Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

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Thanksgiving At Rhonda’s: 2012 Edition

November 23, 2012

As always, Michael and I drove down to our friend Rhonda’s in L.A. for her annual gathering. The Emmy-winning producer of the daytime soap, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Rhonda’s a regular on the red carpets of Hollywood.

And she puts together a table that’s as lavishly beautiful as any of the sets on her show.

The evening started off as lightheartedly as ever. In fact, I grabbed one of her Emmys and started pretending it was mine.

Lots of laughs and catching up while we sipped champagne and waited for the turkey to make its way into the dining room. And oh what a turkey it was.

So delicious. And the mashed potatoes, candied yams, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy were to die for too. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much. Seriously.

After the first food orgy came the second: dessert.

Michael’s apple pie/crumbler was a winner, but the chocolate fudge cake wasn’t too shabby either. I even ate the pumpkin pie brought by the villainous Mary Ann, the Dodgers fan-Yankees hater. And it was during my attempt at a civil conversation with her that the evening descended into its traditional madness. Pardon the loud voices in the background, but it was a boisterous group.

Well, you can imagine how my blood boiled. I tried to restrain myself, really I did, but it was Mary Ann’s line about the Yankees being spoiled brats that really made me lose it. Yes, I took the bowl of whipped cream that was sitting next to Michael’s apple dessert and creamed her.

And, of course, she retaliated by knocking me down and giving me some chocolate cake in the face.

I got up and tried to defend myself, but she kept coming, this time with a turkey leg.

Before I knew it, the entire party had jumped into the fray.

And, sadly, even Rhonda got soaked.

She threatened to call the police, but Mary Ann and I apologized and promised not to talk about the Yankees and Dodgers next year. Being the gracious hostess that she is, Rhonda accepted and not only invited us back for Thanksgiving 2013 but for Easter dinner in only a few months. Now that’s a forgiving friend.

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, Mary Ann Saxon, Rhonda Friedman, Thanksgiving, The Bold and the Beautiful, Yankees

Thanksgiving At Rhonda's: 2012 Edition

November 23, 2012

As always, Michael and I drove down to our friend Rhonda’s in L.A. for her annual gathering. The Emmy-winning producer of the daytime soap, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Rhonda’s a regular on the red carpets of Hollywood.

And she puts together a table that’s as lavishly beautiful as any of the sets on her show.

The evening started off as lightheartedly as ever. In fact, I grabbed one of her Emmys and started pretending it was mine.

Lots of laughs and catching up while we sipped champagne and waited for the turkey to make its way into the dining room. And oh what a turkey it was.

So delicious. And the mashed potatoes, candied yams, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy were to die for too. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much. Seriously.

After the first food orgy came the second: dessert.

Michael’s apple pie/crumbler was a winner, but the chocolate fudge cake wasn’t too shabby either. I even ate the pumpkin pie brought by the villainous Mary Ann, the Dodgers fan-Yankees hater. And it was during my attempt at a civil conversation with her that the evening descended into its traditional madness. Pardon the loud voices in the background, but it was a boisterous group.

Well, you can imagine how my blood boiled. I tried to restrain myself, really I did, but it was Mary Ann’s line about the Yankees being spoiled brats that really made me lose it. Yes, I took the bowl of whipped cream that was sitting next to Michael’s apple dessert and creamed her.

And, of course, she retaliated by knocking me down and giving me some chocolate cake in the face.

I got up and tried to defend myself, but she kept coming, this time with a turkey leg.

Before I knew it, the entire party had jumped into the fray.

And, sadly, even Rhonda got soaked.

She threatened to call the police, but Mary Ann and I apologized and promised not to talk about the Yankees and Dodgers next year. Being the gracious hostess that she is, Rhonda accepted and not only invited us back for Thanksgiving 2013 but for Easter dinner in only a few months. Now that’s a forgiving friend.

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, Mary Ann Saxon, Rhonda Friedman, Thanksgiving, The Bold and the Beautiful, Yankees

When Turkey Madness Sets In, Take A Relaxing Break

November 20, 2012

Here’s my yoga teacher, Christine Gordon, with another 10 minutes of zen-ness. Whether you’re rushing around trying to pull a Thanksgiving meal together, dealing with noisy friends and family over the holiday, or serving as the stressed out caregiver to a loved one, Christine’s latest meditation is a guaranteed soother. Check it out.

As I write in YOU’D BETTER NOT DIE OR I’LL KILL YOU, taking a mental vacation is key to maintaining a sense of balance – never more so than during this Thanksgiving season.

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Wellness Tagged With: caregivers, caregiving, Christine Gordon, holiday stress, Santa Barbara, Thanksgiving, yoga, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

Happy Thanksgiving, Blog Friends!

November 20, 2012

 

As we count down to turkey day, I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and send my thanks for all the comments and reader interest. (A big thank you to our Yankees too, since despite their early exit from the playoffs they continue to provide us with quality entertainment and better characters than in any book or movie.)

Michael and I will be venturing down to L.A. yet again to our friend Rhonda’s on Thursday. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that this dinner can be fraught with anti-Yankees fervor.

If you’re new here, this trip down memory lane will bring you up to speed.

I’ll report on this year’s edition and post pics and video from the scene.

Meanwhile, safe travels, eat and drink responsibly and, above all, enjoy.

xxoo

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Rhonda Friedman, Thanksgiving, The Bold and the Beautiful, Yankees

Thanksgiving At Rhonda’s: The 2011 Edition

November 25, 2011

It was an eventful dinner for this Yankee fan. Naturally.

For those who are new to the blog, Michael and I go to LA every year for Thanksgiving. Our hostess is our friend Rhonda, who produces the Emmy winning soap “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Rhonda takes the time and effort to make her table beautiful, and this year’s setting was no exception.

But despite the amazing food (succulent turkey, stuffing to die for, etc.) and warm hospitality, Rhonda had once again chosen to invite her close friend and my baseball nemesis, Mary Ann.

Mary Ann not only roots for the Dodgers but despises the Yankees. She and I were seated at opposite ends of the table (clever move by Rhonda), but between the main course and dessert we both got up to stretch our legs, went into the next room and started talking about our teams. It didn’t go well.

Yes, we exchanged little laughs here and there, but make no mistake. After the She-Fan Cam stopped recording, things got ugly.

Mary Ann followed me back to the table (“stalked” is more like it) and hit me with one of Rhonda’s centerpieces. Needless to say, the fur flied and we engaged in a full-on food fight. Sadly, Rhonda’s beautiful table looked like this when it was all over.

I hope I’m invited back next year, but who knows.

In Yankees news, I can’t say I’m thrilled with the signing of Sweaty Freddy Garcia. Yes, he did well for us last year, but really, Cashman? Don’t we still need to sign somebody good? Or maybe buy somebody, as Mary Ann would say. Come to think of it, maybe stealing Kershaw from her precious Dodgers would be fun.

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, food fight, Mary Ann Saxon, Rhonda Friedman, Thanksgiving, The Bold and the Beautiful, Yankees

Thanksgiving At Rhonda's: The 2011 Edition

November 25, 2011

It was an eventful dinner for this Yankee fan. Naturally.

For those who are new to the blog, Michael and I go to LA every year for Thanksgiving. Our hostess is our friend Rhonda, who produces the Emmy winning soap “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Rhonda takes the time and effort to make her table beautiful, and this year’s setting was no exception.

But despite the amazing food (succulent turkey, stuffing to die for, etc.) and warm hospitality, Rhonda had once again chosen to invite her close friend and my baseball nemesis, Mary Ann.

Mary Ann not only roots for the Dodgers but despises the Yankees. She and I were seated at opposite ends of the table (clever move by Rhonda), but between the main course and dessert we both got up to stretch our legs, went into the next room and started talking about our teams. It didn’t go well.

Yes, we exchanged little laughs here and there, but make no mistake. After the She-Fan Cam stopped recording, things got ugly.

Mary Ann followed me back to the table (“stalked” is more like it) and hit me with one of Rhonda’s centerpieces. Needless to say, the fur flied and we engaged in a full-on food fight. Sadly, Rhonda’s beautiful table looked like this when it was all over.

I hope I’m invited back next year, but who knows.

In Yankees news, I can’t say I’m thrilled with the signing of Sweaty Freddy Garcia. Yes, he did well for us last year, but really, Cashman? Don’t we still need to sign somebody good? Or maybe buy somebody, as Mary Ann would say. Come to think of it, maybe stealing Kershaw from her precious Dodgers would be fun.

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, food fight, Mary Ann Saxon, Rhonda Friedman, Thanksgiving, The Bold and the Beautiful, Yankees

An Advance “Happy Thanksgiving” To All

November 20, 2011

As we come up on turkey day, I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday. There won’t be much to blog about this week other than:

  1. Granderson not winning the MVP (just a wild guess).
  2. Bobby Valentine getting the Red Sox job (another guess).
  3. No Yankees trades or signings (if I’m wrong I’ll write about it, but the Phillies seem to be the only team with a pulse right now).

So I’ll probably take a break from posting for a few days.

Do I have plans for Thursday? You bet. Michael and I will be driving down to L.A. as we do every year for a feast at our friend Rhonda’s. Those who’ve been reading this blog for awhile will remember that it’s at Rhonda’s annual Thanksgiving dinners where I get into occasional food fights with Dodger fans/Yankee haters and then post the She-Fan Cam videos right here. Take a look at the 2010 edition. This year I have no doubt I’ll hear about the Yankees’ first round ouster from the playoffs, but I’ll have plenty of ammunition to toss back at the Dodger fans. I mean seriously. Their team is on the “Sale – Everything Must Go” rack, Kemp or no Kemp, Kershaw or no Kershaw, Mattingly or no Mattingly. Thursday should be fun.

Enjoy, everybody!

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, Thanksgiving, Yankees

An Advance "Happy Thanksgiving" To All

November 20, 2011

As we come up on turkey day, I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday. There won’t be much to blog about this week other than:

  1. Granderson not winning the MVP (just a wild guess).
  2. Bobby Valentine getting the Red Sox job (another guess).
  3. No Yankees trades or signings (if I’m wrong I’ll write about it, but the Phillies seem to be the only team with a pulse right now).

So I’ll probably take a break from posting for a few days.

Do I have plans for Thursday? You bet. Michael and I will be driving down to L.A. as we do every year for a feast at our friend Rhonda’s. Those who’ve been reading this blog for awhile will remember that it’s at Rhonda’s annual Thanksgiving dinners where I get into occasional food fights with Dodger fans/Yankee haters and then post the She-Fan Cam videos right here. Take a look at the 2010 edition. This year I have no doubt I’ll hear about the Yankees’ first round ouster from the playoffs, but I’ll have plenty of ammunition to toss back at the Dodger fans. I mean seriously. Their team is on the “Sale – Everything Must Go” rack, Kemp or no Kemp, Kershaw or no Kershaw, Mattingly or no Mattingly. Thursday should be fun.

Enjoy, everybody!

Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Dodgers, Thanksgiving, Yankees

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