Thanksgiving Weekend

So I had to improvise a little with my Thanksgiving dinner, but it was a success! The Turkey ended up on the grill because I didn't want to crowd the oven and it's always such a pain to baste in there. Well it turned out so good and that is how we'll be cooking it from now on! It was so juicy and cooked perfectly. Everything else was really good as well. We just finished the leftovers last night! The rest of the holiday weekend was pretty low-key. We did a little holiday shopping and on Sunday my parents came for a visit (they live about 90min away) and we went to a place called Johnson's Farm that we love to go to. My son got to see Santa. We saw a reindeer and alpacas. And went on a horse-drawn carriage ride. It was so much fun!

After walking around the farm we took them to this delicious Italian resteraunt that we love that is right down the street. I got this fantastic soup that was so so good I had to try to hunt down a recipe for it. It was a Stuffed Pepper Soup and it was delicious!!! I make stuffed peppers occasionally, so it should be pretty straightforward, but here is the recipe I found...

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground sirloin

* 1 green bell pepper, chopped

* 1 cup finely diced onion

* 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes

* 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

* 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

* 1/4 teaspoon dried sage

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1 cup white rice

Directions

1. In a large stock pot brown ground meat. Drain fat and add pepper and onion. Cook until onion is translucent, not letting them brown.

2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, thyme, sage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until peppers are tender.

3. In another saucepan boil 2 cups water, and add rice. Cook until rice is tender and then add to soup. Heat soup through and serve.

I'm going to make it either tonight or tomorrow night for dinner. I can't wait! Yum!!! So what did you all do for your holiday weekend? I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Holiday Cards - How do I choose?!

I've been trying to get a jump on getting my holiday cards together and the one thing stopping me from ordering them is choosing which design to go with! They are all so beautiful!!! This year I'll be going through Shutterfly. All of the designs are just irresistible. They have a huge selection of gorgeous holiday cards as well as holiday-themed invitations if you are planning a party. Here are some of my fav's so far...

Merry Blossom Christmas Card

Stamped and Sealed Christmas Card

Scrapbook Style Blue Christmas Card

For anyone that doesn't celebrate Christmas or doesn't want to designate a specific Holiday on their cards, this is a great option with 2 photo's!

Family Wall Blue Christmas Card

Here is another great option with multiple photo's!

I could seriously be here all day posting cards, lol. There are that many to choose, each more lovely than the next. I have no idea how I'm going to choose!!! Are you sending holiday cards this year? If you were to place an order through Shutterfly, which design would you choose? Ps - with your free account you get free photo storage, photo's uploaded at full resolution and also a personalized website. There is also a Holiday Sale going on right now with free shipping on orders of $25+ (use code SHIP25). Enjoy!!!

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I have had thanksgiving meals on the brain. I do a small TG dinner every year and aside from Christmas, it's my favorite holiday. I love to cook and entertain, so I just really love it. It's like the start of the holiday season when I fall into all of the nostalgia and just have that "warm & fuzzy" feeling all the way through to the start of a new year. I was sick with a cold the last few days and thought that some time in bed would be the perfect time to watch some Food Network and to brainstorm to possibly change things up a bit this year. I always do the homemade whipped potatoes, green beans, and some kind of festive dessert. But this year I wanted to do something different with the Turkey. Ina Garten made this gorgeous Roasted Turkey Roulade and I definitely think I might give it a try. Check it out in this video...



The only change I would make is that I would sub out the stuffing for the delicious sausage stuffing I make every year. I actually found the recipe on a package of Jimmy Dean sausage about 8 years ago right before I hosted my very first Thanksgiving in our old condo =) It was so good it's been a mainstay ever since. Here is the recipe for Sausage Spinach Stuffing. I personally prefer mild or sweet sausage, but any kind will work! Do you host Thanksgiving? What is your favorite part of the holiday? I know I can't wait!!