Thanksgiving is the only day we eat turkey. The rest of the time, give me a roast capon or a duck prepared almost any way at all. DH and I are just not turkey lovers. My niece makes a very fine brined and roasted turkey, but once a year is enough for us. We're sauce and gravy people. Stews, braises, casseroles - we love them. I do a fair amount of cooking and a lot of dining out, and we hold that a fine sauce is a work of art. Even though we eat a lot of steaks and roasts, a great sauce is always to be admired. There are too many bad ones around to not acknowledge when something is done correctly. One of our favorite restaurants does a great poached monkfish. This is the fish known as "the poor man's lobster" for both its taste and texture. It's a great little fish, with wonderful flavor. But nap it with Amoricaine sauce, and it rises to a whole 'nother level. This is a Bretonnese classic, and for good reason. Red wine and marrow Bordelaise on a rib-eye? Absolutely! Black truffle cream sauce on a filet? Yum! Mop that goodness up with a well made starch - roasted fingerling potatoes, barley risotto, fresh pasta, freshly baked bread rolls. Gravy and sauce was the way to extend meat to feed a lot of people. Most of the world still loves sauced dishes as treasured childhood memories. Like soup, they are warmth and comfort, soothing and homey. Chicken strips that are velveted and steamed with lop cheong sausage (classic Chinese technique) are stunningly tender, almost as soft as sous vide but we like the flavor and texture better. Perfect with a roasted garlic-oyster sauce gravy over lots of rice! Far better than stir-frying or roasting. As Charles Phan of The Slanted Door restaurant in SF points out in today's WSJournal, steaming is considered the ultimate test of a professional chef in Asia. Getting back to the NY Times' and Pepin's suggestions for steaming, one of the greatest dishes in Chinese cuisine is steamed sliced chicken breast with thin slices of Hunan ham. My mother introduced me to this dish (she took classes from one of the leading Chinese restaurateurs in San Francisco) and it still ranks with DH and me as one of the three finest poultry dishes we've had in our 45 yrs of dining. A glaze should always be light. Heavy-handedness is the mark of a bad cook. Peking Duck would not be the same without the glaze applied, for example.

I dread fireworks too. I adopted my Boxer in early August. He was a stray picked up in mid-July. The shelter had a big influx of dogs right around that time because of all the fireworks scaring pets out of their yards. This dog has not once tried to get out of my fence and the few times I have accidently let go of his leash (don't use the retractable kind with an active dog :) ) he hasn't even noticed he was loose so I know he isn't looking for ways to get loose. Now when its time for fireworks I don't let him out into the yard by himself during the day, and at night I just put him on a leash to take him out. Its a PTA but I don't want to take any chances. My one cat is terrified of fireworks and she will stalk around the house for the next few weeks acting like she's afraid of what might go bang next. Its pitifull and I hate it. So much for a celebration of freedom, its a miserable time in my world.

I would raise the drapery rods so that they are about halfway between the top of the window and the crown moulding. You have the transoms and taller doorways, and the windows end up feeling kind of squatty with the drapes hung right at the top of the frame. You can use clip rings if needed for more length. I would turn the rug the other way, parallel to the couch - it looks too small the way it is running now, compared to the width of the couch. Add a floor lamp to the right end of the sofa by the wall, and slide the couch a bit more to the right - it doesn't have to be centered in front of the window, and will give the room the feeling of more walking space move over to the right a bit. Take the tall cabinet and put it on the left side of the console cabinet, to create the feeling of a larger entertainment unit. Take the big plant off the top and add a nice plate on a plate stand up there, perhaps a pair of candlesticks or a smaller ivy plant. Take the single chair and put that on the right side of the cabinet, as extra seating. Add a lamp on the right end of the console by the chair. Something in red, either the lamp or the shade, would be nice to bring some red to that side of the room. The height of the lamp will balance the height of the taller cabinet on the other end, and also provide some warm lighting for the person seated in that chair. Try bringing in the two wing chairs and putting them at a soft right angle to one another down at the right side of the fireplace. A round table and lamp between them would be a good addition. A fabric ottoman that could act as a coffee table and extra seating would be nice in front of the couch. Something narrow and simple in design, or even a pair of the square ottomans in a bright red or rich moss green would work. The mirror is great, but too small. Try to find a large piece of art, or even a pair of framed pieces. The mirror will only really reflect the tv, so not a bit bonus to have a mirror up there. Add some taller candles in holders, perhaps the vase of grasses currently on the hearth. Once you bring the lamps in by the couch and wing chairs, you likely won't need a lot of art on the walls on either side of the fireplace, but wait and see for sure. You have a great start in the space - just need a few things to pull it together.

Hey, Lu, It's nice to receive appreciation - especially when it's deserved. You respect, appreciate and have affection for your co-workers. Most likely they feel the same way about you. I hope that you won't look forward to and go to the gathering with apprehension, fear, or worry: my Grandma, who died over 50 years ago, used to say, "Don't cross bridges till you get there". But I think that message is not relevant here - for this isn't a bridge that you need to fear crossing, even when you get there. I hope that you'll look forward to it with anticipation and expectation of having a great old time - one that you can remember for years. No doubt they'll have a skit about some funny or silly thing that happened during your years together. There'll be some laughing, maybe some singing. So much of our relationship at work is serious and busy, that it's really great to deal with our friends made there, that we've spent so many years with, on another level, a social level, where we can let our hair down and have some fun, with no worries or deadlines. A great stress-reliever is laughter (not directed at someone). Just think how much stress-relief there'll be for your pals during the celebration. There's some self-interest on the part of the other celebrants, as well - they can think, "One of these days - I'll be in her shoes, sitting in that chair, ready to enjoy retirement!" I think that sometimes our worry about being the centre of attention is because we are shy, or fearful that we'll be embarrassed by saying or doing something wrong. No fear of that in a celebration like this - everyone's looking forward to having a really happy, fun-filled time. Be gracious, courteous, thank folks for gifts that you may receive - and enjoy. What's so terrible about that? Tell each one during the course of the evening some specific thing that you remember about them that you've appreciated, if you can. Good wishes to you and all of your friends at work, joyful guy/Ed