The last couple of weeks have been a blur, and at times I have felt buried. Buried under:
Clutter
Colds
Chaos
1645 (Eva’s favorite number) commitments
I’ve been slipping, and it shows. Here are a few of the ways I did not have it together in the last couple of weeks:
Sent Lola to school in a school uniform polo with a hole in it. On picture day.
Drilled Lola on the wrong spelling list. For a whole week.
Rushed from place to place, in a frenzy, forgetting to eat, before falling into bed early with a horrific headache
Forgetting to buy a gown for a ball, and having to pull a standby out of my closet
Oh, and hitting a human being. On a bike. With my car. (Fortunately, he only suffered bumps and bruises, but that was years off of my life right there).
Sigh. So as I’ve said, I have been buried. But blessed. At this moment, at what is hopefully the end of a slightly rocky road, I find myself feeling increasingly thankful for the little things, like the odd morning out with nothing pressing to do but run a few errands, or the quick cup of tea with a friend after dropoff, or a rare unscheduled afternoon at home with the girls. And I am thankful for the organic turkey that I will be attempting, for the very first time, to brine and roast for a houseful of family on Thursday (I’m going to try the Pioneer Woman’s recipe!).
And I’m thankful for the opportunity to try a few new recipes on a very tolerant crowd of my nearest and dearest. Here’s what’s on the menu – some homemade (using a few recipes from The Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth), and some cheats, using help from the health food store:
Roast Turkey
Thyme Roasted Organic Parsnips
Cran-Orange Sweet Potato Custard
Stuffing (Arrowhead Mills – super simple)
Turkey Gravy (using a little envelope from Simply Organics)
Woodstock canned Organic Cranberry Sauce (for my husband)
Homemade Organic Cranberry Sauce
And for Dessert:
Hot Cranberry Cider Punch
Pumpkin Pie Pudding with Raisins
Sweet Potato Carrot Pudding
So there are a few nods to the traditional, with a twist, and some not-so-typical takes on Thanksgiving. My aunts and uncles and mom and dad will be bringing family favorites, from spinach pie to “macarona beh crema” (baked rigatoni with bechamel sauce).
Which unconventional favorites are on your family’s menu this year?
Leave a Reply