Thanksgiving 2011

This was the first year that I haven't cooked a Thanksgiving meal and surprisingly didn't miss it at all!  Gina and Mike so kindly had our family over to their home and she prepared an amazing spread and I only brought one side.  Can you believe I barely took any photos???  We were so hungry and running late (of course) and we all literally sat down to eat as soon as we got there!  After eating and then blobbing about from a food coma, we headed back to our house so that we could put the boys down and watch the Texas v. Texas A&M game and then slept like babies, whatever that means.  Did I mention that I contemplated wearing maternity jeans that day?

We started the morning off by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade like we do every year.  As per usual, the boys got antsy and over it once they saw SpiderMan and Sonic the Hedgehog and wanted to...play football :)





Grandma bought the boys these cute vests which the boys DID NOT LIKE as you can see in the photo below ;)

They have not one, but two English Mastiff's.  Coltrane kept saying, No, nope, no, nope. :)



Gina and Mike got the boys these fun bounce balls!

Getting a workout in after eating.

Crazy Trane too.

First and LAST time on a Harley or any sort of motorcycle...  Check out the sky!



Sweet Potato Casserole with a Twist


INGREDIENTS


4 average size sweet potatos
2 jalapenos
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup melted butter
salt and peppar

DIRECTIONS

  • bake the potatoes for an hour in a 375 degree oven
  • about half way through, put the jalapenos in the oven and let them roast
  • once potatoes are done, scoop out the insides into a bowl
  • chop up the peppers and add to the same bowl
  • add almost all of the butter (save some for drizzling over the top at the end), OJ, cilantro and salt and peppar to taste
  • mix with a beater and put in a baking dish
  • add the chopped nuts and drizzle with the remaining butter and put in the oven for about 20 minutes 

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With so much going on this year for us and the future in the hands of God and the Universe, I stumbled upon this quote by the great Henry Miller.
"The aim of life is to live
and to live means to be aware,
joyously, drunkenly serenely, divinely aware."

And I am very aware of all the blessings in my life and am the most thankful I have been in years.