Early Thanksgiving

Saturday was a day of treasured memories.  Norman Rockwell himself never had it so good.  With their families, both of our children  gathered around the dining room table in the home where they grew up.  Bob and I were again grateful beyond words for all of our blessings.

The menu was traditional, with turkey, dressing, pumpkin and mincemeat pies and all the trimmings. A few years ago, we added a new item to the table and due to popular demand, it has become a regular.  Cranberry-orange relish is easy-peasy, can be made in advance and keeps for one week. The recipe is posted below.

The day began with everyone watching football as our beloved Gators tried to improve their performance in a disappointing season. At half time, the crowd moved outside for some action in the front yard.  Alastair surprised us with his strong 20 month old arm and both Robert and Laurel ran some pretty good routes.

our own sweet Sugar Plum Fairy

Half time also gave me the opportunity to pin up the hem in Laurel’s Christmas dress.  I think she will be prettier than the Sugar Plum Fairy herself when we attend The Nutcracker next month.

All three children clowned around, but as always, Alastair dodged the camera like a wide receiver outrunning a tackle.  So no other good pictures of him are posted. The Gators did win the football game, though it was not an SEC match, and we all enjoyed that time-honored Thanksgiving tradition. 

After a huge dinner, we told scary stories around a big bonfire.  Robert’s tale, of course, was about mummies and frankly, I was almost frightened.  His was a great story and told with such expression that we were all on the edge of our log.

The moon was full, so the evening was topped off with a “night ride” in the golf cart  through the “forest” across the street.  This is the very place where the children have seen purple lions, pink giraffes and orange monkeys swinging through the trees eating cotton candy.  Imagination is a glorious gift of childhood.

The previous post showed our three grandchildren in their in-a-jiffy turkey day shirts.  These were such fun to make with the Gobble Alphabet from www.planetapplique.com. I chose to use different fabric for each of the monograms.  Repeating the same patterns three times just seemed too boring to me.

But now, it’s time to get really serious about the boys’ Christmas outfits.

Cranberry-Orange Relish

• 3 cups fresh cranberries, approx. 12 ounces  (frozen works just as well)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T. Finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger (I skip this and use 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 navel orange, peel and pith removed, flesh cut into segments

1.  Stir together cranberries, sugar and ginger in  medium saucepan.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and cranberries begin to pop, about 7 minutes.

2.  Add 1 cup water.  Simmer until thickened slightly, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in orange.  Let cool.