 45 minutes, add the pumpkin seeds and bake another 10 minutes. If more crunch is desired add 5-10 minutes more to the final cooking time. Toss in dried cranberries, allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
  Thanks to G for the inspiration on this one. I was munching on the granola you gave us last year for Christmas well into the good part of January.
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  Posted in Baking, Holidays | Tagged Pumkin Granola, Pumpkin Pecan Granola, Spiced Granola
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