A Homemade Thanksgiving

I was beyond excited for Thanksgiving to arrive! I love the holidays! My family is...everything. Truly, I have so much to be thankful for. God blessed me so much when he made me a Nelson! :)

Delicious pie...

I began cooking on Wednesday, so I baked my very first pumpkin pie, which was an apple butter pumpkin pie. It turned out beautifully! Not to mention, it was delicious, as well! I decided to make cinnamon pecans at the last minute to top it off, along with the maple whipped cream. It was perfect! On Wednesday, I also made cranberry relish and gravy. Since I was doing a maple glaze on the turkey, I didn't want to use the drippings to make gravy, in fear that they'd make the gravy sweet. Instead, I just used stock and froze the gravy overnight. My mom thought we should make ribbon Jell-o, too, and since that's kind of a process, I thought it'd be a good idea to make this a day ahead of time, so I made this on Wednesday, too. Also, I cheated and bought Pillsbury sugar cookies because they had turkeys on them. I just thought they were too cute! I mixed up the spice rub for the turkey and put it on and cured it over night.

How cute is he?!

Pots bubbling and boiling away...

On Thursday, I put the turkey on an hour and a half before I was expecting my brother and his girlfriend. I basted it with the maple-butter glaze several times throughout. Then, I made onion and sage dressing with raisins, apples and celery. Also, I made all the sides I had planned, re-heated the gravy and just waited until the time on the turkey was up. I checked the bird with a meat thermometer and when it reached 170-degrees, I brought it in for my mom to carve. It was AMAZING! I don't think I've ever had turkey so juicy! But, I think that was more the recipe-creator's doing than my own. Steven Raichlen knows what he's doing. He's the grill master.

The feast!

I was really proud of myself for pulling all of this off (everything was completely from scratch...well, with the exception of the Pillsbury cookies). It was all worth it, because everything tasted really good and it was so nice to spend quality time with my family. And I enjoy cooking, anyway, so it's not like it was a hassle in the least for me to do something like this.

Now...I look forward to Christmas dinner! What shall I make? Hmm...

Moody Blues

I haven't been in the mood to write in awhile. I haven't really felt like myself...just been in a really weird mood. I miss my friends. I mean, my close friends...Karina, Mark, etc.

I have decided to hold-off on graduate school, at least for now. I just don't think I have it in me to tackle that right now. I just want to get certified in medical transcription and coding and get a job and get out of here. I feel like I'm not living my life right now...which is kind of an odd feeling. I want something of my own.

I've been looking for a personal trainer, and I think I've found one. I just don't know what the hell I'm doing when it comes to exercising, weight training, especially. I mean, I've looked information up online and everything, but I don't know what is going to be the most beneficial for me and my ankle situation and what is going to give me the best workout possible. I know you should weight train and do a cardio regimen together because you'll burn 300-500 more calories an hour, but I don't want to do more harm than good if I don't have the right form or something. I also want to incorporate hydrotherapy, which I did while I was doing physical therapy during undergrad.

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! I've been looking forward to it, but it has seemed so far away for so long, and now...it's nearly here! What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Holiday Cheer

I feel like the holiday bug has bitten everyone early this year! I don't know if it's the American mentality of "go-go-go" or what, but it just seems like everyone is highly anticipating the holiday season. I know that I, for one, am no exception.

I have decided to take the reins on Thanksgiving this year. I couldn't be more excited, truth be told. I'm going to keep it traditional, but of course, put my little twist on things. Thus far, the menu reads as follows:

Maple-Smoked Turkey Breast

(it incorporates an awesome rub that utilizes maple sugar)

Apple, Onion & Sage Dressing

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Corn

Cranberry Relish

(no canned, congealed logs of crimson here!)

French Bread Dinner Rolls

Pecan Pie

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

I'm going to make everything from scratch (or, as much as possibly so) and from locally sourced ingredients when available. 

I can't believe it's November already! I have begun Christmas shopping, too! It all has crept-up so fast! What are your holiday plans?