First Thanksgiving is done!

 Hey I survived my first Thanksgiving of 2021.  Feel good about that.  It turned out pretty good.  Dan gave it a 9 out of 10 (overall).  The chicken dropped it down but more on that in a bit.  First of all, Smidge wanted to say hello.  

That is her royal face.  She is saying "Good Morning".  I am awake so you should be petting me instead of trying to get a picture of me MOM!"  Don't feel too bad for her.  She got her petting in PLUS I put my sweater around her a bit and I think that the neighbors might have even heard her purring after that.

So for Thanksgiving with Dan I let him chose the time and he chose 3.  Of course that meant he actually got here at 2 and, of course, that meant that dinner wasn't ready yet.  That is ok.  It gave him time to open up his birthday present from me.  His birthday is the day after Thanksgiving so I made sure he got his present in time.  He will be travelling to Tennessee on his birthday and meeting up with friends.  3 of his friends all have birthdays within a day of each other so that gather together and merge.  

See the crackers sticking up from the bag?  I made him five dips and gave him crackers.  The brown box has the real present in it.

https://www.ltdcommodities.com/Kitchen---Dining/Dinnerware---Serveware/Sets-of-2-Stoneware-Soup---Side-Bowls//prod1171340.jmp?fm=search

The sour cream container is filled with leftovers for him to take home.  No meat was left over (even though it was low man on the totem pole for points) but he did manage to take home leftover:  stuffing and gravy, some but not all of the mashed potatoes, a scoop of  mixed vegetables, some yam casserole, and fig bars.  He passed on taking any of the lava fudge brownies home (and forgot the ice cream in the freezer) because he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle both the brownies and the fig bars.  Smart man!

My timing for the meal wasn't too bad.  I mixed up the dips and made the fudge brownies the day before (cooked the brownies in the crock pot so all I had to do was keep it warm) and then on Monday morning, I pulled out my double folding table so I could get everything organized on it.

I think that is the best I've done so far.  The table is wide enough that I could line up the ingredients for each recipe and have them all out and ready.  Then at 3 p.m. we were all ready to eat and for the next 1 1/2 hours that is what we did.

We like to keep the table simple so this year this is what it looked like.  That is corn bread with honey butter on the table with us as well as the cup (literally) of gravy  for whatever.

Do those blocks in the background look familiar?  LOL.  I use my ironing board like a table so it held the dressing, the sweet potato casserole, the mashed potatoes (made with sour cram, garlic, and cream cheese) and the mix veggies.

On my dresser is where I put the fig bars and the entrée.  It was a new recipe, cranberry chicken.  Dan gave me the chicken thighs and asked if I could use them to cook "somehow" for Thanksgiving.  So I made that.  Never made it before and it was "ok" but after talking to him about it while we were eating, we both thought it was too many steps for what the end result was.

The cranberries (which also had carmelizing onions, brown sugar, white wine, and spices was too thin.  Since he showed up early, I didn't cook it down any more.  What we thought was a bit strange was that you didn't put the cranberries gravy (that is what it was meant to be) OVER the chicken.  It went into the bottom of the container first.  I think it would have been simpler and easier if you made cranberry relish or cranberry orange relish and put it on top of the chicken to bake into.  I might tray that sometime.  Also you zested an orange and used orange juice but only at the end of the baking time and then you mixed it into the cranberries.  I think that I would just put drizzle orange juice (it only called for 2 tablespoons) at the end over the chicken and then put the zest on at the last minute.  Or put orange marmalade on.  We'll see.

Still it was good to hear him groan and moan while he ate.  Every cook likes to know her cooking was appreciated.  Since we liked this challenge he has already invited himself to New Years Eve (whenever we decide to celebrate it) and he has some chicken leg and thigh quarters that I get to cook.  It has to have cheese in the recipe too.  LOL.  He will be here for Christmas Eve dinner which, so far, will be ham. 

Today I put the house back together and did the dishes.  I will probably do laundry tomorrow.  It's time to relax and pull out some of my own dip and crackers since I'm still full from yesterday.  Of course I might also pull out the mashed potatoes which I love so much and just eat them.  We'll see.

Here is a picture of my fig bars.  They truly are fig bars since they like to stick to the plate.  If I make them again, I think I will make sure there is wax or parchment paper on the plate first.  Still it didn't affect the taste.  They certain are "figgy" since the recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped figs!

Every have a great day/evening and enjoy life.  

small finishes

 I'm slowly getting some projects finished.  Nothing to get excited about but I did finish a mug rug.  That is to go as part of a Christmas present so I was happy to finish it.  Another thing I finally finished was this months block for Ladies Aid New York Sampler.  I am caught up on that so I took a picture of all 8 blocks that are completed.  Ignore the lower right had side (below the flag and next to the trees) since I jut pinned up the blocks on top of another project that was on the design wall.

There are four more blocks to add tothis.  It's coming along.  That is all I have done so far.  I'll try to get more done tomorrow but that will be all I can devote to crafting until after Monday.  Monday is my Thanksgiving with Dan because he will be out of town later in the week.  I hope to take that time to work on his Christmas present which will be a zipper quilt. 

Please keep some of my friends in your prayers.  They aren't feeling good.  I'm not going to say why but they ARE good people and deserve a break.  In the meantime, everybody stay safe.

Update Time!

 I know i'd be repeating myself if I say "Wow!  What a whirlwind of a month this has been".  I think that line can be said until maybe around February!  Tis the time to work non stop on projects for the holidays.  Projects and menus that is.

My menu for Thanksgiving has changed.  Dan gave me some chicken thighs and wanted me to cook them (and invite him over to help eat them).  We decided to take ham off the menu for Thanksgiving and put it on the menu for Christmas.  Then I'll do chicken thighs for Thanksgiving.  I found a recipe that has cranberries and orange in it and that sounds Thanksgiving enough that we'll try that.  

Dan then came down with a fungal infection and hasn't been able to take me to the grocery store yet this month so who knows what the meal will be like if I don't get to the store!  He was going to take me this last week but then his eyes started to swell up so that interfered.  Now his rash from the fungal infection flared up again.  His medicine that the VA ordered to be sent to him through the mail hasn't arrived yet.  When it rains it pours.  Luckily I live a couple of blocks from a Valero gas station which has soda there so the world will be safe.  I can still get my caffeine fix.

So while I wait for Dan to feel better, he has one week before I *have* to get to the store, I made Amish chicken.  Have you ever made that recipe?  It's a simple recipe that has some spices and whipping cream.  After you make a flour mixture to dredge your chicken in, you pour equal amounts of heavy cream and water together and pour it over the chicken.  Then pop it into the oven and ignore it for about 1 1/2 hours.  Yummmy!

Do you realize how close Christmas is?  I have plenty of projects that need to get done by then but my muse for finishing them has deserted me.  I am in a 12 days of Christmas exchange and today I sat down and looked at how much more I need to do.  It's a good thing that I talk to my partner in this because she is in the same situation as I am.  We both agreed to postpone mailing out our packages to each other until January.  That way if there is something we need to get done for family for Christmas we can concentrate on that.  I have around four more things to get done for my 12 days of Christmas box.  I also need to get done Dan's Christmas gift.  I am making him a Zipper Quilt.  He might not get it in time but then 99% of my presents are usually late.  :)  I think their recipients would have a heart attack if I got them their presents on time!  I do need to work on getting my quilting mojo back.  It's getting there.  My brain is starting to look at fabric and such and ideas are running through my brain.  Who knows which one will stop and say MAKE ME!  I do know that I have projects already lined up for 2022.  I want to do a couple of small() things by the quilt as you go method.  I've been watching the Poole method and I will try that first.  This will be no sashings in the front but you will see them in the back.  Wish me luck!

That's about it.  I've got kitten staring at me.  Of course it disappeared when I got my camera phone out but I did manage to get a picture of Mini the other day.  The first picture is of BC.  He was sitting on my lap when I took the picture.

This second picture if of Mini.  Mini was, I think, trying to figure out how BC got up on my lap.  3 of the 4 kittens like to climb up on my lap and walk around me when I sit on the stoop.  They aren't sure about hos to get up on my lap when I sit on the chair that is on the stop.  

 I hope everybody has a great day.  Keep on stitching!