Thanks!

"For each new morning with it's light,
  For rest and shelter of the night,
  For health and food, for love and friends,
  For everything thy goodness sends."~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


     Thanksgiving is almost here and it's always been one of my very favorite holidays.  I don't know why anyone would want to miss out on it by going shopping.  My friend, Dana and I got to go into Salt Lake City to the Little America Hotel and see the Holiday Quilt Show. There were some beautiful quilts there.  Each one was hand quilted.  The show went until Friday, the day the quilts were auctioned off and all the money went for medical research.  Here are pictures of some of my favorites.

 

I just wanted to include a couple of recipes I think are wonderful for November.  I was surprised at how good the meatloaf was and the cranberry sauce recipe comes from my husband's aunt.  So it's an old family favorite that everyone loves.

 

 

Turkey Meatloaf

2 Tbsp. butter

1 medium granny smith apple, cored and diced

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onion

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup bread crumbs

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 ¼ lbs. ground turkey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.  Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and cook apple, celery and onion until soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.  Let cool.  Whisk together eggs, milk, poultry seasoning and salt in large bowl.  Stir in bread crumbs and cheese until well combined.  Add ground turkey and onion mixture and lightly mix until well combined.  Do not over mix.  Press mixture into loaf pan and cover with foil.  Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (165 degrees in center of loaf).  Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

 

 

Cranberry Pineapple Relish

2 cups cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup boiling water

½ cup crushed pineapple

Juice of ½ an orange

1 medium delicious apple, shredded

Cook cranberries in water until skins pop. Add sugar and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Cool.  Add remaining ingredients and chill thoroughly.

     I have been wanting to read this book for quite some time.  I read it just in time for the movie to come out.  This is such a fantastic book about forgiveness.  If we could all just be as forgiving as this man was, the world would be a much better place for all of us to live in.

Nostalgic November

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”~ inscription on John Wayne's headstone



     The first day of November was my Dad's birthday.  He would have been 84 years old.  He's been gone now for almost 30 years.  I miss him a lot.  He was a bit of a cowboy.  He loved his boots, his cows, Louis L'amour books and John Wayne.  He also loved to sing.  I think I'll dedicate this blog to him.  He encouraged my creativity and frequently complimented my improving sewing abilities.

This is the bench pillow that I made for my entryway bench.  It will be there the whole month of November.  It's by Kimberbell Patterns.  I bought the kit to make it last year at the fall shop hop.  I love the shiney burlap for the letters and the big buttons for the owl eyes.

 

 

 

Cowboy Special

(Or Cheesy Beef and Mac)

1 lb. lean ground beef                                     1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 medium onion, diced                                   ½ tsp. seasoning salt

2 cloves garlic, minced                                   pepper to taste

2 cups beef broth                                            1 ½ cups macaroni

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce                             1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in large pot until onions are soft.  Add beef broth, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and add macaroni.  Reduce heat and put a lid on the pot.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until pasta is done.  Stir every few minutes to prevent mixture from sticking to the pan.  Turn heat off and sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve hot.  Serves 5-6.

Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups flour

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars until smooth.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Gradually stir in the flour mixture until well blended.  Mix in oats and butterscotch chips.  Drop from a teaspoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden.  Let stand for a few minutes on cookie sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  (We use any kind of chips and sometimes use a combination of several different kinds.)

     We read this book by Louis L'amour this month in Book Club.  Strangely, it's only the second Louis L'amour book I've ever read.  It's one of the books in the Sackett group.  I liked it.  There was plenty of adventure and intrigue and it was one of those books that is hard to put down once you start reading it.