Getting in the Thanksgiving Spirit

We were in a merry Thanksgiving mood and ready to take a drive to Philadelphia from Boston for a family gathering, when my daughter came down with the flu.  Now that our plans have changed we have to regroup and make the best out of the situation.   We of course will be home and I am o.k. with it.   I will likely run out tonight, I know...insane, and pick up a few things to throw together tomorrow for us.  I just hope my daughter will feel better by then, she was really looking forward to all the festivities with her family.  I was thinking of things to be thankful for and...I am very thankful that we were not at a hotel somewhere and she then became sick, that would have been awful for her.  I am also very thankful that she is strong and healthy and she will get through this.  I am very thankful that we will be together at home where we can all be comfortable and have a quiet, simple evening (of course with the sounds of football in the background!).  So, we are going to do our best to get into the Thanksgiving Spirit.  I found some quotes that I found to explain it best.  Hope everyone has a wonderful meal and that you are with the ones you love.

Happy Thanksgiving

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." -Gerald Good

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." -W.T. Purkiser

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence." -Erma Bombeck

Enjoy

~jamilyn~

*Images are from Martha Stewart..of course!

A Traditional Yummy

Old fashioned sweet candied yams are a must at our table.  Make them even better with this recipe using "hand cut" marshmallows.  I usually find the marshmallows at Whole Foods.  It has been tradition for us to serve this every year.  It is even better the next day.  The yams are so sweet and melt in your mouth!  ~Enjoy~

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch thick slices

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons sweet butter, melted

1/4 cup apple cider

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Whole foods All Natural marshmallows (essential for best result!)

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the maple syrup, honey, brown sugar and cinnamon with the melted butter.  Toss the sweet potato slices with this mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place mixture in a lightly buttered baking dish and cover with parchment paper and foil.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and remove the paper and foil; bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender and slightly caramelized.  Be sure to serve these warm.

*For a tasty addition, when you remove the paper and foil, add 1 cup of the hand cut marshmallows (if prefer them smaller, cut up with clean shears) and cover.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes until top is lightly browned.

I hope you add this to your menu.  It is easy and tastes heavenly.  Make sure to take a deep breath and slow down during your Thanksgiving preparations.  I know how stressful it can be!  Put on some nice music, throw on a cute apron, and have a glass of wine.  It will all come together!  ~jamilyn~

( Knife-spoon-fork apron by Heliotrope Home, image Southern Living)