Thanksgiving Meal coming together....

Old Fashioned Candied Yams

Mustard Greens from our garden - cooked the same way I cooked Collard Greens in a previous post.

Ford Hook Lima Beans - cooked by Scott and improved by me.

Another pan of cornbread as we want to be sure to have enough cornbread dressing.

Time to start cooking!

Hello! I'm off from work today and will start cooking for tomorrow. More cornbread will be made for the dressing. I will bake the pies and prepare the roll dough. I will put the roll dough in the refrigerator and bake them tomorrow. We will be picking the greens from the garden and preparing them as they are always better the next day. Scott will go and pick up our turkey from his Employer since he is taking some vacation time this week and is not working today.  And along with the cooking I will get the laundry done and the bathrooms cleaned... so much to do today!

They wanted me to go into work today as SO MUCH arrived on the truck yesterday but I really needed the day off to get things ready for tomorrow. I had requested these days off weeks ago. Things are just so crazy at this time of year.

Yesterday we had a very nasty cold rainy day and we stayed in as much as possible. I did work 7 and a half hours yesterday and we made a short trip to Sav-A-Lot for a few grocery items. I will be doing some more grocery shopping this evening... YES with all the other crazy people that waited until the last minute to shop but I had to wait for my paycheck to hit the bank.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

More Recipes for our Thanksgiving Meal

First I'll share the link to our recipe blog for the Broccoli Casserole that I will be making...Broccoli Casserole

Now for a little something sweet.. the Pecan Pie recipe that I will be using. This recipe is out of a  book titled... Creative Cooking made, easy...The Golden Fluffo Cookbook

Pecan Pie

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecan halves

Pastry for a one crust pie 

( I will use my Grandmother's recipe for pie crust - to follow)

Beat eggs until light. Mix sugar and flour, add it to the eggs and beat well. Stir in corn syrup, vanilla, salt and pecans. Pour mixture into pastry-lined pie plate and bake at 350*F. for 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set.

Grandma Carr's Pie Crust

Our Turkey is being supplied by my Husbands Employer - it's  a smoked turkey and I think most people know how to make mashed potatoes so I won't be sharing a recipe for either of those. Cranberry sauce and the pickle tray will come from a can or jar. And the Mincemeat filling is also a purchased filling so no recipe there either. I've shared before how we do greens  but will have to look for the post to provide a link and the search bar doesn't seem to be working at the moment. 

Let's Share Recipes!

I thought that with this being the BIGGEST cooking week of the year for most USA families I would share some of the recipes that I will be making for our Thanksgiving meal. I'll start with my Mother-in-laws recipe for Cornbread dressing...

Cornbread Dressing (Julia's Recipe)

Left over corn bread (measure it)

then add 1/4 of the amount of cornbread
 in regular bread, rolls or buns broken up or cut into cubes.

Chop up 1 onion

and 1 or 2 stalks of Celery

Add to bread mixture.

Bring to a rolling boil - 1 cup chicken broth or more depends on hope  moist you like your dressing.

Pour over bread  mixture

Then ADD:

1 or 2 heaping teaspoons sage

salt and pepper to taste.

Lastly beat in 1 egg.

For lighter dressing add 1 teaspoon baking powder just before putting into a greased pan ( We use a jelly roll pan)

Bake 375* to 400*F oven until browned and set.

The Rotten Little Beast!

Tesla - THE ROTTEN BEAST!

Since we lost Nicholas last weekend this fella has been absolutely BEASTLY! First he slipped out of the house one day when I arrived home from work and turned into PSYCHO KITTY.  He tried to tear my right hand totally up and the only way I finally got him back indoors was I let him light into said right hand so that I could snatch him up with my left hand and then hold him partly against my side with his front paws away from any tender skin and carried him as quickly as I could back to the other side of the house to get indoors.

He has been stomping around and pining over Nicholas something awful... I didn't think he even liked Nicholas as when Nicholas was a kitten he would sit on him. But what really got me calling him the ROTTEN LITTLE BEAST is he got me up at 2 AM this morning. I do have to work but would have GREATLY appreciated that extra hour of sleep. So now I'm up and he is sleeping on the table like he owns that as well.

A Lovely spot to rest by the Old Mill Foundation by the Locks. I thought the Street Lamp lit up this tree magnificently.

Scott and I took a nice walk by the river last night at dusk. We only glimpsed a single pair of joggers; I guess everyone else was watching Football. We just don't follow any sports... not our cup of tea. I'm sure they will all be talking about the game this morning at work.

The Diversion Damn area was making  a tremendous swooshing noise as the water is down in the river.

Not many leaves left on the trees after the rain we got night before last. Definitely looking a little more like Winter is arriving. It is 46*F here this early Sunday morning. I think the forecast is a little off...

REST OF TONIGHT
MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE MID 30S. NORTH WINDS
AROUND 10 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH.
 
SUNDAY
SUNNY AND BRISK. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S. NORTH WINDS
15 TO 20 MPH.

Rain Drops are falling on my head.....

Here it is Saturday morning and I am listening to the rain outside at 5:23 AM. I opened the front door and the storm window so I could listen to it better as I sit here at my computer trying hard to be quiet as everyone else is still sleep. I had to open a window in the dining room for Tesla... he is still pining something awful for Nicholas. I never thought they really liked each other much at all but Tesla is having a horrible time with the loss. I feel really bad for him but we will not be replacing Nicholas. We will not be replacing any pets as they pass away as 4 was just too many for us and we are wanting to be pet free for a few years so perhaps we can travel a bit and not have to worry about pet care while we are away.

Only a few more days until Thanksgiving and I thought that I would share our menu for the day. The turkey will come from my husbands employer... a smoked turkey.

Thanksgiving Menu

Turkey

Cornbread Dressing

Mashed potatoes

Gravy

Corn-on-cob

Mixed greens from our garden

Broccoli Casserole

Candied Yams

 Cranberry sauce

Pickle tray

Rolls or Angel biscuits

Mincemeat Pie

Pecan Pie

Fruitcake

Drawing for Christmas cards

I decided to draw up a few images of my own to color with my Prismacolor pencils to use on some of our Christmas cards. Here are the ones I've come up with so far...

I also want to draw an Elf and perhaps a little deer (reindeer) and a Christmas tree or two. I may even try a sleigh and Santa. I've got to get busy as I promised to swap 15 cards with my friend in South Africa and I have to make cards to send to a few family members and friends as well.

I worked 4 hours this morning and that extra money will be nice in my next paycheck. Christmas will be VERY small this year with only a few handmade items for our immediate family. No more extended family gifts - it's just gotten TOO EXTENDED! We just can't do for them all. 

It's Friday!

I was supposed to be off today but have luckily picked up 4 more hours of work... that'll help my paycheck. And Scott is picking up a few more hours today as well. He also has a Doctor's appointment with his ENT this morning. A busy day to be had by both of us.

Here he is after I got him back inside... all calm and sweet.

Yesterday when I got home from work and opened the side door to enter the bonus room Tesla flew out. I didn't know he was out there and he took off and turned into Psycho Kitty. I finally caught up with him on the lower side of the house and he dug me up pretty good catching him to bring him back inside. Thats why we never let him out as he just can't handle it and becomes CRAZY CAT! My hand will be all right and he is all nice and calm and sweet once more. He is definitely not safe around children and when we get young visitors he gets closed up in our bedroom. I just don't want to take any chances with him hurting someones kid. He does all right around adults. I think it's because we live such a quiet life here he doesn't know how to handle change well  at all.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to cooking for us, my son's girl friend and my parents. It will be a small get-together but everyone else had other plans or I did not hear from them. When I get home from work I will be cleaning house and I may pull down some Christmas  decorations. We will see how I feel about that once I get home. I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!

A New Week

I worked Sunday and Monday to start off this week and will be working today through  Thursday and then will be off Friday and Saturday. We are preparing for the HUGE sales next week and getting everything ready for the madness. I am truly hoping that I am not stuck on a register during all that craziness. I've requested next Wednesday and Thursday off and am hoping to get it but they have to have people there to run the store so I may have to work around my hours. I will find out tomorrow. They've always been good about letting me have requests as I rarely ask for time off. FINGERS CROSSED!

I've crafted a bit and made a card and a crocheted scarf for a little girl's birthday and hope that she will like them. The scarf pattern is super easy and fast...

Size N hook

Holding 2 yarns together (I use one 4 ply and 1 fancy yarn)

Chain 120 stitches leaving a 6 to 8-inch tail at each end and ending off leaving another 6 to 8 inch tail.

Then start off the remaining rows with a loop on hook and single crochets across leaving tails at each end of work. (The tails are your fringe). Just keep adding rows until you reach your desired width.

This lovely card and decorated lunch bag are what I received in the swap at the library this past Saturday. I thought it was funny that she and I both used blues in our cards. She (Laurel) LOVES quilling and in fact next month we will be learning to make a quilled snowflake. I am so looking forward to that. We are also doing an ornament swap with an assigned partner.  And an altered Mason or Ball jar as a Secret Santa with $10 worth of crafty items hidden inside. It's going to be so much fun!


I am thinking about making a pineapple cheese ball to take as a munchy to share along with some crackers. I will have to get with my Mother-in-law for her recipe as she used to make a FABULOUS one when she was doing weddings.

Well it is time to leave for another day but it is a short day at work and then home to do some things around here. LAUNDRY for one... YIK!

RIP Dear Nicholas

Nicholas cried out for us this morning and I went and gathered him into  my arms and held him and then he cried again and I went and woke Greg up and told him it was Nick's time and that he wanted to say good bye. We went out on the front porch and I laid him down and we all petted him and told him how much we loved him and that we'd be OK and he could go in Peace. Within 30 minutes he was gone. We believe he knew it was his time. We have heavy hearts but know that he is in a better place. We buried him under the cedar tree in the front yard - his favorite place to be. We erected some stones to mark his grave.

36* F Here this morning

I am up and preparing for the day. I dread going out to the car at 4:30 to head off to work as I will have to scrape ice from my car windows. Yesterday morning it was even colder at 27*... I do believe Winter has finally arrived; just in time for the Holidays. The store looks like one HUGE Christmas party now. Everyday I come home glitter somewhere on me as it seems to float in the air.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow as I will be getting together with my local crafting group. These are the items that I have made for the swaps we had decided to do.I hope the gals like them. We will be making an ornament out of a Styrofoam ball, fabric and pins.

I guess I better get ready to head out into the chilly morning! BLAH!

UGH!!! UPDATE!!! I drove all the way across town to work and decided to check my phone while I waited for the Boss to show up and discovered a text from her saying to take today off! GRRRRRrrr!

Nick is still hanging on

Our cat Nicholas is still hanging on and our son is not ready for  him to pass on so he is doing what he can to get some food into him. I'm still not sure how long the cat will last and I am to a point of wanting to either have him put to sleep or let him outside to pass away on his own terms out in Nature. But he is Greg's cat so I will leave it up to him.

Scott and I are over at his Mom's house trying to get her printer to work  and Scott has finally been successful. So  we will be heading back to our house now. I will write again after Wednesday when I get paid. Good night!

Waiting to die

Nicholas cat seems ready to die. He has resolved to not eat or drink today and has yet to go potty even once.

Maybe he just knows it's his time.

Wednesday - Truck #2 for this week

I am going in at 5 AM this morning instead of 3 and will start processing my area as soon as I get there. Hopefully I will get it all done before we open at 9. I will have to speed through it all. The reason I say before we open as after we open it's nearly impossible to get any work done because we have to switch to Guest Service. We are getting in SO MUCH "stuff"... not sure where we are going to put it all even with having 2 semi-trailers parked out back. There are decorative Christmas boxes stacked EVERYWHERE and Christmas trees... and trees... and trees. UGH! Just SO MUCH! I hope they haven't over planned.

I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner here and so far my son's girlfriend, Robin and my parents are coming. I've heard from 2 of my sisters and have other plans and I know one brother is going to his in-laws. Not sure about my other sister and brother - have not heard from them.

Finished little projects

My most recent completion -  4 stick pins and a holder.

This little box was so much fun to alter - I bought the box for $1 at Dollar tree.

It started out as just a plain unfinished wooden box - no legs - I added the legs to the bottom.

I found this adorable image online and reduced its size to fit in the top of the box.

This was the completed exterior of the box after being painted, papered and embellished with lace and pearls and flowers and a butterfly.

Matilda in her coffin - I made the entire coffin out of chip board and then painted and decorated it for Matilda. I even made a red corduroy cushion for her to "rest easy".

The cross on top is also made of chip board and the plaque says, "R.I.P Matilda Died 1843 -Green with Envy".

Live Action FRUIT CAKE

Baking Fruit Cake with my Mother-in-law

White Fruit Cake

1/2 lb white pineapple

1/4 lb red pineapple

1/4 lb green pineapple

1/2 lb cherries

1 1/2 quarts nuts (6 cups)

1 lb. white raisins (dates can also be added)

1/2 Cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum to soak Dates and Raisins in while I prepare the rest of the fruit.

Batter

1/2 lb butter

1 cup sugar

5 eggs

2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, then 1 cup flour.

Mix other cup of flour with the fruits and nuts. Then mix in batter. Batter will be stiff. Bake 2 1/2 hours at 250*F Place a large sheet cake pan of water on the lowest rack in the oven and bake the cakes in the middle of the oven.  The water will keep the cakes moist and ward off burning. WHILE STILL WARM pour an additional  1/4 to 1/2 cup Spiced Rum over the cake(s).

TADA!!!!

Now to wait from Thanksgiving! They smelled DIVINE!