Thanksgiving, Gravy, Jays, and Home Decor...How's That for a Post Title?

Our first Thanksgiving was the feast at church. I was blessed to be able to help with it and I truly had a great time (my only complaint was my poor choice of footwear)! The preparation started Saturday morning. The women on the hostess committee gathered to begin cooking and decorating. My favorite part of the whole day was getting to know some of the older women a little bit better. I asked the woman making giblet gravy how many times she thought she had made it. She thought and finally said, "Well, I was married in '48, so I'd say at least 65 times, but probably more." I was blown away! So, I sat and listened while she explained the process got after chopping up those livers, gizzards and turkey necks!

The gravy lady working away!

The table arrangements.

Our Thanksgiving was a lot of fun! We were able to see family and some good friends and of course eat tons of great food!

We headed out Wednesday afternoon and got home late Sunday night.

Here are some pictures from our trip...
My mother's beautiful Thanksgiving table setting! There's something about coming home and eating at the dinner table of your childhood, you know?

My grandma (l) and our good family friend, Dude. We've had every Thanksgiving since I can remember with Dude and Jack and their family. My dad's cousin married Dude's daughter, so in some ways they really are family!

We were able to spend some really good quality time with some of our best friends, Aaron and Jill, and Aaron's twin brother and sister, Caleb and Cara. We try our best to play games almost every time we are in Uvalde over at their house. This time, we were playing Charoodles. If you've never played, it is SO MUCH FUN! Here is Aaron cracking up as he acts something out.
All the girls...Kathy, Cara, Jill, me, and Sami! We had such a good time and it was so good to spend time with these great girls. I LAUGHED SO HARD that I literally wore myself out and slept so well that night! Sami just had a baby girl in October; doesn't she look so great in that hot pink?

My parents live out in the country and have lots of birdfeeders in the front yard. One of the walls in their living room is all windows, so we sit and watch the birds all of the time. It is so peaceful. Anyway, this year as we were birdwatching, we noticed this very unusual bird. Upon further inspection and some asking around, we learned the bird is a Green Jay (like a Blue Jay). The unique and interesting thing about them is they rarely, if ever, have been seen this far North. Most of the time they don't come very far into Texas from the Mexican border in deep South Texas. So, they were a few hundred miles off course and no one really knows why. All I do know is they were BEAUTIFUL and I was completely enamored. I couldn't get enough of them and just took picture after picture. Here are a few of the best I got of them.
I also managed to get some pictures of other birds in the yard. Here's a cardinal, all puffed up, sitting on the fence.

If you look hard, you can pick out a couple of whitewing doves in the shrubbery around the outside of the yard.

And finally, here are a couple of pics that have nothing to do with Thanksgiving other than I put these up just before the break. These are from the company, Uppercase Living and I just love them. I must admit, because of our textured walls it was quite a workout putting them up, but it was totally worth the final outcome!

In the entryway...

In the living room above my new-ish iron piece. I LOVE THIS!!!

To all my fellow Panhandlers...BUNDLE UP, IT'S GONNA BE A COLD ONE TOMORROW!

Recipe Exchange: The Blogger Way

My friend, Julia, posted a plea for different recipes on her blog a while back. She was tired of the same ole, same ole. I haven't been cooking very much lately for different reasons, but lately the urge has come back to me and I've been really wanting to cook some good dishes. So, I thought what better way to exchange recipes, than by BLOG? Here's the challenge. Think about your favorite family recipe, whether you fix it once a year or once a week. Post about it on your blog and then challenge your readers to do the same. Before we know it, we'll have some great recipes and new ideas to challenge the taste buds! Have fun and I can't WAIT to see what you all have planned!

Here goes...

I have been "stalking" Kelly's blog for some time now because we seem to have a lot in common. One thing we don't have in common is she is an avid cook and hostess. While I like to make things for McH and others, I don't always find joy in it. Lately, this has been different, though. I've really wanted to cook and bake! So, I have "borrowed" two recipes (so far) from her and I just have to share them because they are AWESOME and so EASY!

First, I hosted a Premier jewelry party at school and fixed these Cake Balls which were a total hit! They are SO good and SUPER easy! I also made some very yummy sausage balls (Bisquick, cheese, and hot sausage...mix all together and form into balls...cook until done, about 10-12 minutes).

CAKE BALLS

You will need:
-1 box of Red Velvet cake mix
-1 to 2 cans of Cream Cheese cake frosting (I only used one and I think it would be better with a litle more)
-Vanilla Almond Bark
-Crisco
-wax paper
First, start melting almond bark in pan on stove. Use Crisco to thin for dipping. Be careful not to overheat.

Bake the cake mix according to boxed directions. While still warm, crumble cake into large bowl and mix in cream cheese cake frosting. When mixed well, spoon into balls with scooper of some kind (I used a melon scooper and it worked really well).
Use a slotted spoon or egg separator to dip balls into almond bark. Place on wax paper and let cool completely (I let them sit overnight, but you could also put them in the refrigerator for faster cooling). Serve and enjoy! And boy, will you!

The other recipe I made the other night for dinner, but it has lasted us almost a week and we're still not finished eating it.

CHICKEN LASAGNA

-2 to 3 cooked chicken breasts (or more depending on how much chicken you like)
-2 jars of Prego spaghetti sauce (I used Garlic and Parmesan because that's what Kelly used and it was very good)
-1 box Uncooked lasagna noodles
-1 15 oz container Ricotta cheese
-2+ c. mozzarella cheese
-1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

In an 11x7 dish, spread 1 c. sauce, and top with uncooked lasagna noodles. Then, layer Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cut up cooked chicken (I just boiled it and then shredded it into chunks) into small pieces and spread on top.

Spread 1 c. sauce on top of that and then cover with another layer of noodles. Place remaining sauce on top of the noodles. Cover with foil in oven. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees. Uncover and top with remaining mozzarella cheese and let stand long enough to melt.

ALSO...If you're looking for a great, refreshing, punch-like beverage for a party or just for yourself, I highly recommend a combination of Sprite (or diet Sprite) and Cranberry/Pomegranate juice. I tried this one day just because I thought it sounded tasty and it WAS!! You can really use any Cranberry variation, I just happened to like the Pomegranate. Mix about 2-3 parts juice to 1 part Sprite, add Sonic ice (pellet ice) because it's the BEST (you can use any ice, of course), and voila! So tasty and refreshing.

Jo's Coleslaw

We are on our way to the grocery store and I wanted some new recipes to try because, well, I'm just tired of the same ole, same ole!

As I searched and found some recipes others shared on their blogs, I thought I should give back and share one of my all-time favorites!

But, if you live in C-town and you are reading this, remember I have first dibs on it for any school or church function! :)

Jo's Coleslaw

-1 bag of slaw (just slaw, not the mix)
-1 small bag of sliced almonds
-1 Oriental Ramen pkg
-1/4 c. oil
-1/4 c. sugar
-1/4 c. vinegar (I use apple cider, but it doesn't really matter)

Mix oil, sugar, vinegar and Ramen flavor packet to make dressing.
Toast almonds on a baking sheet in the oven until slightly browned.
Chill the slaw before mixing. About 30 minutes before serving, mix slaw, almonds, crushed Ramen noodles and dressing together until completely covered.
Serve cold.

This is my absolute favorite side to take to any function! It is super easy, and DELICIOUS! It has been a hit every time I take it and it's a great twist to the same ole coleslaw recipe. Plus, it is much better for you because you are using oil (I use Canola) instead of Mayo. I have even eaten a bowl as a meal! I hope you enjoy it!