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| "Fall fields behind my front perenial garden." by Jean Smith |
Neil and I both
brought
‘traditions’ from our homes and now we are enjoying creating new
ones with our family.
When the word Thanksgiving starts ringing around our home, it
seems to evoke
this happy, warm, fuzzy kinda feeling… ya know?
I am originally from Canada
but have made Michigan
*Our family loves to play games. Especially word games like Scrabble, Boggle
and Up Words.
Battleship, Othello, Checkers and Chess are all fun games as
well. Games allow a
family to sit around the table
and talk to one another. After
all the
big dinner clean up is over, some of the men go hunting while
others stay and
visit. Usually we ladies and children get out the games. If you
have several
guests, assign teams; you can have several games going on and
then a
championship game with the final two or four! Write the names of
the games on
strips of paper, fold and place in a bowl.
Then let someone choose a game name and that is the game
that will be
played last to determine the champion.
As they say, a family that plays together stays together.
*My men are hunters. Now
that a few of our sons are old enough they
get to go hunting with Neil and the others.
This is really special for our boys and I love to see
them roll in with
the bounty and then tell us all about the big moment. These memories are ones
that will go on for
years.
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| Set up a special place on your front porch for that special family photo! |
*Family picture…Why
not use this special day to take the families photo. This can become a really
special tradition as
each year you can all compare how everyone has grown. Take each families photo
and then a group
shot. Select a location outside if the weather allows and set up
a straw bale
against a picket or split rail fence, an arbor or against a
stone barn
hill. Put corn stalks on
the post, tie
with raffia and place a sunflower head in, add pumpkins and
gourds along the
bottom and presto you have a really nice back drop for the
photo. If you want a
more rustic look, take a walk
in the woods and find a beautiful Birch tree to stand by; if you
want a farm
look, pose in front of a piece of old
machinery or wooden wagon. The idea’s are endless,
just make sure
everyone is smiling!
I am all about
entertaining and
setting a table that will be “oohhed” over.
I have spring and summer dishes as well as fall and
winter. I like to have
things in multiples of three,
that way I can easily coordinate if I have to have other tables
set up…
especially when entertaining outdoors.
Here are a few tips that make that already special table
a bit more lovely...
*To create your
center piece you
will need a large pumpkin in which the top and seeds have been
removed. Next, take a
square of floral foam and place
inside. In the center of
the foam place
2-4 stems of cat tail; 2-3 stems of Pampas grass; 2-3 stems of
Burning Bush or
similar branch. Then building around those add stems of
Hydrangea, straw
flower, Gomphrena, stems of wheat, fern, and any other ‘wild’
flowers and
grasses you have growing right around you.
Be as creative as you’d like and use things that are
naturally around
you. You’ll be amazed
when you start
looking around your gardens and if you live in the country, the
ditches! A rule of thumb
is that the flowers/stems
should be two times as tall as the base, in this case the
pumpkin, in the center. Build
around the center stems to create a
full look.
*Another beautiful
and much
simpler way to use a pumpkin for a centerpiece is to simply
place a potted Mum
in the center of it. You can use smaller pie pumpkins with mini
potted mums
down along the sides. 
* Another base to
consider is a
cabbage right out of your own garden.
This photograph is of a centerpiece that was created from
one of our
farms cabbages for a Farm to Table Dinner event that was held at
our Farmers
Market in Downtown Farmington.
~Other items to
consider using for
the centerpiece are: Bird Houses, vases, Terra cotta or clay
pots- to decide on
a container think about what your theme and colors are.
*Place Bittersweet
down the center
of the table; Place your newly created center piece on top of
bitter sweet in
center; place leaves, dried sunflower heads, acorns,
pine cones and
decorative mini gourds on top along the length of the table
alternating items.
*Place pint size blue
mason jars
with pumpkin pie, cinnamon or other ‘fall’ scented tea light
candles in the
bottom of the jar. Place them about every 18” down the center,
placing them
between items. Light about ½ hour before guest are to arrive.
*I have several sets
of dishes and
I enjoy alternating colors and patterns of plates. It adds a charming look to
a fall table.
*Place Cards are an
elegant and
special addition to any table. It
shows
your guests that you took time and thought about them and where
their place at
your special table would be. Use
stickers
and die cuts to create special tags. Here is an example of a
really
easy and inexpensive place card. Have a mini gourd at each place
setting and
lean the card up against it.
*Linen napkins are a
must for
special days like Thanksgiving… Instead of just placing them
neatly under the
flatware, try rolling and tying with
jute or raffia. Then place them across the plate, add a
live mum blossom
in each to make it even lovelier!
*Have an Appetizer
and Desert
table set up to match your main table. Again use a quilt for the
table cloth; add different levels to the table by covering boxes
or plastic
containers with matching linen napkins, doilies or other small
linens. Then
place your plates and bowls on top.
Stand back and admire.
…. There are so many
ideas that I
would never have time to touch on here, but like I always say:
use your
imagination and what you have around you in nature! You will be
amazed at the
simply beauty and the pleasure it brings when you participate
with nature and
bring it into your home!
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| These are a few of our farms turkeys that we have been raising for our market customers. They'll soon be a yummy Thanksgiving feast! |
(This recipe is not
in my cook
book, but you can find my Cabbage Roll Casserole recipe. That’s what I make when I
feel lazy!
1 large head cabbage-
about 6-8
pounds
1 ½ pound ground beef, raw
2 cups raw white rice
1 medium Spanish
onion, chopped
3 quarts tomato juice
Salt & Pepper
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. salt
- Fill a large pot ¾ ways full with
water, add ½ tsp. salt.
- Take cabbage and carefully cut out the
stem and cut into the cabbage to make it so the leaves will
remove easily, but as not to fall apart.
- Place cabbage in pot with stem end up
facing you; turn heat on high and bring to a boil; once boiling
turn down to medium. Cover
and cook for about ½ hour to 45 minutes- till cabbage is cooked
but not mushy.
- While cabbage is cooking, combine all
meat, rice, onion and 1 quart of tomato juice; mix until evenly
distributed. Place aside until cabbage is ready.
- Remove cabbage from pot and place in
sink of cold water. Taking
one leave at a time, cut out the center rib about 1/3 way up if
necessary, being careful not to rip leaf. Place ¼ cup of meat and
rice mixture into center of leaf.
Carefully roll up once and then fold each side in and
then roll up one last time. Place
in a roaster edge side down.
- Once the first layer of rolls in down,
sprinkle with salt & pepper an pour enough tomato juice over
to cover; repeat until next layer is done and repeat. Make sure the rolls are
covered with tomato juice. Tuck
in the two bay leaves.
- Cover and bake for 2 hours at 325
degrees.
Real
Pumpkin Pie
1- 9” deep dish
unbaked pie crust
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground
cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cup milk
1 egg white, stiffly
beaten
1. Preheat oven to
400
degrees.
2. In a blender,
combine all
ingredients, except egg white, and blend until smooth and
creamy.
3. Pour into pie
crust; add
stiffly beaten egg white, folding in very carefully with spatula
into pie.
Small lumps are fine.
4. Bake at 400
degrees for 15
minutes; lower to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
Test for doneness
with a toothpick
to check center for dryness.
I use actual pumpkin
that I can, so
if you like a stronger flavor, this is a great recipe!
Cranberry Mousse, pg. 64
1- 6 oz. pkg.
strawberry flavored
gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1- 16 oz. can whole
berry
cranberry sauce
1- 20 oz. can crushed
pineapple,
undrained, juice separated and reserved
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon peel
2 cups sour cream
½ cup chopped walnuts
(optional) -
but so good with!
Dissolve gelatin in
boiling
water. Add pineapple
juice to
gelatin. Stir in
cranberries, lemon
juice and lemon peel. Chill
until
thickened but not totally set- about 1-2 hours. Fold in sour
cream, pineapple
and nuts. Chill until
set.
Serves about 15 to 20
people.
Vegetable Dressing, pg. 197
1-
1# loaf, day
old bread
½ cup
butter, softened
1 cup
diced, cooked potatoes
1 cup
diced, cooked carrots
1 cup
dice, uncooked celery
½ cup
fresh parsley
¼ tsp.
pepper
1 tsp.
salt
4 eggs,
slightly beaten
2 cup
milk
Break
bread into cubes and mix with butter.
Add mild to eggs. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a well
greased 2 quart baking dish or stuff in bird, any excess putting
around the
base of bird. Bake at
350 degrees
Fahrenheit for 1 ½ hours if in baking dish or until bird is
fully cooked. If in
bowl, stir several times while baking.
If you
were inspired, please let me know and send me some of your
favorite traditions…
Happy
Day,
Jean
