Herbs Crafts Gifts

International Shopping in Colorado Springs, CO

2012-01-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

A friend was talking one day that she had not been to the Mexican or Asian grocery stores. One day last week we took the grand tour.


We started off with our fantastic Herb & Spice store that has been featured on a few Food Network shows.

http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/shopsavory.html

Next stop was the Mexican market. Their attention to detail in the produce department always awes me.

Yams, Nopals (Nopalitios - Cactus leaves), Avocados and red Chiles.

Long stalks of Sugar Cane.

On to the Asian market. Wish I knew how to cook and use alot of those ingredients.

Love baby Bok Choy in stir fry.

3 tanks of Talipia

Roasted Ducks and BBQ ribs on the left

After looking at all that food we had to stop for lunch. There are 2 of these restaurants here now and they have become one of our favorites.

Last stop was a German Deli. Lots of authentic cold cuts and cheeses. Had to get Liverwurst for me and Bloodwurst for Gene.

Cornish Hen Dinner

2012-01-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day is coming and nothing says a special dinner like Cornish Hens. Back in the day we would serve 1 whole hen per person and there was tons of leftovers (But it was so dramatic to carry out a platter loaded with these little chickens!)

To help them roast faster I butterflied them (cut part of the back bone out and laid them flat) and served them quartered. We basted them with an orange sauce (but anything is good especially apricot).

Deviled eggs, cooked carrots, and the the same basting sauce (I separated the sauce into 2 bowls so the one I basted with did not contaminate the dinner table sauce.)

Stuffing (with apricots, orange, celery) and laid in the roasting pan 1st. The Cornish hens laid on top of the stuffing with any excess tucked in under the hens. Also pan roasted fingerling potatoes and braised fennel / anise in butter and orange juice.

That platter was my grandmothers and is over 100 years old.

This was actually our New Year's Day dinner but Cornish Hens can make a simple dinner look especially fancy.

Valentine's Day Hearts I Love You

2012-01-23T20:42:00.001-07:00

Valentines is 2/14 every year. Time to show affection and say I Love You.

We have many Valentine gifts in our eBay store.

Stop by often, we are always updating our inventory.

A Kite Store, Door County, Wisconsin

2012-01-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

When I was in Door County so many years ago, we stopped in this quaint - chock full of kites - store. I just had to take my husband to see it when we were there again in Oct. 2011.

As you pull into the parking lot the yard is full of wind socks and moving lawn ornaments. I wanted to start choosing right away :)


Oh my, and then you walk in and the walls are covered as is the ceiling like in the 1st photo. The floor space is full of bins and containers with all sorts of kites, banners, flags and related items. The guy with the big eyes is the one we bought for our grandson. The Fish Creek Kite Company is located on the eastern side of Door County, on Rt. 42 right alongside Lake Michigan. If you are ever are lucky enough to tour Door County, be sure and stop and visit this cute store. It is just one of those places that make you smile everyplace you look.

German Saurbraten (Sour Beef)

2012-01-15T08:23:00.001-07:00

They say smell is the quickest trigger of memories. Well when I smell this cooking it reminds me of growing up in NY and early afternoon Sunday dinners after church.

Any cut of beef that is used for pot roast. Cover with 1/2 water - 1/2 apple cider vinegar. If it is a big roast I will use more water. Add cut up onion and pickling spices which are broken bay leaf, mustard seed, coriander seed and black peppercorns. (some use cinnamon to - I don't!)


Let is marinate for 3 -4 days turning every 12 or 24 hours. Pat dry or it will splatter during the browning step. I brown it well in alittle bacon fat or oil or crisco. I tell my myself 'think almost burn' when I am browning so it gets a dark rich color and 'bark'.

I finish cooking in the pressure cooker anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes depending on the size of the roast.


Finished plate served with Spaetzel, red cabbage and sweet and sour green beans. For the gravy I use browned flour and some of the marinade - how much depends on how sour you want it. Some add gingersnaps but I don't do that either.

The only thing that makes this more complicated than a pot roast is the time it takes to marinade. The measurements I use are approximate but there are plenty of recipes out there with exact measurements.

Hope you try this delicious meat dish and add it too your repertoire of recipes.

Flowers in Jars have Many Uses

2012-01-12T12:00:00.002-07:00

First I have to say that these flower photos are from a blog called Ramblings on Simplicity and Flowers. (The jar photos are mine!)

When my daughter was married last July in the mountains of Colorado she adapted this idea to identify where folks would sit. Each bottle/ jar had local - native flowers in them with a tag attached with the guests name.

Most of the guests flew in from the bride and groom's home city of Chicago and were not able to take their little vintage bottle. As a result we have several we are selling in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They are all clear glass and most are antique.

This has a Giraffe and says Tonsiline on the side.

Fly Tox is embossed on the neck.

Just another idea of what to do with a collection of different shapes and size bottles. (Not my photo).

We have many bottles & jars available for sale on eBay and are willing to discount for a purchase of several. Some of these were never used for the wedding so many still look like the antique they are.

Halfway to the North Pole - Door County, WI

2012-01-09T15:00:00.002-07:00

We were driving on the Lake Michigan (east) side of Door County and saw a sign for a highway marker. We pulled in and saw this sign.


We were 1/2 way between the Equator and the North Pole @ 45 degree north latitude. Pretty impressive, I thought!

This is a Limestone outcropping with a thin layer of soil on top of the rock so roots have no place to go. In a previous blog I showed trees toppled over (just before we got there) due to high winds.


Because of so much rock, the water table is protected as well as other being other environmental impacts. This rock layer runs from Minnesota to Niagra Falls, NY.

More information on Door County, WI

Ebelskiver / Aebleskiver - Danish Pancake Balls

2012-01-06T15:00:00.008-07:00

I have been making these for our family for over 30 years. Not all the time but occasionally and when I do they consider them a real treat.

The special pan is the secret. I use just any pancake mix or recipe and let a small dab of butter melt in each depression before adding the batter.

We like fruit in the middle. This day I did mandarin orange sections cut into 1/3rds. Sometimes I will add cinnamon to the batter too, depending what filling I am using

They have to be turned at least once during the cooking process. I found using a 2 prong meat fork in one hand and 1 chop stick in the other, flips them pretty easily.

They can be served with powered sugar (I use vanilla sugar) or syrup. They don't really need more butter since they were 'fried' in the butter.

Spring Holiday Rubber Ducks

2012-01-03T15:00:00.003-07:00

Now that the 'winter holidays' are over it is time to start thinking about the spring holidays. What better way to brighten up a desk, work space, home, room, hot tub or whatever than with a duck for all the different occasions?

Valentine's Day Feb. 14, 2012

Valentine's Day Feb. 14, 2012 or anytime to someone you love in American Sign Language

St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 2012 or for any Irish person at any time to bring Good Luck

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - Feb. 21, 2012

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - Feb. 21, 2012 or for anytime to remember the good times.

Easter - April 8, 2012


Easter - April 8, 2012 or great for someone who raises rabbits like a 4H-er!.

We have lots more ducks in our eBay store for all occasions with many different themes.

Denver eBay Sellers Group at White Fence Farm w/ Griff

2011-12-31T12:01:00.003-07:00

The first time we were here was back in Aug. This time was early December with all their Christmas decorations up.

The Denver eBay Meetup group met here and "Griff" eBay's 8th employee, eBay radio host, and Dean of Eduction was the guest speaker.

They are famous for their fried chicken served family style with several sides.

Each room had a different tree or theme.

This pink tree was in the kids area with a treasure chest for good kids to pick prizes.

"Griff" a very special eBay representative and a strong seller advocate.

Gene, Griff and yours truly!

White Fence Farm is sorta buried in the west side of Denver but well worth a visit. It's one of those kind of places that locals take visitors to. Then they talk about it back home and friends, who come to Denver, want to go there too.

I wrote more about the restaurant in my blog from August.

Our Manger and Decorations for Christmas

2011-12-28T09:10:00.003-07:00

Our upstairs decorations are blue and white snowmen and snowflakes. The out side lights are also blue along with a large plastic manger.

Downstairs is red and green Western themed. If we have 2 trees - one is real. This year tho' we did only 1 tree and decorated upstairs. eBay and all the craft shows kept us very busy!! Please enjoy our decorations.

This guy lights up with different fiber optic lights.

The kneeling Santa was my Mom's favorite decoration. She always put it in her big bay window.

My collection of toys including the Feliz Navidad Chihuahua and the Chicken who sings and does the chicken dance.

Believe it not - Santa comes to our house every year and fills Sebastian's stocking, hanging in the middle.

Not only the couch but more importantly the view out our front 9' window. That is Pikes Peak!! We really did have a white Christmas this year.

The little guy all lit up. The colors constantly change. Only thing missing is that he doesn't play music!!

I have a photo of me laying on the floor when I was about 10 looking at this manger all set up under the Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas 2011!

LUMiNARIA - A New Mexican Tradition to Light the Way for the Christ Child

2011-12-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Walk way up to our front door. Red is a lighted Chile Ristera.

Lumineria = a candle in a brown paper bag. In some areas they are called Farilitos.

Front walk out to sidewalk. We are on a corner and the house faces the side street.

Front Sidewalk

Side sidewalk and driveway

Blessed Mother in our backyard. We put candles every year for my oldest son - Stevie, my Mom and Dad and Gene's Mom & Dad.

Just one bag - It is a plain, brown lunch bag with the top folded down. We put out 100 bags every year.


There is sand / dirt in the bottom to help hold it open. The candle is a special votive candle that is alot harder than regular votives. It burns into itself and will burn for at least 10 hours.

In New Mexico the folks in adobe houses line the edges of the roofs, whole neighborhoods do them, and all the graves in the cemetery in Gene's hometown -Belen- are edged with the luminerias. Albuquerque has tours of the Old Town and Country Club areas. Tickets are sold out almost right away.

We took the tour one year and the parade of buses and cars seemed to be endless. We sang Christmas carols and drank hot spiced cider. It was a very memorable event that happens for one night only - on Christmas Eve just to LIGHT THE WAY FOR THE CHRIST CHILD!!.

The SNO - WOVEL - A SHOVEL on a WHEEL

2011-12-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

I posted about this before and it is really worth talking about again.

Gene has had back surgery and still has back pain.

Shoveling snow can really irritate his bad back and knees.

A friend recommended this to us a few years ago and it is just amazing. It was Time magazine's invention of the Year 2006! There is no bending and very little lifting. No electric or gasoline. All Manual!! See the video on their website!!


The idea is to push the scoop and then twist the WOVEL to toss the snow in either direction.

This is very light weight but sturdy, heavy duty plastic and folds flat for easy storage. No electricity and no gas or oil. Totally green for those who want to preserve the planet.

So when we need to get to the mailbox to send out our eBay packages, the sidewalk gets done pretty fast because the scoop is huge, with no stress on our backs.

We are not selling these or involved with them in any way - just love the product and wanted to share the info.

The SnoWovel Website

Denver Christkindl Market 2011

2011-12-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Being German and growing up German these markets fascinate me. Several years ago we went to one in Chicago on a cold, snowy night. It was wonderful, so I was looking forward to visiting this one in Denver.

So OK we went on a Wed. afternoon. It was cold and there was snow on the ground. Colorado Springs has a large German community and I was disappointed the market was alot smaller than what I expected with a limited variety of things. I suppose it is larger and busier in the evening and weekends!!


There were a total of maybe 10 of these little buildings selling everything from authentic German ornaments, beer steins and linens to some food & drink, Polish pottery and South American wool clothing and trinkets. .


The market is located in Skyline Park along the 16th Street Mall across from the Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower.

Denver Christkindl Market web site.

How We Reheat Leftovers - even in the RV

2011-12-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

The simple explanation is Bamboo Steamers. They come is all different sizes. We use the larger ones and kept them under the flip up bed in the RV. Now they store on the top of our hanging pot rack.

I use a large wok but any pan they will fit over with some water will work just fine. They have to sit in the pan (not even on the sides), otherwise the bamboo will scorch.

Thanksgiving leftovers and a dish ready to go.

That is one of our shallow soup plates that fits into the bamboo tray. Sometimes the food gets juicy and would overflow off a flat plate.

Usually we both fix our plate like a TV dinner and heat for about 20 minutes. That plate is for the 2 of us. Sometimes we will do each item separately.

Check the water level 1/2 way through the heating process and add more as necessary.

I am an old fashioned cook and rarely use a microwave. This method will also make the food so much more moist and very hot without burning it or drying it out.

We even lay tortillas, rolls or bread on the lid with a little foil lightly over them, to warm them too. Only do the breads during the last few minutes of warming, otherwise they will just make a mess.

We have several sizes and when we heat individual things we can stack it as high as we need to.

Hope you try this method of reheating your leftovers.

If this blog was helpful please like it or leave a comment. Thanks.

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Recipe

2011-12-14T12:47:00.001-07:00

2 Tbs Olive oil
2 large Onions - roughly chopped
1/2 C Tamarind Paste
2 Tbs minced Garlic
2 Tbs minced Ginger
2 Jalapenos - seeds removed and minced (I don't use them)
3 Tbs chopped Anchovies (they melt in and you never know they are there. I suspect they are used for flavor instead of using salt)
3 Tbs Tomato Paste
2 whole Cloves
2 Tbs Black Pepper (I thought 2 Tbs was too much)
1/2 C dark Corn Syrup
1 C Molasses
3 C White Vinegar
1 C Dark Beer
1/2 C Orange Juice
2 C Water
1 Lemon thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Lime thinly sliced, seeds removed

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft - about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in tamarind paste, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos. Cook 5 minutes more. Add anchovies, tomato paste, cloves, pepper, corn syrup, molasses, white vinegar, dark beer, orange juice, water, lemon and lime.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer stirring occasionally for 2 -3 hours or until it naps the back of a spoon.

(I don't like it chunky so I used a blender to make it smooth.)

Makes 6 Cups.

Notes - Tamarind Paste - I bought it in 2 different forms. One was very pasty and the other a hardish block. I used the block on the 1st batch yesterday and it was chunky so I tried using the stick blender to smooth it, but the blender keep hitting really hard stuff and I couldn't figure out why. I ended up using a regular blender and straining it all.

Then I did a second batch using the really soft paste and discovered the tamarind seeds where still in there. So I heated the 2 cups of water and put in about 2/3 C of the paste and let it melt in the water, then strained it. Found lots of big hard seeds and some skin too.

I think trying to remove the seeds any other way would be next to impossible because it is so sticky and then there is the issue of the skin too.

Leaf Grabber Rake - No Stooping or Bending

2011-12-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

When we lived in NY I bought this rake for Gene. With his bad back it is very hard for him to bend over to pick up the leaves. This rake does it all. I checked the internet for one like it and didn't find one, but there are several versions.l Using a rake like this one can sure make a tedious job get done fast.

Just bury the rake prongs in the leaf pile;

slide the handle down so the prongs close and grab the leaves;


move the rake into the bag, release the handle, the prongs open and the leaves drop into the bag all at one time.

If you like what you just read, please leave a comment or click the like boxes.

A Chicago White Castle - Home of the originasl Slider Hamburger

2011-12-06T05:30:00.001-07:00

Growing up in NY we had White Castle nearby, way before McDonald's and all the other fast food carry out restaurants,. Now when we travel we make it a point to find a White Castle in states where they are. There are none in NM and CO so we have to go east!!

The buildings are very distinctive and have looked basically the same forever.

The onions are put onto the grill first then the square patties are laid on top. Notice the holes in the meat to allow for even, fast cooking.

Then the bun 1/2's are put onto of the burger to heat them alittle.


This is our lunch tray for 3 people. The yellow carton is a cheeseburger. There are 12 burgers there.


When we would go to NY to visit we always got a huge sack of White Castle and would build things with those cardboard boxes. Now they even have trivia on them.

White Castle hamburgers are probably not the healthiest of food but once in awhile they are yummy and a throwback to many great memories. Try them, you may like them.

Speedy Bump Sites for eBay listings

2011-11-30T21:10:00.004-07:00

What is a bump? It is a program that was 1st designed to promote eBay listings. It has been expanded to eBay stores, blogs and several other things. The creator - John- is the owner of auctionbump and speedybump.

How does it Speedybump work? The item listing number is copy and pasted into a box and viola the listing shows up with the picture.

Imagine a column of 25 boxes. The bottom box is #1 and the top box is #25. When you fill in the form with an active eBay listing number it will automatically insert that listing into box # 25. The item in box #1 falls off - is bumped off!

The number in front of each link is the number of items the owner of that page allows each seller to have on their page at one time.

5 - http://powersellingmom.com/
3 - http://auctionbump.com/
4 - http://www.sassyssavings.com/
3 - http://sb55-graphics.com/
4 - http://www.magiesplace.info/
3 - http://mysteryauctionbump.com/
5 - http://www.seasonedwithtime.com/ebay-bump/

3 - http://buzzbumpadz.com/speedy-ebay-buzz/
1 - http://thefoodnetworkfanatic.blogspot.com/
? - http://justbumpit.info/

Why bump? I think that eBay is spending lots of money on branding and bringing folks to the site. But with big box stores, and large commercial vendors - I - as a very small speck of sand on the eBay beach - can get lost. So it is part of my job to help bring people to my store. And one way I do that is by bumping.

I have compared myself to a very tiny corner store in a very huge mall. The mall does a lot of advertising but I need to do something to to get myself noticed,too. Just sitting and waiting for folks to wander by is not enough for me.

How do I get noticed? Several years ago I learned about branding myself on eBay. What does that mean exactly? To me it means that when someone sees my name or logo they know immediately who I am. I bet right now if I say a big red bulls eye you would think Target. That is the idea of branding. So when I bump my scarves I hope people recognize the mannequin and know it is me.

What to bump? Now that is a good question. I notice that some folks bump the same item over and over again on every bump site. I suspect for some that is ohe only listings they have and that is great. It is so nice to see them helping themselves.

I like to put different items on every site in order to give a broad overview of my offerings. Here's how I do it - I go to the list of all my listings and then sort by whatever - never by best match or ending soonest. (Don't wnat to bump something that is ending today.)

It depends on my mood and what is happening - some days I will do a color like pink in Oct., another time highest price 1st, or just Christmas items, only scarves or rubber ducks or I follow a theme or holiday. Somedays I will do one of each of my largest category items per bump site. So it is really up to each seller to decide what they want to promote.

How do we know results? - When you go to My eBay page on the right side near the bottom there is a link to traffic reports. Click on it (doesn't work all the time), go to finding methods and referring web sites.

My last report had Power selling mom as the top bump site with Mystery bump alittle behind and Seasoned with time also in the top 25.

Can I say an item I bumped today sold? For the most part no. Have I made sales within a category and 24 hours of bumping? Yes! Does it matter if an item that is bumped sells or not? It would be nice but as long as people visit my store and buy something or know what I have so when they need it they can come back, I am satisified.

I can go through that whole list in 10 minutes. Who can't afford 10 minutes a day to promote themselves and drive their own traffic?

In the end we all have to be responsible for our own business and not totally rely on someone else to bring us customers.

And we have to be so grateful to the owners of the bump sites for allowing us to promote ourselves on their page / blog. Thank you bump site owners!!

(If you like what you read please leave a comment, or Like on Facebook or Retweet - thanks.)

Holiday Sale and Gift Ideas

2011-11-28T11:47:00.002-07:00

Here are some ideas from our eBay store for Holiday gift giving and stocking stuffers. A lot are marked down until Mon. 12/5 @ midnight

Many of our items make great gifts for teachers, helpers, grab bags and so many more - Scarves, visors, shoelaces. Priority shipping is available on the majority of our listings.

Scarf Clips to go with all our long scarves.

35+ Fun, Clean Gag & Survival Kits

Many Antique and modern Christmas Tree Ornaments


And our own creations- Louise's String Scarves - so soft and so warm.

And don't forget your herbs & spices for holiday cooking & baking .

Both Gene and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope you visit our store often because we are always adding new merchandise.

Parking Space for an Electric Car

2011-11-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

OK I know I don't get out much - but who knew? This was in Chicago the end of Sept. 2011.

This is in a parking lot for a Walgreen store on Fullerton near Central Park St. in Logan Square area

Looks like a parking meter. I was so enthralled I didn't even look to see if it was free.


Well we don't have anything like this YET in Colorado Springs. (At least I don't think so).

WIth Chicago traffic what it is this is such a great idea for a store to entice customers to come to that location so they can charge up while shopping. Very clever indeed!!

Reflections back as we approach Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-22T15:00:00.001-07:00

I just did a status update in Facebook and thought that would make a good blog.

It started off by saying I was grateful I was born when I was. I don't think there was a time in any of our lives that was simple or uncomplicated by those things around us like war and prejudice and the daily struggles of living. But growing up and while we were still in school, most of that was a non issue for us.

But we all survive by doing the best we can. Last week we were at a craft show and the fire alarm went off. We had to go outside and wait for the fire department to do a check of the high school and turn the alarm off. One woman was just beside herself. Pacing and mumbling that this was ridiculous and it will be at least 1/2 hour before we can go back in because they will have to check the whole school and on and on.

I said "hey lady, it is what it s and better safe than sorry". But isn't that is a true testament of the world we live in? She was inconvenienced. She was going to maybe make a sale, and it was all about her. How did we ever get to such a self centered place?

When I was growing up we had a telephone and lay on the floor in the evening listening to the radio. We got a TV in the early 50's - a Dumont with a tiny little screen, but oh how it was so precious.

There was no air conditioning in houses (for regular folks anyhow) and I remember sleeping downstairs on a sheet on the living room floor in June 1958 in NY when it was too hot and sticky to sleep upstairs in our beds.

When we went to church we dressed up - a hat, gloves and even stockings (with seams that we had to constantly check to see if they were straight.). And there were corsages for special occasions.

When there was a birthday, anniversary or even if someone was sick, we sent a card and / or actually called on the phone.

Cars didn't have turn signals - we had to stick our arm out the window and no seat belts either. A baby car seat hooked over the front seat facing front. The kids played with the little horn that was attached to the seat.

Our music is what is now called the Oldies but Goodies - the very beginning of rock and roll. There were sock hops every Friday night and I won a dance contest and got to go New York City and be on Ted Steele's T.V. Dance show. (That was before Dick Clark!). We listened to Alan Freed on WINS radio.

People were respectful of themselves and others. Adults were addressed as Mr. or Mrs. In-laws were Mom or Dad (out of respect to our spouses),

So like so many, I am thinking back to what it was and what it is today and thinking I would not change any of those early experiences. They have given me the attitude that things are what they are and not much I can do about it, except live my life.

I really like living in Colorado, I love our home and being close to my son and his family. The crafts shows and eBay keep our minds and bodies active and hope we can continue doing it all for many more years. (Someone inferred the other day that 69 and being a grandma was old - really!? I am 69 and certainly don't feel or think I am decrepit and need special handling!)

Please take time to be grateful for the all things that made you who you are and share them with your family and friends this Thanksgiving Day.

Homemade Cranberry Relish - Cooked

2011-11-19T15:00:00.003-07:00


The best way to start making cranberry relish is to wash then sort through the cranberries removing any soft or shriveled ones.

I usually follow the recipe on the bag - 2 oranges, 2 cups of sugar and 1 bag of cranberries. I put the cranberries into the pot whole and either grind or grate the oranges in the salad shooter. Stir in sugar.

Cook until the cranberries start to burst and the liquid thickens.

Serve in a crystal bowl on your Thanksgiving Dinner table where the rich red color shine through!!

Blogging Challenge at Virtual Online Learning

2011-11-15T22:51:00.001-07:00

Twice a month VOL sponsors a blogging challenge. We write about anything and then promote it on the Private VOL membership site, their Facebook Fan page and wherever else we promote ourselves and blog.

Virtual Online Learning is a mentoring group started by Danna Crawford - Powersellingmom.com. Lifetime membership includes free webinars and help and advice or members from each other or Danna. There are all levels of expertise. As an experienced seller, I think that sometimes it is good to answer newby questions to help keep my knowledge fresh and currant.

Our Traditional Thanksgiving Day & Dinner Menu

2011-11-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving at the Sanchez Home

Thanksgiving is the most important family gathering meal of the year for Gene and I. All other holidays seems to have distractions like Christmas being for the kids and their new toys or Easter with the egg hunt and Easter Bunny.

Thanksgiving is the time to reflect on how lucky we are. Some years it has been just the 2 of us, other years a houseful and the remaining years just a few family and friends. No matter how many there are at the table there is always enough food to feed alot more people LOL.

I try to get a head start on alot of the meal on Wed. so there is not too much too do and I can enjoy the day too. The cornucopia is done the day before if I don't have any help. Otherwise one of our kids do it Thanksgiving morning with at least 10 different fruits and nuts. .

We start the day with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and eating fried bread dough - a reminder of my grandmother who set bread to rise the night before and made the loaves in the morning. She always had leftover dough to fry and serve just dripping with melted butter.

Next is getting the turkey in the oven. I make 2 stuffings (just bread, celery and onions, s&p with alittle broth) - in the cavity is the sage and thyme and in the neck, our family favorite, with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It perfumes the bird and makes the house smell awesome.

The turkey is covered with sliced salt pork. No other seasoning on the bird. Again a throw back to Grandma. The salt pork makes a great basting liquid and it is basted every 30 - 45 minutes.

I remove the salt pork when the salt pork starts looking done and baste really good after is is removed and alittle more often to give the turkey a great color and crispness.

Notice rubber ducks on the dinner plates that I used as place card holders. hee hee!

OUR MENU

Turkey;
2 Stuffings;
Gravy - using drippings and browned flour;
Mashed Potatoes;
Sweet Potatoes;
Cranberry Relish - also home made cooked with oranges;
Yellow Turnip (Rutabagas) - chopped coarsely with some salt pork;
Creamed onions - little boiling ones;
Green Beans - sometimes pain sometimes the casserole;
"Crunchies" - Celery, radishes (cut fancy), carrots, scallions;
Bread or rolls - always homemade.

Wine
Apple Cider
Coffee
Tea

Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie - made from fresh pumpkin
Fruit
Nuts
After Dinner Mints

After dinner brandy or?