Hunting for Thanksgiving Dinner

Sipping on my peppermint mocha this morning to the sound of Karen Carpenter serenading me with Merry Christmas, Darling. Oh, yes, and the ever present sounds of "more eggs, please.... I don't like this juice.." and so on from my starving children.

I so enjoy this time of year: trees bursting with color, coffee on brisk mornings, caramel apples with cider, the cozy smell of cinnamon candles in my kitchen, pumpkin patch journeys, sweaters with handmade scarves and tales of the Pilgrims coming to a new land.

The past few mornings, while looking at the beautiful changing leaves outside my kitchen window, I have been dreaming about Thanksgiving and all of the lovely food that accompanies it. This has sent me on a hunt for a new recipe to add to the menu this Thanksgiving. Of course we will still have the traditional menu items such as turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes... as to not upset the lovers of tradition in the family (such as myself.)

While traveling through some food blogs, I came across a recipe from The Pioneer Woman for Creamy Herbed Potatoes. May give this one a test run soon and see if it passes the Thanksgiving table test! Try it and let me know what you think as well... Happy hunting!

Find the recipe here at The Pioneer Woman's blog.

Sentimental

~ a person prone to feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.

I happen to be one of "those" people who can enjoy Christmas music year round (although I try to discipline myself and only listen August - January.) This has brought me the ridicule of many a naysayer and an occasional Scrooge. "You can only pull out the Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving" ... tends to be their rational.

So... I have given this much thought and have come to a conclusion; you are welcome to disagree if you must. (because I know this really matters) My conclusion is this: sentimental souls, like myself, usually are the ones who enjoy Christmas music out of season. Their sentiment and the sound of the music takes them to a time or place where there are happy memories. Thoughts of family and friends... memories that when accompanied by the music, flood the mind and cause the heart to swell with emotion. Your typical Norman Rockwell setting.

In my case, Christmas music gives that "cozy" feeling, as my children would say, and brings memories of my childhood. Certain songs or artists make me think of my Dad... Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby to be specific. I love a beautiful musical score that is accompanied with the telling of the birth of our Saviour. Again.... causing the heart to swell.

And so, to all you naysayers out there, I say with tongue in cheek "Bah-Humbug" to you. To those sentimental souls out there I say, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

Beautiful Caramel Apples

Made these gooey caramel apples today with my three oldest children. We may have eaten more caramel than went on the apples! Posting the recipe: Enjoy!

Carnival Caramel Apples Recipe

Waiting for Autumn to Arrive...

October 1st and temperatures in the high 80's. Not exactly ideal "sweater weather." I have been not so patiently waiting for the crisp autumn weather and the smells of neighboring fireplaces burning. Much to my dismay, every time I visit my local grocery store, Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer is STILL not available! Yes, Starbucks has their latte available but, I can think of several better ways to spend $5 right now. Maybe some new knee length argyle socks or a pair of earrings or a purse on clearance. I love purses, shoes, jewelry etc... they always fit!

Next week should usher in some cooler weather with cozy mornings and delicious Creamy Turkey Soup with Rosemary Rolls. Until then, I'll continue to "patiently" wait and drink my Italian Sweet Cream coffee.

~God's grace still amazes me ~

Danae