Thanksgiving

Although Thanksgiving has come and gone, I do need to blog about the wonderful time we had in Portland at Dad and Mary’s house. We left the house early on Thanksgiving and drove to Portland. We arrived to a house full of people – Dad and Mary, Tim and Krista (with Jessy, Kami, Bode, and Tim’s sister Lisa), Cory and Dana (with Olivia and Liam), and Jan (Mary’s friend). Several members of Mary’s family came for dinner – I think the last count was at 16 adults. Dinner was fabulous - two turkeys, Judy’s orange rolls (I have to remember to get this recipe!), mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, casseroles, and many yummy pies.

This year I brought GG’s Sweet Potato Soufflé and Cranberry Sauce. Here are the recipes…

Sweet Potato Soufflé (a must for every Thanksgiving dinner)

3 c. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
½ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 eggs
1/3 stick of butter
½ c. milk
1 t. vanilla
Mix and pour into 9X13 pan.

Topping:
1 stick of melted butter
1/3 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
½ c. brown sugar
Combine and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.
Bake for approx. 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Cranberry Sauce (from Sunset magazine)

cooking time: about 15 minutes
prep time: about 5 minutes
makes: 3 ½ cups

6 cups (2 bags) fresh cranberries
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
½ c. orange juice
1 T. lemon juice
1/8 t. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla

In a 2 or 3 quart pan over high heat, bring cranberries, sugars, orange and lemon juices, and cinnamon to simmering. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes.Stir in vanilla; let cool. Serve, or chill air tight up to 1 week.

Highlights of the trip included spending time with family, holding baby Liam for hours, watching the cousins playing together, and shopping with Renee.

Vitamin D

Because the weather looks like this...



I'm taking this....



So far, so good. No signs of rainy weather depression yet!

Halloween Costumes

The pirates...



The baby (almost too old for trick-or-treating) and Super Anna....

Happy Halloween!

We went trick-or-treating in Downtown Winslow this Halloween. Winslow Way was closed down from 4-6 pm for costume clad goblins and their families for an evening of candy, ice cream, hot apple cider, and spooky music from Eagle Harbor Church Tower.

Pumpkins

The girls have been wanting to go to the pumpkin patch since September. We finally went!

The next weekend we went to the annual Pumpkin Walk. The Pumpkin Walk is a fun and festive event hosted by Bainbridge Gardens for two nights every October. Even though the weather was not cooperating, we put on our raincoats and boots and headed out for an evening of fun. The trick is getting there early to find parking and be the first to walk the nature trail full of lighted, carved pumpkins. Next year, we'll carve our own pumpkin to set on the trail.