Someone once told me that your favorite season is the one you were born in. I suspect that doesn't apply to everyone, but it holds true for me. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the perfect holiday trifecta, and my birthday comes just 6 days before the start of these celebrations.
I get why people don't like it. Commercialism and colder weather collide faster than you can say, "Bah, humbug." (Are they really playing Christmas music already?!) I myself am a realist and a cynic, but something inside me loves holidays. I love the changing hues. I love the mysterious smell of burning wood wafting from an invisible chimney miles away. I love seeing pumpkins appear on perfectly stacked hay.  I love sharing an amazing feast with family. I love picking out the perfect present for the humbugs in my life.

I plan on doing two desserts for Thanksgiving this year. They are both new: a pumpkin chocolate chip bread pudding and pecan meringue cookies. The cookies came about from a somewhat failed attempt at a Tea Room recipe.

Use the "pie crust" portion of this recipe and scoop spoonfuls onto a greased plan. Place a whole pecan on top. Bake.

They came out light, crisp, and melt-in-your-mouth. The whole pecan lent a velvety texture and a nice crunch. A perfect afterthought to any Thanksgiving meal.

Great cuisine is often associated with a region, culture, or people. Of course, food transforms over time with different influences weaving their way and becoming staples. Tomatoes have had a major impact on Italian food, despite originating in America. Likewise, pizza as we know it is also very Americanized. I am sure most of you have fond memories of your mom or dad's spaghetti recipe.  In our house, it was light ground turkey in a tangy red oregano tomato sauce over angel hair.

I was pleased to have a meal over at Aldo's Pizza Pies with some coworkers yesterday. I hadn't been there before, but I had heard good things. It was my luck that it happens to be downtown dining week. They had an excellent lunch deal for 10 dollars: salad, a slice, a drink, and dessert.

The salad was a huge portion. It was fresh and palateable, but not mind blowing. My coworkers got entree salads that looked great. Not surprisingly, the real star here was the pizza. The slice of the day featured sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, bacon, and spinach. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty. It was the perfect balance of savory, salty, and sweet. I will definitely be back for the pizza. They were out of the cannoli so I got ice cream. While yummy, it was disappointing. I love cannoli. Still, a lot of bang for your buck.

Has a friend ever made you listen to a song on an album you haven't heard before? Maybe they rave about the rhythm section or a particular verse. Somehow though, it doesn't wow you. It doesn't make you get up and tap your toes the same way it does for your friend. But since you are an awesome friend, you are determined to give this song another listen so that maybe you can appreciate the nuances you missed. Finally it grows on you. Those nuances get you rocking out.

Memphis grew on me like a song. There are so many great holes in the wall- things that are easily missed.

I went to a thrift shop with my best friend, and she handed me, "The Tea Room: Tennessee Style." Its brown checkered cover reminded me of old cook books that are common in Louisiana.  Intrigued, I flipped through its aged pages. In the Foreward, Putt Cummings and Judy Davis explain that their customers were clamoring for the restaurant's recipes since its inception despite its recent opening. It's dated November, 1975.

Admittedly, this gem has been sitting on my book shelf for a few months. I have been meaning to try recipes out of it since we found it. Tonight was finally the night.

Of course,  I had to update the recipe a little bit. Instead of cream of mushroom soup, I sautéed diced portobello mushrooms with minced onion and garlic in butter. I added a mix of 85/15 ground angus and ground lamb in the pan. I added some heavy whipping cream and three egg yolks (A dessert out of the cook book called for three egg whites and I hate wasting yolks). I topped it with mashed potatoes in a casserole dish. At the grocery store, my husband Jesse picked out an Irish cheese. The nutty, mild flavor paired well with the slightly gamey nuances in the lamb and the portobello mushrooms. Overall, it received rave reviews. It isn't hard to imagine the patrons in the restaurant enjoying this meal nearly 40 years ago.

My dining room table has survived a small fire. At the head of this oblong, medium brown wooden table there is a square that has been cut out and replaced. For a long time, I held on to the pale yellow, charred nursery rhyme book used to put it out. It's gone now.

A lot has happened at this table. Some good things, some bad. Growing up, we were required to eat together as a family for dinner every night- most nights at that table.

I have instilled in me an affection for eating with family and friends. I love feeding people, sharing food, and trying new things. I love looking to history for inspiration. Cooking and, of course, eating are two of my favorite hobbies.

I moved to Memphis when I was four from Harahan, LA, a small suburb of New Orleans. My Creole grandmother was very serious about her cooking. She wasn't afraid to whack your knuckles with an old wooden spoon if you interfered in the kitchen. She was an inspiration, and my family still uses and covets her recipes.

We occasionally did eat out even though we enjoyed cooking. One of our favorite spots was the Camelia Grill. My dad's favorite dish to order was a fluffy, yellow omlette topped with hardy chili and cheese with a "mocha freeze": a coffee and chocolate milkshake. I like to replicate this dish to remind me of my other home.