Green beans with roasted balsamic pearl onions

... are ready for the big day. Thanksgiving in the mountains here we come!

Day of the Dead

at Hollywood Forever Cemetery was … pretty cool. I enjoyed seeing the altars and listening to people's traditions. I also enjoyed seeing the different ways people honored their friends and relatives who have passed on.
It was very crowded though (and this was during the daylight), that we only stayed for 2-3 hours. I think we saw enough to know that they do it right! After experiencing this tradition deep in Mexico, I knew nothing else could compare. But I was pleasantly surprise with the celebration in Los Angeles.

Many people wore painted faces and had costumes.
This was something I didn't really see in the cemeteries in Mexico.
But traditions differ from town to town, city to city

Outside the mausoleum

There were several interactive alters, this was one I really liked.
Quite simply, you write the name of your loved one on one of these sticks
and place it in the dirt. This is a way of reaching out to them,
keeping the connection between loved ones alive 

Inside the mausoleum

Spinach with garlic and lemon

I love spinach this way!! I put the effort into cooking the nutritious side dish, while Trader Joes provided the easy, microwaveable main course of tamales. What a collaboration!

The big yellow house

That cool building at LAX

#LAX
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