Thanksgiving & the Uptown lighting

This past Thanksgiving was wonderful. After an early breakfast, we spent the first half of the day at a nursing home and an assisted living facility. Often the residents in these facilities are overlooked during holidays so we brought them some Thanksgiving cheer and most importantly, just conversed with them. I hope it was as rewarding for them as it was for us. When we got home I made the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

For breakfast I made cinnamon rolls and biscuits with gravy and sausage.

During the day while I was working on dinner, I made a pumpkin dip for apples and a camembert en croute.

This was the dinner spread.

Some of our turkey.

This is what we had on the table, in addition to the rolls, deviled eggs, and that unusual, yet somehow a tradition, cranberry jelly-roll goo from a can.

And of course it isn't Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie :-)

In the evening, Phil surprised me by taking me to the Uptown lighting of the trees event. There were choirs singing, Santa and his reindeer, and fireworks. I had never heard of fireworks on Thanksgiving before, but it was awesome. Since the fireworks were shot off from the tops of the office buildings, they were exceptionally beautiful because they were reflective in the office windows. I particularly liked how the fireworks were accompanied by Christmas music, and how the last song was the Hallelujah Chorus. What a fantastic way to dive into the Christmas season!

Amazing!

This is what I woke up to after a long exhausting week of traveling. Isn’t my husband AMAZING?!

San Diego

In early November, I spent a week in San Diego. This was my first trip to California, and it was a great trip. I especially liked the San Diego zoo. Here are some photos from the trip:

A look at La Joya

The Gaslamp district

Listening to Glenn Close present on her new philanthropic project: bringchange2mind.org

Riding in the Sky Lift; this is the view of the zoo

An otter

Some piggies- I just thing pigs are the cutest!

Everyone loves the meerkats

Giraffes- this one is for you Kellyn!

I found this camel to be quite humorous...he had a saggy hump :-)

Koalas are adorable when they curl up to sleep

This is a snake turtle- check out how long that neck is!

2 of the 11 Panda bears in the US. This is a mamma and her baby.

There were 3 different flamingo exhibits, but this one was my favorite.

If you've never been to the San Diego zoo, it really is the best zoo ever and I recommend the visit. The exhibits are large and filled with enrichment for the animals. Not to mention the zoo is gi-normous! I spent about 7 hours there and only saw about 1/2 of the exhibits. I guess this means I will have to go back again soon to finish!

Cracked the Code

Since Thanksgiving is more about culinary tradition, I don’t try new recipes. But here is a couple that I tried right before the holidays:
Jordan’s Melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts: This was my first time making homemade doughnuts. I thought a deep fryer was required to make doughnuts at home, but I was wrong. These were really great, and like all of her other recipes, fast & cheap! I want to make these again to add my own twist. Chick-Fil-A Sandwich: Phil & I love the flavor of the Chick-Fil-A sandwich.....well I cracked the code! No more going without their famous chicken on Sunday! Our version is quite tasty, and, you’ll be surprised, but actually pretty healthy. A healthy AND tasty version of Chick-Fil-A that you can make at home?! HA, this is the life! Add this sandwich to the list of recipes I have cracked in my kitchen!

Clearly we couldn’t wait to dive into the sandwich....so a partially eaten sandwich is all you get for a picture.

Date Night at Home

Back in October (yes, I’m quite a bit behind on my blogging... I'm trying to catch up), Phil surprised me one evening for dinner. He told me that we were going out to eat, so I started getting ready- this is a very detailed process for me, as I’m sure you all know. When I was finally ready, Phil locked the door, we took a few steps on the porch toward the car, & then he said, “We’re here!”….this had me perplexed to say the least. We came back inside where Phil sat me in the dining room & instructed me to close my eyes. When I opened my eyes, this is what I saw:

No, I can't read any of these things either. I don’t know if you remember this, but I posted about my spring goals in March, & learning how to make sushi was one of them. Time had gotten away from me, but it hadn’t slipped the mind of my sweet husband. We spent the evening in the kitchen cooking a ton of sushi; we had a blast!

Making our own rice (we had to put it on the coffee table to dry under the fan).

Hawley Tuna Maki

...we made several styles of maki

Nigiri

We made a lot of sushi & had such a great time learning how to make it. Sidebar- We also got to use the special chopsticks my sister sent us from China.

This was an awesome date night....and we didn't even have to leave the house :-)

Thanksgiving Left-overs

I know that I have mentioned my love for left-overs before..... ok.... yea, that statement is dripping in sarcasm! I can’t stand left-overs, & that includes Thanksgiving left-overs. I just get so bored with days & days of turkey! Typically, when I do my Thanksgiving grocery shopping, I’m already getting extra ingredients to turn my left-overs into something else. Here are some ideas to get you started in case you get bored like I do:
-Turkey pot pie *personal favorite*
-Turkey tostadas with spicy cranberry-chipotle sauce
-BBQ sandwiches
-Sweet & spicy turkey pitas
-Cranberry sauce parfait
-Cranberry crumble
-Vanilla ice cream with cranberry drizzle
-Baguettes with goat cheese and cranberry sauce
-Pierogis
-Pumpkin dip with sliced apples

Let me know if any of these ideas strike your fancy & I can send you our favorite version of the recipe

Drop By's

‘Tis this season for guests to “drop by.” I absolutely LOVE having people surprising us at our home, but sometimes I get nervous that my home is not in the best condition for company; I quickly throw things in the closets & shut bedrooms doors. But, my favorite hiding place is the dishwasher. At any point in time when we have company, you will likely find things in our dishwashing that definitely look out of place. As long as I remember to check the dishwasher before starting it, I’m fine hehe. So if you’re like me, here are a few tidy ways to cope, at least temporarily, with the demands of last-minute clean-ups for expected (and unexpected) visitors.
-Play energetic music to motivate yourself & make cleaning a “work-out”
-Wear a big apron with deep pockets (or carry a bucket/laundry basket) for holding all your supplies as you move through the house. This way you won’t waste time running from room to room to get cleaning supplies.
-Look at each room the way a guest would look at it. See where your eyes are drawn to first & start there.
-Focus your cleaning on rooms that guest will actually see: living room, kitchen, guest bedrooms, dining room, & bathrooms.
-Close doors to rooms (bedroom, laundry, office) you don’t have time to clean. In the bathroom, close the shower curtain to conceal a less-than-spotless tub.
-Do all your vacuuming at once (and last) to avoid bringing dirt from a dirty floor to one you just cleaned.
-If you’re really out of time with a lot left to do, just dim the lights! Soft lights or candlelight are intimate and festive, and can redirect the focus to what really matters- time together with the people you love.
Hope these tips help make your home shine in a hurry!

'Stache Showdown

Vote for your favorite Octoberstache ‘stache from the past 3 years!

Kellyn Visits Houston! (x2)

Last week my sister was in Houston for work; I found this to be extremely convenient! This means that we got to see her twice this year! What a treat! We got “deluxe” pedicures, talked A LOT, & spent time together in the kitchen cooking.

Kellyn treated US to some special baked apples one night. It’s very rare to have someone else in my kitchen…..I think I could easily get used to it though. She gave me the recipe, so I will have to try these delicious apples sometime. Kellyn also gave me an early birthday present; talk about surprised! Phil & Kellyn sang for me & everything. :-) Here I am “blowing out my candles” in my Steelers gear.
Here we are, doing what we always do: G-chatting; but usually there are several states in between us.
I hope RMC sends her to Houston every year! Miss you already Kellyn; can’t wait to see you for Christmas!!!! xoxoxo