THANKSGIVING AT WOODLOFT

THANKSGIVING AT WOODLOFT

Sweet Potato Orange Cups

Holidays still excite me. Anticipation of getting together with loved ones motivates me to hit the kitchen. Each year I like to experiment with new recipes along with my favorite Thanksgiving fare.

My younger son, Cameron arrived last night from Northern Virginia, bringing all the ingredients that I cannot find here in Roanoke. It’s exciting to see him come through the door with all the Trader Joe goodies.

Trader Joe goodies

Most of the family went for the annual Drumstick Dash, held in downtown Roanoke. This year there were over 7,000 people running. Proceeds from the run go to The Rescue Mission.

Here is our gang

My four children, Cam, Kirsten, Charlie and Kelli

My bread is rising. I’m making my standard Gruyere Herb Bread along with a new (to me) recipe for Finnish Cardamon Bread. I found the recipe in my mom’s recipe file. In our area of the country, Northeastern Ohio, Eastern Europeans settled and brought with them a wealth of fantastic recipes. What some people would consider specialties, we knew to be standard fare. I learned how to make Halupki and Kolache, when I was a child of ten years old. This particular Finnish bread makes 9 large loaves. It smells wonderful as it is rising. I wonder what it will taste like.

Finnish Cardamon and Gruyere Herb Bread rising

Somehow my gravy turned out better this year than usual. I don’t think I added anything different. The standard ingredients I use are turkey broth, carrots, onions, celery, turkey neck, salt and pepper and turkey drippings.

Turkey gravy

I’m making the orange, cranberry relish from a recipe my friend, Cheryl Harvey, gave me.

Cranberry Orange Relish

We are having our celebration at my youngest daughter, Kirsten’s house this year. Everyone will be bringing the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner. Each and every one of our family will contribute their very best.

I am thankful this year for many things. Last year during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday, my oldest daughter, Kelli, underwent a stem cell transplant for cancer. She has Multiple Myeloma. We spent the better part of four months in Richmond while she went through what now seems to me to be a miraculous treatment. I am thankful that she is a survivor. Sometimes we have sadness that enters our lives but in the midst of it all, there is also much good that comes our way. I will be discussing Kelli’s story in length in a future blogpost. This subject may be difficult for some to read and I certainly don’t blame you if you want to tune out for my cancer series. I am hoping to enlighten and inform with my post.

Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!