The End of Week Four

Wow, I cannot believe that we have actually made it to the end of week 4!! This really has been an incredible journey. The beginning was so tough but we all pushed through and are feeling better today and are looking forward to more healing in the future. Hadassah and Kate have both moved on to the full GAPS diet. This means they are able to eat a variety of foods including nuts, seeds, coconut and some fruits. They are so happy. Hadassah is doing great. She has such a wonderful appetite and eats each meal with joy and excitement. You should see her eat her veggies and ferments, never a complaint. She is having 1-2 BM a day consistently, she is joyful and always willing to help. Kate loves her soup. We are having a bit of trouble getting the ferments down but with a little encouragement I have been able to get a tbs or so down her with each meal. She is noticeable less clumsy and her speech is improving. Adelaide has a hardy appetite. We are still at the beginning stages with her because she continues to have loose stool. Still working on getting high fat, gelatinous foods into her. I have also been giving her raw coconut water kefir to aid in healing her gut. I have seen a steady improvement in my digestion. I have more mental clarity as well as more energy through out the day. It's amazing when we fuel our bodies with good, healthy fat, instead of carbohydrates how much better we feel. I began this diet to heal my gut and my children, as well as teaching them the importance of eating REAL food and what effect good eating habits can have on our health. BUT the 16lbs I have lost has not gone unnoticed. We'll just call it a side benefit. What we ate today Breakfast~ cup bone broth 1 egg + 2 yokes sauerkraut coconut flour pancakes w/ ghee and honey Lunch~Chicken soup cucumber sauerkraut Snack (H&K) Apple and soak and dehydrated walnuts Dinner~Butternut squash soup Asparagus sauerkraut Chicken legs w/ skin Dessert~Frozen blueberries

One week down...

Sorry, I can't get this to format correctly. Please enjoy. Wow, we made it a whole seven days. I will admit it was a bit hellish at times but we pressed on and today we, yes we, are all feeling better. A~ is eating like crazy and having better bm. K~eats at least 2 bowls of soup at each meal and is learning to like her veggies. I have even noticed that her speech is more clear. H~The mopey, lethargic attitude has disappeared!! She ate a bowl of soup at dinner all by herself (up to this point I have had to feed it to her). Today my ferments were done so everyone had a tea spoon of kraut juice. They all seemed to tolerate it well. However, this did trigger some die off in me. About 45min after I took it I started to feel nauseous. I put the girls in front of a movie and took a detox bath and that seemed to help. We will continue to increase the amount of juice and then move on to the actual veggies. Oh, when I opened the first jar K was very excited and asked if she could try some so I gave her a small bite of the veggies and she said, "yummy." Good sign. My dear friend Maureen came over on Friday and we made young coconut kefir. It should be ready but I did not want to introduce two different ferments in one day so we will wait until tomorrow. I have heard and read amazing things about this fermented drink and I am super excited to try it out. My probiotics arrived on Friday, yippee!! However we had company over the weekend so I didn't introduce them. We will start tomorrow with just a small amount. It may be a rough day tomorrow. What we ate today Breakfast~ Hamburger soup cup of broth 2 egg yokes each (H & K only) butternut squash and bone broth (A) Lunch~ Left over chicken broccoli and cauliflower cup of bone broth tea spoon kraut juice Dinner~ Left over pork roast Chicken soup cauliflower carrots I am hoping to add egg yokes for A and I sometime this week and ghee for the other girls. If you would like to read some incredible success stories with GAPS, check this out... http://gapsguide.com/about/gaps-results/

GAPS day 4

Well we are over half way through our first week!!

I still have not received my probiotics (yes, I called the company because they were shipped over a week ago-waiting to hear back). I decided to start taking another probiotic I have on hand that my naturopath gave me. I took half a dose to start and did not feel any symptoms of die off. Thank goodness. Since I am still nursing several times a day I would like to keep the die off to a minimum for A sake.

I added egg yoke for H and K today. Soft scrambles. They were so happy and asked for more. I thought for today 2 yokes each was enough. No reaction from either so we will try again tomorrow. If all is well this weekend we will add the whites as well.

H is still struggling with agreeing to the diet. When I call her for each meal she says she isn't hungry. I give her a small amount and it is all I can do to get her to eat it. Every meal takes almost an hour. She was the most agreeable before we started. I am a bit concerned that she isn't eating enough so I gave her some coconut oil today. That brought a smile to her face.

A and K are each eating well.

A is having regular BM but they are still loose. I had put an onion in the last soup I made, wondering if that is the problems. Finished that soup up today so we will see. H and K are not having regular BM, not good. Did I say I was looking forward to getting my probiotic!!

Off to a detox bath and bed. Blessings~

What we ate:

Breakfast~
egg yokes (H & K)
Chicken soup
Carrots
Butternut squash
Lunch~
Chicken soup
Broccoli
Dinner~
Veggie soup w/ chicken bone broth
Green beans

GAPS day 3

I feel like we are making head way. K is eating very well and asking for seconds on the soup. H is having a tough time adjusting and keeps asking when we are going back to our old diet. I adjusted their chore chart today to include eating each meal with a happy heart, very helpful. Of course A eats more than the other two girls and loves her veggie. Especially if she can feed them to herself.

I don't know how I missed it after reading the GAPS Guide several times but as I looked it over again today it says to only have boiled meats, veggies and bone broth for the first seven days. Well I am going to take a cue from Donna Gates 7 Principles of Health from The Body Ecology Diet. Everyone is unique. Yes, tomorrow I am going to add egg yoke for K and H. A and I will wait the seven days and then add it in. I think they need a little something more.

Today I made a list, to put on the fridge, telling us the order by which we will be introducing foods. I think it will help H understand a little more how this is going to work. When she asked about bread tonight I was able to show her when we will be adding it in (of course it is nut flour bread so GAPS legal but she will just be happy to have some with a little ghee). After I showed her she lit up and said, "that's not all that long". A welcome sign of optimism from my greatest skeptic.

H and K both took good afternoon naps. Did I tell you that H hasn't taken a nap in over six month. Something must be going on. A took two very good naps. All had detox baths with epsom salts and are sound asleep. I don't know what it is about the detox baths but the last three night H and K have fallen asleep very quickly which is not normal.

I am having a bit of trouble sleep. Not sure what is causing this. I have NEVER had a problem sleeping so the 2-3 hours I am awake in the middle of the night is tough.

What we ate:

Breakfast~
Carrots
Chicken soup
Lunch~
Hamburger soup
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Dinner~
Chicken soup
Butternut squash

The girls seem to prefer the broth in soups as opposed to drinking it alone. Whatever it takes to get it down. I'll do it.

Off to take my detox bath and go to bed.

Day 2

Well if I thought day one was difficult, day two was even worse. Last night H and K both woke up and vomited several times. I thought this a strange die-off reaction since we haven't started with the probiotic foods or supplements. I now believe it was simply a poor timed tummy bug.

Both woke with stomach pains and refused to eat breakfast or lunch. K took a morning and afternoon nap and H took an afternoon nap. I desperately needed to go to the grocery. Around 4 they seemed well enough to travel. I also promised them some kombucha (not technically legal on the intro but full of live cultures AND they were willing to drink it). They both ate a small bowl of chicken soup for dinner, took detox baths (this time with apple cider vinegar) and are now sound asleep.

A ate well with a good attitude all day. She had one good BM (finally) and took two great naps.

I felt fine all day. Had a burst of energy late morning/early afternoon!!! No cravings!!

What we ate:

Breakfast~
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Chicken
Bone broth
Lunch~
Hamburger soup
Dinner~
Chicken soup-Chicken bone stock, shredded carrot, zucchini, red pepper, onion w/ chx pieces.

Still patiently waiting for my probiotics to arrive. I think I may add in some egg yoke tomorrow. The girls keep asking when they will be able to eat apples again (2-3 weeks, maybe).

Day 1

Man am I glad today is over...almost. Seemingly poor attitudes about food today. Lots of crying by H and wining from K. A was perfecty happy with all the food set in front of her. H felt sick after going to the park so her and K layed on the couch while I nursed A. Both were asleep within five minutes (this was before noon). H hasn't taken an afternoon nap for months. H cried several times today when I wouldn't let her have an apples. K complained about leg cramps after dinner so we did detox baths and that seem to relieve the pain.

I felt fine through out the day a little nausea here and there. My probiotic foods won't be done until the end of the week and my probiotic order has not arrived so dye off is minimal. However I am ready to get the show on the road.

What we ate:

Breakfast~
Chicken
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bone broth
Lunch~
Hamburger stew made with grated carrots, red peper and zuccini, beef bone broth (yummy!)
Dinner~
Bone broth
Tenderloin
Butternut squah
Bed time snack (didn't plan this but the older two said they were very hungery)
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Off to take my detox bath and go to bed. I am beat. Looking up, as tomorrow is a new day.

GAPS and why...

Well tomorrow the girls and I are embarking on a new adventure. We are all going on the GAPS diet. What is GAPS? you may ask...GAPS stands for Gut & Psychology Syndrome. I have prayerfully decided to move forward with this diet after a year of research. The program focuses on diet, supplementation and detoxification. We will be doing all these things in an effort to heal our gut in order to heal the rest of our body.

Why start now? I believe (and it has been confirmed my our pediatrician) that A may have some food sensitivities. I started feeding her grains when she turn one and since that time she has not had a solid BM and there is often evidence of undigested food in her stool. I suspect that she may be sensitive to grains, dairy and some fruits. Seeing these things in A encouraged me to look at the other girls to see if they may be suffering from food sensitivities as well.
Concerns are as follows...H: inconsistent BM, teeth grinding, night waking, dark circles under her eyes, little bumps on her skin. K: lack of concentration, stomach aches, leg cramps, night waking, little bumps on her skin. Momma: digestion issues, a general fogginess, a constant sense of disorganization, lack of energy,over weight, constantly feeling run down, little bumps on my skin. Disorders like these often can be linked to food sensitivities and digestive disorders.

We will begin with the Intro diet which includes 8 stages. This is basically an elimination diet that is based on the Spacific Carbohydrate Diet. We will cut out foods, especially those foods that are known allergens (grains, dairy, soy, sugars, etc), in order to add foods back slowly, one at a time to find out what we are sensitive to. On the beginning stage we will eat; homemade meat/bone broth, boiled meats and boiled vegetables, fermented veggies and enjoy ginger tea. If after a few days everyone is feeling good and no one is struggling with diarrhea or constipation we will move into stage two. Because our symptoms are not incredibly severe I hope to move swiftly through the intro and start on the full GAPS diet.

The intro diet as well as the full diet is incredibly nourishing and healing as it allows the digestive system to rest and heal. I am SO exited to see what strides we will make by implimenting these changes. Here's to a healthy life~

I am hoping to update a few times a week to let you know what we are eating and how everyone is responding. So stay tuned...

Some resources if your are interested in researching GAPS

Dr. Natash Campbell-Mcbride on Gut health~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLRqxGGq9IY&feature=autoplay&list=UL3CsPBIlm45A&index=21&playnext=24

A list of symptoms that GAPS addresses and more~
http://www.doctor-natasha.com/index.php

The author of the GAPS guide rights a blog~
http://gapsguide.com/

There is also a GAPS yahoo group which is very helpful and informative.

Am I Back...

well probably not.

As I was talking with my friend Tiffany the other day she says "I sure wish you would post on your blog". My response, "you mean after I train and homeschool my children, tend to my husband, clean the kitchen and weed the garden". Of course when I returned home I thought of all the other things I had to do...move furniture and nick-nacks so our new windows can be install this week (the week I start school at home), vacuum and mop all the floors, prepare the garden and flower beds for winter, start and finish decorating/painting the girl's room, so on and so on...

But as I was driving to and from Seattle yesterday (taking my little brother to the airport so he can fly to Europe) I realized it may be some what therapeutic to get my thoughts down on 'paper'. So here I am. Do I expect to stay? Well, time and time again I have had good intentions to post daily, I mean weekly, I mean monthly...on this blog and it has never happened. Nevertheless, I will try again.

So my first day back I thought I would tell you all once again how much I LOVE FALL!! It brings with it so much joy, along with comfort food, cool days, candles burning and beautiful colors.

This morning when I awoke I thought it a wonderful day to play fall. So I lit a candle, brewed a cup of Stumptown Coffee and whipped up a batch of Zucchini Blueberry Bread. You should try them. They are super yummy and a great way to use up all the zucchini that you have in your pantry.

Zucchini Blueberry Bread

3 eggs

2 c. vegetable oil (I recommend coconut oil or grape seed oil)

3 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. sugar

2 c. grated zucchini

3 c. flour (I used all purpose gluten free flour)

1 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 T. cinnamon

1 pint of blueberries

Mix together wet ingredients. In separate bowl mix together try ingredients. Then fold them together along with blueberries.

Back at 350 for 50 min.

*This morning I made this recipe into muffins. I have also used a mini loaf pan and a regular loaf pan. All come out beautifully. Enjoy~

Corn Casserole

This is my favorite holiday side dish. It is very easy and so yummy. I get asked for the recipe all the time so here it is...

Shoepeg Corn Casserole
2 cans white corn (I have used yellow corn and it works just fine)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use Tillamook sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup green peper
3/4 cup crushed butter flavored crackers
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Combine first 7 ingredients in a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with crackers and drizzle with butter. Bake @ 350 or 20-25 min.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

One Thousand Gifts

I have been inspired by 'Multitude Monday' One Thousand Gifts at A Holy Experience (dot) com.
Starting today and each Monday to follow I plan to tell you of all the gifts I have been given. I was hoping to have pictures but today I do not but hope to in the future. Blessings on each of you this day.

#1 My Savior...

#2 I have been saved, I am being saved and I will be saved.

#3 My husband, my lover and my friend.

#4 My little kiddos, ever the one who we haven't met. God has formed you in my womb and I am ever so grateful.

#5 My home

#6 Laughter over dinner of new finn potatoes and fresh salmon.

#7 A family that stands strong.

#8 A best friend.

#9 Authentic and true worship of God's people

#10 God's word and the power it has in my life.

Week 14: Baby Update

Ok, we have made it to week 14. We have passed the incredibly nauseous, can't do anything state and into the I have an tons of energy and now I will crash (this happens about every four hours or so).

Nothing special about week 14 so I thought I would tell you about some of the food cravings I have been having. At the beginning of my pregnancy I was craving cherries. Thank God they were in season and I could find beautiful, delicious, organic cherries to fulfill my desires. Around week 9 I started craving bagels and cream cheese. I love the sprouted wheat bagels and used yummy Organic Valley cream cheese. Last week I started craving tomatoes, which I added to my bagel as well. Now yesterday I thought I would add a little turkey (needing more protein). It was wonderful. For now that is what sounds good but I am sure as time goes on I will experience other craving.

Hope you are all having a great week.

As many of you have commented it has been a very long time since I have post on my blog. I have missed this writing outlet. However time seems to have gotten away from me. Maybe it has something to do with having two active kids, a loving husband, few sibling house guest, a house and a yard to keep up with? You moms know what I mean?

All that being said I have a little announcement to make and then hopefully I will be posting a bit more often. We are excited to tell you that we are expecting baby Maher #3. I am 12 1/2 weeks along, making me due Feb. 10, 2010. If you are wondering how I am feeling?? Much, much better. Week 5-11 were really rough. Bad moods, nausea, exhaustion, just and overall feeling of yuck. But last week I believe I turned a corner and now I am feeling a bit more like myself.

I know, I should have announced earlier but we were waiting to see Dr. Jen our wonderful midwife. We had our first appointment last week and were able to hear the baby's heart beat. It took several minutes for her to find it. She tried a few different dopplers and after 4-5 min I was getting really nervous. She took a little break and talked to the baby and when she tried again we heard that sweet sound. What a relief.

Oh, by the way Hadassah is very excited to be having another baby around the house. She always asks if she can pray for the 'new baby' in my tummy. She knows what it takes for a healthy pregnancy. She is convinced it is another girl and we should name her Fancy Nancy. I hope it doens't break her heart if baby #3 comes out a little boy.

I am hoping to post pregnancy updates as things progress. So check back and hopefully you will enjoy tracking this fun time along with me. Blessings!

Our Holiday Journey

This is one of my favorite pictures from our home. Looking out into our back yard through one of my favorite decorations.

We were very blessed this year to have a white Christmas. However this spread our Christmas get togethers out over a few weeks. Here you will find a quick synopsis of our holiday season.

My girls helping me decorate for Christmas.

Hadassah putting our classic Christmas star atop our tree.

Using the tree skirt as a cape.

My girls and I in front of our tree.

Since Daddy was away Uncle Brenton and Uncle Derek helped us put up our tree.

Hadassah helping out with frosting cookies.

Or eating the frosting.

And Daddy saves the day. We had a bit of a Charlie Brown tree so when daddy came home he fixed it for us. We love you!

Christmas Eve with my Dad's family. Kate and Elijah.


Uncle Brenton, Uncle Lukas, Uncle Derek and Jenni all came to celebrate with us on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day the boys and Shane's sister all came out for dinner. It snowed Christmas Day. Oh, a beautiful white Christmas.

Pappa and Haddie.

Hadassah smiling at her fun, wooden birthday cake.

Opening gifts on Christmas morning.

Daddy helping Kate open her gifts.

The weekend after Christmas we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Maher. All was great fun. Shane and I even got a night away by ourselves.

New Years Even we celebrated with Uncle Meyer. Lots of fun.

Go LSU!!

The weekend after New Years we celebrated with the Dykstra family. It was a great time, fun gifts and yummy food. Sophia and Hadassah opening one of many wonderful gifts.

Sophie and Haddie with Aunt Barb.

Sopie and Haddie with Aunt Jan.

Uncle Brenton with Baby Kate.

Christmas is quite possibly one of my favorite times of the year. Add a little snow and I am a happy camper. We were so blessed to spend time with each of our family members. Most importantly was the time we spent, as a family, reflecting on how we have been blessed this past year. God has been good and we are so thankful that he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord. May this New Year bring you joy and peace.

Holiday Baking

I was just wondering who said it was good for the soul to bake in an organized kitchen??

Happy Anniversary

Today I honor you, my love. Thank you for loving Jesus then loving me. You are so special. God truly knew what he was doing when he brought us together. I look forward to a many more years by your side.

Katie Kate, my sweet girl

Today is my sweet little Kate's 1st birthday. I cannot believe it has been one year since I gave birth. It has been a blessed year filled with sleepless nights, poopy diapers and snotty noses. But as my friend Tiffany says "all because I have a little baby".
What stands out more than the trying times are the wonderful moments. I remember going into labor at 5am that Monday morning. Around 6 Shane called our midwife and we were at the birthing center by 7. I was anxious to know my little one. We had no ultra sound to find out the sex of the baby. But if you would have asked me I would have guessed a little boy. Much to my surprise at 10:52 a little girl was delivered. The first thing she did as they sat her on my chest was sneeze. It was the most precious sneeze I had ever heard. That was the moment I fell in love with my sweet little Kate.
I loved the name Kate from the first talk of names. However, we decided to name her Katherine and call her Kate for short. Her middle name is Margaret after Shane paternal grandmother. I am so blessed to have my little precious Katherine Margaret.
Kate is not yet walking on her own but walks along the furniture and stands up and down in the squat position. She loves dolls and stuffed animals. If you hand her one she will hold it tight to her chest and rock it back and forth while humming (strangely, with perfect pitch). She has two bottom teeth and up until today only had one top fang. She looked a little silly but I did notice that today her top middle two had finally broken through.
Kate loves Hadassah. Her face lightens up every time she sees her. I look forward to watching their relationship flourish in years to come.
Today I honor you my sweet Katie Kate. You are my joy. I love you.

Banana Bread

What to do with rotten bananas?? Sometimes I can't keep bananas in the house and other times they sit and rot. Because I love this recipe so much sometimes I just hope they will go bad so I can bake up a batch.
This recipe does have a bit of a story. Several years ago, before I was a wife and mother, my best friend and I decided to take a summer off and go work up at West Glacier Park in Montana. We waited tables at a family owned restaurant called Eddies.
I had a day off during the week and headed into town. I decided to stop at a roadside market. I purchased some fruit and a loaf of banana bread. When I returned to my dorm I dug into the bread. It was the most incredibly moist and yummy banana bread I had ever had. I began to crave it.
When our summer was over and we were driving out of town, I decided to stop at the market to get one last loaf. I was so disappointed when they did not have any. I asked the lady at the register and she said the baker was out of town so they had sold out a day ago. I asked if she could tell me what the ingredients were so that I could attempt to replicate it. That is when she offered me the recipe. She said since the baker was out of town no one would ever know so long as I didn't sell the recipe, which I agreed to.
So this recipe is not up for sale...but I would like to share it with you. Actually the recipe has changed over time to incorporate healthier ingredients.

3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 c. rapadura
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (since I have reduced the amount of sugar, make sure they are black)
2 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c. buttermilk (or sour milk)
3/4 cup walnuts (or your favorite nut)

The night before soak the whole wheat flour in buttermilk. The following morning cream butter and rapadura. Blend in bananas eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda and salt to flour mixture then add the banana mixture and blend together. Add nuts. I bake my banana bread in the mini loaf stoneware from Pampered Chef (best kitchen investment for me. I use it all the time). You can also bake in a regular loaf pan but you will need to adjust baking time. Bake on 325 for 45ish minutes. When toothpick comes out clean it's good to go. Serve warm with lots of healthy butter.

FYI
*The only ingredients I substituted were ww flour for white and rapadura for white sugar.
*I have also uses minimally processed organic sugar and it comes out the same.
*I also up the amount of buttermilk form 1/2c. to 3/4 c. when using ww flour, makes it more moist.
*My dad is gluten free and I have made this for him with an all purpose gluten free flour. I have tried several and with this recipe Bob's Red Mill works best.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet Sweets and treats carnival

Butternut Squash Soup

I love soup!! Especially when it is below freezing outside. My favorites include 13 bean soup (from Bob's Red Mill-get their seasoning), broccoli w/ a touch (or a ton) of cheddar and my all time favorite is butternut squash.
Several weeks ago I was making baby food for Kate. I roasted two butternut squashes. When I realized I had more than would fit in my freezer I decided to make some soup. I looked up several recipes on the internet and improvised to make a wonderful winter soup.
So here goes:

1 large butternut squash, roasted
(I roast mine cut in half, inside up, 350 till tender)
1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups+ chicken stock (for those of you who do not make your own this is one box)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup or so of cream or whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice onion and saute in butter on medium heat for a few minutes till onion is translucent and fragrant. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add minced garlic. Peel squash, cut up and add to stock. Return to a boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Use an emulsifier to puree soup or transfer to a blender and puree. Return to pot and add cream, salt and pepper. Enjoy with fresh bread with lots of healthy butter.

*This recipe is so versatile. Make a bit of creme fraiche or sour cream, dab on top, sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts, pecan, etc. Over Thanksgiving I made delicata squash and had a bit left over. I just added what was left over to the recipe. If you like your soup a bit sweeter add a touch of real maple syrup. Have fun and enjoy.

**If you love soup as I do you can find many tried and true recipes on my friend Tiffany's blog. She has a Soups on Saturday post each week. Yummy!

Thanksgiving Meal Plan

I know it has been several weeks since I have posted a meal plan. With Shane gone I am not as active in the kitchen. We still have family dinner with my brothers and friends once a week but the rest of the week the girls and I usually go for soup, salad, cereal, yogurt or apple sauce. Since this is such a big food week I thought I would let you in on some of my plans.

I was just about to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday but that is not really true. If it was Easter I would probably say the same thing. The truth is I just love holidays in general. I love getting together with friends and family. I love the food that accompanies holidays. I just love everything about all holidays.

This year, as we do most years we are going to spend Thanksgiving day with my Uncle Harold and Aunt Rita's family. This has been a tradition in our family for many years. I can only remember one or two Thanksgiving dinners that we were not together. Aunt Rita make a fabulous, traditional dinner. This years I will be adding to the dinner with corn casserole and green jello salad. I may also put together a little appetizer of artichoke cheese dip, mmm! I just can't wait for our Thanksgiving together. Plus Shane is coming home for a few days which is a bonus for us.

Another tradition that I started last years is, what we call, Thanksgiving Re-Run. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving I prepare a Thanksgiving dinner at our home. We invite family and friends (especaily those who do not have a family to celebrate Thanksgiving with) to our home and just enjoy food, fellowship and more food. This is what I will be preparing.

Dinner
Brine Turkey
Real Mashed Potatoes
Corn Casserole
Rolls
Cranberry sauce - I am trying a new recipe this year Cranberry sauce with honey and rosemary
Orange Jello salad - just for Derek
Stuffing - I have never made this before but am going to attempt
Delicata squash - Roasted, smothered in butter, a bit of real maple syrup and toasted pecans.
Dessert
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
Pumpkin Cheese Cake - for Jenni

I hope and pray as you prepare for your Thanksgiving Holiday that you will be reminded of all we have to be thankful for. We have been blessed beyond belief.

Comfort Food

I have been so thankful for the chilly weather we have had the last few weeks. I love fall, the colors, the temperature and most of all the comfort food that comes along with this time of year. When I talked to Shane the other day he was saying how much he enjoys the comforts of food (being a foodaholic myself, I can relate). Since he is eating cafeteria food right now he especailly misses my cooking. He said that he had to go to the PX to buy some junk food just to feel it's comfort. Guess he misses home. In honor of comfort food I thought I would post my favorite meat loaf recipe. My uncle Jack gave this recipe to me years ago and I use it often.

Italian Meat Loaf
1 1/5 lbs ground beef (or mixture of ground beef and sausage)
1 1/2 c. finely chopped onions
1 c. quick-cooking rolled oats or bread crumbs
2/3 c. ketchup
2/3 c. finely chopped fresh parsley
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 c. shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
*Kneed the mixture with your hands until everything is well blended. Do not overmix.
Fill the loaf pan with the meat mixture, mounding the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the meat is firm to the touch and has shrunk from the sides of the pan or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the load reads 160 F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Pour off the excess fat and let stand for 15 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes.