a fine Saturday

Any Saturday that starts with Adam taking out the waffle iron and baking up some glorious belgian waffles is a fine Saturday indeed.

But the day also had some train rides around the Christmas tree


and some classic movie viewing.



No, the movie wasn't too loud,

it is just that the witch is much less scary when you cover your ears.

While Adam was getting dinner ready, I went out and got a little shopping done.

And just what did Incredihusband make for dinner?

A wonderfully juicy and super flavorful standing rib roast with a side of asparagus and mashed potatoes. Perfect!

After dinner, we played a game of "Draw and Guess" per Joey's request.



Katie is turning out some great works lately. Can you guess who these two are?


Lizzie doesn't have any drawing skills, but was proud to show off her new standing-unassisted skills.


And put on an over-the-top display of her prize-worthy, chubby cheeks.


Yes, a fine Saturday indeed.

fall fun

Early November provided some beautiful weather. One particularly beautiful Thursday morning, I decided we just had to go and enjoy the sunshine, and sunshine is better with friends, so I gave a friend a call to see if she wanted to drive on over. Before you know it, we were out enjoying an impromtu playdate field trip on the towpath down by the river.



It was a great day for running and climbing.




The kids had fun exploring and discovering living things in the river.





But the stroller buddies mostly hung out.




With the gorgeous weather, fun for the kids, spending time with a friend who is a great person and homeschool mom, it truly was an idyllic fall day.

the sauce

Around these parts, cranberry sauce is not a condiment. It is not a little smear of magenta dutifully placed on the side of your plate, but almost considered a sidedish. It rivals gravy as the perfect sauce for a roasted bird. Simple and homemade, with just a bit of sugar to sweeten the tart berries and some orange juice to brighten them.

I use the first of the three recipes found in this post, but I cut the sugar back even further to 1/2 cup and use a bit more orange juice and a little less water. And I don't use the orange peel anymore, because it is one less thing, and I don't miss the flavor at all. So I guess technically, I don't use that recipe, but a version all my own. But I love Smitten Kitchen and why not stop on over and see all the glorious things Deb cooks up.

Speaking of Smitten Kitchen, the other night right before bed, I read her post about sweet corn spoonbread which contains a link to an unbelievably cute photo of her son. While sleeping, I dreamt that I drove into New York City, knew where Deb lived, went to her place, she invited me in, let me hold her son, all which interrupted her baking a mint cake flavored with -- toothpaste. It was very weird. I was pleased when I woke up to find that the toothpaste cake was just a very bad dream.

Anyway, back to the cranberry sauce.
I put Joey and Katie to work making our double batch of sauce for Thanksgiving.


It's nice when your helper is cute.
What is not so nice is realizing how stained your daughter's shirt is in the photo you just posted.

In the fifteen minutes it took to change this


to this


the kids cracked themselves up making funny faces on the side of the pot.



If you haven't ever made your own cranberry sauce, you really should.
It is good to the last, sticky drop.

the pie

Adam and I enjoy watching Good Eats with Alton Brown. After seeing this episode, Adam decided he was going to make a pumpkin pie with fresh roasted pumpkin this year. I have never been a big fan of pumpkin pie, but Adam really likes it. Since pie from canned pumpkin is the only kind he has ever tasted, he was excited to see how it would compare.

Fortunately, I had two little pie pumpkins sitting on my counter from our garden this year. (My procrastination to roast them up and make muffins with the kids like I said I would paid off. Ahem.)



So Adam roasted,


and scooped,


and pureed.


The interesting twist with this pie was the crust, made from crushed ginger snaps instead of a rolled pie dough.
mmmmm...


The pie was cut and served and tasted



and according to Adam, it is not even "in the same stratosphere" as canned pumpkin-pumpkin pie.



So I guess it is fresh pumpkin pie for our household from now on. And I have a great in-house pastry chef to make it. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~

I made a pecan pie for the first time this year. Yes, tis true-- 32 years old and never made a pecan pie. I am the designated chocolate chip cookie girl when it comes to Thanksgiving, but this year it was fun to make something new. I figured I couldn't go wrong with PW's recipe.

It was awesome! The crust was perfect, and the filling as sickeningly sweet and wonderful as a pecan pie should be.


Joey and Katie helped me make the pie, both crust and filling, and when you make a pecan pie with a three and six-year-old, every bite is that much more enjoyable because of the loving labor involved. :)

Yummyummyyummyum!

the placecards

WE made these placecards for Thanksgiving. Simple and fun, they were the perfect project for a 6 and 3-year-old to work on together.




(I love this photo of Katie's hands, complete with Buzz Lightyear Band-Aid)


But when we finished there was still paint left, which led to abstract paintings in fall colors.


Can you tell that Joey was enjoying himself?




And then the abstract paintings led to this


and this

and this.


History (studying how corn was important to the Pilgrims), art (painting, cutting, and gluing), handwriting and spelling (writing the names on the cards) all wrapped up in one fun afternoon.

Homeschooling is awesome!

the day

The day started with snow. Enough sticky, wet snow for Joey to make a snowman in the backyard with the neighbor boys.

I found the drinks out back huddling together to stay warm.


A 20 pound turkey was cooked, carved, and enjoyed.


I forgot to take pictures of Lizzie eating her dinner (which I suppose is what happens with the third child), but later remembered to snap a few while she was snuggling with Mom-Mom,


and Pop-Pop,


and some with her Aunt Sukaina.


We started dinner with a sweet time of sharing specific things we are thankful for in our lives, and ended it with some sweets.



After that we were left with just enough energy to harass the new kitty,


and form a plan of attack for Black Friday shopping.



I was thankful for the opportunity to cook and host Thanksgiving for the third time in my home. I love cooking and baking and the days leading up to Thursday were lots of work, but lots of fun. Thursday was nice and easy since I had so much done ahead of time and because Adam did all the cleaning and tidying that day so all I had to worry about was the food.

It was a really enjoyable day of family and food, and I am truly thankful.

fall again

It is already October. I really can't believe it. Summer flew by, and here is autumn. Time for cooler weather, sweaters, inappropriate wearing of flip-flops, and spending 30 minutes trying to make your crawling baby sit still so you can get the perfect photo with the pumpkin you cannot believe you grew all by yourself.


( so it isn't perfect, but I was pleased)

And let me just say that two little pumpkin seeds make two really ginormous pumpkin vines. My yard has suffered, but all in the name of homeschooling and watching things grow. It was worth it, as Joey and I have delighted in seeing the vines grow and flower, and produce such magnificently large and orange vegetables. If you have about 200 square feet or so of yard space to spare, I highly recommend you grow some pumpkins.

And if you have 18 months or so to spare, I highly recommend you also grow the much sweeter, less orange variety pictured. :)