Tag: Thanksgiving (page 4 of 5)

Pioneer Woman

I am a pioneer woman. All the women in my family are. We travel where our lives take us and we keep the home fires burning. My mother and her mother before that and her mother before that and so on have given me that gift, I am fortunate and I mean this with every ounce of humbleness, I am a good homemaker. I know how to keep a home and how to make a home, they have bestowed that blessing on me.

However, I am lucky in that, I am a modern pioneer woman, I am a pioneer woman with Skype. On this day before Thanksgiving when I can’t be with my family, I am blessed that I can see their beautiful faces.

It is not always easy being apart from them, but I am married now and wherever Mr. Michie is, is HOME. I am so fortunate, that when I packed up my wagon and headed in my case east  vs. the west of wagons ho, I knew that it was not forever, to never ever see my family again. Those were brave women, to leave behind everything they knew, for a new world.

As you pack up your wagons to travel to family and friends this holiday season, I pray that you are well and your journeys safe.

{Image from Ox Cart Man}

Caramel Pumpkin Pots

I pinned this awhile ago, but today I seem to be craving all things pumpkin. In fact, I have been craving pumpkin for the past few days. I almost bought a slice of pumpkin pie at Whole Foods on Saturday, but I just couldn’t. I am being a purist about it, my first taste of pumpkin pie will be my own pie that I make for Thanksgiving. I am more than ready for that taste.

I love the turkey and the cranberry sauce and the stuffing and the sweet potato souffle and all the other sides, but the pumpkin pie could just be my favorite part of the entire meal.

It is even better the next morning for breakfast with a good cup of coffee and as you scoop out a little bit of whipped cream to dollop on the side of your pie, another little dollop ends up going into your coffee too, or better yet, sneaking a little bit of vanilla ice cream in your coffee, oh heaven!

If I could, I would be making these tonight.

{Image and recipe, Bakers Royale}

Thankful

Foxy Whipped CreamWell, we are thankful for many things this month. Most notably, getting to share a Thanksgiving feast with the Michie’s. We stuffed ourselves with turkey and cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes and green beans with roasted peppers.

Our contribution to dinner was dessert. Pies are a specialty of mine and I got to work rolling out my dough. I cut stars to go around the edge and GiGi helped me make the pumpkin filling. The house was filled with the scents of cinnamon and pumpkin baking into a lovely custardy pie. The smell filled every nook and cranny of the cottage, it definitely felt like Fall.

GG Whipped Cream

As it was in the oven, we went to work making the whipped cream to serve alongside it. GiGi added in the sugar and vanilla and I did all the whipping. After it began to get fluffy, I dived in for a taste test, my paws and whiskers were covered with luscious cream! It was delicious.

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of my finished pie, topped with lashings of billowy whipped cream, for by the time we ate dessert, we were all to stuffed, to happy and enjoying each other’s company too much to take a picture. Alas, it is a memory only for us to relish. I hope all of you have had a lovely November, Christmas is soon on its way.

Gobble! Gobble!

Its almost Turkey Day and these little felt turkeys by Jennifer Murphy are truly sweet.

As always, her designs are whimsical and look like they have walked through a magic vintage door.

(Image by Jennifer Murphy/embellished by J. Michie)

The Day After Turkey Day

All the preparing, stressing, family gathering and it is over in a flash, a snap of your fingers. That brings us to “The day after Turkey Day ” and there is nothing better than the glorious leftovers on “The day after Turkey Day”.

After you have stuffed yourself to the gills and you swear you will never eat again, somewhere around midnight you are famished and so you raid the fridge! That first leftover turkey sandwich of the season, is somehow, the best one of all!

(Image found here)

A Pot of Pie

I spied these lovely pumpkin pies in a jar over at Inchmark and I think they are a beautiful idea, for a little something different!

They would look charming displayed on a table set upon Johnson Bros. “Friendly Village Autumn” luncheon plates. I also think they would be the perfect breakfast, because, you have to keep your energy up as you slave away over that succulent roasted bird and stuffing!

All I need is a spoon and a little extra whipped cream…

(All images copyright Inchmark)

Gather Here

We are just a little over a week away from Thanksgiving. Not a holiday here in England, but we still celebrate it in our little cottage. There is something to this time of year, as we approach Christmas, there is just so much more hustle and bustle and everything takes on a more frantic pace.  There also seems to be something in the air lately, everyone seems to just be fed up!

Maybe, it is because evening crawls in sooner and with less hours of daylight we feel pressured to complete more tasks than usual. Maybe, it is simply the pressure the media puts on us, there is not one store I have entered lately that is not stock piling their Christmas displays or has already decorated to the nines. It seems that as we approach Thanksgiving there is more pressure than ever.

Thanksgiving, can be a stressful time for many, you are possibly dealing with family that you would prefer not to see, you are anxious that your turkey will turn it out just so; the new bride cooking for everyone for the very first time. All this pressure, seen and unseen, seems to mount for everyone and comes to a head.

I think, of all the Christmas gifts, I have to buy and what seems like no time to do it in. I think of all the things I have to do at home and only the weekend to complete everything. I feel the pressure, that Thanksgiving seems to be the “hurdle” we have to get through on our way to Christmas, and once Christmas comes we can all sit back and take a breath.

I refuse to look at holidays like that. I want to enjoy them for all that they are, I want to soak up every drop of time I spend with my family. I want to simply take a breath and be open to just being, not be pressured by society to have everything just so and by a certain date, I am willing to just take it as it comes and drink in the moments as they present themselves. Because, I believe that I am where I’m supposed to be right now and I will come to it with not only an open heart but a grateful one!

(Image by Craftily-Ever-After)