Kirk and Cathy are currently on different continents, today (Wednesday) Cathy will write about her nontraditional celebration of Thanksgiving.
In mid-November 2014, the first 'cardiac incident' occurred and The Mister and I celebrated Thanksgiving day eating similar but very different meals-His was delivered to the room and had no sodium while mine came from the hospital cafeteria and included sodium.
Since then, on the actual day that the world celebrates Thanksgiving, we go to a restaurant for lunch. However, we do still purchase the 'traditional' meal ingredients (they are on sale after all), but cook large meals before and/or after the fourth Thursday of November. Last year, we made three complete 'Thanksgiving' meals, saving the turkey carcasses for making stock and then delightful meals of soups and chili.
So. Yesterday, we spatchcocked a turkey:
A 14 pound Jennie-O, 90 minutes at 400 degrees. There was poultry seasoning, salt and pepper sprinkled on the skin, handfuls of salt and pepper inside the cavity to force out juices. The meat is very moist.
We doctored up some Stove Top stuffing mix by adding cooked Italian sausage, fresh chopped celery and much more butter than recommended before placing in the oven for 30 minutes with the yams while the turkey was resting.
My 'usual' fresh sweet potato/yam side dish, recipe here: two ingredients. 
Simple cranberry sauce made with fresh whole cranberries per the package recipe with added tangerine.
Dessert is mincemeat strudel, from Tip Top Meats, which has survived the pandemic (I just haven't posted). Note that one ingredient is beef suet:a proper mincemeat. 
Here is the first meal, including a roll made from frozen Bridgeford dough and frozen Martha Stewart spinach casserole (found at Grocery Outlet). We've already had a 'leftovers’ meal, and it is only Wednesday!
Every day there is always something to be thankful for. Today, being able to share with all of you is my thanks. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Menu prices have slightly increased. The choices are pretty much the same. 
We ordered the House Original and the House Spicy broths/"Yin Yang" ($4.25 per person). You can also order a mushroom broth as well as low sodium. 
The Supreme Angus Beef Lunch ($10.70) is accompanied by assorted seasonal vegetables ( thick slices of potato, daikon, a variety of mushrooms and greens) as well as fresh noodles, 'krab" sticks, frozen tofu and assorted meatballs (pork, beef and fish). The Angus beef pieces were nicely marbled and very flavorful; quickly cooked to a pleasant tenderness in the boiling broth.
Once again, I chose the fish filet lunch ($10.70) which has the same sides and includes an entire filet. This was plenty of food.
However the menu has "Add Ons" at the bottom and we decided to order the mini veggie platter ($3.95) just to try the 'lunch version'. This was really worth it: tomato, squash, corn, bok choy, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms and chrysanthemum greens 
Hot tea is still no charge.
Walk in, order and pay, grab your beverages, find a seat and wait for your meal and condiments to be brought out. 
The menu board is above the two cash registers. ( I was wearing sunglasses and it looked black/not working, so I didn't take a photo).
The Grilled Cactus Taco was just something different that I'd never seen on a menu, so we decided to order one ($3.95). This is served on a home made corn tortilla- very nice, very flavorful (corny)(ha) and it stood up to all the ingredients (house made guacamole (also very good), cilantro, onions). This was a really tasty taco. I would order it again.
We also decided to try an Al Pastor taco ($3.95) . There were some pineapple bits in addition to the guacamole, cilantro and onion. The pork was very tender and had a nice char-grill flavor. The sweetness of the pineapple marinade was subtle if you tried a bite of the (plain) meat. Quite good quality.
We ordered the Roasted Pepper Caesar Salad ($10.95) add crack ($4.95). It arrived without the roasted peppers, but plenty of the tri-tip.
A good size portion of the roasted peppers was brought out and these were very good. (I've been buying jarred roasted peppers for use on sandwiches at home and really kind of crave them).
The two sided, laminated/ easily sanitized menu is a bit pared down from pre-Covid-19 days. The majority of choices are Vietnamese with some Chinese choices also.
Still, hot tea is brought out when you are seated; some things are back to normal.
The seafood chow mein (crispy noodles) ($15.99) was quite large, filled with shrimp, fish and scallops as well as very fresh vegetables. Excellent. 
The salt and pepper fish filet with rice ($16.99) was also a very large portion. Light and crisp fry (proper) and onion were all that was needed for this meal. We did have leftovers of both. 
Here is the Elks (a fraternal organization) 2023 Rose Parade entry, which needs to collapse to go along the Parade Route. The size of the door leading to the 
It is a magnificent float when fully expanded.
Fezzy Bear, the Shriners Hospitals for Children mascot, and their 2023 float, is still in its rebar stage.
Apparently this float will be highlighting the annual Shriners Golf Tournament fundraiser.
The 
It is so easy to get to the West Covina 
Getting here before 8 a.m., there are no crowds.
We ordered a medianoche (Midnight) sandwich ($7.19); a Cubano (pork, ham, Swiss, pickles and a mustard/mayonnaise dressing) on a sweet, dark bread (instead of a lighter Cuban roll).
Also a ham and cheese omelette sandwich ($5.95) (on a fresh, buttery croissant).
Of course, I had to get a loaf of bread (walnut raisin ($4.15)).
Also a few other items (apple strudel ($1.55), gingersnap cookies (0.85), a pumpkin spice danish ($2.49) and three pan de muerto ($2.45 each) along with a dozen turkey-gravy potato balls ($18.79)).
I also noticed the guava rose cakes ($3.85) so very pretty- and delicate and delicious (guava mousse with a chunk of guava in the center on top of a thin sponge cake, topped with a white chocolate).
There is no eating area, which is fine since we were full and heading home. 
Quite unassuming and very popular, this was a perfect place to pick up some Dim Sum to go. 
There is a small interior with a small selection shown, the kitchen is behind the steam trays. 
Photos are on the front window.
Menus with pens are at the front. Not many descriptions are available. 
Steamed Fun Guor (ground pork, dried shrimp, peanuts, chives, mushroom and radish in a tapioca wrapper) ($3.98)
Shrimp Har Gow (only shrimp in a tapioca wrapper) ($4.38)
Baked BBQ pork pastry ($3.98)
Shiu Mai (ground pork and minced shrimp, water chestnuts, mushroom in a flour/dumpling wrapper) ($4.38)
Rice noodle roll with shrimp ($3.98)
Everything held up well on the drive home and we had a wonderful lunch!
The final float of the parade 'announces' the Rose Bowl football game which will start four hours after the Rose Parade ends (on January 2, 2023, because there is never a Parade or Game on a Sunday).
Here is the same float on December 31 last year; it is not judged but always freshly decorated.
The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom float, "Protecting The Wild" was being tested. You can see the tree in the back of the float 'collapses' to be able to fit down the Parade route. (See how other floats collapse in the Road Test #3 post). 
Here is the artist rendering of the Mutual of Omaha float.
In the front is the
(Royal Court float being decorated on December 31)
The Trader Joe's 2023 entry is a multi-piece float. 
The front appears to be a 'chopper' motorcycle.
The attached second part of the float is a pirate ship; I see the ships wheel, collapsed sail, giant pelican, a banana and a collapsed palm tree. It will be interesting to see the progress. 
Soon, we were in El Monte, parked, walked in and were able to get a table right away.
The other entrance door lead to the steam trays and take out area of the restaurant. 
Each table had a menu and a pen; we ordered. Soon, everything was brought out to our table at the same time. 
I was not the only person taking photos of food. 
The salted chicken porridge ($6.89) was wonderful with a great chicken stock base; you can tell the porridge had been simmering a long time. The chopped pieces of bone-in chicken were plentiful.
Pork Shiu Mai ($4.29) were quite large, very well flavored (didn't need additional soy nor chili sauce). In addition to the chopped pork and shrimp, the filling had crispy water chestnuts, carrot and mushroom. 
The Seafood Gow ($4.29) were particularly good. The crisp, pan fried dumpling, filled with pieces of fish, shrimp and crab as well as (spinach?) greens; turned out to be our favorite bite of the morning.
The shrimp rice rolls ($5.39) were each filled with two plump, large, flavorful shrimp. The rice noodles and sauce complimented each bite in flavor and texture.
The shrimp Har Gow ($4.29), steamed in tapioca flour wrappers. Filled with very plump, large shrimp, this 'staple' of Dim Sum restaurants was a delightful treat. 
The baked egg tart ($4.29) was a perfect ending to the meal. The still warm and eggy custard inside the multi-layered Chinese puff pastry (less oily/more flour-y than traditional puff pastry) was just so perfect. 
The tea, very fresh.
For those of you wondering, we just drove right past Portos on the way home (!)
The interior had undergone changes.
The menu is pretty extensive and has many ‘authentic’ choices- not “dumbed down”. 
There is a Lunch Special menu available Tues-Friday. Specials include 'vegetarian soup' -yes, miso- as well as 'salad', vegetarian egg roll and fried wonton.
On this day, yellow curry with chicken ($11.95) was The Mister's choice. The curries here are very good- there are eight types. Yellow curry is made with potatoes, carrot and onion and coconut milk. A filling, flavorful meal. 
During the pandemic, I would order 'to go' from the appetizer menu. #13, "Crispy Rice Salad" (Nam Kat Tod) has become a favorite. The spicy lime sauce compliments the red and green onion, dry chili flakes, fresh ginger, mint, cilantro and cashews.
All of that is mixed with sour fermented pork (and thinly sliced cartilage) mixed with the crispy rice and toasted rice flour. Very satisfying, especially during our heat wave.
Here is the sushi bar, in its new location. The menu is only sushi; no other Japanese choices. 
The name of the market has changed slightly, the interior is still kept organized and clean. 
As you walk in, the first kitchen/menu board/ refrigerated grab and go to your right has a 
The Taqueria/Mexican menu board and cash register is a few feet more into the store, next to the seating area. We usually purchase an aqua fresca here.
On this visit, we chose a package of hummus ($4.99). Fresh made that morning, great flavors, plenty left over to take home.
We ordered two beef kababs ($2 each) and I watched as the ground beef, mixed with spices, was placed on long, flat kabab skewers and began cooking on the grill. Made to order. The meat was served with a roasted tomato half and a mix of chopped onion and parsley. 
Here is the loaf of hot tannour bread ($2.25) which was placed in a paper bag after being removed straight from the side of the clay oven. Crisp, flavorful browned bubbles with soft, easy to tear middles. Great flavor. It went well with both the hummus and the kabab meat. 
A mental note was made and misplaced. As fate would have it, The Mister and I were driving by while looking for lunch. Adalynes opened in March 2022.
Walk in and step to the right; seating for 40 (along with four big screen televisions) is to the left. Order and pay- a menu board is above and the open kitchen behind it is quite large. The "Fish Market" display case was not filled but the price list was available and if you made a purchase and wanted your fish fried, it is an additional $2 per pound. 
A simple menu.
An appetizer order of calamari ($9.99) included tentacles, not all rings. We asked for the batter to be 'mild' since there were several selections of spicy side dips. The calamari was tender, the batter was a proper fry; light and crisp. This is a large serving.
We decided to try the Combo meal ($15.99) of three pieces of chicken strips and six shrimp. We chose our one side to be sweet potato. Again, we asked for no spice in the batter. The shrimp were plump and large, had a very light coating and were nicely fried. The sweet potato side came in the form of 'tots' and were really good. The chicken-three large pieces of breast meat with just a light coating which was thin, crisped and tasty. 
The chicken was not dry at all. 
These four sauces were brought out with our food (cocktail sauce, "special" sauce (it has jalapeño juice and bits of jalapeño), a BBQ based sauce and a chipotle/smoky sauce. There's a counter by the tables which has condiment pumps of hot sauce, ranch and catsup. 
The other update is that this family owned and run restaurant has been here for more than 30 years.
Walk in, order and pay. There is a menu board above the ordering space in the wall. Your food is brought out by one of the family members. 
As always, we order onion rings ($4.49). Thick slices of sweet onions, sweet batter, properly crisp fried and not greasy. This is served with ranch dressing.
A small Greek chicken salad ($9.49) holds a lot of tasty, moist roasted chicken and comes with pita bread and tzatziki. The salad part is the same size as the side salad which comes with the meal below and includes cucumber, tomato and onion and a red wine vinegar based dressing.
The Moussaka and Gyros combination plate ($15.99) was ordered on this day…because we wanted leftovers. Plenty of fluffy rice with some peas and carrots topped with slices of gyros and, of course, the Moussaka- the bottom layer is baked potato, then a nice layer of eggplant, the sweet (cinnamon and oregano) spiced ground meat filling topped with a layer of thick béchamel and covered in a subtle seasoned (garlic, thyme, parsley, basil) tomato sauce. 
You can see the Santa Sophia Roman Catholic Church tower just East out the side window of the restaurant. The Greek title, "Santa Sophia" (Holy Wisdom) is popular in Greek Orthodox churches and is rare for Catholic churches.