"Love For A Turkey"

The very first time I cooked a turkey was with my sister in law, Trudie, in New York.  She had found a recipe in a magazine that sounded delicious so we tried it.  It was quite fun, for neither of us had ever prepped a turkey before.  The recipe we used called for Coke and maple syrup.  Sounds strange, but I've been making that turkey ever since (with the exception of last year's Thanksgiving).

Well, this year, I was reunited with my family and was nominated, well, assumed seems more like it, to make the turkey.  I decided I wanted to prepare it a different way, so I posted a status in Facebook asking for some different recipes.  I got many responses, but one from my Junior High best friend was my favorite.

I prepped the turkey the night before and followed the most important instructions, but did Hollie-fy the ingredients a little.  After all, we Italians MUST have garlic in our main courses.  As my dad began to carve the turkey, we all agreed that this was a fantastic recipe.  My mom even said I'd outdone myself this year!  What a wonderful recipe for such a wonderful day!

Anyway, this is the email I received from my dear friend with the recipe attached.  She gave me permission to post it:

Dear Hollie:

I would like to share with you my recipe of love for a turkey.

You’ll need the following:

Turkey
Oranges
Lemons
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Butter
Course sea salt
Course ground pepper
Lots and lots of love

First step and this is a must, introduce yourself to the bird. Shake its drumstick. Inform the bird you're going to be preparing it for a lovely meal. Explain to the bird what you are doing. (this is a major step)

You need to loosen the skin but don’t remove it. Massage the bird with a good amount of olive oil. Under the skin, insert a few cubes of butter and springs of rosemary. (if you desire additional herbs, go for it). Sprinkle salt and pepper around the bird, the amount depends on your taste.

For the inside of the bird: cut up lemons and oranges and loosely stuff them in along with rosemary. I like to place some butter as well.

** You may want to put a couple small slivers of the citrus under the skin.

Throughout the cooking process, check on the bird and wet it with the juices. During the last hour or so, I like to check on it and brush the bird with melted butter I have set aside.

I hope you take this recipe of love into consideration for your family’s feast.

All my love to you and your family,

Jamie L. Leavitt

I gave that turkey so much love, it seeped out from everywhere!  I even danced with it, sang to it and all.  Love really is an important ingredient!  I'd also like to thank Jeni for giving the bird some of her love as well and letting it know how appreciative we truly were to have it on our table!

(The Cook and The Carver)

(Just perfect, even with a wonky oven!)

HollieFest '09

As I stated in a preceding post, birthdays are an important part of life in my family.  As I get older, I seem to celebrate HollieFest even longer than I once did.  If you read that post on birthdays, you'll understand the concept of (fill in the blank)Fest.  And why not??  As I am getting older, there is much to celebrate!  Especially since everyone still thinks I'm 24!  No joke, I get it all the time.  Thank heavens for these wonderful genes!

It all began a week before my actual birthday (which was on November 13th, if anyone is confused about this).  My good friend Jen-Jen took the long journey all the way down from Lake Tahoe.  What a trooper!  We began the weekend off by hitting up Sea World with Stephanie, Danielle, and her 3 year old, Kieran.  It was such a blast!  I hadn't been to Sea World in many years!  (Steven, I think the last time was with you in the hot summer sun, where chipwhiches were mandatory.)  We saw everything from Shamu, the sharks, belugas, polar bears, penguins, etc., etc.  We even made it to the "Pets Rule" show where Kieran got to pet a pot bellied pig.  It was such a blast, but we were all beat by the end of the day.

(We made sure we sat out of the splash zone)

The next day Jen and I headed for Disneyland.  Weird huh?  Well, Jen hadn't been to DLand for a year or so, so why not?  We made it on all the rides we wanted, but failed to use our Fast Passes for Splash Mountain.  Why, you ask?  Well because Jen is a pansy like I am.  If there's even the slightest chill, there is no way we want to get on a ride that "may get us wet."  What a blast we had anyway!  They even had the castle in the beginning stages of the Christmas decor due to Stevie Wonder playing a concert there for some holiday program.  (No we didn't stick around to watch his performance.  Instead we did pretty much every single ride we wanted since the whole rest of the visitors were busy catching glimpses of the celebrity.)  By the end of the night, we were spent and headed home for bed.

(Goofy is my least favorite, but he had a short line)

Throughout the 2 weeks, I went to several dinners with different groups of friends.  This is one of the best parts! Great food and great company, several times throughout the 'Fest.  Because if you think about it, not all of your groups of friends know each other, but you want to spend time with everyone, so celebrate more than once!  Brilliant hey?

On my actual birthday, which fell on a Friday the 13th, I arrived at work at 6am to a cubicle all birthday'd out with balloons, a banner and a card.  how adorable is that?  I've only been working there since July and I'm already being celebrated.  I almost got a tear in my eye (not really, but close).  I got many calls throughout the day from my different family members calling me and singing the birthday song.  (In that birthday traditions post, I talked about this, how it was tradition for my Gramma to do this every year.)  I even got a call from my Auntie Sally, which did in fact get me teary eyed, because I realized I would not be getting a song from Gramma this year.  Bless my Auntie's heart!

(How cute are my coworkers?  And yes, there are 2 sweaters in that pix)

Right after work, yup, you guessed it, I went to Disneyland (along with the rest of Southern California).  We had to park way off site in some new parking lot they're still in the process of constructing.  I met up with Danielle and Kieran and, to my surprise, Stephanie!  We also met up with our friend Frank and watched the new holiday fireworks show, which happened to premier on my birthday.  (Thanks again for doing that for me Disneyland!)  At the very end of the fireworks show, (it always gets me teary eyed), it "snows" on Main St.  It's just such a fun part of the evening and it brings back the nostalgia of being a kid on Christmas.  I know, I know.  How does that happen when you live in Southern California?  Well, you witness it and see for yourself!

(Frankie, Steph, (Kieran passed out), Danielle, me)

The next day, after attending my cousin's baby shower (it's all about reciprocity people), I got ready to meet up with Amanda, Jason and Danielle at Don Jose's.  Yes, more food!  I'm a fat kid, ok?  We had a delicious Mexican meal and then headed to Jason's friend's armory shop.  I'm not quite sure why we did this, but we had fun bantering with Mike.  Then we headed back to Amanda and Jason's house where more friends came out to celebrate.  Brownies, ice cream and Wii were the main events of the night.  So much fun!  I have such great friends!

Later in the next week, I went out for Japanese food with Rachel, Ryan, Diana and Cassie.  It was such a blast seeing them again!  I've been friends with Rachel since 1st grade so it's always fun having flashbacks with her.  We had a delicious meal with many, many laughs.  This is where my friend Diana said a line I thought was SO funny!  There was a little kid (boy?) at the table next to us.  He made this loud squealing noise and I guess I made an irritated face or something.  Diana looked at me and said, "I see you're not feeling very fertile today Hollie."  I almost spit my Diet Coke out all over the place!  Ha ha ha!  Good times!

(Cassie, Rachel, Ryan, me Diana at Matsu -- this pix was scanned from a Polaroid they took of us so it looks kind of weird)

My celebration finally came to a close Sunday night when we had our family dinner.  My parents had abandoned me on my birthday weekend. (Actually, it was a good excuse -- they went to see my Gramma in Utah)  And so we had most of the family over for a Moroccan dinner complete with brownies and ice cream for dessert.  It was delicious and I'm so proud of my brother in law, Chris, one of the pickiest eaters I know, for trying everything.  Good job Chris!

(She knew I would figure out how to wear 2 tiaras)

And so, another year begins! I have a feeling this is going to be MY year!  It is the year of ME and I'm so excited I got to start it up with such great friends and a loving family!

I Couldn't Resist...

I had to post this since I would LOVE to live in Australia.  I love, love, love the people that I met there and am still in contact with them today (thank you Facebook).  They really are amazing, caring, funny, genuine people...


These Questions were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

__________________________________________________

> Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
>
> A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )

> A:Depends how much you've been drinking.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)
>
> A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay ? ( UK)

> A: What did your last slave die of?
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )

> A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
> Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
> ... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA )
>
> A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
_________________________________________________
>
> Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )
> A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

> A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is
> Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )
> A: You are a British politician, right?
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )

> A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
> Milk is illegal.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )

> A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.
> All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA )
>
> A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them.
> You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? (USA)

> A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
__________________________________________________

> Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? (France )
>
> A: Only at Christmas.
__________________________________________________
>
> Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
>
> A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

My Thoughts Exactly...

I received this email from a friend of mine. It's like the author read my diary.  These are the types of things that go through my head...

1.  Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

2.  Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself  to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by  randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

3.  I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4.  There is a great need for a sarcasm font

5.  I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one  who really, really gets it.

6.  How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

7.  I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

8.  I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

9.  The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

10.  Was learning cursive really necessary?

11.  LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

12.  Whenever someone say's "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

13.  How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

14.  I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay
 strong, brothers and sisters!

15.  While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

16.  MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5.  Pretty sure I  know how to get out of my neighborhood.

17.  Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

18.  I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

19.  Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

20.  I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

21.  Bad decisions make good stories.

22.  Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures?  Don't mind if I do!

23.  Why is it that during an icebreaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

24.  You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

25.  Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection. I finally just got rid of all the old Videotapes.

26.  There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

27.  I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

28.  While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

29.  I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

30.  I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

31.  I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

32.  Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

33.  It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

34.  I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

35.  Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

36.  Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass  everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

37.  My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

38.  I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

39.  I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Benincosa-Fest... How to celebrate your birthday Cosa style.

As some of you may know, birthdays have become quite a big deal in my family.  I don't even know how far back this goes, but we've always had great traditions for each birthday.  Growing up with five siblings, it seemed we were celebrating all year long!

(Gina, VJ, me, Pop and Traci.)

A couple of things that are mandatory in the Benincosa family are as follows -- and this pertains to the birthday girl/boy:

* You get to pick what Mom is cooking for dinner!  Not to mention what kind of cake you want!  (Mine is always chocolate with chocolate, plus Extreme Moosetracks ice cream).  I remember having Top Ramen every year for a while until my mom introduced us to an amazing chicken taco salad, which I've had pretty much ever since.

*  Gramma ALWAYS called on your birthday and sang you the Birthday Song.  This has become more of a tradition as we now all call each other and sing.

*  After the Birthday Song is done, and you've blown out the candles, you get to stick your finger in the part of the cake that you want to be your piece!  This has become VERY fun since we have come to try and shove the Birthday Boy/Girl's whole hand in the cake ;)  I'm not sure how this started, but I'm pretty sure I may have had a part in it...  Now you have to try and do it as fast as you can so your whole hand doesn't get cake-ified!

*  The last piece of cake is YOURS!  No matter how long it takes you to eat it, it is yours.

These are the main traditions we have had growing up and still practice to this day.  But there have been some improvements to the Cosa Birthdays....

It all started with my brother when he was, I think, in high school.  He began calling his birthday VJ-fest and taught me that it was ridiculous to celebrate your birthday on just one, single day.  And thus, it has become a week long celebration!  After all, when you have several groups of different friends, you must celebrate with each of them!

The next tradition started in about 2001, but I am not quite sure.  (I had to call my sister Traci to verify, but that's what we've estimated.)  When it is time to sing the Birthday Song, everyone sings it in their own way, own tempo, and own volume.  That's right.  A few of you have even been fortunate, or unfortunate, to experience this song.  It is an amazing event to be had, let me tell you.  Just think of an orchestra warming up before a big show and that's us!

(Mom, Tiffer, Pop, Me, Ash, Gina, Traci - Some things never change!)

And so goes the birthday festivities in the Benincosa family.  AND, somebody's birthday is coming up soon!!!  (That would be me, if you didn't know)  :0D

"Shut Up and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is..

That's what you get for waking up in Vegas..."

Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with 2 of my bff's from Hawaii.  Here's the background to the trip in a quick spiel:

During Marisa's birthday celebration (with The Chippendales, might I add) there was a raffle.  Well, my dear friend Kellie won!  The grand prize was 2 roundtrip tickets to Las Vegas, accommodations and meal tickets for five whole days!  This was so so exciting, for I have never known anyone to win something this huge!!

So, after waking up at 4:30am and working a full day, I hope in my brand new car and drive myself to Vegas to meet up with my girls!

It was such a fantastic trip!  We had such a blast!  We went dancing, got hit on, didn't sleep, got hit on, walked the strip, got hit on, ate In N Out (twice), held a baby lion named Ray-Ray (17 weeks old), gambled (well, Marisa and Kellie did), got hit on, saw Cirque du Soleil's KA (UHHHH-MAZING!), and got hit on.

It was quite the whirlwind trip, but we all made it home safely, including me after only getting 4 hours of sleep after staying awake for 24 hours...  Man, I'm getting too old for this, but it was worth it!


Wittle sweeping baby wion cub.

So happy to have held a baby lion!

                                                   The boyfriend at Cirque du Soleil KA ; )

Family Portraits, Benincosa Style...

Ok, so this post is coming pretty dang late... I'm talking.. gosh, I don't even know how long ago this was... July?  I'm going to say July.  Anyhoo, the Val Benincosa family was finally ALL together again, new babies and all!  It was so much fun to have all of my siblings together once again!  (Not to mention their adorable babies, the most beautiful nieces and adorable nephew EVER!)

So without further ado...  Here are some of the pix, courtesy of Richard Nielsen (thanks again!)  Just note that they are the misc. photos:

My beautiful Mommy.

Jaiden, daughter of Tiffer and Seanie.  Nothing but smiles!

Ash and Gi proving strength.

The cutest parents ever, even after all of these years (and kids!)

The happiest Grandparents in the world!

Owen is the cutest nephew I've ever had.  Always with his cars.