Thanksgiving, A Little Late

Yesterday I had intended to participate in Creative Kitchens over at Reflective Ponderings. The theme was "Thanksgiving." However, life is busy right now and so I'm late, but I thought I'd go ahead anyway since I'd already planned my post. :)

I have lots of wonderful memories of Thanksgivings -- time at my grandmother's as a little girl with the entire extended family snuggly crammed into her house in the depths of the Vermont countryside; simple, quiet Thanksgivings in north-central PA with no family around; festive Thanksgivings overseas with a myriad of nationalities joining in.

This year we will be joining my family in their traditional celebration with close friends. We've already met to plan the menu and divy up the responsibility. I'll be bringing baked olives, cheese ball, sweet potatoes, and fruit pie(s), (I think).

I wanted to share two recipes that I have made this year which I've really enjoyed. I made Sourdough Stuffing with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries for a dinner we had about a month ago. I loved this stuffing and can't wait to make it again.

Wednesday night we had friends all the way from Sheltand, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Oxford joining us for dinner. I decided on a trial run for my sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and made Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes. We all pronounced it a winner. The picture doesn't communicate much, but with hints of lime, chilies, and cinnamon, it's really a delightful addition to a dinner plate:


My mom made sure we always did fun Thanksgiving crafts when we were young. Often we made thank-you cards for people who had helped us during the year, or Thanksgiving cards for distant relatives. Several times we made turkeys out of gum-drops and oranges. This year the kids and I made apple and gum-drop turkeys:


Today is Rachel's 8th birthday so we are in the midst of a weekend of celebrations and family visits. A lot is happening around here and perhaps on Monday I can post some pictures!