Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Week Traditions

November 28, 2011 by Marci Leave a Comment

Hello! Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving break. We were in San Antonio with my side of the family for my favorite holiday of the year, then back here on Friday for the weekend in Houston. Here are a few pictures of our weekend.

Above, every Thanksgiving on the Wednesday night, we go to our aunt’s house for Rudy’s BBQ and cookie decorating. It is a fun family tradition and so much fun. Messy and fun, and the cookies are just for decoration–no one actually eats them. That picture is me, my sister, and two cousins– Shannon and Lindsey.

Below–one of my cookies–a decorated turkey.

This is Molly, one of my grandparents’ labradoodles. She is very sweet and is always nice to me when I visit her.

And this is Cowboy and Molly. Both Labradoodles but with different looks, and now siblings. They are both very sweet dogs.

And this is our little family photo. Lily was so photogenic this trip. I think she understands the camera.

This may be Lily’s best picture.

Another Thanksgiving tradition–the cousins picture on the curb. It started around 1988 with just three cousins, and now there are 9 plus Jeffrey! Next time we’ll be starting over with #1 great grandchild!

Our pretty Thanksgiving table with a centerpiece for the Longhorns too. They won! And now that tradition of UT vs. A&M on Thanksgiving Day is over. Everyone was very happy for a Longhorn and Cowboys win on Turkey Day!

Lily likes sitting under tables because she doesn’t have to worry about being stepped on or tripped over. And maybe she’ll get some crumbs.

My food contribution were the marshmallows we made a few weeks ago. We made them again the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, then cut them on Wednesday morning. This time, we added about 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon to the batter at the very end of mixing, and then sprinkled on cinnamon sugar to the top of the batter after we poured it in the dish. It was even better with extra hits of spice and sugar.

Another great picture–my parents, sister, husband and Lily.

That’s it for our Turkey Day. More excitement for the next big holiday–Passover in April with a whole new person at the table!

Filed Under: Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Recipes

November 21, 2011 by Marci Leave a Comment

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving week! I’ve mentioned before that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and I’ve been eating the flavors of the season since October. If you’re looking for easy last-minute recipes for your table, here are a few I’ve posted this year.

For a list of recipes I wrote about last year, see this post.

You’ll notice lots of focus on pumpkin and apple, and even a few veggie dishes.

Enjoy spending time with your families!

Apple Cranberry Sauce

Sausage Apple Stuffing

Homemade Marshmallows

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf

Apple Cake

Squash and Farro Salad

Sweet Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Filed Under: Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Recipes, Thanksgiving

Pumpkin + Ginger

December 19, 2010 by Marci 2 Comments

I love to bake. It is one of my favorite things to do. Baking and “cooking” are different, and I enjoy the flavors and exact-ness of baking more. I actually find it relaxing and stimulating to the mind, especially now that I take pictures of what I bake. Food photography is becoming a fun new hobby, and so fun to think about food by telling a story through photos. I hope these pictures make you want to lick your screen or want to break off a corner of this bread.

Recently, I baked for fun with no one in mind to eat my treat. After two days, I sliced up this loaf and froze it for future breakfasts.

If you aren’t familiar with the food blog site called Oh She Glows, you should bookmark it. Angela is in Canada, and a vegan home bakery owner, and also a beautiful food photographer and chef. I printed this recipe over a month ago, but just now made it. She calls it a Pumpkin Butter Swirl Butternut Pecan Bread, but I made a few modifications, and mine came out more like a Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf.

Here were the changes I made to her original recipe, linked above. All measurements and instructions were the same, but I subbed ingredients for what I had in my kitchen. I always think you should use what you have and not buy too many new things.

How many things can you change before a recipe becomes completely different? I would call my creation a Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf.

I used whole wheat flour, not spelt.
I used one egg, not a flax egg (and therefore unveganized it).
I used canned pumpkin, not butternut squash.
I used canola oil, not melted coconut oil.
I used cloves and maple syrup.
I used orange marmalade instead of pumpkin butter.

Dry ingredients

1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (honey might work)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 egg

To stir in:

3/4 cup Pumpkin Butter
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped and toasted if desired

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a loaf pan with parchment and then lightly grease with oil. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir well until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over mix. You want to stop stirring just when it comes together. Fold in the nuts.

Pour half the batter into the pan and spread out with a spatula. Take half of your pumpkin butter and scoop out onto the middle of the pan (see below). Now grab a spoon and swirl the pumpkin butter all around (see below). Now take the rest of the batter and pour over top. Spread around with spatula to smooth out. Now take the rest of your pumpkin butter and scoop onto top and swirl throughout the batter.

Place the pan into the oven preheated to 350F. Bake for approx. 50-55 minutes. The bread will very slowly bounce back when pressed with your finger. Allow to cool before removing from pan for about 30 mins. Makes enough for 8-10 slices.

Combining dry ingredients together.

Pouring wet into dry.

With parchment paper lining a loaf pan, pour in half the batter. Then a layer of swirled pumpkin butter (I used marmalade).

Then more batter and nuts on top.

This bread was so good. It tasted like fall + winter. Perfect for middle of December when fall turns into winter. It was like a pumpkin pie met a gingerbread man and transformed into this bread loaf. It was soft. It was gooey. It was sweet and savory. It was awesome. Have I convinced you to make this yet?

The jam oozes out the rear of the bread. It hardened throughout once cooled.

I loved the spices in the bread–all things used to make gingerbread, so I had them all on hand from my cookies. I also liked the gooey middle layer that was a little surprise when you bite in and some added tang of orange. The nuts on top gave it a nice crunch (I added that on top instead of more pumpkin butter), and the whole wheat flour made it rise much more than the original recipe using a denser spelt flour.

I loved this bread and will definitely make it again.

Do you stop using pumpkin once Thanksgiving is over?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Snacks, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Baked goods, Hanukkah/Xmas, Holidays, Thanksgiving, vegetables

Odds and Ends

December 15, 2010 by Marci 4 Comments

I had planned to show off some banana nut muffins on the blog today, but our kitchen had a plumbing issue and I couldn’t bake. How terrible!

So instead, I have two product reviews of pumpkin related foods I’ve tried lately. I’m still on a pumpkin kick.

But first–a foot trick:

For the past month or so, my left heel has been sore. It started before the half marathon and hasn’t let off. It’s not terrible, but it’s noticeable. I googled “foot heel pain” (because Google is smart) and realized that it’s probably plantar fasciitis acting up. That is the reason I wear orthotics in my shoes, and it’s just being cranky. The treatment is to rest, but that’s boring and I’ve been taking it easy with a lot of yoga and not running. It was also recommended to roll my foot on a golf ball or tennis ball. Amazing! I highly recommend you roll your heel, arch, ball, sides, etc. on a golf ball. It made an immediate difference when walking.

Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola

I bought this granola to add to oatmeal or cottage cheese, and it is crunchy and sweet, although I don’t think it tastes much like pumpkin. Granola is usually high in calories and fat, and this was no different. For 3/4 C, it has 260 calories and 10 g fat, 6 g protein, 10 g sugar. It’s not great for you, and not a great addition of nutrients, just good tasting in moderation. I don’t know if I would buy it again besides for the taste because it’s so high in calories and fat. Grade: B-

Stonewall Kitchen Pumpkin Butter

I have been using this pumpkin butter on a variety of things, like toast, apples, muffins, etc. It is low in calories and similar to a jam in nutritional info. The color is a pretty burnt orange, and it also goes great with peanut butter on a sandwich. The stats are for 1 tablespoon: 30 calories and 6 g sugar. So it is a little better than a jam. I recommend it to add a little pumpkin flavor to whatever you’re cooking. Good anytime of the year. Grade: A

Have you tried anything new lately? Share it here!

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Product Reviews, Thanksgiving

It’s Half Marathon Week!

November 28, 2010 by Marci 12 Comments

Welcome back from Thanksgiving. I wrote about our trip to San Antonio here and here. It was nice to spend part of the weekend with my family and part with Jeffrey’s back in Houston. And see friends and shop too!

This week is very busy–there’s another holiday! We have Hanukkah, then we’re driving to Dallas for the Dallas Run the Rock Half Marathon! I can’t believe the week is here, and I hope my legs are rested and ready. I am still exercising but not really running. I know my legs can handle it, I just want to keep them happy. Maybe a short 2 miles, we’ll see. I will do two days of Crossfit like normal, then cross training of elliptical and maybe yoga one day. And nothing on Friday and Saturday.

I haven’t been checking the weather forecast yet. It’s too crazy around here between 40s and back to 70s.

I have a new article in CultureMap about local grocery store Rice Epicurean Markets. Check it out:

Rice Epicurean Markets Succeeds by Staying Small and Thinking Big

Squash with Farro and Dried Cranberries

This year I wanted to make something to bring to our family Thanksgiving. I saw a recipe in Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine using squash and farro and wanted to try my own variation on it. I was intrigued by farro, which is a grain that looks like barley and cooks in about 15 minutes on the stove. I heard it’s hard to find in regular groceries, or expensive if you can find it. But I found a large bag for $8 at Costco. I guess you’ll be seeing a lot of farro if we like it!

This dish makes a lot because squash are so big, and is a beautiful side dish, or would be great on top of a bed of spinach. It also is easy to transport because you can put it in a bowl, refrigerate, transport, and serve in the same bowl.

Mixed Squash with Farro and Dried Cranberries

Ingredients

1 1/2 C farro
1 butternut squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out (save them)
1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out (save them)
3/4 C craisins
Parsley

Instructions:

For squash: In two oven safe baking dishes, place squash cut side down in 1/4 inch water. Bake on 400* for 40 minutes. They should be fork tender when you take them out.

Rinse and drain the squash seeds then place them on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes at 400*. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Remove from oven, place in bowl to cool.

For farro: Rinse farro in strainer with water. Add to pot with 4.5 C water (ratio is 1 part grain to 3 parts water). Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Should have a little bite. Strain and set aside.

To combine: When everything has cooked and cooled, add squash to a large mixing bowl. Add farro, craisins, squash seeds, and parsley. Stir to combine. Add in salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each).

What’s your favorite song to run to?

Filed Under: Half Marathon, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian · Tagged With: culturemap, Half Marathon, Thanksgiving, vegetables

Thanksgiving in San Antonio

November 26, 2010 by Marci 8 Comments

Welcome to San Antonio for Thanksgiving 2010!

Here’s how the day went:

First, the weather was 85 degrees in the morning and I ran 4 (pain free) miles outside with my dad. It was hot and that’s not fun at the end of November! But I was very THANKFUL on this day for no pain. The half marathon is next Sunday!

Then later in the day, the temperature dropped in the 40s and the boots and sweaters went on!

We have Gogo dressed as a pilgrim (sorry for the blur), and Rome in her cute outfit.

Bananas and prunes for Rome. Doggies look on in wonder.

Lindsey and I play with Rome, new Longhorn hat for her.

Rome gets intrigued by Lily, they are about the same size and Lily is so soft.

Girl cousins. We currently live in Houston, Chapel Hill, Austin, and Los Angeles.

Appetizers on the couch. Football on TV.

Table decorations. It says “I am thankful for my sister Reagan.”

We almost had more pie than people. Apple, cherry, lemon, pumpkin, chocolate. Plus cookies, jello, fruit.

For dinner, we had salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, spinach casserole, turkey, meatballs, rolls, squash, mashed potatoes. Maybe something else? Don’t remember!

And butter in the shape of a turkey.

All the girls.

The dogs get turkey too. It was Lily’s first Thanksgiving.

Cousins.

That’s all for Thanksgiving 2010! We won’t be back in San Antonio for this holiday for two years. Sad. But have to switch off next time.

Filed Under: Thanksgiving, Travel · Tagged With: Thanksgiving, Travel

Decorating Cookies

November 26, 2010 by Marci 2 Comments

One of our family’s biggest traditions of the whole year is decorating cookies the night before Thanksgiving. First, we eat Rudy’s BBQ, then we decorate cookies, then we celebrate the 5 birthdays in November. We take it very seriously.

Here is the table spread, and me with my sister Shelley. We use sugar cookies in different shapes, icing, sugar candies, squirt icing and cake decorations, and sprinkles. Good for all ages!

8 cousins plus Rome the baby top left. We range from ages 6 months to 26 years old.

I made the longhorn, top left. Also a football and two I can not decipher. Do not know the artists of these.

I also made a turkey with candy corn feathers.

And this pretty circle. I was going for some swirly piping.

Jeffrey tries too. He makes a Black and White Cookie. That’s all.

And then he gets distracted by this cute little 6 month old girl.

And this is sugar overload. We are so creative and colorful.

If that isn’t enough sugar, we also indulge in this chocolate cake for the birthdays. It was once devoured in one day by four cousins. No names named here.

The birthdays minus one.

And then we rest to get ready for the next day of eating. Lily too.

Filed Under: Thanksgiving, Travel · Tagged With: Thanksgiving, Travel

Thanks and Giving

November 24, 2010 by Marci 6 Comments

To grandmother’s house we go…

The blog is taking a rest for the long weekend to spend time with friends and family and collect some stories and pictures to write about. My leg is hopefully also going to come back from the holiday rested and ready for the big run a week later!

Here are some Thanksgiving recipes and pictures if you need a last minute something to bring or keep at home.

Then it’s on to Hanukkah and December food flavors!

Pecan Raisin Pumpkin Muffins

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Green Beans

Grilled Banana Sandwich with Pumpkin on top

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Crunchy Pumpkin Granola

Roasted Acorn Squash

Butternut Squash Soup

Filed Under: Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Thanksgiving

Volunteering on Thanksgiving Week

November 23, 2010 by Marci 5 Comments

On Sunday, Jeffrey and I spent our afternoon volunteering with the Jewish Federation of Houston for Mitzvah Day.

Before I get to that, I created the best oats–so thick with perfect flavor and few ingredients.

Cinnamon Raisin Scottish Oats

This bowl was different than previous ones by using less water and a lot of cinnamon. The cinnamon was kind of an accident, but it was really good. It turned the bowl a beautiful brown color. You can see the specks in the picture.

Ingredients:

somewhere between 1/4 C and 1/3 C Scottish Oats
3/4 C water
1/4 C almond milk
3/4 tsp cinnamon (I had meant to do 1/2 tsp but used the wrong spoon and did just under 1 tsp)
1/2 banana thinly sliced
3/4 tsp chia seeds
2 T black raisins
Kashi Go Lean Crunch for sprinkling on top

I cook all the bowls the same way:

Boil water, add oats, whisk. Add almond milk, whisk. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add banana, cinnamon, chia, raisins, let thicken for 5 minutes.
Pour in bowl and sprinkle with cereal on top.

Red, orange, green

I also wanted to show you this pretty combo of colors. It is 2 slices of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread, toasted. One side has Crofter’s Four Fruit jam, and one has Stonemill Kitchen Pumpkin Butter. I really like pumpkin butter–it has calories similar to jam, but is kind of thicker like peanut butter.

And then a 3-ingredient green monster. I loved how all the colors looked and tasted.

Volunteering my cooking skills:

On Sunday, we volunteered at a place called Aishel House in Houston. The name is a Hebrew acronym for Food, Drink, Lodging. This is a place for people who come to one of the nearby hospitals for their own treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, or to care for someone else in the hospital. They aren’t from Houston (some are international visitors) and need a long-term place to stay that is affordable and close. The Aishel House has 18 apartments, and they also help with meals, transportation and counseling.

We volunteered to cook a kosher meal for the people staying in the apartments and for others in the hospital. Our group made Garlic Knots (picture above), Minestrone Soup (below, adapted from my recipe), and Libby’s Pumpkin Pie (I forgot a picture, but it was classic pumpkin pie!).

I suggested the soup and contributed my recipe (link above), but I have never multiplied a recipe to make so much soup. We way overestimated, but that is better than under. The soup had carrots, onions, celery, zucchini and noodles. The broth was water, tomato sauce, and stock seasoning. My original recipe uses chicken or vegetable stock.

It takes a very long time to boil three gigantic pots of water.

It’s really nice to spend some time helping others by doing something you enjoy. Cooking is fun and always appreciated, and also nice to give back on Thanksgiving week.

Do you volunteer on Thanksgiving week?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Lunch, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Thoughts, Vegetarian · Tagged With: Thanksgiving, Thoughts, vegetables

My Pesky IT Band

November 21, 2010 by Marci 4 Comments

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, hooray! Lots of cooking, baking, and crowded grocery stores now through December 31. I really liked the comments from Friday’s post about what we’re thankful for. Read it here and leave a comment.

CultureMap story:

I had another piece published over the weekend on CultureMap. If you’re in Houston and not cooking for Thanksgiving, check out the story to see who you can call to make your meal for you.

On the blog:

I played with my blog pages and made the text easier to read. On my About Me page, view my completed published work. The Exercise/Race Recap page has a link to some of my favorite fitness related posts. The Houston page has reviews separated by food or fitness, and the Recipes page has links to all of my all star meals.

Cupping and the Pesky IT Band:

Back story: Two Sundays ago, I ran 10 miles as my last long run for the Dallas Half Marathon in two weeks. My left IT Band was aggravated at Mile 9, and then I took a lot of days off from running and trying to rest the muscle.

The same weekend, Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point hurt her IT Band too. Her husband owns a holistic wellness center and is a doctor of oriental medicine and recommended cupping on her leg. See her posts here and here to read her explanation of cupping. It’s much more detailed.

Cupping is not a practice by TSA security employees at large airports…it is an ancient practice of placing bulbs on irritated areas on the body to break up the “junk” under the skin. I went to a normal day spa in Houston where they do facials, massages, etc. and also offer cupping as an added service. It was not painful at all, did not involve fire or bruising. The bulbs looked like glass candle votives, and they were moved around my left knee area, above and below the area that it hurt. It felt like a small vacuum was pulling on my skin. It lasted for about 30 minutes.

I won’t say that it didn’t work, because I didn’t think it would be a quick fix, but I was hoping to feel a little release or relaxed muscle. I didn’t feel any different at all. It definitely didn’t hurt anything, but I think the pressure from a deep tissue massage would have felt better and more intense.

A Saturday jog:

Last week I was excited to run for two hours, this weekend I was excited to run for 20 minutes. It is amazing how views change! On Saturday morning, I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and didn’t have any pain. Then I did a 60 minute wonderful yoga stretch class with the same instructor that I wrote about here. It was 60 minutes of stretching with a lot of focus on hips, hamstrings and other leg muscles that had no vinyasas or warriors. It’s been really nice to get a great stretch in a different type of class than I’m used to. And I love it when the focus is on leg muscles.

I was very happy for a 20 minute pain free jog, but I am not optimistic that the pain won’t come back. :/ It has been a real bummer.

However, I have realized that the IT Band is not the worst injury you can have. Well it is when you want to run your first half marathon in two weeks that has been on the calendar for 6 months and is something I never thought I’d be able to do…But I can walk, lift weights, do yoga and move without a limp or pain. I promised my legs that I will be nicer to them after the half marathon, but I really want to run this thing.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving week ritual?

We decorate cookies on Wednesday night with the whole family and I can’t wait!

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Injuries, Running, Thanksgiving, Thoughts · Tagged With: culturemap, Half Marathon, Injuries, Running, Thanksgiving, Thoughts

Thanksgiving Week Traditions

Thanksgiving Recipes

Pumpkin + Ginger