Saturday, November 17, 2018

Living the Pantry Lifestyle - This and That and Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Cookies

Can you believe we are so close to Thanksgiving here in the U.S.?  I think it takes me by surprise every November as I wonder how an entire year has gone by since the last Holiday season.  This year it is an icy and snowy week before Thanksgiving but it is suppose to warm up a bit next week.

Due to various circumstances, not the least being a newborn baby, we are "doing the Holidays" different this year.  I am making a small dinner here on Thanksgiving, roasting a turkey breast instead of a big bird (not the Big Bird!) and less side dishes.

Then we will host a combined Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration mid-December which will include Mrs. Christopher's family once again.  Logistics are not as easy as they were when our son and his family lived five minutes down the road but we are all adaptable.

Okay, I must admit that this is going to be one of those rare years that I'm going to put up Christmas decorations early.  I'm ready this year and I do the decorating a little at a time so starting early makes sense... and it isn't all that early!  Is it?

Another change I'm making this year is to move our small Charlie Brown Christmas tree to the family room.  I have always set it up in the dining area that is part of the living room but Hubby is working on a project that has boxes and a file cabinet in that space.  The thought of taking those out and putting them back made the decision to move the tree easy.

The sales on turkeys this year has been phenomenal.   I will probably get one or two small turkeys for the deep freeze if the sale remains until I can afford a stock up at the beginning of December.  I like to take advantage of stock up prices, when the items are a loss leader and far below their regular cost.

I bought a few cans of pumpkin on sale, even though I will use what I had on the shelf already for this Thanksgiving.  The sale was good, although not a stock up price.  I make pumpkin bread throughout the year so a good sale helps long after Thanksgiving is over.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes.  These are what I have on the "recipe blog" already:

Candied Cranberries... here.
My Mom's Thanksgiving Dressing (Stuffing) and a recipe for Broccoli Casserole... here.
Easy Cheesecake (9 x 13 dish)... here.
Chicken and Dressing Casserole... here. (Great recipe for leftover turkey)
Pumpkin Bars... here. (I made these to take half of them for our baby dinner gift)
Pumpkin Cookies... here.  (Very yummy)

4 comments:

Vee said...

My grands love cookies in the can so this looks good. I also was trying to find David Venable’s Pumpkin Cookie, also frosted, but I could not. I know where yours is. Seems so many of us are feeling the desire to decorate early...suppose it’s a sign of the times? ☺️ My house is a whacky Thanksgiving and Christmas combo and I’m liking it just fine. I’ll have the Pilgrims kneeling at the manger at this rate. Besides, I am sure they wouldn’t mind.

I love that you are “rolling with it” and will celebrate in unique and wonderful ways this year. This is how new tradtions get started.

Brenda @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

Your pumpkin cookies looks so inviting. They must be scrumptious with a cup of tea.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving...
Brenda L.

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and also your December combined dinner. It is good to be flexible. And thank you for sharing those recipes, Brenda!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Being adaptable is the key to having a happy life! If we hold on tight to ‘How we’ve always done it’ we’ll end up unhappy.

I’m hosting again, and I’ll cook the turkey. Great sales here too on turkey! My parents are coming, Nate, Kay and the girls, Rachel, Sarah and Kyle, and two of our adult nieces will be here. It’ll be a fun group, smaller than some years, but that’s okay.

I’m eager to decorate a bit early too, since I’ll be away the week after Thanksgiving. Many people I know are in the mood for Christmas decor!