Monday, November 21, 2011

{last years Thanksgiving table}
Happy Monday friends.  I hope your weekend was wonderful and restful.  Ours was both busy and restful, which is always a nice combination I think.  New carpet was installed on Saturday and for the last 2 mornings I've actually been giddy to jump out of bed so I can walk on it.  Is it wrong to be thankful for new carpet?

In other not so great news, Syd is sick and has been since Wednesday.  He's been fever free for a day now but he is still horribly congested and just all around miserable.  I kept him home from school again today and sadly he's missing his Harvest Feast at preschool along with stone friendship soup.  He could probably care less but it makes me sad that it's the last time to be a part of this tradition since he'll be starting kindergarten next year. 

So we continue to be stuck at home which I guess isn't a terrible thing, and I've made my grocery list for Thanksgiving.  We're hosting again and I'm preparing the same exact menu as last year, and the rest of the family will bring everything else.  We've made at least a dozen turkeys in our time as a married couple and I promise this recipe is the best we've ever come across.  In fact everything we made last year was the best of the best, which is why we're making it again ;)  I can wholeheartedly recommend every single one of these recipes, in case you still need some ideas.  I wrote a post last year centered around these recipes, in regards to cooking and slaving away in the kitchen for Thanksgiving, and it still is one of my favorite posts I've ever written.  My how things have changed for us in the last year.       
Caramel Sauce for Bread Pudding

Before I leave you to go back to my sick boy, I wanted to share a favorite tradition of mine that I do to keep our house smelling good throughout the holidays but without burning a ton of money on candles.  I've said before that my favorite candle is the Aspen Bay pinecone candle, but at $30 a pop, I can't afford to burn these all day and night.  So instead my friend Sarah showed me this trick a few years back.  
Simply cut up some orange slices and apple slices, toss them in a saucepan full of water and add a couple of cinnamon sticks and cloves and let simmer on low all day, while at home of course ;)  Add fresh water as needed.  To save a bit more, I always buy my whole cloves and cinnamon sticks either in the Mexican food aisle of the supermarket, or by the brand It's Delish.  This mixture makes the whole house smell like the perfect mix of Fall and Christmas. 

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