This is how Thanksgiving went down.

I may have suffered from a food coma after Thanksgiving. I indulged my every whim...almost. I settled for one piece of pie. I didn't want to go overboard. (See if you still believe that statement by the end of this post.)

It was the first Thanksgiving I've made in a decade, and the first we spent at home in five years. It was a restful, wonderful weekend, filled with fun and leftovers.

I started preparing the Sunday before by baking cornbread to freeze for our dressing. The man of the house asked for a version with shrimp. I settled on this recipe from Food & Wine. I replaced the andouille sausage with a simple pork sausage. The cornbread came out beautifully, and I'll probably use the recipe to accompany our ribs and chili in the future.

Buttermilk cornbread

On Tuesday, I mixed up the dough for our dinner rolls, choosing this simple, no-knead recipe from The Pioneer Woman. You can mix it up two days ahead of when you want to bake them.

I also prepared pecan brittle for one of the pies. Check it out:

I apologize for photos that look really weird. This was kind of pretty in real life.

On Wednesday, it was time to prepare the brine for our turkey breast. Since there were only five (four, if you don't count my recently vegetarian daughter) of us, we opted for the smaller piece of meat. I selected this cranberry-glazed version. 

I also baked pies on Wednesday night. The pecan brittle was for this maple pumpkin pie from Better Homes & Garden. I loved the presentation of this pie, which was the cover shot of the November, 2013 issue, but I should have added some pumpkin pie spice. The pie crust is placed inside a spring form pan. 

I really like how the pie looked, using this pan.
I'll definitely keep the technique in mind for future pies.

We covered the finished product with whipped cream and some pecan brittle, but not until we served it on Thursday... (Slight timeline jump!)

The finished product

The second pie was a sour cream apple. Noah prefers apple to any other kind, and I thought this recipe had some tasty additions with the sour cream and crumble topping. I was right! It was delicious. I might experiment with my baking apple a bit next time. What's your favorite apple to bake with?

Sour cream apple pie with streusel topping

Now that I've spilled the dessert, let's back track and hit some of the main event. Noah and I started cooking Thanksgiving morning. I started with that dough I prepared back on Tuesday. Here are the dinner rolls after rising for a couple hours:

Is it just me, or do they look quite...fleshy?

Here they are fresh from the oven — the perfect pick-me-up in the middle of our cooking.

Just add butter...

Time to talk sides. Noah wanted green bean casserole. I prefer not to used cream of anything, if I can help it. We compromised with the help of Alton Brown. That man is brilliant. This was the best green bean casserole I've ever had. Following the advice of a friend, we opted to buy our onions, rather than try to fry our own.   

Last Easter, I made this recipe for cheesy hash brown casserole. Again, this recipe avoids using cream of mushroom soup, and it was delicious then and better this time. (Because I used the right amount of thyme this time around!) 

Remember that cornbread...well, this is how the stuffing ended up. Next time around, I'll eat half of that cornbread and enjoy a meatier stuffing. But this was pretty darn good as is!

Our brined breast was covered in herbs, then eventually a cranberry glaze. It was juicy and delicious. I would, however, drop the cloves next time. Just my personal preference. 

Sky's selection for our meal was the traditional cookie and pudding salad. Every special event needs it. And she made it all by herself!

I figured we needed some greener vegetables. I made a kale and pomegranate salad that was supposed to change my life. It didn't, but it was pretty good. Also, the colors were lovely!

Finally, I saw this cute tray on pinterest. Cute, right? 

Well, everything was done when I remembered the veggie turkey, and I started throwing relish at the kids and asked them to make it. As they say in pinterest world...nailed it! ;-) It isn't exact, of course, but I think they did great for kids and the shortest time ever allowed. 

Phew! That was a feast for five. After lunch it was nap time, needless to say. Our November had its share of challenges, but the fact remains, we have been blessed with grateful hearts and a lovely life. 

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: We decorated our tree today. It is amazing how the ornaments hold so many lovely moments. 

Island of perfect joy

There were very big expectations for this little girl. Her name literally means "island of perfect joy." But no worries...she has delivered.

Our Isla Bliss turns five this week. She is a beautiful, joyful girl. She loves her family and she really loves her puppy, whom she calls "Buddy". She likes to draw, she likes story time, she likes to make us laugh. She is a constant reminder of how precious this time in life is.

In honor of her fifth birthday, here's five lovely things about our baby.

1. She plans to be a rockstar, and she is indeed quite entertaining. But I often think she'd be an awesome nurse. Maybe it the way she can assess a situation and take it upon herself to get it done. I've never known a more independent preschooler, though to be honest, I've only REALLY spent time with three preschoolers, so I may be an undereducated judge. All I know is she's been dressing herself for what seems like years, and for that I'm thankful.

2. Despite this independence, she still happily calls herself my "Big Baby." I'm planning on this continuing for several decades at least.

3. She asks a lot of questions about God and heaven. Even better she has all the important answers, like, "If we hurt someone's feelings and say we're sorry, God still loves us."

4. She thinks her brother and sister are great, and she's the first to give them complements after concerts or other performances. I find this incredibly thoughtful.

5. She's enjoyed a charmed life, with four of us to shower her with attention. But she's returned this grace 100 fold. We all laugh more often and smile a little bigger when she's around. Is she spoiled? Yes. But I haven't figured out how to stop yet. Hopefully, I will before I ruin her.

Five is a magical age. The world is still a place of wonder. Childlike behavior still rules. Yet, as a parent, I can start to see the type of person she will grow into. That is what makes five so exciting. I'm certainly in no hurry for her to grow up, but it is bound to happen, and I just know I'm going to love who she becomes.

A lovely man...

This week, I will say goodbye to someone who I truly treasured. My husband's Uncle Jim has passed away unexpectedly. I find myself wanting to tell everyone what a wonderful man he was, and thankfully, I'm finding that I must have shared that sentiment with many friends over the years, because when I share the sad news, they respond with clear knowledge of who Jim was and how much we cared for him.

Early in our marriage, my husband and I moved to NY. It was exciting, but a little scary too. Though we had married more than six months earlier, it was the move that made me feel like a real grown up. I was moving away from everything familiar.

But we weren't alone out on the East Coast, and that was clear from the very first weekend. We drove our U-Haul to Uncle Jim's in Hamilton Township, NJ--next door to beautiful Trenton. Uncle Jim was my husband maternal uncle. We arrived on what was my college graduation day, back in Vermillion, SD. In order to make it to NY in time to sign our lease and keep the loft space Nathan had found earlier in the month, we had to leave before graduation day. I was disappointed by the timing, but mature enough to get over it in all the ways that mattered.

Jim knew I was missing my graduation day, and he made a point to take us out for dinner to celebrate. I'm fairly certain there was even a toast. I found this incredibly thoughtful, but as I would come to learn over the years, that was just who Jim was. He celebrated others' accomplishments, recognized hard work, and enjoyed spoiling his nephews and nieces (even those of us who he gained via marriage). And man, he was so good at it.

Jim's home became our favorite getaway during our years in NY. He and his girlfriend Cathy welcomed us and gave us a place of peace and relaxation. He made us feel safe by giving us an escape in the days after 9/11. He did these things quietly, asking for nothing in return,  and I now regret not making a point to tell him what it meant to have a place to recharge when life in the city exhausted me.

Jim and I shared a great love of food, and so many of my favorites were introduced to me by Jim. He taught Nathan and I about French pressed coffee. He taught us that rum and Cokes tasted better with a wedge of lime. He taught us that stinky cheese meant great taste. His hosting skills were so superior that he managed to spoil and treat you even when he was supposed to be the guest. Every Christmas, Jim shared salamis and sausages, cheeses and pecans, coffee and chocolates. Every year was another chance to spoil all of us.

A few years ago, Nathan, Jim and I were a team for a family grilled cheese contest.
The team was clearly stacked, but we won. 

The past week I've spent time thinking what it must have been like for my mother-in-law to have a brother like Jim to serve as an example for her children. I have a pretty good idea, because I saw how he was with his great nieces and nephews. He was invested and interested in them. He thought they were as cute and funny and smart as their parents think they are. He was giving. He was so, so smart. He lived to his full potential. He was a great friend and partner. He was the best uncle.

All children deserve an Uncle Jim...

Talking shop

A couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to write and publish a number of picture books at my day job. (I'm an editor for a children's book publisher.) It was fun, inspiring, and exciting to share something tangible with my friends and family who may not grasp what editing is exactly. When your name is on the by-line, people have a better idea of what you did to bring a story to fruition.

I'm often asked if I'm writing anything new, and I have to shake my head and say, "No, not right now." But what I really want to say is, "Telling my own stories is wonderful. I'm so happy people enjoy my books, and hopefully there will be more one day. But the thing I love is editing."

Editing is not catching grammer and spelling mistakes (though the editor should rightly be blamed if they slip through). Editing, at its best, is asking the right questions. It's sharing a vision with the author, working toward an end product we will love. It's being entrusted with someone's work and guiding it until it can be shared with the world. An editor is a champion for the author and his or her words.

The reason I love editing, and the reason I think I'm fairly good at it, is because editing is a little like being a parent. Our children need to make their own way, but we should be there, asking the right questions so they can become the best people they can. As families, we share a vision of the future; in order to achieve that vision, we have to work together. Our children are not ours to keep; they are their own people. Eventually, we let them go, we share them with the world, a bit more each year. And when it is time to do so, we are happy and proud.

We book production folks joke that we tire of the books by the time they are actually in printed form, but the truth is, I don't. Every book I edit, I edit with my children in mind. So I'm excited when I have that book in hand. There's simply nothing better than introducing the book babies to my actual babies.

Author Fran Manushkin gave us one of my favorite on-going projects.
I'm so glad I get to babysit Katie Woo! Heck, I'm practically her nanny.
(P.S. She has more than 19,000 likes on Facebook!)

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM MY DAY: We had a photographer come and take family photos at the house today. What a wonderful opportunity to see my family and home through someone else's eyes. 

Autumn Splendor

Summer is my favorite season, so common sense would say that autumn would bring a sense of sadness. But instead, the start of fall seems to encourage more deep breaths, more sitting in the sun, more walks, more taking it all in. Sure the start of school means I have less help at home and more to do when I get home. But this year, I've been determined to look past the work and seek out the lovely. And it is breathtaking.

I can't help feeling a sense of contentment taking in the world this time of year. My senses are awake! The leaves carry a scent, the air carries an unfamiliar chill. My children are excited to be back in class, learning. And I get a change of pace that I've learned I need.

I came across these words on pinterest: I believe that everything should be poetic. From the way your first sip of coffee feels in your mouth, to the texture of the mug you're drinking it from. The smell of the air during the sunrise, and the way the rays cover your skin. Life is more enjoyable with the kind of emphasis encouraged by poetry. 

A new season makes life's poetry clearer and easier to recognize. That's why we are all clamoring for pumpkin lattes and apple pie this year — they're a poem we've been reciting our whole life. It's a poem we'd like to pass on to our children and grandchildren.

Take a moment or, better yet, a weekend to celebrate the season.

This "blast from the past" pic was taken on October 3, 2010.
The love of hammock reading runs in the family.

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM MY DAY: No matter what the season (except maybe winter, I guess), is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than reading in a hammock? Isla and I do not think so...

What's Cooking?!

This past Thursday, my son and I shared something that I've catalogued away as a sweet memory to call upon when he hits those years when he realizes how annoying mothers are and quits talking to me. We taught a cooking class together! He told me that he'd handle the cooking and I could do the talking. It was a good division of responsibility.

Our theme was easy meals for busy nights...specifically busy, back-to-school nights. The lazy evenings of summer have passed. Religious education and dance will be starting soon. We'll have to start eating and getting out the door again in record speeds. These are a few meals that I'll start making again with the cooler weather (okay, it was in the 90s today, but it will be cooler soon enough) and the hectic nights.

First up we made cheese tortellini soup. This is such an easy soup to throw together with things you can have in the freezer and pantry. The simple ingredients taste super together. Before the recipe, I have a few tips:

1. You can use dry, fresh or frozen tortellini. (Fresh will cook up the fastest, if time is really of the essence.)

2. You can also use fresh spinach instead of frozen...but you can always have frozen on hand. Set frozen spinach down to the fridge the night before so it is thawed and ready to squeeze and use.

3. This is a thick, hearty soup. You can add more broth to thin it; while you are at it, might as well add a little more bacon and onion at the beginning!

The whole family likes this one...and it was pretty popular at class too!

Cheese Tortellini Soup

3 slices bacon, diced
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
32 oz. (4 cups) chicken broth
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
16 oz. frozen cheese tortellini
1. Cook bacon and onion until browned.
2. Add garlic and cook a few seconds more. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add spinach and tortellini, bring back to boil. Cook until pasta is tender (check package directions).

*From Parents magazine

Next up was eggs in purgatory with salami and peppers. We always serve this dish with couscous. It is different, healthy, and pretty tasty...if you like eggs that need to do some penance. 

Eggs in Purgatory is a traditional Italian peasant dish...
as far as I could tell from my limited research 

Eggs in Purgatory with Salami

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 ounces deli-sliced salami, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 Italian green frying pepper, thinly sliced

1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup tomato puree or marinara sauce

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

8 large eggs

2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

Prepared couscous, for serving

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. 

2. Increase the heat to high and add the salami, onion, peppers and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the salami starts to brown, about 5 minutes. 

3. Add the tomato puree and 1/2 cup water and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat to medium. Scatter the parsley leaves into the skillet. Make 4 indentations in the pepper mixture for the eggs. Break 2 eggs into a small bowl, then pour both into one of the indentations. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness. 

5. Serve with the couscous.

* From Food Network Magazine

The last recipe we made was Thai chicken tacos. I love this one because it combines two of my favorite foods. (Um...Thai food and tacos, if you couldn't figure that out.) When we make this at home, the nine-year-old eats the slaw and a cheese quesadilla, the four-year-old eats the chicken and a cheese quesadilla, and the rest of us know what's good for us and eat it the way it was intended. But I'm just happy they are trying something...and healthy somethings at that!

Served with a little extra Sriracha sauce!

Thai Chicken Tacos

Makes: 4 servings, 2 tacos each

1 lime, halved
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 - 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 corn tortillas, heated
1 recipe Cabbage Slaw

1. Juice one lime half (about 1 Tbsp.); cut remaining half in wedges. In bowl stir together chicken, cilantro, shallot, garlic, the 1 Tbsp. lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and chili sauce. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight. In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.

2. To serve, layer two tortillas. Top with chicken and Cabbage Slaw. Serve with remaining slaw and lime wedges. 

Cabbage Slaw

2 cups shredded napa cabbage
½ cup shredded carrot (1 medium)
½ cup sliced green onions (4)
⅓ cup sliced radishes
¼ cup snipped fresh cilantro
¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts (optional)
¼ cup rice vinegar

1. In a medium bowl combine cabbage, carrot, green onions, radishes, cilantro, and, if desired, peanuts. Add vinegar; toss gently to coat.
* From Better Homes and Gardens

Calm and in control...

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM MY DAY: A nice crisp Shell's Oktoberfest in the park, listening to folk music. These are the moments folks...

The thing about goals...

Minutes from reaching my summer goal...

I've never really considered myself a goal-setter. I like to think of myself as more of a free spirit — the go-where-the-world-takes-you sort. Sure I often choose an area of focus where I'd like to improve some aspect of my life, but those things are less measurable than what I think of as goals. To me, goals answer the question, "How will you know when you achieved your goal?" For example, the goal is to stop chewing one's nails. The answer to that question above? When I can get a manicure without feeling like my hands are being judged.

This summer, I set such a goal. And it felt like a big one when I started. It felt so big that I didn't tell too many people at first, for fear of not completing it. I signed up for a half marathon with a childhood friend who lives a time zone away.

Running goals are some of the best to set, because there is a schedule that you simply need to follow to succeed. "Simply need to follow." Except when it doesn't feel so simple to get up at 5 a.m. Or when you just can't fathom having to run a fourth time in a week. Or when the weather is so, so, so hot, you review the symptoms of heat stroke before you head out. Running goals can also bring out the worst and whiniest inner dialogue...at least in me they do!

But I did it. I followed the schedule, missing only three runs in total. (And one of those, I traded in for a bike ride.) And when the big day came, I was ready.

Life is lovely when your ready. Life is lovely when you surprise yourself. Life is lovely when you experience something your younger self would have considered unreachable.

Thirteen-point-one miles. Two hours, sixteen minutes, and forty-six seconds of consecutive cardio. They weren't all lovely on their own, but collectively, they were beautiful—much like life itself.

Showing off my race bling. Apparently I look a little drunk after running 13 miles. 

I cherish this woman and our friendship. So glad to have reached this goal with her!

.