If I take a global view of life on planet earth this year? There’s a lot to complain about. But looking closer to home … there’s much to be thankful for.
The simple things.
A roof over my head, a cat on my lap, food on my plate and the love of my life to share them with.
Today…
I choose to focus on that.
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As well as the truly yummy Autumn Sangria I make every year to accompany the turkey.
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I’m thankful for that too.
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And yes, I’m also thankful for all of you. The loyal readers and blog friends who continue to make me smile.
Here’s hoping you have a wonderful day full of things to be thankful for.
A girlfriend I hadn’t seen in a long time was having a yard sale so we decided to surprise her and drop in.
Little did I know it would turn into a dangerous visit.
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Dangerous because she was selling her convertible Jaguar.
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No, we didn’t come home with it.
Though for a while there, I thought we might.
We chatted, had a nice visit … and before we knew it the lunch hour had arrived. Not being familiar with her area, we asked for dining recommendations and were pointed to a golf course.
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Open to the public, it had a lovely mountain view…
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And the most redneck, down home clubhouse I’ve ever seen.
This sign was in the ladies room.
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See what I mean?
But yeeha ambience aside, the food was quite tasty.
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Chicken broccoli Alfredo for the hubs, ginger chicken teriyaki stir fry for moi.
Goes to show you can’t judge a kitchen by its tacky rest room decor.
As I mentioned before, we spend Thanksgiving with close friends. So close we’re like family. The homeowner grew up with my husband, and his neighbor is my husband’s ex BIL.
A good time was had by all.
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Great minds think alike and there was twice as much Sangria.
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Though mine emptied more quickly.
😉
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My husband found the dart board before dinner and a close game of sharply pointed projectiles ensued.
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And then we all had to trot out to the garage to check out our friend’s new (old) toy.
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A fully restored 1972 Jeep.
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Later that afternoon it was time to carve the turkey and make the gravy.
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And sit down to feast.
I stopped taking pictures at this point and happily sampled a little bit of everything.
Hope your holiday was full of food and fun as well.
Ladies – do you remember back in the day when your friends hosted those annoying Tupperware or Home Interior parties? I never wanted any of those products but my girlfriends would beg me to come to boost their attendance numbers. I hated the silly games and the forced sisterhood of wives who had nothing better to do than discuss the merits of the new and approved bowls that burped…. but I went, because I’m a good friend.
When those home party invitations started to wane and then disappeared completely? I was thrilled.
When the Covid pandemic introduced everyone to Zoom and my friends discovered the joy of hosting a party virtually? I was much less thrilled.
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Yes, that’s an invite to a friend’s virtual, high pressure, please log on and buy something so I can reach my sales goal and receive the free gift I never would have bought for myself anyway, party.
To make her happy I accepted the invite and logged on at the appropriate time. I virtually waved hello to the sales rep of the company I’d never heard of and boosted her attendance numbers. About to slip out the digital back door unnoticed, I figured what the hell… I might as well check out what they were selling.
And may I just say? Wow.
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Onyx nipple clamps and an Over the Moon vibrator?
I have to be honest… it almost made me miss the bowls that burped.
We’ve all said “Oh, you really shouldn’t have” when someone does something nice for us or gives us a gift. It’s an automatic response, though what we really meant to say is …I wasn’t expecting this. But thanks, I’m glad you did!
But when a friend of mine gave me a gift the other day? Out of nowhere, for no reason, just because? It was a lovely gesture and of course… I said, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
For the first time in two years we’re venturing out of our Thanksgiving Covid bubble and spending the holiday with friends as was our tradition. It will be a small gathering with a large amount of love.
And food. As well as drink.
In that spirit… I went shopping yesterday for the ingredients to whip up my contributions to the feast. To say I had sticker shock is a gross understatement, and while I’ve been cringing at the checkout counter for a while now, this trip was solely to make three things which made the cost positively ridiculous.
Harvest sangria –
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And mind you, I already had the vodka.
Crabmeat toasties –
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Already had the mayo.
And a cappuccino mousse trifle.
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Already had the milk.
To assemble a drink, an appetizer and a dessert in 2022 without the items I already had at home?
$211.76.
Granted the fresh crabmeat is an indulgence at … are you ready? … $40 a pound. In Maine! Two pounds are pictured, which a few years ago cost me roughly half that. And sure, I could have brought cheese and crackers but everyone loves these and looks forward to them. Probably because they’re too cheap to ever make it themselves, but still.
On the flip side of my extravagance, I have a frugal girlfriend. Every year she challenges herself to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for six people for under $30. She’s so proud of her ability to do this she lists her purchases on her Facebook page if anyone wants to follow her lead.
I thought this year, with its astronomically high food prices, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
I was wrong. And I’m including her post because she just impresses the Hell out of me.
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I’ve been asked by so many people if I was going to do a Thanksgiving on a shoestring post this year. Well, I did it. I’ll give a shopping list with prices, menu, and break down how I did it. Turkey $6.14 (.47 #) 13# bird 1 1/2 # sweet potato .56 2# sweet onions .87 Celery $1.50 1# carrots .50 2.5# potatoes $1.00 Squash $1.00 Turnip $1.00 Fresh herbs $1.99 Graham crackers $1.25 1 large banana .40 1# flour .75 2 cups sugar $1.00 Canned whipped cream $2.50 1qt. milk $2.19 Butter $3.99 Vanilla pudding $1.49 Cranberries $1.00 Stuffing $2.49 Grand total $31.62
Thanksgiving menu Roast turkey with stuffing Mashed potatoes Squash Roasted Root Vegetables Homemade cranberry sauce Homemade gravy Chai pie Banana cream pie Biscuits
This was probably the most challenging budget Thanksgiving Dinner. My goal was to keep it at or below $30.00. I could have done it if I went with with cheaper options, like margarine, instead of butter, but I refuse to skimp on quality. Another option was to get a loaf of bread for 1.29, at the off price bread store for stuffing, but $1.00 savings in the meal didn’t make sense when it cost more in gas to go get it. A lot of things, like potatoes, flour, and sugar I buy in bulk, but I used store prices for those items. By making things from scratch, like pie crust, biscuits, and cranberry sauce, you can save a lot of money. I got canned whipped cream, because whipping cream was sold out. The price is about the same. My menu is looking a little different this year as well. I talked to those who were coming for dinner, and we decided on two pies that we all liked. There’s no sense in baking a bunch of pies that aren’t going to be eaten. Six different side dishes aren’t necessary, so we decided what our favorites were. We grew our own Squash, turnip, and herbs, but I priced them for the dinner cost. This list can be tweaked to your personal liking. I didn’t include beverages, because we already have that stuff on hand. In the end, Thanksgiving dinner for 6 breaks down to $5.27 per person. That is, until I turn leftovers into more meals 😉………Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope this had helped 🙂
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Proof positive it is possible.
That’s also proof I’ll never do it myself, but hey… to each their own.
So however you celebrate Thanksgiving , or even if you don’t… I hope your day is filled with food, friends, family and fun.
River's world..... 