i think it went well

Thanksgiving

we cooked for 35, although we are only 18

18 hungries

of all ages, shapes and sizes

we were equal  in our desire to eat good food

and it didn't disappoint

Our day began at sunrise

off to the grocery to pick up our special order

fresh turkeys

3 of them

yes 3

you heard me

three

one for the roaster

and two for the deep fryer

we worked in the kitchen

my mom, my aunt and I

slowly working our way through the list of tasks posted on the fridge

in a rhythm that only those whom have cooked together season after season could perfect.

We all have our strengths and we eased into our roles as if time hadn't passed between us.

a friend arrived and rotated in and out as help was needed

she sous chef'd with hubster on the turkeys

which were fabulous

by the way

he marinates them with double secret sauce

injecting until they looked like they'd been on 'roids.

and then fries them until they submit

so here was our menu

The first bottle of bubbly popped around noon and we carried on from there.

We had planned to sit for dinner at two..

but

...the best laid plans...

However, when it was ready to serve up the grub...

the vibe changed

big time

and there was a bit of a frenzy

and everything got on the table

and the side table

and the third table we had to move in to fit everything

and soon enough

our dinner plates were full

and the only photo I have

is this one

and as promised 13 days before (click me)

The house was not dirty, and it was tidy.

There was a place for everyone at the table

The food was delicious and plentiful

Laughter floated to the rafters

There WAS football

...and pie

I resolve to carry this feeling of gratitude with me today and all days...

as I have much to be thankful for

and many to be thankful to..

and now to some recipes

Roasted Root Vegetables
(printable recipe)

i used a melange of the following

rutabaga

parsnip

beets

radish

turnip

sun choke

carrots

fennel

whole garlic cloves

and i tossed them in

olive oil

kosher salt

and then I roasted them at 400 turning occasionally for about 45 minutes

then I pulled them out of the oven and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and popped them back in the oven

until they were glazed and cooked through

and a little crispy

I added more salt and pepper to taste

and served

Cranberry Fluff
(printable recipe)

this is a recipe from my husband's childhood. His Aunt Ethel used to make it and it has become a family favorite.

note: it is best made a day in advance

2 small tubs cool whip

1 medium can pineapple chunks in syrup

1 bag cranberries-remove 1 cup and set aside

3 TBS sugar

1 cup toasted walnuts--chopped

take the 1 cup of cranberries you set aside and  place in saucepan.  Add sugar and 2 Tbs pineapple syrup.  Cook over low heat until the cranberries begin to pop.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  Meanwhile chop the other cranberries in half if small, quarters if larger and toss into large bowl.  Add cool whip and walnuts.  Cut the pineapple chunks in half and add to the mixture...pour in all the remaining pineapple syrup.  Add the cooled cooked cranberries and fold all together.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Green Bean Salad
(printable recipe)

with creamy balsamic dressing

fresh green beans 

sweet 100 tomatoes

toasted almond slivers

durkee onions
salt and pepper

dressing

1 pkg italian dressing mix 

(prepare according to directions except for the vinegar use 1/2 red wine and 1/2 balsamic and don't add water)

2 Tbs light sour cream

The green beans should be crispy for this salad.  You can either quickly toss in salted boiling water and then shock in an ice bath

or

you can put in a bowl and pour boiling water over and let sit until the water cools to tepid. 

layer in serving bowl with the tomatoes and almonds

Toss with dressing, but have a light hand. A little goes a long way..you do not want to glob this dressing on.

Top with durkee french onions

As you can see by the menu, we served so many things.  The pumpkin pie recipe is here.
If you see something on the menu that you want the recipe for...just comment and leave your email address and I will send it to you.

we just might make it...

Thanksgiving is tomorrow

and we have been working diligently on getting the cabin in working condition

and I didn't think we would be ready (click me)
but as I sit here with my cold cup of tea (brewed at 8am and I am just getting to it now)
and a lunch of peanut butter and crackers
and look around the place
i think
we just might make it

our first guest arrives at 3
all the guest rooms are ready
the bathrooms are clean and functioning
the fire is lit
the pies are baked
champagne is chilling
and all that is left to do is dust a bit and move the tools to the basement
and maybe a nap
but probably not
that would be pushing it
..i actually have a tear in my eye as i write this
because
i can't believe
mike and i
with our two hands
have turned this place from a big mess
into a home

...that needs work

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Renovation and What I Ate Part 3

We are making great progress on our renovation...while the cabin will always be a work in progress...
..we are now comfortable inviting guests to come and stay.


One of the tricks we found for enjoying a project of this size, is to take the time to enjoy a meal out, or the company of friends.  We had such an opportunity on Friday night.


Our friends Joe and Monica invited us for a small holiday gathering at their home.  Although the drive was an hour, it was well worth it.  We had a wonderful time visiting and I couldn't believe the spread Monica put out..and Joe's zagat worthy bar!.  


I hope Monica won't mind me sharing this...but she served an appetizer so yummy that I had to remove myself from the actual kitchen area, for fear that I would eat them all.  I am conscious that there is a polite amount of consumption at a  party. And I am pretty sure the entire platter isn't it.  So as a result, I talked about the bits all the way home and well into the night.  I then got up early the next morning and hit the grocery store to get the supplies for said delight.
..and then we had them for lunch...
my oh my oh my....

I didn't get a picture, because well...the hubster and I were burning our fingers plucking them from the dish fresh out of the oven. I completely forgot my senses...
it wasn't until the dogs were "cleaning the pan" that I thought...hmm..i should have taken a photo.


so here's the recipe (gleefully stolen)

Monica's Smokin' Little Smokies
(printable recipe)

1 pkg little smokies

1 pkg bacon

brown sugar

cayenne pepper (my addition)

Cut the bacon pieces in thirds...and wrap a piece around each link.  Place in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle brown sugar over top.  Lightly sprinkle cayenne pepper (if desired).  Place in 375 oven until bacon is cooked and brown sugar is beginning to look like it will ruin your pan.

Now...for the renovation. I have been working on two of the guest rooms.  The loft had been portioned off to 2 rooms and for the time being we are keeping it that way. Our ultimate goal is to knock down the wall and make a nice large loft-slash-den area for music and lounging.  Hubster plays the banjo and the acoustics will be great for bluegrass jammin'.

So...here's what I have done...

rooms before

both rooms looked like this...mirror images of eachother

another angle

and for the after...

green room

and

blue room

to see more of our renovation: see here and here

Now I am off to get more projects done before the crowd arrives on Wednesday...lots of cleaning to do!

The Renovation and What I Ate Part 2

We have been working on the cabin.

Well, kind of

There was so much to do, so much we have done...so much left

There's the interior work, but we also have the whole yard/garden to deal with.  It took me an entire day to sort out just a corner of it..

I pulled up the tomato plants, the pumpkin patch, and the rest of the carrots and lettuce and cut back the roses to just about the nub.  They hadn't been tended to in 4 years and had grown to over 6 feet. I am hoping that we can get them back in the great shape that would make Dodo proud.  Have I mentioned that the previous owner of the house was Dodo Denny? She played Mike TeeVee's mom on the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Could it get any better?

Dodo was a big fan of the garden and an obvious bird watcher.  There are bird houses in every corner of the garden, on the deck, attached to the house, on the roof...

This past Spring, there were lots of little birdlets chirping around here.

Today, Mike trimmed the pear tree, and is contemplating taking down another tree that just makes a mess and is poorly placed.

 I vote yes.

 Please don't tell the Audubon Society.

 To be fair there are a ton of other trees for the birds...and I let them eat all the grapes

What we didn't do was rake the leaves.

Too many of them

and it is cold out

and i am a city girl...come on!

But what we did do was finish the master bedroom.
There's a small problem...we only seem to have 1 before picture. So you will have to use your imagination.  Imagine a room, shaped like a box.  With white walls and "trim" of 1x2 floor boards. The floor was rust shag carpet, covering 1950's striped carpet, covering old crusty glue on top of sub-floor.

Our inspiration for this room is Africa.

master bedroom before

still before with a makeshift paint job i did to cover the tobacco stained walls

the awful floor after pulling 2 layers of carpet and crusty glue

and after

still after

I have loads of photos from my trip years ago, along with several Masai wedding necklaces which I think will look fetching on the walls of our newly fabulous room.

We did all the work ourselves...including the floors. Although I need to give Mike the full credit for them. I really had nothing to do with it..except I did the math.

and supported the purchase of a really cool smoker-slash-Q

which I used to make us our very first homemade dinner

...in the cabin

I also feel the need to say this...

...after a day of hard physical work

a glass of wine doesn't do it.

But a bottle of beer.

That is the trick

try it...you'll agree

and if you need a project to do

to work up the thirst

i have one or two for you...

just ask

I'll make some dessert

like this one

*for previous renovation blog post see the renovation and what I ate part 1

When Ready is Relative...

For those of you who aren't panicking, like me...

...Thanksgiving is 13 days away...THIRTEEN DAYS!!!

okay, that is almost 2 weeks...

But we are hosting

In our mountain cabin

that is under construction

and not, oh its a bit untidy because we are under construction

But

oh...don't mind the hole in the wall because we bought this fixer-upper that was empty for 3 years-except for the family of mice we found in the wall, and the ground squirrels that seem to have made a home in the loft, and the arachnid-land we have set up in the sun room.  And I call it the sun room because that is a nice way of saying, the room with the rotting walls that lets the sun in.

Oh...and can you pee before you come?

I thought it would be nice to have a holiday in the cool mountain air, just like John Denver.

So I put it out there, like 3 months ago.

Hey...we would like to host Thanksgiving if anyone is interested.

 And I figured we would have 3 months to get the place in tip top shape.

But then there was the end of summer traveling.  And then the October traveling...and then Halloween. And here we are 13 days before the big day and I am sorta thinking, we might not be ready.

I have always done my best work at the last minute.  I work well under pressure.  Which is great. But this isn't a term paper...this is Thanksgiving!  Who wants to be the one who threw the Thanksgiving that people whisper about?

Not me.

Here's the good news.

 I have the menu figured out and everyone has an assignment.

I ordered the fresh turkeys which will be ready for pick-up and the deep fryer on T-Day

Today we purchased a second fridge and an awesome smoker-slash-Q.

Not on the critical list...

...but more fun than pulling up carpet.

Here's what I haven't done:

ANYTHING

is that even grammatically correct?

I want to make this announcement....Mike and I are committed to being ready

But ready is relative.

The house will not be dirty, but it might not be tidy.

There will be a place for everyone at the table

The food will be delicious and plentiful

Laughter will float to the rafters

There WILL BE football

...and pie

The Renovation and What I Ate

Last February, Mike and I purchased a cabin in the mountains.  We had been looking for a getaway for about 5 months or so, and had put offers in on two others before we stumbled upon this place.  It had been on the market for a while, and was almost sold.  Through a chance of fate it fell out of escrow and became available on the day we first looked at it.

While it had all the things we were looking for...seems remote, but can get essentials within a few miles, lots of trees, enough room for us to have guests and a lot large so we can't see what our neighbors are eating for dinner..
...it also had things we weren't so excited about....the home had been empty for 3 1/2 years. The owner had passed away and the home sat in probate.  With time comes decay and there was quite a bit of it here.  Animals and vermin had found a great shelter for the winter and the place was crawling with, well...creepy crawlees.  Because we had written two offers before, on two other homes, we were sort of jaded.  Both places we had offered on previously had decided not to sell in the middle of the process. So, we thought, let's low-ball and see what happens.  Our real estate agent was really great and didn't give us the, oh we don't want to offend story. She said, lets make an offer you are comfortable with and see what happens.  And so we did.
Apparently so did someone else...and the offers were close....
...and we were dealing with a bank, rather than individuals with emotional attachment...
...so it became a very civilized process...make another offer and we will make a decision.
We were at Disneyland eating corndogs when we got the call.  So we made another offer...came up a bit on the dollars, removed a few throw-away items....

...and we got the house.  oh happy day!

cabin in winter

It is now September, and I am happy to report there isn't snow on the ground. And this is what the cabin looks like today

cabin in summer

There is a lot of work that needs to be done on our very own "possum lodge"--mike has named it this, in deference to Red Green.  I go along with it because thats what someone who can't think of a better name does.  All I could come up with was ...money pit, big mess, too many mice, water damage, smelly-smelly.
see what i mean? Makes possum lodge sound genius.
The first thing we did after buying the place was make a list of all the projects and prioritized them.  We haven't really stuck to that...but we are making good progress.  Did I mention that I am more of a pointer than a pick up the hammer kind of gal?  Or should I say, I used to be more of a pointer.  That wasn't gonna fly in this particular instance.  And, I must say, working on something like this--together as a couple--is really fun.  Really, really fun.  We are building a home together; literally and figuratively.

Our first priority was the kitchen.  It turned out to be a real mess.  The walls had been water-logged at some point, so much of the drywall had to be replaced.  That which was not drywall, had this really ugly and impossible fake brick glued to it.  I had to chisel it off, brick by brick, which took an entire day.
The countertop practically disintigrated in our hands...and my favorite part---there was a mountain of acorns stored in the walls.
Thankfully our friend Jed had offered his assistance in helping us renovate.  Between him and mike, they could figure out just about anything.

I obviously couldn't cook in this kitchen...so we ate out quite a bit.
We (the three of us) probably tried everything on the menu of our local eatery.  We spent a lot of time at the Original Cottage in Rim Forest.  It's nothing to look at, but the food is just what you would expect--homey and big portions.  It's a funny place...breakfast is just what you want, great big pancakes, gooey maple dripped waffles, 6 egg omelets with crispy cottage fries. The lunch menu is a bit ecclectic..a mixture of diner type food with a large array of mexican items.  Dinner is italian and only italian.  Their pizza is good--the rest is a bit buca di beppo-ish.  They make a really great dinner roll and wonderful garlic knots. The food is genuinely good, and I would know..I owe my last 5 lbs to it.
Until we got the kitchen up and running...this was our kitchen..for 3 square.
Our kitchen is basically done.  We have a few bits and bobs to do...a bit of trim, a tile backsplash, hardware on the drawers...but it's functional and it is really cute.  I love it!

 before

before

and after

The walls are creampuff and the cabinets are cherry bomb

...and I can't believe I don't have a picture of the floors because they are amazing...but I have a video and as soon as I figure out how to edit it and get it on here I will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD6SK7gxe_g&feature=email

u-tube video of the kitchen with a bonus feature (my snide remarks)

We have lots of work still to do, and I will keep posting on our progress.