Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thanksgiving. Show all posts
Saturday, December 4, 2010
My mother-in-law...
This sums my mother-in-law Nancy up just perfectly. Full of energy, enthusiasm, and fun. On thanksgiving day we went to the field across from our house. First she just wanted to play with Hux. Then she wanted to play frisbee and football. To round things out - she just wanted to see if she could still do a cartwheel. She did three. Anders almost had a panic attack. No bones were broken in the making of this film!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thanksgiving
I am really excited about Thanksgiving about this year. It is my absolute favorite holiday. The food, the family time, the chance to think about the things that you are thankful for. It is just perfect. We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house with both sets of parents, Drew and some family friends.
In fact, I am so excited about Thanksgiving I woke up at 6am to make not one, but two types of cranberry sauce. The first is sort of a cranberry “slaw” and the second is a cranberry-raspberry compote. I am not particularly good at following recipes. I tend to just throw things together until it tastes good to me. It’s a cooking style that serves me well, but can be sometimes a challenge to duplicate. However, these are so darn easy I thought I would share.
Cranberry Slaw
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1/3 cup of orange juice
1 orange – grate a bit of the peel zest
¼ to ½ cup of sugar (or more!) to taste
Throw it all in your food processor and chop. Just a few quick blends will get it to the right consistency. You want to be able to clearly see some fine white and red parts remaining. Be careful not to over chop it and turn it into a soggy pink mush! This is great for cranberry purests. This is my mother’s recipe, because she definitely falls into the cranberry purest category. Varieties have included an chopping apple slices in with the rest of the ingredients, or mixing in pomegranate seeds after the rest has been chopped. Yummo!
Cranberry-Raspberry Compote
1 bag of cranberries
1 cup of water
¾ of a cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1 container of raspberries
I just made this recipe up, but it was pretty tasty this morning when I was done. I am looking forward to trying it out on Thursday. Add the water and sugar together and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries – I blended about ¼ of them in the food processor, and left the rest whole – so it would be a chunkier sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a slow boil for 10 minutes or so. You want to make sure you regularly stir this mixture. It seemed like the sort of sauce that could burn easily. Once the cranberries have softened and some have burst, add the raspberries and keep on a low boil for another 5 minutes. After the raspberries have cooked a bit, take it off the burner and transfer to a storage container. I would let it cool completely before you serve it!
That’s it! I will be serving cranberry sauce three ways on the big day – both of these, plus a can of the jellied stuff. You just can’t knock the classics!
In fact, I am so excited about Thanksgiving I woke up at 6am to make not one, but two types of cranberry sauce. The first is sort of a cranberry “slaw” and the second is a cranberry-raspberry compote. I am not particularly good at following recipes. I tend to just throw things together until it tastes good to me. It’s a cooking style that serves me well, but can be sometimes a challenge to duplicate. However, these are so darn easy I thought I would share.
Cranberry Slaw
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1/3 cup of orange juice
1 orange – grate a bit of the peel zest
¼ to ½ cup of sugar (or more!) to taste
Throw it all in your food processor and chop. Just a few quick blends will get it to the right consistency. You want to be able to clearly see some fine white and red parts remaining. Be careful not to over chop it and turn it into a soggy pink mush! This is great for cranberry purests. This is my mother’s recipe, because she definitely falls into the cranberry purest category. Varieties have included an chopping apple slices in with the rest of the ingredients, or mixing in pomegranate seeds after the rest has been chopped. Yummo!
Cranberry-Raspberry Compote
1 bag of cranberries
1 cup of water
¾ of a cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1 container of raspberries
I just made this recipe up, but it was pretty tasty this morning when I was done. I am looking forward to trying it out on Thursday. Add the water and sugar together and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries – I blended about ¼ of them in the food processor, and left the rest whole – so it would be a chunkier sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a slow boil for 10 minutes or so. You want to make sure you regularly stir this mixture. It seemed like the sort of sauce that could burn easily. Once the cranberries have softened and some have burst, add the raspberries and keep on a low boil for another 5 minutes. After the raspberries have cooked a bit, take it off the burner and transfer to a storage container. I would let it cool completely before you serve it!
That’s it! I will be serving cranberry sauce three ways on the big day – both of these, plus a can of the jellied stuff. You just can’t knock the classics!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Engagement Story
So I thought life could not have been busier or more wonderful before...
And then Saturday came and changed everything. The short version: The most amazing man I have ever known got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him (I absolutely said YES)!
However - I know everyone really wants to hear the loooooooong version, so here it is! As you might remember Anders came to Kansas to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We had a wonderful time hanging out in Lawrence.
Thanksgiving was lovely. We watched movies, played board games, cooked, ate and drank wine. Each year my family writes down all of the things they are thankful for. Each thankful goes on a separate sheet of paper and into a basket. We then each draw out a handful and read them anonymously. They always range from the sweet and thoughtful (my amazing mother, my persevering father, my handsome, smart, successful brother) to the funny (thank goodness that rattlesnakes and razor blades are not fatal for dogs). This year we even included Anders parents - Nancy and Thor. They dictated their thankfuls to Anders and then we web-cammed them in while we read them out loud. It was so fun to virtually introduce our families and to get to share all that we are thankful for this holiday season.
My grandmother hosted a brunch for the cousins on Friday and it was so fun to catch up and see how they are doing. 
But the best was yet to come...
On Saturday we had my Grandpa Art and Grandma Barb over for lunch. We had a lovely lunch of turkey soup and curried sweet potato soup. Yummm. After the dishes were cleared we were chatting around the kitchen table with my parents, brother and grandparents. Anders noted that it would probably be the last time we would see the grandparents this trip. He asked my grandmother if she thought he could stick around and come back again in the future. My grandmother said yes and something sweet about what a great guy they thought Anders was.
Anders responded with "Well I guess there is only one person left to ask..."
In the very next moment Anders was next to me and had dropped to one knee. He told me that words couldn't express the way that he loved me, but he hoped to spend the rest of our lives showing me. He brought out a perfect ring and asked me to marry him! 
I immediately and very enthusiastically said YES! I found out later he had asked my parents and Drews blessing earlier in the trip. Knowing what an amazing man he is they all agreed that nothing would make them happier then seeing us together forever.
They all knew that the proposal would happen over lunch with my grandparents. Drew said he was so excited and nervous that he ended up holding his own hand under the table during the entire meal!
I was taken totally by surprise. It was so wonderful and meaningful that everyone was there to witness the proposal. It really felt like we were merging our two lives and families which is really special and important to both of us. They were able to share in this momentous occasion, celebrate with us, and fill me in on the things I forgot due to my very happy "I cant believe we are really engaged" daze!
Its true! We really are!
We immediately called Anders parents, put them on speaker phone and shared the happy news. The phone call was filled with lots of laughter, excitement and tears. We toasted our new family and enjoyed the magnitude of committing your whole life and love to another person.
And then Saturday came and changed everything. The short version: The most amazing man I have ever known got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him (I absolutely said YES)!
However - I know everyone really wants to hear the loooooooong version, so here it is! As you might remember Anders came to Kansas to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We had a wonderful time hanging out in Lawrence.
Thanksgiving was lovely. We watched movies, played board games, cooked, ate and drank wine. Each year my family writes down all of the things they are thankful for. Each thankful goes on a separate sheet of paper and into a basket. We then each draw out a handful and read them anonymously. They always range from the sweet and thoughtful (my amazing mother, my persevering father, my handsome, smart, successful brother) to the funny (thank goodness that rattlesnakes and razor blades are not fatal for dogs). This year we even included Anders parents - Nancy and Thor. They dictated their thankfuls to Anders and then we web-cammed them in while we read them out loud. It was so fun to virtually introduce our families and to get to share all that we are thankful for this holiday season.
My grandmother hosted a brunch for the cousins on Friday and it was so fun to catch up and see how they are doing. 
But the best was yet to come...
On Saturday we had my Grandpa Art and Grandma Barb over for lunch. We had a lovely lunch of turkey soup and curried sweet potato soup. Yummm. After the dishes were cleared we were chatting around the kitchen table with my parents, brother and grandparents. Anders noted that it would probably be the last time we would see the grandparents this trip. He asked my grandmother if she thought he could stick around and come back again in the future. My grandmother said yes and something sweet about what a great guy they thought Anders was. 
Anders responded with "Well I guess there is only one person left to ask..."
In the very next moment Anders was next to me and had dropped to one knee. He told me that words couldn't express the way that he loved me, but he hoped to spend the rest of our lives showing me. He brought out a perfect ring and asked me to marry him! 
I immediately and very enthusiastically said YES! I found out later he had asked my parents and Drews blessing earlier in the trip. Knowing what an amazing man he is they all agreed that nothing would make them happier then seeing us together forever.
They all knew that the proposal would happen over lunch with my grandparents. Drew said he was so excited and nervous that he ended up holding his own hand under the table during the entire meal!
I was taken totally by surprise. It was so wonderful and meaningful that everyone was there to witness the proposal. It really felt like we were merging our two lives and families which is really special and important to both of us. They were able to share in this momentous occasion, celebrate with us, and fill me in on the things I forgot due to my very happy "I cant believe we are really engaged" daze!
Its true! We really are!
We immediately called Anders parents, put them on speaker phone and shared the happy news. The phone call was filled with lots of laughter, excitement and tears. We toasted our new family and enjoyed the magnitude of committing your whole life and love to another person.
We took a few quite moments alone to just enjoy it all and enjoy the beautiful 70 degree day!
And then called all of the grandmas!
We went for a walk around KU with the family and just spent the whole day celebrating!
November 28, 2009 was easily the happiest most important day of my life to date. It is hard to put into words how incredibly lucky and blessed I feel. Those of you who know Anders know instantly what a loving, generous, smart and driven man he is. I think I always hoped I would meet someone like him - but he is honestly so much more then I even could have imagined. He inspires me daily and is going to be an amazing partner, husband, father, and friend. I am truly overwhelmed with all that I have to be thankful for this year.
And did I mention how adorable and handsome he is?
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Thank you all for the congratulations, well wishes and love we have received as the good news has spread. It means more then you will ever know.
So I will leave you hopefully with a few warm fuzzies after reading our sweet story and a picture of the peach love pie I baked for Anders the night we got engaged. Drew helped me out with the beautiful picture of a ring on the pie!
And - because I know everyone loves seeing the real ring I will leave you with a final picture of it. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice - it is just so breathtaking and spectacular in person. Did I mention what good taste he has?
.JPG)
We love you all!
And then called all of the grandmas!
We went for a walk around KU with the family and just spent the whole day celebrating!
November 28, 2009 was easily the happiest most important day of my life to date. It is hard to put into words how incredibly lucky and blessed I feel. Those of you who know Anders know instantly what a loving, generous, smart and driven man he is. I think I always hoped I would meet someone like him - but he is honestly so much more then I even could have imagined. He inspires me daily and is going to be an amazing partner, husband, father, and friend. I am truly overwhelmed with all that I have to be thankful for this year.
And did I mention how adorable and handsome he is?.JPG)
Thank you all for the congratulations, well wishes and love we have received as the good news has spread. It means more then you will ever know.
So I will leave you hopefully with a few warm fuzzies after reading our sweet story and a picture of the peach love pie I baked for Anders the night we got engaged. Drew helped me out with the beautiful picture of a ring on the pie!
And - because I know everyone loves seeing the real ring I will leave you with a final picture of it. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice - it is just so breathtaking and spectacular in person. Did I mention what good taste he has?
.JPG)
We love you all! Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Excited!
I cannot believe a month ago I was landing in Capetown. It feels like it was yesterday! I am going to take a very brief time out from South African blogging. I promise posts are coming and I will do my best to be productive over Thanksgiving. We dont need this epic journey to drag on and on.
Instead this will be a quick and very exciting update. Anders successfully closed on the house! After months and months of waiting we are finally here! I think we are both so excited to finally get to start our life together and to move into this beautiful new home. Unfortunately Anders work schedule has been a bit hectic during the past few weeks. You know - 7 days a week 8am to midnight or later - typical lawyer madness!
With Anders swamped at work I have taken the charge on the paint, prep and move to do list. I started with the grimy and dark laundry room first. It was a gross job - lots of navigating bug parts while painting many nooks and crannies. However it looks beautiful now! I'm excited to do the final touch ups and reveal it to the world! We also picked a lot rich paint colors for the rest of the house. That job is much bigger so I have been getting estimates from contractors and I hired a painter today. I am so lucky to have picked up construction lingo from my days working at Scott Thomas Construction and to have a father who can create a complete bid scope at the drop of the hat. I had plenty of good coaching on how to whip these contractors into shape. It will all get painted next week, so look forward to a future post with beautiful (hopefully) before and after pictures.
Beyond that I am so excited for Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday by far - I love the opportunity to reflect on those things that I am thankful for and to eat really amazing food. What could be better?!? It will be particularly special this year because Anders is coming to Kansas to spend the holiday with the WTs. I imagine it is hard to spend your first big holiday away from your own family and I am so thankful that he is really excited about flying halfway across the country to be with mine. Have I mentioned how amazing he is?
Anyway - in my lead up to Thanksgiving excitement all I can think about is eating. I thought I would share a favorite website of mine. Its a visual food buffet and filled with lots of seasonal recipes and beautiful photography!
http://www.tastespotting.com/
This week I had my staff share their favorite dish from Thanksgiving dinner. It was so interesting to hear the wide variety and unusual items that different families include - from a layered squash, cheddar, tomato dish to classic Greek food to a deviled egg/cream of mushroom casserole (yikes)! Personally I really like the classics. My moms stuffing, really great mashed potatoes, and as many varieties of cranberry sauce as possible. For desert I enjoy ALL types of pie - but my Grandma Barbs chocolate pie is certainly a Thanksgiving classic. And it would not be a complete meal without Pillsbury crescent rolls carefully constructed by DrewBear.
So world - what dish are you looking forward to?
Instead this will be a quick and very exciting update. Anders successfully closed on the house! After months and months of waiting we are finally here! I think we are both so excited to finally get to start our life together and to move into this beautiful new home. Unfortunately Anders work schedule has been a bit hectic during the past few weeks. You know - 7 days a week 8am to midnight or later - typical lawyer madness!
With Anders swamped at work I have taken the charge on the paint, prep and move to do list. I started with the grimy and dark laundry room first. It was a gross job - lots of navigating bug parts while painting many nooks and crannies. However it looks beautiful now! I'm excited to do the final touch ups and reveal it to the world! We also picked a lot rich paint colors for the rest of the house. That job is much bigger so I have been getting estimates from contractors and I hired a painter today. I am so lucky to have picked up construction lingo from my days working at Scott Thomas Construction and to have a father who can create a complete bid scope at the drop of the hat. I had plenty of good coaching on how to whip these contractors into shape. It will all get painted next week, so look forward to a future post with beautiful (hopefully) before and after pictures.
Beyond that I am so excited for Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday by far - I love the opportunity to reflect on those things that I am thankful for and to eat really amazing food. What could be better?!? It will be particularly special this year because Anders is coming to Kansas to spend the holiday with the WTs. I imagine it is hard to spend your first big holiday away from your own family and I am so thankful that he is really excited about flying halfway across the country to be with mine. Have I mentioned how amazing he is?
Anyway - in my lead up to Thanksgiving excitement all I can think about is eating. I thought I would share a favorite website of mine. Its a visual food buffet and filled with lots of seasonal recipes and beautiful photography!
http://www.tastespotting.com/
This week I had my staff share their favorite dish from Thanksgiving dinner. It was so interesting to hear the wide variety and unusual items that different families include - from a layered squash, cheddar, tomato dish to classic Greek food to a deviled egg/cream of mushroom casserole (yikes)! Personally I really like the classics. My moms stuffing, really great mashed potatoes, and as many varieties of cranberry sauce as possible. For desert I enjoy ALL types of pie - but my Grandma Barbs chocolate pie is certainly a Thanksgiving classic. And it would not be a complete meal without Pillsbury crescent rolls carefully constructed by DrewBear.
So world - what dish are you looking forward to?
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