124 days since my last post...what's been going on with Suzy?  Is anyone wondering?  Do I have any readers left?  Well, for the remaining three of you, here's a wrap-up...

JD and I got "re-married" at our church...

We made several road trips to Ohio...

And celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with great family and friends.

But the real culprit in my lack of posts?

Knitting.  I took a beginner's knitting class on November 3, and that has consumed nearly all of my time ever since.  Poor JD rarely gets a decent meal any more, and I even skipped my usual crazy Christmas Cookie-Palooza, for the first time in many many years.

I was hoping I would like knitting, but I was really unprepared for how much I love it.  I find it so relaxing and so satisfying...not at all stressful or frustrating.  In the past I've tried sewing, counted-cross stitch, and several other crafty-type things, but nothing hit me like knitting has.  I'm officially obsessed.

So far I've made myself a scarf...

A cute beanie-style hat...

Started a hat for JD...

And a shawl for me is currently in the works.

So, my future posts may either be few and far-between, or be knitting related.  That still counts as goodies, right?

As for kitchen goodies, I made Giada's turkey and this peanut butter pie for Thanksgiving, my usual standing rib roast for Christmas, and just last night, this yummy baked ziti.

Wish me luck in getting back on the cooking bandwagon!

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday.  JD and I spent the day with friends and had a great time...delicious food, awesome company and 3 good football games...what more could a girl ask for?  My friend Mandy and I totally rocked Thanksgiving dinner...I think this was our best ever!

I am truly thankful for my friends, my family, and especially JD, the love of my life and my best friend.  How did I get so lucky?

I started my cooking class last week (Tuesday), and you'd think I would have recipes galore to share on my blog, wouldn't you?  JD also thought he was getting home-cooked meals all this week.  Yeah well, neither one of those things happened.  For whatever reason, I could not get motivated to be creative this week.  Long week at work, way too cold outside and way too dark when I got home every night.  All I wanted to do was snuggle under a blanket on the couch and watch trashy TV.  So I did.  Nearly every night.  And all day Saturday.

Regardless, the class was awesome...great teacher, good format, enthusiastic fellow students, and I know I'm going to love each and every Tuesday for the next five months.  We covered knife skills and we learned how to make stocks (chicken stock, fish stock, veal stock).  I'm hoping to have some good blog posts later this week, with stuff learned from my class as well as some other goodies.

In the meantime, I thought everyone would get a kick out of what I made in the kitchen this week...

These:

And these:

And these:

Then we wanted some queso dip, so we made that...

And that was my week.  I did make some cookies yesterday for the football party, as well as margaritas, but that's it.  To paraphrase Jules from Pulp Fiction, that's some real gourmet shit, don't you think?

Best wishes to you and your family in 2011...here's to a happy, healthy, and fun new year, with lots of goodies!

Do you have a platter of olives on your holiday table?

Image from here

Question:  Should Die Hard be considered a Christmas movie?  Discuss.

Everyone has their favorites...these are mine:

A Christmas Story

Outside of a Quentin Tarantino film, is there a more quotable movie?  "You'll shoot your eye out!" "Fra-gee-lay.  Must be Italian."  "I can't put my arms down!"  I laugh my ass off every year, and still tear up when Ralphie gets his Red Ryder.

Scrooged

This is so funny, and sweet at the same time.  Great performances by Bill Murray, Alfre Woodard, and Carol Kane.

Christmas Vacation

Spend Christmas in hell with the Griswolds!

Miracle on 34th Street

A classic.  Plus I love Maureen O'Hara.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

My favorite of all the "clay-mation" specials.  You learn the origins of Santa, and how he met Mrs. Claus.

Charle Brown Christmas

The goofy dancing is the best part.

A Christmas Carol (1984)

This television movie from 1984 with George C. Scott is the best of all the versions.  His Scrooge is so mean and cold, without being over the top.  My favorite Tiny Tim, too.

The Nutcracker

Mikhail Baryshnikov in tights.  What more do you need?

While You Were Sleeping

Not officially a Christmas movie, but it is set during the holidays and I love it.  Sandra Bullock is her usual charming self, and Bill Pullman (one of my favorite under-rated actors) is wonderful.  Great lines from Peter Boyle too.

JD's Christmas DVD

JD made a custom DVD that we watch every year, with Christmas episodes from some of our favorite TV shows...Friends, Frasier, Wings, NewsRadio, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother.  It's a great tradition for us, plus it's fun to see shows that we may not watch anymore.

What are some of your favorite holiday shows?

Believe it or not, there are now 12 days until Christmas!  I may be crazy, but I have challenged myself to write daily posts from now untl Christmas day.  Let's see how it goes...

For my first holiday post, I thought I would share some gift ideas for the chef/cook/baker/foodie in your life.  I'm sure I am not speaking for everyone, but these are all items that I either own and love, or are currently on my own Wish List!

8" Wusthof Classic Chef's Knife

The best knife for nearly every purpose, beautifully made, and it will last forever.  If you own just one knife, this is the one.

Cute Apron from Flirty Aprons

Who says aprons need to be boring and frumpy?  I love these...my favorite is the Midnight Bloom.

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla

Pure vanilla made from Madagascar vanilla beans and bourbon.  The best for baking.

Le Creuset French Oven

French-made enameled cast iron...for perfect stews and braises.  I'm hoping to get one of the these (in this awesome Cassis color!) in the new year.

Oxo Good Grips Gadgets

These are great if you need some stocking stuffers.  Durable and so easy to use.

Cook's Illustrated Magazine

This is a great resource for new recipes, tips and techniques, product reviews and recommendations.  No ads, well written, good stuff!

Bosch Universal Mixer

By all accounts this is the best mixer for the serious baker.  Not as well known as the KitchenAid, but so much better.  Click here to find out why!

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Collection

You can always trust Ina Garten for fabulous yet simple recipes for all occasions.

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pepin's personality and sense of humor shine through in this memoir.  A fascinating story of a Frenchman who loves America.

...and if you still can't decide, gift cards are always welcome.  Williams-Sonoma, King Arthur Flour, Sur La Table, and Crate & Barrel are all good choices.

Happy Shopping!

It's hard to believe that Suzy's Goodies was launched one year ago today.  Many recipes, goofy jokes, photos of questionable quality, and 68 posts later...here we are!

Image from here

BIG thanks go out to my hubby JD, for encouraging me to start this blog, and being supportive when I needed it.  Thanks also to my friends and family for indulging me when I babble about blog-worthy recipes and ideas for unique posts.  Finally, thank you so much my Goodies Readers (all two dozen of you! ha ha), for keeping up with my erratic posts and butter-filled recipes. This has been a really fun year.

2011 should be a great year on Suzy's Goodies as well...I have enrolled in a six-month culinary course starting in January. Three hours, once a week, from January to June.  I can't wait!  The class is at L'Academie de Cuisine, a professional culinary school just outside DC.  This course looks perfect for me...more advanced and in-depth than a single-subject cooking class, but not as life-encompassing (or expensive!) as full-time professional culinary training.  I know I will learn so much, and I can't wait to share my new knowledge on my blog!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday...good food, family and friends, football, plus no gift-giving stress.  But then four years ago this month, we got the "all clear" news from JD's cancer treatment, and that was the best Thanksgiving ever.  It's easy to forget how lucky we all are, so I love how Thanksgiving helps us put everything in perspective.

So, when you sit down to your Thanksgiving feast tomorrow, remember to be thankful for the people you have around you, and for all of the blessings in your life.  Trust me, they mean more than any possession you could imagine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
--Albert Schweitzer

You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know when it will be too late.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.
--Charles Dickens