Menu Monday- Thanksgiving Edition

Let me just say that it was SO nice getting in the kitchen last week and cooking more than I have been! I really love cooking, especially when I get to try new recipes and they turn out really good! All of the recipes I tried last week were wonderful!

This week I'm just doing some boring basics but I have several things cooking for our weekend Thanksgiving trip! We are staying in a lodge with some of Derek's extended family. I think there will be about 24 of us! It's going to be a lot of fun! Since I am doing a lot in preparation for that, I thought it would be fun to share my recipes!

via

Crock Pot Green Beans
(I am making these for our Thanksgiving Feast at Thomas' school! I know they'll taste good and you can't go wrong with a crock pot recipe!)

via Pioneer Woman

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
(I love making these and freezing them. You can freeze them at any point but I just do it before I bake them. This recipe makes a lot, so you can just pull out what you need. The extras make great gifts too!)

via Bakerella

Turkey Cake Pops
(These were the very first cake pops I made! (2 years ago) I'm looking forward to making them again now that I'm a little more experienced. They'll make the perfect quick snack this weekend!)

via Pioneer Woman

Homemade Cranberry Sauce
(If you have never tried to make your own cranberry sauce, you are going to be amazed at how easy this is make and how delicious it tastes!! And if you've never tasted cranberry sauce, now is the perfect chance! I am using the one on the back of the Ocean Spray bag but I've tried this one from Pioneer Woman too.)

via

Corn Pudding
(This is a must at Thanksgiving and Christmas in my family! It's so easy and simple and is sure to please everyone! I actually mix mine in the dish I bake it in for easy clean up. It's always a hit!)

Turkey and Stuffing
(I don't want to share my family's recipe, but I did some research and found these recipes here and here that are very similar! The key is to over season the stuffing so that the flavors spread to the turkey and to butter the bad boy up. We use a LOT more than what this recipe calls for. If you are not a fan of actually stuffing the turkey, this might not be your thing. I can say that my family has been doing turkey this way for YEARS and it's the best turkey I've ever had! Hopefully ours will come close this year.)

I'm not going to be making these next few recipes, but I wanted to share a few more of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes!

via Paula Deen

Breakfast Casserole
(The onion sautéed in with the hash browns make this dish! I love to make this up and then freeze it for when I need it!)

via

Sweet Potato Casserole
(I add a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to this and love the way it tastes! The orange juice makes this dish stand out from other sweet potato recipes too!)

Okay, I feel like I'm posting a ton of recipes! I think this is enough to keep you busy! ;) Feel free to ask any questions if I didn't make something clear enough.

As always, feel free to play along! Comment below and let me know if you do, I'd love to hear what's on your menu!

Weekend Happenings

We had such a great weekend! 

Friday was a lazy day for me and Thomas. It always seems like those days at home just put him in the best mood!

We actually had a great night Friday, just relaxing at home and then we went to spend a little time with Derek's family.

Saturday we had Derek's grandmother's surprise tea party. She knew that she was coming over to have a tea party with Anna-Kate and I but what she didn't know is that there would be 3 friends from her hometown there too! The look on her face when she walked in and saw her friends was absolutely priceless! I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of it!

We had so much fun visiting and catching up with the ladies. I was so glad they got to come help make it a special day for his grandmother. It has been hard on her to move away from the town she lived in for over 50 years.

After lunch, we visited and then took the ladies to see her house. 

I tried a few new recipes for lunch that were so good!

Here's what we had on the menu:

via Taste Of Home

Chicken Club Ring
(This turned out really well! I knew I'd be in a hurry, so I used deli chicken. I just rolled several pieces together and cut it into chunks. It worked really well. I also added a little bit of parmesan and cheddar cheese and a small piece of bacon to each crescent roll. It was a big hit!)

via Food.com

Cucumber Sandwiches
(I realized that I forgot to get cream cheese so I substituted with sour cream. I also felt like it needed a little extra flavor, so I added maybe a tablespoon of vinegar. I liked the way it tasted and these were a hit too!)

Fresh Fruit
(I wasn't sure what everyone liked, so I just stuck to some favorites. I cut up fresh pineapple and tossed it with grapes and orange slices)

Veggie Tray

Sour Cream Pound Cake
(This is so unlike me- but I bought this cake! I knew I couldn't go wrong with Paula Deen. It was perfectly moist and a great combination with the lunch!)


We got to spend the rest of the day with Derek's grandmother and we watched the Hogs play the Vols. The one game where Derek and I are not friends. ;) Sadly our Volunteers lost. At least Anna-Kate told me that she wanted to be a Vol instead of a Hog. (She might have turned right around and called the hogs... but who's keeping track?)

We had the most perfect, relaxing Sunday after church! I love Sunday's when we can just spend time together. I don't worry about the housework or dishes because I know I'll be home Monday to tackle all of that!

We have a busy week getting ready for our first Thanksgiving this weekend! Look for a different Menu Monday this week! I'll be posting Thanksgiving recipes! :) 

Thankful Thursdays

So I'm making this post a few days late, sorry but we are just busy busy during the week!

I'm so thankful we are! :) I've been really busy with work now that the holidays are approaching we are getting ready for our open house and for Thanksgiving orders! I've been working a lot but I am just so glad to have a job!! Even more than that I'm thankful to have a job that I really enjoy!

I'm also thankful that our children have a place to be while we are working. I know that both of them are well taken care of and happy during the days. Anna-Kate loves school more than anything these days! It's so neat to hear all that she is learning too! She has gotten so good with her colors and can usually say her memory verse! She's always singing songs from school too! So sweet!! I feel blessed to have a friend that does such a great job with Thomas too. I  know that he is happy too! I am also thankful to have the help we always seem to need when a child is sick or something else comes up!

Have I mentioned how much Derek has been helping around the house?? When I am busy with work (coming home around 7 or so) he works so hard to get things done around the house so that I can relax when I get home! Most nights dinner is even ready! I am spoiled! I am just so grateful for him! He always surprises me.

I am constantly reminded of the blessings around! 

Thankful Thursdays

Have you ever noticed how Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Christmas? I mean, Halloween doesn't even fully wrap up before you start seeing Christmas trees and advertisements for the "hot new toy" of the season. It makes me so sad because I LOVE Thanksgiving!

So I thought I would bust out the Thanksgiving spirit and post what I'm grateful in each Thursday!

What's greater than a day that is dedicated to spending quality time with family, being thankful for what we have and of course eating a lot!

I love the food!

My friend Ashley made a blog post about her favorite Thanksgiving foods and it inspired me!

I am SO thankful for the good food on Thanksgiving. From the turkey all the way down to the pecan pie!

Even more than the food, I'm so thankful for the people who prepare the meals for me! Well not for me but for our family. :)

My sisters and I have always had two thanksgiving dinners and now this year it looks like we are adding another meal! We will do two on Thursday and probably one on Friday. Last year was the first year I really got to cook. I made broccoli cheese casserole and sweet potato casserole, corn pudding and then I made pecan pie, pumpkin pie and Bakerella's Turkey Cake Balls. (In my tiny oven! This year, I'm so grateful for my new oven! haha!) After doing all of that, I was TIRED! I could not believe that for years my grandmother has stood in her kitchen and made those casseroles, plus hashbrown casserole, the turkey and dressing, rolls and pecan and pumpkin pie. Oh and jello and ambrosia salad! Yikes!! Then I have my dad and his sister who prepare an entire meal on their own!

I am thankful for a place to gather and eat our thanksgiving meal! A few years ago, my grandmother's kitchen was being remodeled and we had no place to prepare the food and really no dining room to eat it in, so we all ate at Cracker Barrel. After that, I have been so grateful for the Thanksgivings at their house! It's so much easier to eat around the table where we can relax together after.

Finally, I am so thankful for the family we get to share these wonderful meals with! Every other year we go with Derek and his family and it's so nice! We don't always get to see each other and I just love spending time together! Of course, I am grateful for every year we get to spend with my family too. I know that there might be years where we can't spend the holidays together and it makes me cherish the moments we have even more. I'm so grateful that my children get to experience family on that level.

Of course, most of all I am thankful for Derek who is such a wonderful husband and father and the two beautiful children we have. He is such a hard worker and puts 100% into our family. Anna-Kate and Thomas are such a special gift. They are absolutely amazing!

Each week, I plan on sharing what I'm thankful for! I will try not to be so mushy though! haha! I just feel so richly blessed!

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving

Sounds strange to say it but this is my last Thanksgiving break. Since Nicki and I will be part of the "real world" next year we won't have the luxury of a whole week off to travel and see family. That being said, we are taking full advantage this week.

Nicki hitched a ride yesterday with a couple of friends and took herself and the baby to Franklin, TN where we will be spending the break. I have a dinner to attend Monday night plus regular weekend preaching duties so I will be following her early Tuesday morning. I can' remember the last time I spent four whole nights away from the two of them. It seems like forever but I hope it flys cause I love being with them, especially in Franklin. I am looking very forward to seeing that side of the family since it's been four months since the last visit.

In the mean time I am working on moving some stuff out of my parents attic and into my attic....kind of makes me wonder why I even have all of that stuff but I'm sure there was a reason at one time. I got so geared up last night moving it all that I kept going and got to a lot of projects that I had been putting off for lack of time and motivation. Today I hope to get to the leaf raking and maybe cleaning out my shed (future man cave...stay tuned for more on that :)

All in all this a much needed break and I am ready for every second of it. Pictures of our Franklin adventure should be up in the next few days. Till then....farewell.