Like years past, I'm happily hosting Thanksgiving for my parents.  Both have retired this year, but in the previous years, my mom always had to work Thanksgiving Day so when I offered to do all the cooking they excitedly accepted our invitation. I wouldn't have it any other way, and Thanksgiving is quickly becoming one of my fav holidays.  I love being able to stay home and cook for them, after years of having provided such a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for our family growing up, my mom certainly deserves a break.  My kids love having the special time with Grandma and Grandpa, and I really do appreciate this time with my parents.  After all, Thanksgiving is about being thankful, and who better to spend that time with?
Whether you're having 6 people or 36 people, planning ahead is key.  Everyone likes to relax on Thanksgiving, so I do what I can before hand to make the actual holiday a breeze. Make as much as you can ahead of time and set in crockpots or just reheat in the oven.  I'm making the potatoes ahead to reheat in the oven, the pie, and I'm also throwing together a delicious swiss veggie bake that I can just throw in the oven when it's go time. I will NEVER (I repeat, NEVER) make the turkey ahead of time.  The "Thanksgiving smell" is part of what I love the most about Thanksgiving! (after family time, food and wine, of course)  Most potatoes, casseroles and desserts can all be made ahead and will give you more time with those you love best!
I also put together a very simple, yet pretty tablescape.

 Want to know the best part?  It was VERY inexpensive to do. I just used a few things I had around the house to start. To add a bit to it, Target sells wine glasses for about $5 per box, so I snatched up some of those along with a box of bulbs in the Christmas section.  (While I normally shake my head that they can't at least wait until after Thanksgiving to throw all the Christmas décor in our face, it does come in handy now and then...) I planned to put a pillar candle on the top of each glass, but when I opened the bulbs up and saw the pretty gold snowflakes, I just knew that was the new route I was gonna take.  After all... gold AND sparkly?  That's a no brainer!

It was bitter cold yesterday and the roads were slick.  I printed out some turkeys, pumpkins, etc.  I sat out some crayons and my kids went to town with coloring and creating placemats for our family, Grandma and Grandpa.  They turned out perfect! I took them in to get them laminated and the girls are SO excited to have such a big part in setting our Thanksgiving table.  I just know they will be the stars of the show and I can't wait to bring them to the table in the years to come.

Whether you are hosting or you are a guest this year, I hope you're Thanksgiving is full of good food, fun and those you love. Be thankful for all your blessings. Cheers!

Let Me Tell You A Secret

I loooooove getting homemade gifts.  They always seem so sweet, special and they come at just the right time.  But I also like to give them.  I don't think of myself as super creative or crafty, but I've been really working hard to put more time and effort into it, outside of the kitchen, where I feel most comfortable.
So, something I've really liked the thought of doing is making my own bath products.  I wouldn't go as far as actual soaps or shampoo, but have been easing into it with bath salts, sugar scrubs... things us moms, or just busy women in general, don't usually don't take the time to pamper ourselves with.  I recently made my own lavender bath salts, but then knew that before I'd give it to friends, I'd have to try them out myself.  MY GOODNESS!  How wonderful!  I felt so relaxed, refreshed and then snuggled up in bed with a book... it was a perfect night.  The next day, I went to the local grocery store, stocked up on ingredients and made a few batches to keep on hand for gifts.  So easy to throw together and make pretty, something you know will get used because everyone likes to relax once in awhile... a wonderful gift to give to a friend for a birthday, Christmas, teacher gifts or just a small way to let someone know you care and are thinking of them.
So here's what you need to give yourself or a dear friend the gift of relaxation...

Lavender Bath Salts

*2 cups Epsom salts (flushes toxins from the body, eases muscle aches and is also said to help with migraine headaches)

*2 tbls baking soda (refresh and sooth skin)

*1.5-2tbls coconut oil, melted (soothes and softens skin, can even help with mild eczema)

*8-10 drops lavender essential oil (a natural detoxifier, helps with relaxation and sleep)

Mix together well in a bowl and store in half pint mason jars.  The above recipe will fill three half pint mason jars.  I just used a few things around the house to make my jars pretty and ready to give to loved ones.  Now, pamper yourself!

Crisis of the Seasons

Truth?  I was going through a total identity crisis of seasons here.  My eyes could see the forecast, I can feel the cold but my heart just WANTS it to be summer.  I finally broke out the winter coat yesterday since it was sleeting/snowing and the temps were dipping into the high 20's. My flip flops are still laying with the rest of my shoes... I suppose I should probably put them up in the closet?
My husband was gone for the first weekend of deer hunting, and the kids and I REALLY enjoyed our girls weekend! I had sushi with friends on Thursday night and the kiddos ate up all the grandma time they could while mom was away enjoying girlie chat.  Friday we went to the Children's Museum with friends and had SO much fun! Saturday was boutique shopping and Sweet Girl's first sleepover at our house.  Total success!  Sunday, thankfully, was just to relax and welcome home the husband. So, Monday rolls around.  It was expected to be the first measurable snowfall for MN this winter, and we hunkered down with pajamas, movies and crafts, including these super cute little turkeys. 

Here's where the crisis of the season's comes into play...
My mind was on my husband.  Hunting.  Vension. Warmth.  I knew he was gone all weekend and would probably really enjoy some good comfort food, so I decided to tie in venison with the meal.  I decided on venison stew and the girls and I got to chopping veggies.  BUT then I opened the freezer and saw them... the raspberries and strawberries we picked when the weather was warm and sunny and I immediately wanted THAT.  I'm a sucker for warm weather.  I'm happiest sitting outside, soaking up the sun and watching my kids splash and play in the pool.  I'm happiest at the cabin with my friend and her littles for a girls weekend.  Happiest having wine on the deck, watching the sunset with the guy I love. I'm NOT happiest having to bundle up in layers just to drive my oldest to school or go out and play.
I decided to make both.  I made comforting, warming venison stew and I also made some muffins for breakfast the next day with both strawberries and raspberries we picked earlier this year.  It's wonderful tasting sweet summer berries when the weather is cold and snowy!  But it also made me come to terms with the fact it's time to retire the flip flops and dresses until May or so. Boo.

So, here is what you need to say an official "good-bye" to warm weather and "hello" to (gulp) winter.

Venison Stew

 (substitute beef if venison isn't your thing)

*1/4 cup bacon grease (yes, it does make a difference. If you don't have any on hand, fry up about 6 pieces of bacon and you can throw the bacon in the stew, too!)

*2 pounds of venison, cut into chunks (I used loin last night)

*1/2 cup flour

*1 medium onion

*2 cups of sliced carrots

*1 cup of chopped celery

*whatever other veggies you have on hand.  I tossed in about a cup of sliced fresh mushrooms and a few potatoes I had boiled and cut up into chunks

*2 cans of beef broth (or use your homemade beef broth)

*1 beef bouillon cube

*3/4 cups of red wine 

*2-3 bay leaves

*salt & pepper

Heat up your bacon grease in a large pot over medium/high heat and throw in your veggies.  I started with the potatoes first so they'd get nice and brown, removed them and tossed in the rest. Cook them until they're tender and remove from the pot to make room for the meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and then coat the chunks of meat in flour.  Set them into greased pot and brown them.  Don't COOK them, just brown them.  I set my pot to a medium high heat and did about 2 minutes on each side so the chunks were nice and brown. Add back veggies and pour in the red wine.  The wine will help get all the delicious brown bits off the bottom of your pan and into your stew.  Mmmmm.  Add your bouillon cube and let it simmer a few minutes.  Then add your beef broth. I use two cans because I really like a lot of gravy, but you can just add slowly and decide for yourself when you want to stop. Add bay leaves, a bit more salt and pepper and then cover and let simmer on low for about 1 hour.  To thicken the gravy, mix together 1/2 cup cold water with 3-4 tablespoons of flour.  Whisk it together nicely so there are no lumps.  Then spoon out about a cup of gravy/broth from the stew to add to the flour/water mix.  Whisk so there are no lumps and then pour into the stew and stir well.  Cover and let simmer for about a 1/2 hour or so, stirring now and then.  I really like this with hot crescent rolls.  SO good.  Since I only make this a few times a year, I often forget that this makes A LOT of stew.  Be sure you are hungry, invite friends over, or share with a neighbor!

This next recipe is seriously the most fantastic muffins I've ever made.  Ever.

You're gonna love them.

Morning Muffins

*7 tablespoons butter, browned and cooled

*1/3 cup buttermilk

*1 egg

*1 egg yolk

*1 tsp vanilla

*1.5 cups flour

*1.5 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)

*3/4 cup sugar

*pinch of salt

*1.5 cups berries, fresh or frozen (I used strawberries and raspberries. Be sure to thaw them first if using frozen!)

Set the oven to 375 and prepare your muffin pan. Whisk buttermilk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in cooled brown butter. In separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the wet to the dry and mix. Then add berries.  Spoon into your muffin cups.  THEN top with a streusel topping... 3 tbls very cold butter, 1/2 cup flour and 3 tbls sugar.  Crumble with fingers until crumbley. (is that a word??) Sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake for 20 minutes.

Freaking awesome.

Of course, this morning brought us snow and while thankfully it wasn't a LOT, it was enough to get the kids and I out there to have a blast sledding down our little hill out back.  Needless to say, being warm in my pajamas, fuzzy socks and enjoying a coffee this morning was the last relaxing moment of the day. Winter has officially begun for this MN family.

French Onion Soup

Ever have those days where it's pretty much impossible to warm up? My FIRST preference would be to stay under the covers all day long, refusing to do anything.  Since that's absolutely impossible for me to do, I go with option two...
My girls and I stay in our pajamas, (granted there is nothing on the agenda for the day) turn on the fireplace and get out our favorite blankets.  Then we turn on the music and start the ovens. One is used for baking our favorite muffins, breads or cookies.  The other is used to prepare the most satisfying French onion soup.  Ever.  I've tried a lot of recipes for French onion soup.  A LOT.  My taste buds just always found fault with each recipe.  It was never as good as the kind I could get at a restaurant.  After screwing around a bit, I finally came up with a recipe that I personally think tastes better than some of the bowls I've had in some pretty great restaurants.  If you're looking for a delicious French onion soup, then you, my friend, have come to the right place.  However, while this recipe is easy, it does take awhile to make and will not work out with any short cuts!  The time is worth it.  Trust me.





Here's what you need:

*2 large onions

*butter (4 tbls)

*beef bouillon cubes (6)

*1/4 cup red wine (you want to use the same wine that you would drink)

*1/3 cup water

*2 cans Swanson beef broth (or use home made beef broth if you have some on hand)

*1 tbls parsley

*bay leaf (3)

*pepper

*shredded fresh parmesan cheese

*sliced provolone cheese

*baguette

Set your oven to 300. Grab your onions and cut into them to hollow out the center.  I usually cut a square about 1.5" and then use a spoon to scoop down inside the onion to hollow it out.  Don't go through the onion all the way to the bottom though.  I'd say about 2" down or so, depending how large the onion is. Then cut a few pats of butter off of the stick, and push one down into the onion. Top it with a cube of bouillon. Top that with another pat of butter and two more cubes. Do the same with the second onion.  Wrap each onion in foil and place in an oven safe dish.  Bake at 300 for about three hours. 

This is were you'd want to snuggle up on the couch in those favorite blankets while the time passes...

Remove onions from the foil and cut them up. You can cut them with a fork because they will be SO tender... AND delicious!  Dump the onions and all the juices into your soup pot. Add the red wine and simmer for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and let it all cook together on low for about one hour.

I usually cut off a few pieces from the baguette and put it in the oven for a few minutes to get extra crusty while I let my soup cook.  Spoon the soup into oven safe bowls.  Top with a few pieces of crusty bread.  Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of fresh parmesan and then top that with one of two slices of provolone cheese.  I REALLY like this combo of cheese with my soup, but feel free to experiment with yours!  You might find something you like even better!  Set the oven to 375 and bake for about 10 minutes or so, or until the cheese is nice and melted.  OR if you'd rather broil it to get the cheese to brown, feel free to do that. I baked it in the picture, but sometimes I broil. Either way, it's insanely good. Also, I'm not a huge fan of thyme, but that's a very popular herb people add to it.  If you choose to, throw some of that in! I just like to leave it out of mine.


Enjoy, friends!