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I spent a good part of today giving thanks for the fact that I finally managed to wash all the cayenne pepper out of my already sore, raw nose. So here's a tip, kiddies: if you go grocery shopping, and you have a cold, and you're carrying a kleenex, and you happen to buy bulk cayenne pepper, do not -- I repeat, do NOT -- later lift said kleenex to your nose with the same hand that you used to scoop the pepper, no matter how sure you think you are that not a single miniscule speck of pepper stuck itself to your fingers. Because chances are, one did. Trust me on this.

But the recipe turned out well: a slightly spicy cranberry compote (scroll down), courtesy of Martha Stewart, courtesy of that camera hog Todd English, aka Iron Chef American.

It's good to have the whole family, including abuelita, here at home. It's good that the Packers beat the Lions. It's good to talk to your beau. And it's good to think about the tough autumn we've had and how it's made us take an extra moment to watch the faces of the people you love when they don't know you're watching, when they're doing something stupid and beautiful like mashing potatoes, and then go and give them a hug.

I hope you all had days full of good, too.