Gratitude

This week’s picture and recipe both courtesy of my deep need to pimp my latest column for Hello Giggles. You can get the recipe for Death by Chocolate Until You’re Blue-berry in the Face, and my musings on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory here. So to kick off this week’s list of giving thanks in honor of Thanksgiving, I’ll say thank you Zooey Deschanel, Molly McAleer and Sophia Rossi for founding a stellar website and letting me spew silly stuff about books and food on it. And now because I am sitting here biding my time on a bus back from LAX to home, I shall regale you with all that I am thankful for.
1) first and foremost my family. They are the best. Everyone should have such great parents. I really don’t have enough room to tell you how wonderful they are.
2) acting work. In this last year I’ve gotten to work with an awful lot of talented people. I’ve been in a movie on the Chiller Network. I’ve met some great casting directors and finally gotten into some casting offices I’d dreamed of getting a shot at. I finally felt like a part of pilot season. Now to keep it up!
3) improv/comedy: I am on an improv team I LOVE. We get the opportunity to perform every single week (Every Sunday unless there are 5 in a month-then we don’t do the 5th- 7pm! The Neon Venus). I also have a practice group from UCB classes I adore who hopefully will start doing shows soon. And I’ve done some scaryscaryscary stand- up.
4) auditions-still going out all the dang time and have a buddy who is always there to help me prep, and who I help get ready too. It’s good having an acting teammate.
5) writing. Up to episode ten on the episodic I’ve been writing. Blackboard Eats still sends me to some snazzy places, and I got the gig to write for Hello Giggles-so now I can claim that all my reading and cooking is in the name of my work writing The Book Cook.
6) You guys! Thank you for reading this. I’m sending y’all love, love love. Cause love is all you need.
7) friends. Hot dang I have some good ones, near and far. Now is a good time to thank Skype for keeping me closer with the far ones. As for the near ones, hot dang they’ve got my back. And they are into having pie parties. What more does a girl need?
8) baseball. A girl needs baseball. Finally got to a game. Granted I’d be even more grateful if the Cardinals had won the World Series but I’m proud of my hometown team all the same.
9) Patti Smith and Trent Reznor. My two biggest musical idols and I got to see them both.
10) Los Angeles. City I love you.

It hasn’t been ALL amazing, sure. There have been arm surgeries and jobs I didn’t get and traffic jams and foiled plans but all in all, I’m awfully happy.
I’m going to go hug the world now. Lies. I’m going to go home and do work worky work work just as soon as I get there.
Love,
Ellen

Surprise, surprise

Happy Thanksgiving!
The surprise is this…surprisingly delicious drink.
I know everyone has their menu for the big day set so I figured I’d give you a drink with some holiday-ish ingredients. It has cranberry juice anyway.

And lord knows a good pilgrim carries vodka.

First I will be self indulgent and say thanks for just a few of wonderful things in my life.
I am thankful:
That I can spew out whatever is on my mind, add a recipe, and that you read it.
For the most amazing and supportive family.
That I get to work as an actress in LA (see above).
That I have a fwife. That’s a friend who I’d marry if friends who know they will love each other unconditionally all of their lives could have a ceremony/celebration of their friendship.
That I have people in my life who are true friends.
For the public library, half a block away.
For my agent and manager.
That I have a group of people to practice improv with at long last.
That I get to visit Chicago and St. Louis for the holidays.
That people beyond my family have been eating the pie I bake.
That my folks take care of my kitty Java and he gets to frolic outside.
For free recipe apps.

All that is really the tip of the iceberg. I could go on. So let’s have a drink and rejoice in the abundance of the world. Sorry if this post is trite. But I get a bit maudlin around the holidays. Oh yes, vodka.

Given as how vodka drinks are dismissed as lame, unsophisticated, and tragically unhip these days, I was surprised how lovely this was. I’ll shut up and give you the recipe for this diminutive cocktail.

Robin’s Nest from the Drinks Free app
1 oz. vodka
1 oz. cranberry juice (I used a cranberry juice cocktail-double the cocktail for this cocktail, double the cock, double the fun)
1/2 oz. clear creme de cacao
Shake all over ice and strain into your drinking vessel of choice. Whee. Sip. Yea! Thank you.