Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone stuffed themselves silly and had a wonderful day of thanks!

Like Jessica, I too have a lot to be thankful for. I look forward to this time of year not only for the gifts, decor and carols, but for just the general feeling of good will and happiness in the air. And all of the time we get to spend with family and friends.

Before I get serious, I wanted to share something on the lighter side... Though not the most traditional fare, both dished below were so VERY easy to prepare and met with great reviews.

Baked Apple & Cranberry Tart


1) Layer 4-5 sheet of phyllo dough with butter and cinnamon, bake for 10 min. 2) Brush on maple syrup and cover with apples and cranberries and brush on butter, syrup and sprinkle with sugar. 3) Bake until fruit is cooked, about 25 min. 4) Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Mushroom and Israeli Couscous Salad


1) Toss mushrooms (portabella, oyster, button) in cilantro, dill, truffle oil and a little salt. Put in oven 15 min and cool. 2) Prep couscous by simmering in butter, then chicken stock until cooked. Add extra finely chopped mushrooms and cool. 3)Mix both cooked mushrooms and couscous in a large bowl, chill and serve.

And in the spirit of Jessica's Post and the spirit of the season, wanted to share another charitable effort that a friend of a friend is supporting. Although I do not know her and her family very well, I do know that they are all quite down to earth and actively support many charities and non-profits. This is from an evite for an event she recently hosted in her home for the charity:

Robert, Knolton, and I have been supporting a foundation in Haiti for many, many years that support the needs of underprivileged kids in Haiti. They are a foundation that provide schools, housing, food, and various other needs. On Robert's last home-building trip to Haiti, he tells of how he had a group of kids begging near him as he was going on a walk. Sharing what he had, all that remained in his pocket was a small packet of peanut butter sandwich cookies. Giving it to the smallest, hungriest looking boy, he watched the selflessness of these people in this child's actions. This little boy who needed a full meal, let alone one small packet of cookies, carefully broke each cookie in half, and passed it around to 11 other kids, taking only a small half of a cookie for himself. They've forever been in our hearts after, and we love the idea of providing what we can for them.

One of the fun things that we've recently started doing is the Christmas Shoebox Drive that go to these children. Often, these shoeboxes are the ONLY gifts these kids receive for Christmas (compared to the mountains and piles of gifts under our children's trees each year.) This year, Knolton will be doing his first shoebox by himself, with the money he's saved up from allowance and chores.

We will be having an early Thanksgiving (style) meal at our home on Saturday, November 21st, and would love if you could join us. It'll be a great chance to see you all before the crazy holiday rush begins! All that we ask is that you bring a Christmas Shoebox if you are able.

Here's the deets!
What you can put in it: coloring books, crayons, dolls, cards, jump rope, balls (deflated with small pump), yoyo's, stuffed animals, stickers, marbles, checkers, etc, pencils, pens, sharpener, notebooks, solar calculator, ruler, eraser, socks, underwear, tshirts, sundresses, shorts w/elastic bands, braided belts, flipflops, caps, sunglasses, toothbrush & paste, bar soap, washcloth, hand towel, hairbrush, comb, nail file & clippers, deodorant, flashlight & extra batteries, watch, compact umbrella, christmas card, family photos, etc.
PLEASE DON'T SEND: medication, vitamins, candles, perishables, chocolates, liquids, lotions, breakables, glass, aerosol cans, toy (or real) guns & knives, rubber snakes, etc.
Write boy or girl & age on top of the box.

So they hosted a full on Thanksgiving dinner at their house and collected over 125 shoe boxes that they Fedex-ed to Haiti. (I wasn't able to attend, but sent a box. Apparently it was quite a party and there were like 6 home cooked turkeys and some how I ended up with a leftover whole pork loin in my freezer!) Although it seems like such a small thing, it makes the biggest difference for a child. And it was quite fun going around Ikea and Target collecting little things to fill a box with.

Check back soon: I'm going to get more info on the charity and post here soon so if you're interested in creating a box of your own, you'll be able to.