Thanksgiving Fun

It's a veritable sea of bodies around my house this morning.  Jen's family arrived last night and while quietly setting up to work on breakfast, I can't help but smile at the sight in front of me.  Boys, boys everywhere and a lone girl back in the office.  Yes, I gave them all sheets and blankets or quilts along with offering pillows.  This is what makes them happy.  So be it.

A Day in the Kitchen - with Brown and Serve Roll recipe.

I have an entire day in the kitchen planned and a TON of things to accomplish as well.  I remember the last time I made ChexMix thatI managed to get so very much done during the 15 minute intervals that I decided to log it this time.  Mainly to prove to myself that I waste a ton of time each day and secondly to prove to those who say they don't have enough time to do homemade things --- yep you do.  Honest.  I am up to the challenge.

It is 8:00 a.m. and after starting the laundry and straightening a couple of rooms, I am prepping 2 batches of ChexMix.  Mister would say I have my mise en place finished.  Each batch is in a large bowl with a small bowl nearby containing the spices.  I have the butter and worcestershire on the cupboard near the stove.  The butter for the first batch goes into the oven for a melt.

As soon as it has melted, I add the worcestershire and seasonings to the butter and stir it all in.  Then the cereal/nut/pretzel/bagel chip mixture is added as well.

Into the oven it goes for the first 15 minute interval.  It is 8:30.

Roasted Cranberry Sauce - Mister's Favorite

So, I didn't grow up in a cranberry household.  What exactly does that mean? Well, I truly don't remember cranberries playing a very important (if any) role during holiday meals.  Honest.  As a result, when I became a homemaker I didn't incorporate them into the holidays either.  After my oldest daughter married, her husband asked for jellied cranberry sauce from a can for Thanksgiving and I was okay with that.  Seriously -- open can - serve.  Pretty dang easy.  Then Mister came along.  He loves cranberry sauce and searched for a really good recipe once I was around and we were actually preparing holiday meals.  He found success in a Saveur Magazine from October, 2008.

As it is just a couple of days until Thanksgiving, tonight is the night he is making the sauce.  Would you like to peek in and find the same delight he has over the years?  Come along then.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Yep, that's a hot oven.  Using a peeler, remove peel from 1 orange, taking off as little of the white pith as possible.  Cut peel into very thin strips about 1 1/2" long.  Squeeze juice from the orange; strain and reserve 1 tbsp. juice.

In a bowl, combine peel, 1 lb. fresh or thawed cranberries, 1 cup sugar (we use raw), 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 4 green cardamom pods (we used 6 and crushed them with a knife), 4 whole cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks (he breaks them up), and 1 small jalapeno, stemmed and thinly sliced.

Fall Break - Day Four

Good morning.  Mister is already up and off to get a cinnamon roll downstairs.  Well, at least that is my thought as I get into the shower.  It turns out that he was cleaning out the car and loading his suitcase instead.  Once I am ready to go, it's off for those treats and a little breakfast downstairs.  We are not at all sure just what the plan is for today except to continue east and wander through areas we have not yet explored.  After leaving Snyder, we come to Roby, TX which is not a stopping spot for us but we are reading the history of it as we drive through.  It's a crazy story and one you will certainly enjoy.  Here is a link to the Texas Monthly article we read.

Shortly after Roby, we make a decision to go further  north in order to avoid driving a road already travelled.  You can read about the previous trip in this Texas Day Tripping post.  Anson, TX gives a moment to stretch our legs a bit with a stop for a little antiquing.  You can read about that by clicking on this Antiquing Post.

Since we have rerouted, our next is Stamford, TX where we are greeted by some interesting sculptures/art pieces.  Spidercar?

Fall Break - Day Three

After resting in Carlsbad, NM last night, we are up bright and early for a fun day at Carlsbad Caverns.  Even though I lived in New Mexico as a child, I have never been here and am super stoked.  After checking in (it's Veteran's Day so no charge), Mister leaves a donation equal to what we would have paid and we opt to do the Natural Entrance.  Let's go.

After a little safety talk, the first thing we encounter is this sign.  I absolutely love the caution at the bottom.  Come on knees --- you can do it.  As for the strenuous hike and exhaustion . . . . it's all downhill.  Are we being overly cautious here?

Just a wee bit further down the trail, we come to the amphitheater where it is possible to watch the Mexican Freetail bats take flight at dusk during the spring/summer months.  Since it is November, they have gone south for the winter thus, depriving us of that opportunity.  Since we have, however, watched them several times from the Congress bridge in Austin, I do not feel too sad over it.  With that being said, it would definitely be cool to see them come from inside this cave.  Check it out.  Somewhere down there is the opening.

Fall Break - Day Two

Well hello there.  We are in Las Cruces, NM (also known as the City of Crosses) and after having a wonderful night's sleep are ready to see what this part of the world has to offer us.  We have opted to check out the older part of the city which is called "Mesilla".  Come along and hopefully we will all learn something new along the way.

It turns out that Billy The Kid is pretty dang famous around these parts.  The village of Mesilla contains the building in which the Capitol of Arizona and New Mexico were housed.  At a later point in time it was the courthouse in which Billy was tried and sentenced to hang.  Wow.  I love that it is still here.

Fall Break - Day One

It's been awhile since Mister and I ran away for a few days.  We've been talking about it and are finally just getting in the car and heading west.  It's Election Day and for the first time I can remember, I would really rather be away from everyone tonight.  I don't see anything wonderful happening no matter which party wins and I foresee hate coming from the losers.  Period.  It's best just to not be here or anywhere other than out in the country where only the birds and other creatures can yell.  Perhaps we will find some calm there.  We leave home around 4pm and obviously hit traffic big time.  I thought everyone would be out voting.  Ugh.  Our destination for tonight is somewhere near Abilene and as we drive, I give Jen a call, but she is still on the road returning from San Antonio with the high school band.  I guess we keep going.  After stopping for gas and a bite to eat, we enter Big Spring and I give my friend, Kelly (in Midland) a call and plan to meet up in the morning for coffee and a visit.  Time for sleep.  We have 5 hours under our belt and that is a good start on crossing Texas.  This is a dang big state, you know.  (Fancy motel stop - yep keeping it classy.)

Korean Kimchi - A Primer by Mister

Kimchi anyone? I've been wanting to try this Korean kimchi kit since getting it as a gift. Lets see how this goes.

Mis en place:

Chile pepper flakes (gochugaru)
Korean fish sauce (aekjeot)

Autumn Soup!!!! Comfort Food At It's Best

It's November.  I know you likely already knew that but for me that means it is finally Autumn in Texas.  The trees will turn colors this month and the temperature will drop.  My absolute favorite season is upon us.  What better way to start the month off than with a nice pot of Autumn Soup.

I found this recipe when my children were quite small and it has been a stand-by ever since.   The ingredients are always on hand and it takes mere minutes to prep.  Shall we get started?

You will need one cup of chopped onion, 1 cup cut-up carrots, and 1 cup of diced celery.  Also 1 cup cubed pared potatoes.