happy thanksgiving!

via shewearsmanyhats

happy monday!

Thanksgiving desserts make me happy! Even when the pumpkin pie and cranberry pear crostata I baked didn't quite turn out the way I was hoping they would. It was a good thing there were two other delicious desserts to eat!

happy thanksgiving

Thank you...to my husband, to my family, to my friends. I am most thankful to be surrounded by abundant love from the people in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

butternut squash galette

In preparation for all the Thanksgiving baking I'll be doing tomorrow I've been practicing making pie dough from scratch. Instead of baking a sweet dessert like this I decided to bake something savory and found this recipe. There was a lot of prep work with this recipe and I do mean A LOT! Give yourself a full afternoon for this one especially if you don't make pie dough from scratch very often. But let me tell you that all the time put into making this galette will be worth it...it is delicious!

And if you want to know the difference between a crostata and a galette you can find out here. And don't these just look amazing?

I'll be sharing my Thanksgiving baking over the next couple of days. What do you make for Thanksgiving?

sunday supper: stuffed

unstuff after thanksgiving via lululemon

I don't know about you but I feel stuffed after a delicious weekend of feasting. The last thing I wanted to think about tonight was what to cook for dinner so it was one more night of leftovers for us. At least we added some sauteed spinach and garlic for a little healthy kick.

I want to begin my week feeling energized, not lethargic and gluttonous, so I've been doing some yoga poses to help my digestive system stay on track. Of course, my favorite pose is child's pose but the other poses have also been invigorating to my sluggish system....just in time for me to start gorging on Christmas cookies.

I hope this Thanksgiving weekend gave you lots to be grateful for.

Happy Sunday!

thankful

via shoplovelay

Today I am thankful. I know I should be thankful every day but it's nice to have one whole day completely dedicated to gratitude. Sometimes I need that reminder to be thankful for all the wonderful people (near and far) in my life, for all the little things that make me happy and for the dreams living inside me that I just know are getting ready to blossom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

sunday supper: thanksgivingness

I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I am so not ready for the holiday season. I think my lack of holiday enthusiasm is partly due to Ebert and I not being able to visit my family in Phoenix this year. This will be the first Thanksgiving that my sister and I have not spent together. Somehow we've always managed to spend Thanksgivings together, which just so happens to be our favorite holiday, but this year the craziness of life is keeping us apart. As the holiday approaches I know it's going to be hard - I'm really going to miss not seeing my family this year. The good thing is that we're spending Thanksgiving with Ebert's dad and grandparents, so at least we'll be around some family. Since it's going to be a small gathering we've decided to not cook a whole turkey and to put a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving menu. It will be a delicious feast and even though we aren't all able to be together we have many, many things to be grateful for.

herb roasted turkey breast via imperrfections

quinoa pecan stuffing via fortheloveoffood

garlic mashed potatoes via bigapplenosh

pomegranate-glazed roasted root vegetables via healthyfoodforliving

green bean casserole w/bacon & pimentos via thepioneerwoman

cheddar sage biscuits via twopeas&theirpod

baked pumpkin & sour cream pudding via smittenkitchen

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? This is my family's tradition for the day after Thanksgiving. I hope this Sunday finds you filled with happiness and gratitude.

Happy Cooking!

sunday supper: thanksgiving leftovers

If you woke up feeling like I felt this morning, like a stuffed turkey, then you probably aren't thinking about what to make for dinner tonight. And, just like me, you probably have a refrigerator full of leftovers that you don't know what to do with. The best day after Thanksgiving meal that's a tradition in my family is to make turkey flautas. Seriously, it's the best thing to do with all that leftover turkey. But, since we stayed in Chicago this year for Thanksgiving, the first time Ebert and I have spent Thanksgiving with his family, there were no turkey flautas for us. However, we do have some yummy turkey soup that Ebert's mom made with the turkey she cooked.

So, if you're not sure what to do with all of your Thanksgiving leftovers, here are a few recipes to inspire some creative cooking.

Turkey: Turkey Flautas

Mashed Potatoes: Garlic Mashed Potato Pancakes

Stuffing: Stuffing Meatballs

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes: these are so good, you should really just reheat them and enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce: Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins or Cranberry Salsa - this salsa would be amazing with turkey flautas!

What are some your traditions for Thanksgiving leftovers?

Happy Cooking!

cooking & eating

In preparation for Thanksgiving I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and eating. If this keeps up I'll need to spend a few weeks at the gym. I'm starting to feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. But, I'm trying to ignore the mass amounts of calories I've been consuming and just enjoy the fun I'm having with Ebert and my sister trying new recipes and cooking and eating. It's all about the quality time, right?

Saturday, November 20th

chocolate guinness cake

Monday, November 23rd

broccoli and chickpea pasta & spicy parmesan green beans and kale

Wednesday, November 24th

cranberry apple french toast with rosemary potatoes, fruit salad and turkey bacon

Thursday, November 25th

my mom's cranberry sauce

my sister made a brown sugar apple cheesecake

pumpkin oatmeal cookies w/ white chocolate chips and dried cherries

Pomegranate Feta Salad with Raspberry and Lemon Vinaigrette
* I combined these two recipes to make one perfect salad dressing

Friday, November 26th

Before: Chicken Posole from XOCO

After: Chicken Posole from XOCO

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday has been filled with gratitude and lots of deliciousness!