I hope your Thanksgiving dinner went better than this one...

Seven Quick Takes Friday

1. Did you have a nice Thanksgiving Day? Ours was wonderful. We started out with church. I always like starting out Thanksgiving in church, thanking God for my blessings and receiving communion. I got to see my Packers beat the Lions, eat some awesome food, and enjoy putting the Christmas decorations up with my boys and Emma. It was a fun day! It was just the five of us, and I'm kind of glad for that--it's nice to have a day with family. Plus, I got to end the day with my favorite Christmas movie--ELF. Doesn't get any better than that!

2. It was so much fun watching Emma while we put up the decorations. Everything was new to her, as she doesn't remember Christmas last year, being a year old and all. She loves the lights, and even got in on the Christmas tree decorating. That's the greatest thing about being a parent--being able to experience things through your children. Everything is so fresh and new and exciting!

3. Don't hate me, but I'm looking forward to snow. Thanksgiving has past, we're in the Christmas season, and now we can have some fresh white snow on the ground. The more, the better. Then, in February it can stop snowing. That's how it should be in my perfect little world. Ok with you?

4. My 50 free Christmas cards came last week, and I'm so excited. They really turned out great, and they'll be so easy to send out. Now all I have to do is get our letter written, and finding the time for that will be a challenge. I can hardly wait for our Christmas cards to start rolling in--I LOVE getting the mail in December!

5. I'm looking for a new Advent devotion to do with my kids this year. Last year we did the Jesse tree, but I don't want to repeat the same thing this year. Do any of you have any great ideas for Advent devotions? One thing I'm planning on doing is wrapping up 25 Christmas books, and having the kids unwrap one every night in December for the bedtime story. But not all of them are religious, per se, so I'd like to do an additional devotion.

6. This week I also have to find some time to get some of my socks darned. Yes, you heard me right, I need to darn some socks. They're my nice wool ones from Land's End, and I love, love, love them. (And why should I buy new socks, when I can fix the ones I have?) Usually I have my dad darn them, because he's the best. (When he was small and home sick from school, my grandma would make him darn socks. Hehehehe) But I won't be seeing my Dad until after New Year's, so I've got to get to it. All so my feet can be toasty-oasty warm!

7. Not only do we have to keep an eye on Emma this year with the tree, but I found out last night that we have to keep an eye on Katie the dog, too. The boys hung some apple ornaments near the bottom, and Katie of course decided that would be a good treat. Plus, the dye in the ornament made her paws pink. So I promptly moved all food related ornaments higher in the tree. We'll see how that goes!

In closing, I just wanted to thank all of you for your comments this past week. I'll be dropping off 40 CANS OF FOOD to my local food shelf next week! WAY TO GO, BLOGGY FRIENDS! You deserve a pat on the back!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wordless Wednesday: I think someone's added to my grocery list...

Tuesday Poetry

Albuquerque Turkey

(Sung to Clementine)

Albuquerque he’s my turkey

Oh he’s feathered and he’s fine

He wobbles and he gobbles

And I’m awfully glad he’s mine.

He’s the best pet

You could ever get.

Better than a dog or cat.

Albuquerque he’s my turkey

And I’m awfully glad of that.

Albuquerque he’s my turkey

He’s so cozy in his bed

Because for Thanksgiving dinner

We had scrambled eggs instead.

(Found here on Alphabet-Soup.net)

Menu Plan Monday

It's Thanksgiving week! I'm excited--Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. There's just something about it--I guess it could be the food, but it's much more than that. The family, the remembrance of all that I'm thankful for, the harvest decorations...I just love it all.

Here's the menu plan for this week:

MONDAY: Beef (actually venison, thanks, Heather!) enchiladas, rice

TUESDAY: Ravioli bake (Sorry, I know this was supposed to be this week's recipe, but I didn't make it last week), Garlic bread

WEDNESDAY: Macaroni and Cheese

THURSDAY: Thanksgiving Day! Turkey, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, squash, Maryanne's sweet and sour green beans, stuffing, rolls, fruit salad, pumpkin pie and chocolate pie

FRIDAY: Thanksgiving Leftovers

SATURDAY: Pasta and Ham Primavera

SUNDAY: Chili, cornbread

So last week after my post about Thanksgiving traditions, Allison requested my stuffing recipe. Well, it's not my recipe, it's my mom's. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without this stuffing. I've even made it on Christmas with ham--it's that yummy. Actually, I could just make this stuffing for a meal, and be perfectly happy. So in honor of Thanksgiving, I'm sharing the recipe!

Stuffing

(Or dressing. Whatever you call it.)

1 c. butter, melted

1 c. chopped onion

1 T. poultry seasoning or chicken bouillon

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3/4 c. chopped celery

Combine these ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, and then add:

3 quarts dry bread cubes.

(This HAS to be the UNSEASONED bread cubes. I like to buy the bag of stuffing bread that the store bakery has, though our store didn't have any this year. Brownberry makes unseasoned stuffing cubes too.)

Mix in 1-2 boxes of chicken broth, depending on how wet you want your stuffing. I don't like my stuffing too wet, so I go more towards using 1 1/2 boxes of broth. If you add too much broth, your stuffing will be gluey and gummy=gross. You can stuff your turkey with this stuffing, but I usually bake it in a big baking dish for about an hour at 350. This recipe makes enough for a 12-14 pound bird. (I usually double it.)

Really, with stuffing, you add and taste, then add and taste. It's taken some practice, but I've gotten it down to a science. Have some extra bread cubes on hand, because that way if you add too much liquid, you can add more bread cubes. But then remember to adjust your seasonings!

I also wanted to share a bread recipe with you. I made this bread last week, and it was AWESOME. Dan and I decided it would be perfect for leftover turkey sandwiches, so I'll be making another loaf on Wednesday.

Bread Machine Garlic Bread

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon dry milk powder

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. garlic powder (I used minced garlic)

3 cups bread flour

2 tsp. active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in this order. Select basic bread cycle; press start.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, everyone!

REMEMBER, CANS FOR COMMENTS IS STILL GOING UNTIL THURSDAY! SO FAR, I'VE COLLECTED 20 CANS--KEEP COMMENTING!

He is my Sunshine (Updated--it works now!)

Sorry, those of you who couldn't see this--I accidentally set it to private. All is fixed now, so you should be able to see it!