Ahhh…nothing quite like the holiday afterglow.
The past week has been an absolute whirlwind. All of the photos in this post are courtesy of my phone…so bear with me, I think it’s been dropped 100 too many times.
The dogs are basking in the afterglow as well.
I threw caution to to the wind this year and decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Perk #10,452 of being an adult. I also got a head start on wrapping gifts. I am on the ball!
This is our Woodland themed tree in the family room. This year we’ll have two trees…but more about that in a bit.
Romeo had surgery last week to remove a tumor from his cheek. We were so thankful to find out that it was benign.
I would have to say that Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday meal.
An organic turkey from Organic Prairie, pricey but worth every penny. Lots of dairy free butter, sea salt, and Bragg’s Organic Sprinkle
There are few things better than stuffing, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy. Are you pro giblet or anti giblet?
Neck and “parts” simmering in bone broth while the turkey roasts.
I admit though, the Thanksgiving meal is my least favorite to prepare. I honestly have no idea how my grandma cooked for so many people for most of my life. Definitely a labor of love. I cooked for 4 people. Only four. By the end of dinner the kitchen looked like I cooked for an army.
Toasted stuffing cubes made with gluten free Udi’s bread, olive oil, poultry seasoning, garlic, and sea salt.
Organic bacon. Because bacon is the star of the stuffing.
Brown the bacon first. Remove, and then fry the onion and celery in the bacon fat. Add back in the bacon. Add to the toasted bread, a generous dollop of dairy free butter, organic broth…and you have an amazing gluten free and dairy free stuffing.
Fresh organic cranberries, orange juice, orange rind, coconut sugar, and a pinch of ground cloves.
It took two days of preparation and cooking, about 45 minutes of eating, and two hours of clean up. Clean up is the point where I think every person who hosts Thanksgiving wishes they had hired kitchen help. Imagine if you had someone there for those two days of prep who did nothing but clean and do dishes. Heavenly!
Organic sweet potatoes or yams…depending on where you’re from. Peel, slice, pour a generous amount of melted dairy free butter over them, add pure maple syrup, sea salt, and a generous sprinkle of coconut sugar. Let rest over night. Then bake with the turkey until they are soft and candied.
This is Brittany Angel’s Club Angel paleo Coconut Flour Pie crust dough. You’ll need to join the club ($14.99) to get the recipe. But believe me, she has amazing recipes and it’s worth every penny! She also has all kinds of free recipes on her website that are worth a look see.
Rolled out like “real” pie dough crust and was very easy to handle.
I experimented with my pumpkin pie this year. It’s a basic pumpkin pie recipe but I used half hemp milk and half heavy coconut milk and sweetened it with coconut sugar. It turned out very well, but next time I will add an extra egg and possibly just do all coconut milk. I would also add coconut sugar to the crust.
Topped with whipped full fat coconut milk, organic powdered sugar, and pure vanilla extract.
Sliced organic granny smith apples and wild huckleberries.
Apples, huckleberries, lemon juice, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Gluten free organic oats, coconut sugar, sea salt, dairy free butter, and diced walnuts.
All in all, Thanksgiving turned out very well.
And of course, the absolute best part was being back in our home town and being able to celebrate and visit with family. And for that, we will be forever thankful.
On Friday we managed to drag ourselves out of bed, hit Starbuck’s and take the dogs for a walk.
Still so thankful for the wide open spaces here at home.
New Hampshire has a dense forested beauty all its own, but boy did we miss the mountains and pine trees of Washington.
Nothing quite like your fur babies peering over the edge of a cliff to wake you from your turkey fog.
Yesterday we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to head to Camden Ranch and cut tree number two.
Perk #10,453 of being an adult…you can have as many Christmas trees as you want. Cutting our tree at Camden Ranch was our tradition for many years until we moved to New Hampshire for the past two years. It’s hard to believe that last year we were 3,000 miles from here cutting our Christmas tree in Maine!
Tree #1 is 7.5 feet tall and this tree that Tony is cutting for tree #2 is 11 feet tall!
Their property is huge and there are thousands of trees to choose from. Different types and sizes.
You cut your own tree with saws provided, bring it down to the road…sometimes not an easy feat when you’re carrying an 11 foot tree! Then they tag it, give you a receipt and haul it down to the barn to shake it, bale it, and load it into your vehicle for you.
They also give you a ride to and from the cutting area if you don’t want to walk. There are bonfires at each end to keep you warm.
Tony having a cup of their complimentary hot cider.
They have a very nice holiday gift shop with all kinds of decorative and edible fun things.
This gal is working on a fresh wreath for our front door. This is in the entrance of the gift shop and smells absolutely amazing. They were very sweet and helpful with advice on which wreath would look the best with the color of our front door.
Right here in their gorgeous “barn” where they also host all kinds of events like weddings and parties, is where they shake the loose needles out of the trees with a machine and then bale the trees.
I would say this tree will definitely be a focal point…ha They always end up being so much bigger when you get them in the house.
I may regret having two trees when it comes time to put everything away, but for now, they’re gorgeous and add so much Christmas spirit to the house.
This is what 1,950 lights looks like.
After getting the tree arranged and the lights on last night we decided we’d made it to the end of our energy and would finish decorating it today.
I made a quick meal to tide us over until morning and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing in front of the fire watching movies.
Chebe Foccacia Mix, vegan pesto, organic tomato paste, Diaya cheddar, goat mozzarella, and goat parmesan.
And finally, some rest and relaxation. Romeo has made it clear he doesn’t want me getting up and going anywhere.
Lastly, one of the many things I’m thankful for is you! I am thankful you enjoy the blog and are always so kind and supportive!
Hope you have a restful, wonderful, week ahead that is full of blessings and endless reasons to give thanks.
