November has finally brought the rains back to the Northwest. Sandals have been replaced with boots, umbrellas are out in force, and water logged leaves make pathways slippery on my walks through the woods.

Here in the forest, it rains twice. Once when the sky lets loose, and a second time while drenched trees shake themselves in the wind like dogs after a bath.

And I sit dry and cozy in my cabin under the Redwood tree, making quick dashes back and forth to our cozy cottage where Phil builds a crackling fire every morning.

 

Firwood Cottage is just a simple place, but it’s become my favorite home, ever.

It is a place of rest and refuge, a place that makes room for talking and listening, for living life and loving each other.

This week, nine of the 15 of us will share a Thanksgiving feast around the table we’ll set up in the tiny living room.

We’ll laugh and relax and we’ll give thanks for these rich and full lives given to us by God.

 

My friend, Jodi Stilp took a few photos of Firwood Cottage in the fall so you can catch a glimpse of this place we call home.

 

And this little pup of Matt and Simona's will be right in the middle of all our Thanksgiving fun.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with an awareness of His riches,

Diane

(source)

THANKSGIVING MENU WEEK THREE:

I have been feeling a little uninspired this week.

Not sure what to cook.

Not sure what to write about.

I’ve tried everything I could think of to make a stuffing recipe sound interesting and worth reading about…

I still can’t think of a single thing to say.

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about giving thanks and yet we focus way more on the food then anything else… but is that really so bad?

Taking the time to write up some new recipes for this Thanksgiving series (along with some writers block) has really brought to mind the amazing people in my life who enjoy these dishes every year. It has made me realize how thankful I truly am for them and has made me want to serve them and show them my gratitude though food.

This year, why don’t we think through every dish that goes into the meal and make each dish with a purpose? 

Not just because your grandma made it.

Not just because your mom made it.

Think outside the box and plan your menu with the purpose to delight every member of your family. Even the pickiest of eaters (insert my son’s name here).

When you spend hours in the kitchen and have endless dishes to wash, pray for them and serve them in that moment.

You just might feel inspired and filled with joy in the process.

I’m off to add “clean noodles” (noodles with butter and salt) to my menu for my dearest little Duke.

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

SIMPLE STUFFING

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 celery stocks - chopped
• 1 carrot - peeled and chopped
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 leek - ends trimmed and chopped
• 2 chicken sausage or veggie sausages

*I recommend the ground chicken sausage from Whole Foods or New Seasons in the meat department or the Trader Joe’s Italian Veggie  Sausage

• 2 T fresh sage
• 1 T fresh rosemary
• 2 T fresh basil
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• ¼  tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 3 T earth balance butter or regular butter
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 loaf sprouted grain bread – I used Dave’s Killer Bread: Sprouted Wheat

TO MAKE:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the whole loaf of bread into cubes and place on two making sheets. Bake for about 20min, stirring a few times. They should dry out and get a little crispy.

While the bread cubes are baking, melt butter in a large pot and add celery, carrots, leeks, and onions.

Cook for a few minutes until everything begins to soften

Then crumble the sausage into the pan and stir. Then add sage, rosemary, basil, garlic and cook until sausage begins to brown.

Add vegetable broth and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Remove the bread cubes from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl. Pour the broth mixture over the bread cubes and stir well.

Transfer the mixture to a 9x11 baking pan and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes.

ENJOY!

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SIMPLE STUFFING

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 celery stocks - chopped
• 1 carrot - peeled and chopped
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 leek - ends trimmed and chopped
• 2 chicken sausage or veggie sausages

*I recommend the ground chicken sausage from Whole Foods or New Seasons in the meat department or the Trader Joe’s Italian Veggie  Sausage

• 2 T fresh sage
• 1 T fresh rosemary
• 2 T fresh basil
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• ¼  tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 3 T earth balance butter or regular butter
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 loaf sprouted grain bread – I used Dave’s Killer Bread: Sprouted Wheat

TO MAKE:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the whole loaf of bread into cubes and place on two making sheets. Bake for about 20min, stirring a few times. They should dry out and get a little crispy.

While the bread cubes are baking, melt butter in a large pot and add celery, carrots, leeks, and onions.

Cook for a few minutes until everything begins to soften

Then crumble the sausage into the pan and stir. Then add sage, rosemary, basil, garlic and cook until sausage begins to brown.

Add vegetable broth and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Remove the bread cubes from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl. Pour the broth mixture over the bread cubes and stir well.

Transfer the mixture to a 9x11 baking pan and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes.

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THANKSGIVING MENU WEEK ONE: There is kind of a Thanksgiving code… a way most of us do Thanksgiving.

Eat whatever you want.

Eat as much as you want.

Take a nap.

Eat dessert.

We all know that we Americans go a little (or a lot) overboard when it comes to our food intake on this glorious holiday.

In fact, we even have articles and websites devoted to “stretching your stomach to accommodate more food” and “how to overcome the post-meal bloat”.

I am all for enjoying amazing food and eating to your hearts content on Thanksgiving day… but how many of us love the leftovers even more than the meal itself?

If you are anything like my family, the Thanksgiving meal is enjoyed for several consecutive days!

So, you do the math. If we make a bunch of not-so-great for you dishes for Thanksgiving, we will most likely be filling our bodies with those ingredients for several days to follow… not just one meal.

What if we could indulge in delicious food on Thanksgiving and use real and fresh ingredients that will fuel your body of the days to come instead of inducing a weeklong food coma?

I’m not talking about eating Tofurky and boiled carrots. I’m talking about mouthwatering, delicious, flavor-packed and nutrient rich foods.

For the next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I will be sharing some recipes I’ve been working on for our Thanksgiving meal this year as well as some favorites from years past and from some of my favorite food blogs.

I’d love to hear what you have planned as well! Feel free to ask questions and share ideas with all of us!

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

PS: at the bottom of this post you will also find my mom's recipe she uses every year to brine her turkey. It is the best turkey there is!

BALSAMIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS + MAPLE SAGE CASHEWS

Serves 10-12

MAPLE SAGE CASHEWS:

INGREDIENTS:

¼ C maple syrup

1 T earth balance butter (or real butter)

2 tsp finely chopped sage (lightly packed)

½ t sea salt

1/8 t cayenne pepper (more if you want a little more kick)

1 ¼ C raw cashews

TO MAKE:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small saucepan, heat syrup and butter on low until the butter is melted. Add chopped sage, sea salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well.

Remove from heat and stir in cashews. Coat evenly.

*there will be a little bit of excess liquid but it will absorb into the cashews when baked.

Spread cashew mixture over parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Stirring is important so they don’t burn!

Let them cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.

*you may have to break them apart a little if they stick together after they cool.

BALSAMIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS:

INGREDIENTS:

8 C fresh or frozen green beans (about two pounds)

1 T olive oil

3 T  balsamic vinegar

1 T maple syrup

1 T minced garlic

3/4 t sea salt

1/3 C dried cranberries

TO MAKE:

Preheat oven to 400F

Stir together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and salt.

Cover two baking sheets with foil and spread the green beans each sheet evenly.

*I used the organic frozen green beans from Costco but I would try fresh green beans next time for a crisper texture. Either one works great though!

Drizzle the balsamic mixture over each baking tray and stir well until the beans are evenly coated.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the green beans get a little brown.

TO SERVE:

Spread green beans on a large plate or tray and sprinkle the maple sage cashews and dried cranberries over the top.

ENJOY!

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BALSAMIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS + MAPLE SAGE CASHEWS

Serves 8 - 10

MAPLE SAGE CASHEWS:

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ C maple syrup
• 1 T earth balance butter (or real butter)
• 2 tsp finely chopped sage (lightly packed)
• ½ t sea salt
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper (more if you want a little more kick)
• 1 ¼ C raw cashews

TO MAKE:

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• In a small saucepan, heat syrup and butter on low until the butter is melted. Add chopped sage, sea salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well.
• Remove from heat and stir in cashews. Coat evenly.
• *there will be a little bit of excess liquid but it will absorb into the cashews when baked.
• Spread cashew mixture over parchment paper on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Stirring is important so they don’t burn!
• Let them cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.
• *you may have to break them apart a little if they stick together after they cool.

BALSAMIC ROASTED GREEN BEANS:

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 C fresh or frozen green beans (about two pounds
• 1 T olive oil
• 3 T C balsamic vinegar
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1 T minced garlic
• 3/4 t sea salt
• 1/3 C dried cranberries

TO MAKE:

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Stir together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and salt.
• Cover two baking sheets with foil and spread the green beans each sheet evenly.
• *I used the organic frozen green beans but I would try fresh green beans next time for a crisper texture. Either one works great though!
• Drizzle the balsamic mixture over each baking tray and stir well until the beans are evenly coated.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the green beans get a little brown.

TO SERVE:

Spread green beans on a large plate or tray and sprinkle the maple sage cashews and dried cranberries over the top.

ENJOY!

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DIANE'S TURKEY BRINE:

• 16 quarts water
• 1 ½ c kosher salt
• 1 ½ c pure maple syrup
• 4 T black peppercorns
• 16 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced

To prepare the brine, combine all ingredients in a large stockpot, stirring until the salt dissolves.

To prepare the turkey, remove giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry, trim excess fat.

To brine the turkey, I place it in a plastic garbage sack, which I then put in a large ice chest. Then I carefully pour the brine over the turkey until it is well covered. Tie it up tight and the leakage is minimal. Surround the bag with ice and close it up.

If you have a large enough pot, it would be easier to put the whole thing in the fridge to brine. But who has a pot big enough for a 24-pound turkey?

Allow at least 24 hours for the turkey to soak in the brine.

On Thanksgiving morning, remove the turkey from the brine; pat dry. Starting at the neck cavity, loosen the skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub thyme mixture under loosened skin, sprinkle inside body cavity.

At this point, I put some of my sausage stuffing into the cavities of the turkey. The stuffing will be somewhat sweet. Do not over fill the cavity. I put the rest of my stuffing into the crock-pot and add plenty of broth so it doesn’t dry out.

Roast the turkey as per directions on the wrapping. After about an hour, start to baste it with the cola/syrup mixture every so often.

I love to use the drippings to make gravy with- but its sweet, so I also usually buy good gravy at Trader Joe’s for those who prefer a more traditional gravy on their turkey and mashed potatoes.

That’s it! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

SPICE RUB:

• 4 T minced fresh thyme
• 2 T dried rubbed sage
• 2 T poultry seasoning
• 1 t black pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 onions, quartered (I use red onions mostly because they turn a burgundy color)

COLA SYRUP

• 2 C cola (not sugar free! I use the stuff from Trader Joe’s, as it’s not so full of unpronounceable additives)
• 1 C pure maple syrup

Boil cola and syrup in a small saucepan for one minute or so until it thickens up a bit.

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