I’ve spent the last few weeks covering the new American TV season for the day job. I spend about 18 hours a day while I’m in Los Angeles talking to the actors, writers and producers of all the new shows on network and cable channels. (I know, tough job but someone has to do it.) I thought it might be fun to tell you about some of the hot new guys hitting the networks this fall. Now, these aren’t my favorite shows, just pretty boys to share with you.

Lonestar (Fox): These pictures don’t do James Wolk justice. He’s honestly a cross between Cary Grant and George Clooney. His character on the show is charming, but not nearly as much as Wolk. I could eat him up.

Hawaii Five-O (CBS): Okay, so you know most of these guys from other shows, but now they are all together. Woot. From l-r Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Alex O’Loughlin, and the lovely woman in the bikini is Grace Park. (By the way, the show is way cooler than you would think.)

Blue Bloods (CBS): That Tom Selleck looks pretty awesome in a uniform. Will Estes and Donnie Walhberg also star, which means a little something for all of us.

Undercovers (NBC): It’s hard to find a man prettier than Boris Kodjoe, even with a little blood on him.

Outlaw (NBC): Dude it’s Jimmy Smits.

Outsourced (NBC): I have to admit I’m totally charmed by Ben Rappaport.

I’m a TV and movie critic for the day job, but I’d never seen an episode of “The Hills” on MTV until recently. A few weeks ago one of the publicists from the network asked if I might be interested in talking to someone from the show since this is its last season. I declined at the time, but I ended up watching season one that night through Netflix on my Wii.

I was shocked. These people were so manipulative, at times pathetic, and I was totally sucked in. During my free time, which is about an hour a day right now, I find myself watching more episodes and it might be an addiction. I don’t even like these people, yet I can’t stop watching. I’m about half way through season three. Sigh.

It is great for character study if you want to find out how to create tension and drama for people in their 20s. And villains are so numerous it’s hard to find the good guys. Seriously, is there a more hated figure than Spencer Pratt, on any television show? The guy has absolutely no redeeming qualities and makes for a great villain.

At first I thought I Heidi was the typical blond bimbo victim, but she’s just as evil as Spencer. These two never worry about who they step on, as long as they get what they want. And there is absolutely nothing romantic about their relationship.

In fact as soapy as it is, there is a serious lack of real romance on “The Hills.” The relationships are shallow. From what I can tell so far, there’s no room for loving anyone else, because they are all so in love with themselves. There’s a lot of hooking up but when it comes the romance, well, it’s all so hallow.

The guys make grand gestures, but there’s no heart or passion behind them. I worry that their behavior might be examples for America’s youth. It makes me want to run ads during the broadcast that young women, especially, should pick up a romance novel. We write about tough chicks who don’t take crap from men, and at the same time can have deep connections with their significant others. If some guy is manipulating you, it’s time to walk away. And even if you are young you can find true intimacy, and I’m not talking about sex.

One could argue that this is what people in their 20s do, but I don’t.

It is possible, in real life, to have romance? You have to work at it. I know these are very young people, it’s a TV show and it isn’t real, but a little romance wouldn’t hurt. I watch my boys, who are 19 and 22, and how they treat the young women they date. They aren’t anything like the boys on “The Hills.” They are respectful, kind, faithful and romantic. Okay, sometimes the romantic part makes me gag because they are my children. But they’re so sweet. The guys they hang out with are also good to the young women they date.

The youngest made Oreo truffles and a special CD last week when his girlfriend returned from Africa after five weeks of mission work. For the girlfriend before the last, my oldest had a cake designed that looked exactly like her favorite purse. I mean, these are thoughtful gestures. Both of my boys love with their whole heart, and though it’s difficult when things don’t work out, I admire them for it.

I think that romantic nature comes from their dad. He’s not big on PDA, but he makes up for it in other ways. I met him my freshman year in college and that summer he traveled the world with his family. He wrote me letters and poems every single day he was away. They were sweet heartfelt letters, and my kids can’t believe their dad wrote that stuff.

His proposal of marriage wasn’t quite so magical, but that’s a story for another day.

I want to know what is the most romantic thing anyone has done for you? Sometimes it’s the smallest thing, and sometimes it’s those grand gestures. Tell me, I really want to know.

Do you ever find yourself eaves dropping on conversations while out in public? Or making up entire scenarios for people you see at a mall or restaurant? Writer’s do this a great deal,and I think it’s the secret spy in all of us. Writer’s can’t help but create characters for almost everyone we meet, and listening to other people’s conversations, well, that’s just part of the job.

I make up stories all the time for people. Sometimes I turn them into covert agents and other times what they say is enough to send my mind whirling. Last fall I was traveling through Oklahoma and stopped at gas station to grab snacks and fill up the tank. I was coming out of the store when I heard a woman say, “I can’t do nothin’ on Wednesday, I got to go to court every Wednesday.” It took everything bit of restraint I had not to stop and ask her what she did that she had to go to court. Two hours later as I made my way into Oklahoma City, I had an entire scenario for her in my head. Actually I had several ideas, including one where I was a spy and I infiltrated to truck stop to find out who was carrying illegal cargo. Snort. I kid you not.

But I digress… I’m rather fond of those covert operatives. That’s one of the reasons I have so many in my books. The Stonegate series for Blaze is filled with spies. They are mysterious and clever, and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of them. I like books, television and movies about spies. The Bourne films are some of my favorites. And hello, Tom Cruise in those Mission Impossible films, well that’s just fun.

Spies are also trending in the entertainment world. We have the adorable Ashton Kutcher starring with Katherine Heigl in “Killers.” Then Mr. Cruise is back in a new spy film “Knight and Day” with Cameron Diaz. (He’s also doing Mission Impossible IV for 2011.)

In television we have a couple of new spy series coming up. One of my favorites so far is “Nikita” coming up on the CW this fall. I was a big fan of the original French film “Nikita” with Anne Parillaud, the American film “Point of No Return” and the first TV series “Le Femme Nikita.” The new version stars Maggie Q as Nikita, but there’s a big twist in this one that I won’t ruin for you. I like that Nikita has a heart, but she’s also one lethal assassin.

Another interesting spy TV show coming up is “Undercovers” on NBC. This one is about a couple played by Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who come out of retirement to rejoin the CIA as spies. It was created by J. J. Abrams, who did one of my all-time favorite spy series “Alias.”

There are some other series like, CBS’ “The Event,” which also has spies, but they aren’t the focus of the show.

So obviously I’m not the only one who is obsessed with spies. Have you ever dreamed of being a spy? Do you have a favorite spy TV show or film? Tell me I want to know.

The little things have been piling up. You know what I’m talking about. Those things around the house and in life that cause a small bit of annoyance, yet never seem to get taken care of by the magical fairies. We’ll I’ve fired my magical fairies. Quite honestly, they never showed up for work, so don’t feel bad for them.

Now, let me preface the following by telling you this has been a wonderful, but extremely busy year so far. Last fall I added graduate school to my already slammed schedule, which made my 10 hour days seven days a week, turn into 14-hour days, and even 19-hours the last few weeks. Honestly, if I didn’t love school so much, I would never go back. I do, so I will, but I know not to load myself up quite so much in the future.

Speaking of the future, I need to get back on topic. While I was so busy, those annoying things began to pile up. The laundry, my desk, the conference table in my office, the 5000 emails (these aren’t junk mails unfortunately) on one of my accounts, the stacks of TBR books in bags all over the office, even though I read almost exclusively on my Kindle now and the tax records that are spread out all over my office. You get the picture. I’d ask other people in my house to help out with some of “the little things” but those people are men, and evidently only capable of a certain amount of responsibility.

I’ll give you an example. About a year ago our built-in microwave (We have the worst luck with microwaves) just stopped working one day. It was exactly five days past the warranty. My husband and I were both traveling that week, so I suggested he hook up the small one in a box in the garage that one of my son’s won a while back. It was barely big enough to boil a cup of water. Of course when I got back home, I found one online and showed it to my husband. He being one who has no trust of buying anything online, said he would go and check it out at the store, and let me know. Five months later I was in L.A. doing my day job stuff, and I get a call telling me the small microwave blew up. Sigh. So I call the Hub and I threaten him. “Get a new microwave before I get home, or else.” I’ll leave the “or else” to your imagination. Of course, even though I was gone for two weeks, he waited until the day I was coming home to go look. The one he wanted had to be ordered so there was no microwave when I came home. He discovered I was quite serious about the “or else.”

The little things just don’t bother my husband and my kids. As long as they have a access to food, a bed and cable, they’re pretty much happy. So if I’m bothered by the “little things” I have to take care of them myself.

I turned in a new Blaze, She Who Dares, Wins, on Wednesday.That also happened to be the last day of school (No that wasn’t a stressful week at all.) As soon as I hit send for the book, I began tackling things on my list. The first was to clean the kitchen to my standards. My husband and kids think cleaning the counters means wiping them down, but they never put anything away. They just sort of shove it to wall. The second thing on my list was to clean up those emails. The third was to read some manuscripts of people who won a critique from me in a contest. Each day since the end of school and turning in the book, I’ve tackled at least one of the things on my list.

I feel better about life right now. Every time I complete one of those things on the list, I have such a feeling of accomplishment. My day begins a little brighter, when I come downstairs and bits of my life have been cleaned up.

This weekend I’m tackling two of those things that aren’t so little, my conference table, and the piles of DVD’s I get from network and cable shows. I know when I’m done I’ll feel so much better. In fact, it feels so good, I want to do more and more.

So how about you, do you have a list of little things? Share them here and then we can all cheer each other on.

If you know me at all, you have some idea of how busy I am these days. Between writing books, the day job as a film and TV critic, and grad school, life is never short of insane. I seem to like it this way. The truth is I get bored easily, and I like a good challenge. But even I have my limits.

On top of everything I’m a wife and mom, and my one job in the house these days is to make sure there’s at least one good meal a day on the table. I used to hate to cook, but now I don’t mind so much. It’s time that is the problem. I’m working a lot of 19 hour days right now, and taking time to cook is tough. So I’ve developed some recipes that are so easy and make it look like I’ve been cooking forever. I thought I’d share some of them with you. Now mind you, I’m not into the whole lowfat, healthy thing, but here are some of my tricks.

Sunday Grilling: For two hours every Sunday I stand outside and grill enough to feed an army. I grill chicken breasts, hamburgers, hotdogs, pork chops and anything else we have in the freezer. I put these in baggies and we eat them throughout the week. I’ll add a sauce or gravy, boil some pasta (or brown rice) and throw in some veggies/salad and it’s a fast fix for those days when I’ve run out of time.

Chicken and Dumplings: This one impresses folks because it tastes like old-fashioned chicken and dumplings, but it’s the easiest meal you’ll ever make. Throw four chicken breasts in a big pot, add two cartons (6 cans) of chicken broth, and 1 tsp each of sage, cumin, minced garlic and then salt and pepper (those depend on you, but keep in mind the broth is salty already). When the chicken is cooked through (usually about 45 mins) shred it in the pot and let it cook a little more. Then put a can of Pillsbury Grand Biscuits on top of the soup and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Break the biscuits up as they boil and you’ll have bite sized dumplings. Good stuff.

Crockpot Saver: The crockpot is a busy woman’s friend. I use it at least twice a week. One of the easiest recipes I’ve made up is BBQ Chicken. Spray the crockpot with Pam to help with cleanup, then add four or five chicken breasts (depends on the size of your crowd), slice up an onion and throw that in. I like those banana peppers, but you can leave them out. Then I cover it all with about a third of a bottle of really good BBQ sauce. The good sauce is key. Then you can cook it on high for four hours, or low for six. shred it for sandwiches or leave it whole and you have some great BBQ chicken.

I make all kinds of chicken dishes this way. Add some kind soup/sauce to the chicken breasts and you have a wonderful meal in a few hours.

Well, those are just a few of my secrets. I promise to share more later. Maybe you guys could share some of your fast recipes. Oh, I forgot my favorite. Open one of those salad bags and throw in some of my grilled chicken. That one is healthy and easy.

Last week on another blog I gave my picks for the Oscars this year. I’ll re-post some of those choices below to give you an idea of who might win. But I wanted to talk about my favorite thing about the Academy Awards — the dresses. Well, and then there’s the shoes. I know, shallow much? But I love clothes.

I can sit for hours before the awards begin and watch the red carpet coverage. I like knowing how an actress decides on the dress she is going to wear. How it makes her feel. Why she likes a particular designer over others. Clothes can tell you a great deal about the person, and on Oscar night that is highlighted more than ever. I expect to see a lot of color this year. It’s almost as if people feel the need to make things look better than they are, and color does that.

Have you ever dreamed of walking the red carpet? I have. Maybe one of my books will be made into a film. Or I’ll write an adaptation and it will get nominated. (I said I was dreaming.) I already have the idea for my dress in my head. It’s simple, long sleeves, v-neck and it’s royal blue. The heels would be sparkly and my hair would be long and curly. Yes, I really have thought about this. And I think perhaps George Clooney or Gerard Butler would be my arm candy.

Now on to the Awards…

The Awards: I thought I’d go through the list and talk about some of the folks I’d like to see win. This isn’t necessarily who will win, though I’ll try to help you with that too. We’ll go through the Best Picture and Acting categories.

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Nine”; Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”; Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”; Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”; Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” I think the woman to beat here is Mo’Nique, even though I’m not fond of the film, I get why people are so into this performance. Mo’Nique has a way of making this truly evil woman, pathetic and sad at the same time. It’s a raw performance and the Oscar folks like that. My pick would be Anna Kendrick, she was an absolute revelation in “Up in the Air.” A truly standout performance, but unfortunately she doesn’t have a chance.

Supporting Actor: Matt Damon, “Invictus”; Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”; Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”; Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”; Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.” Waltz is the man to beat here. This is a category filled with amazing performances. Waltz picked up the Screen Actors Guild Award, and I believe he’ll be the winner here too.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”; George Clooney, “Up in the Air”; Colin Firth, “A Single Man”; Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”; Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker.” This is another tough category filled with incredible performances. Jeff Bridges won the SAG award, and I’m pretty sure he’ll pick up the Oscar. Hollywood considers him one of their under appreciated, and I think they think it’s time to honor him. It was an honest performance and I don’t have a problem with Bridges winning, but Firth would be my choice. He’s in almost every frame of “The Single Man” and he doesn’t disappoint. He can say so much with just a look. It was one of my favorite performances of the year.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”; Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”; Carey Mulligan, “An Education”; Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ by Sapphire”; Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Sandra Bullock, and “Blind Side” was one of my favorite films of the year. But was her performances better than her fellow nominees? The answer is, no. Still, I think she’s a safe bet to take home the big prize. This is the toughest category for me. I know you’ve never heard of her, but Carey Mulligan gives such an amazing performance in “An Education.” For me, Meryl Streep became Julia Child. Sidibe is good in “Precious,” but she basically has one expression through the entire film, and even though she is supposed to be shy, it would help if she hadn’t mumbled. Helen Mirren is a bit over the top in “The Last Station,” but she’s absolutely believable. That said, I’m pretty sure Bullock is a shoe-in.

Best Picture: “Avatar,” “The Blind Side,” “District 9,” “An Education,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” “A Serious Man,” “Up,” “Up in the Air.” I don’t believe “Precious” or “A Serious Man” deserve to be in the category. I get that “Precious” deals with horrific subject matter and we are supposed to believe that it is an important film, but if you break it down, it’s not a very well made movie. The editing is choppy, the lighting ridiculous, and the acting is over the top or non-existent, especially in many of the scenes at the school. I just don’t get the love for the film beyond Mo’Nique’s performance. “A Serious Man” is a movie that just didn’t do it for me. I’m a big fan of the Coen brothers and usually enjoy their dark humor, but this movie was a self-indulgent mess.

So let’s talk about some of the films I do like. No one can deny that James Cameron hasn’t done something quite wonderful with “Avatar,” while it’s slow at times, it’s a visual gem. In “An Education” director Lone Scherfig had a deft hand with her actors performances and it’s a great coming of age film. “The Blind Side” and “UP” are both great stories, I’m not so sure they are Best Picture material, but I enjoyed both of the films. “Up in the Air” is movie that I had to think about for a while before I decided I liked it. In the end I decided I love it. My only real problem with that film was the pacing, but the performances by the actors made up for any shortfalls.

That said, for me this year’s two best pictures are “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds.” Director Kathryn Bigelow picked up the Directors Guild Award for “The Hurt Locker,” and this makes me hopeful that perhaps Hollywood is coming around to understanding that this one incredible film. Most people know Bigelow as James Cameron’s ex, but she’s obviously so much more. He even says so. “The Hurt Locker” is a tightly wound film, with intense performance. It’s one you shouldn’t miss. And even though he often gets the cold shoulder from Hollywood, no one is doing more for the film than Quentin Tarantino. The man has such respect for the art of film making and though he’s turned out some winners and some stinkers, this is his best film yet.

That said, I hope “The Hurt Locker” wins. If you haven’t seen it, you need to.

So tell me about some of your favorite movies of the year. They don’t have to be up for Oscars! AND what would you wear if you could walk the red carpet?

Take Me If You Dare was officially released yesterday. I’m so friggin’ excited I can barely stand it. In the publishing world the book came out pretty fast, but it still feels like I’ve been waiting forever. I can’t wait for you guys to read it.

Funny how these things come about. It began at a breakfast meeting in Summer 2008 with long-time friend Kathryn Lye, who also happens to be one of the editors of the Harlequin Blaze line. I met Kathryn years ago at local event where I was forced into teaching line dancing for an RWA outing. It’s a long funny story that maybe I’ll share some time. But the important thing for you to know about that night was that I became friends with Kathryn.

We bonded over television and movies. She was curious about what was coming up for the fall season, and of course I had all the scoop. Each year we tried to get together to say hello, have a meal or watch pilots during RWA. Then that summer in 2008 we had breakfast in San Francisco. As usual we talked about everything from our families to TV to books. She always was kind about asking what I was working on, and I told her that I wanted to try my hand at writing something like the Woman’s Murder Club meets Burn Notice. Sexy detectives and spies coming together and solving cases.

She said that sounded like something that would work for Blaze. I was shocked. She told me to put together a proposal. My agent thought it was an awesome idea, and that, my friends is how the Stonegate Investigative Agency came to be. My idea was that these very strong women who ran the agency would have to deal with cases all over the world. Of course, they’d also fall in love.

Mariska, my heroine in Take Me if You Dare owns the agency that was bequeathed to her by her mother. But it was the hero, who really brought this book to life for me. Jackson is a burned CIA agent and all he wants to do is get out of Bangkok. It was kind of my ode to “Burn Notice” and that sexy Michael Westin (Jeffrey Donovan). Jackson needed a heroine who could hold her own, and that is how Mariska was born. Of course, you “Law & Order” fans know where I stole that name from and it fits this character.

What I like, and yes I know I wrote it, is that even though there are mob guys and intrigue, there is also a lot of humor. Jackson and Mariska are fun, sexy couple, who always seem to find themselves in trouble. I had a blast writing their adventure and I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

I’m celebrating all month and have lots of ways for you to win cool prizes, so be sure to check out www.candacehavens.com. Oh and you can check out the first episode of RAW CANDY where I talk about books, television, movies and celebs at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6B3slnuGVk

I’d like to hear about your all-time favorite romantic couples. Do you have one couple that stands out above all the rest? Tell me, I want to know!

I’ve decided I don’t want to do New Year’s resolutions any more. They cause me too much stress. Every year it’s the same. I promise to eat better and exercise. I promise to work smarter not harder. I promise to travel and spend more time with family. By February everything is hopeless and I feel like a failure because I haven’t done any of those things.

So I’m trying something different. A little reverse psychology. As long as I make my daily deadlines for columns and such, and my book deadlines, I’m free to do whatever I want. Well, within reason. I’m taking two graduate classes this semester so that will go into the mix. I also have some speaking engagements and things like that I have to do. BUT other than than, my time is my own.

Freedom. It’s something I haven’t allowed myself in a long time. Say I want to take a nap on a Thursday afternoon, well I’m free to do that if I want. I no longer want to make myself feel guilty, because I should be working. If I want to spend an hour trying to get through that last castle on the Mario Bros. game, I can. If I want to sleep in on a Saturday, throw the ball with the dogs, and eat gluten-free pizza for breakfast, I can do that too.

I have tendency to always come from this place of guilt. It’s one of the reasons I’m so productive. I never give myself a break, but that’s about to change. Mind you, it’s not any kind of resolution, I’m calling it Grace. Giving myself Grace. Time to figure out what it is that makes me happy. Take exercise for example: I don’t like traditional exercises like running and tae bo kind of stuff. But I do love to dance. And I love the Wii games where you do downhill skiing and snowboarding. The NFL has this new campaign to get kids moving. It’s called Play 60 (Or something like that). They’re idea is to get kids outside and moving. I’m using it a bit differently. I want to do something for 60 minutes a day that makes me smile.

What I want from you are some ideas. What are some fun things I could try? What would you like to try?

May I suggest you check out the upcoming release TAKE ME IF YOU DARE. It’s loads of fun and I can guarantee you’re going to have a good time. It’s available in ebook this month and in print in February.

Are you making any resolutions this year? Are you trying any fun and crazy things? Tell me, I want to know.

I want to live at the North Pole with Santa Claus. I have this idea that everything is perfect there. They most definitely have a white Christmas. There’s always enough hot chocolate to go around, and there are lots of elves to help with everything from toy making to house cleaning.

I could use a few good elves. I need an elf to help me promote my upcoming Blaze, “Take Me If You Dare.” I need an elf to finish my annotated bibliography for a school project. I need an elf to do my holiday shopping and write those holiday cards. I need an elf to write these three proposals for new book projects that I promised before the first of the year. One of those pointy-shoe folks to do the cooking and the cleaning. One to write all my TV and movie columns over the holiday would be nice. And those are only the first few things on my list for December.

My children will tell you I’m short enough to make a perfectly good elf, and quite honestly if I could clone myself I would. What I’ve learned over the years is that when it comes to holidays, you do what you can. I try to get done the things that make me and my family happy, and the ones that pay the bills.

That means I may not send out those holiday cards, but I will provide a lovely buffet meal on Christmas Eve for family and friends. I will most likely do the majority of my shopping online, though at least one day I’ll stop by the mall to enjoy the decorations and to get that feeling of the holiday bustle.

I’m determined that I will make time to do the things I enjoy. That might mean working some late nights the first part of the season, but that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I will DVR my favorite holiday programming, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, A Charlie Brown Christmas, to watch while I’m wrapping presents. Ugh. I’m so bad at wrapping presents. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said, “Oh, how sweet, you let your kids do the wrapping.” I’m not kidding. I know they make those beautiful bags you can just slide stuff in, but I like watching people rip open that paper. We’ve already decorated for the most part. By we’ve, I mean my husband set up the tree, and I did everything else.

This year we are traveling for Christmas Day, which means even more to do. But it’s okay. We’ll have Christmas Eve here, as we have since the kids were tiny. None of it matters as long as we are together. My kids are older and I know there will come a time in the future when I will have to share them, but for now I’m holding on as tight as I can. The best part of the holiday for me is when we are sitting around on Christmas Eve singing carols. The kids grump and complain, but the one year we didn’t get to do it because of a family illness, they were depressed.

Normally, Christmas isn’t about the gifts for me, but I’ve been very lucky in that department the last couple of years. This year all I want is for us to be happy, healthy and together. Though, um, I will be purchasing all those December Blazes for myself.

So I want to hear about your plans for the holidays. I’d love to hear about some of your holiday traditions, food or fun stories from the past. Is there a gift you want for this Christmas? Don’t be shy! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, tell us about your holiday traditions too. I’m always curious.

Santa, if you’re reading this. I’ve been very good this year, except for that one time, and um… You know what? Never mind.

Happy Holidays Ya’ll

I love Thanksgiving. I know those of you in other parts of the world may not understand, but in America it’s big holiday that is focused on two things – eating and sleeping. I don’t know about you, but those happen to be two of my favorite things. Oh, I know, it’s also supposed to be about giving thanks. And I am thankful for so many things my family, my friends and my career. Oh, my dog Gizmo just jumped in my lap. Yes, I’m grateful for my dogs too. (He’s so pushy.) In fact, I feel so blessed that it’s hard for me to sleep sometimes, which is why I need those naps on Thanksgiving day.

Seriously, how can you not nap on Thanksgiving Day? The food, from those carbs in the yams to the Tryptophan in the turkey is tailor made for snoozing. And it forces one of those drooling-on-the -pillows-zombie kind of zonks. You know what I’m talking about. If you wake up and you don’t have serious pillow case lines on your face, it wasn’t a real nap. It’s the only time I’m rude when there are guests in the house. If they aren’t gone an hour and half after Thanksgiving lunch, I have to excuse myself with a headache (all that stress of preparing the meal, ya know), curl up with a good book and then get my nap on. (It’s important to get as much rest as possible on Thanksgiving Day, because the next day is all about shopping. I’ll talk more about that in another post.)

So here’s how it usually goes down here in the Havens house:

If we’re having the meal here, and we usually are, I’m up early to make sure the turkey and the roast are on. Then I start preparing all the side dishes. I don’t have to do many of those, because it’s pot luck and the rest of the family brings sides and desserts. There are HAVENS STAPLES for every holiday. These include Cheezy Green Beans, cranberry sauce (I’ll share the recipe for my favorite in a bit) and some kind of sweet potato/yam dish. The food is put out in a banquet style, because at the minimum we’ll have 20 peeps to feed, and it’s usually more. We have family spread out all over the downstairs at various tables and it’s a blast. The more people eat, the sillier they get. My face usually hurts I laugh so much. And then everyone leaves and it’s nap time. It’s a really wonderful day.

I want to hear about how you spend your Thanksgiving Day. Do you help out at a soup kitchen? Do you have favorite foods? What traditions do you have?

To show my thanks for you guys hanging out on the Blaze Blog here’s one of my favorite recipes for Cranberry Sauce. I found it in the November 2007 issue of Domino Magazine.

Cranberry-Clementine Sauce
Serves 8-10
2 clementines
2 packages (12 oz) fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
Slice clementines thin (with skin on) and then place in a sauce pan with the cranberries, sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool before serving.

It’s so easy, and so tasty! People will think it took you forever to make.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya’ll