6 thing Friday - headwear, marmalade, Westcave, deer, Adelbert's, kid tree

I ordered a cute headband for The Girl and I to wear for the turkey trot:

 Silly and colorful and fun!  Hubby wore a turkey hat.  We three were stylin'.

On one of my favorite blogs, the author talked about making jam out of peach peels - sounded very depression era and intriguing.  So after I squeezed all of the juice out of my mandarin oranges for cranberry sauce, I boiled down the tiny strips of peel and pulp, added sugar, and made my own delicious orange marmalade! 

We took The Girl to Westcave Cellars last Sunday for Pig Pickin's and wine to enjoy along with a live band. They had a firepit that kept us warm and everyone was so friendly.  Tomorrow is their wine club pick-up party and the menu of bacon wrapped smoked tenderloin makes my heart skip a beat.

 A minivan loaded with field-dressed deer on their way to processing...only in Burnet.

 

 Hubby and I took ourselves out last Saturday and bought some fish and chips from the food trailer parked out front of a brewery.  Hubby also struck up a conversation with the master brewer who happened by and managed a pull of their soon to be released Cuvee coffee porter.  It was smooth and delightful and I'm sure we will be back when they release it.  They feature local art, too:

See that shape of Texas made of corks?  I want to make one.

We were dog tired at the end of Sunday, but while the turkey soup was simmering along we managed to get the kids' tree decorated.  Lucky for me I figured out the secret of storing this tree:  keep it in the garage with all of its light still attached.

And here we are, at yet another weekend!

Gina

The tree is up!

The looks on my peeps faces would suggest they did not enjoy this annual tradition of going to the tree farm on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  But they weren't coerced, and they love a real tree!

We arrived around 11 a.m., and just like the day before, it was cloudy and cool, with no rain which was great.  Teddy is the most excited member of this tree-hunting team!

We found the perfect tree in record time, and though it was their absolute busiest day of the season, the lines and crowds weren't terrible.  They shake the tree out, bag it, and give you a ticket so you know you are getting the tree you cut down.

We took it home, got it trimmed and in water, ate leftovers, then the decorating stalled.  Everyone was so tired, though, so we let the front room sit like this for a while while we took naps and generally did nothing.

But later on, we got it done and the front room was ready to usher in the holidays.   

It's not as big a tree as last year's, but still fairly full and pretty and smells amazing.  We also got the kids' tree up, too. Camp Rustown is a pretty and calm place to land at the end of our workday!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #221

Monday - Chicken Mole, rice, green beans
Tuesday - Beefy Shells Pasta, peas and carrots
Wednesday - Grilled Havaarti and salami with knock-off Chik-Fil-A Superfood Salad
Thursday - BBQ Skillet Pork Chops, mac and cheese, broccoli
Friday - Tilapia, 7 grains, Asian chopped salad
Saturday - Crockpot Beef Stew
Sunday - Eggs, biscuits and cream sausage gravy, fruit cocktail salad

Gina

Turkey Day re-cap

I'm feeling a little pooped after yesterday's fun and frolicking - sometimes Thanksgiving wears me out!  So, while Hubby is currently fixing some kind of scrambled eggs for us to enjoy with leftover birthday cake and other desserts, here is the re-cap:  

After putting the bird in the oven, and having coffee and bagels, we went downtown for Turkey Trot along with 20,000 of our closest friends.

 

 A little cloudy, cool, no rain.

Waiting for our start time on the Lavaca Street bridge, I took a shot of the thousands of humans behind me.  Then after that, I paid attention to navigating through the ones in front of me as I started. After you get past mile two, the crowds thin a little - the serious runners are far ahead and every now and then a small group would run zig-zagging through the crowd.

 I paused now and again to get a shot.  The above photo is shortly after the three mile mark, when I thought I would never make it another 2 miles.  The below photo looks out over Mopac.

 I thought Town Lake was really pretty and Fall-ish:

 We finished up around 1145, and were home by noon!  

I took one photo of my humans in the kitchen as I made side dishes for lunch.  We had some really good sangria and an apricot and brie appetizer that I will definitely make again!

 

 I lit the candles, we decanted the wine, and proceeded to have a lovely Thanksgiving meal.  We each said what we were thankful for, Hubby said grace, and we spent the afternoon napping, taking a walk to the greenbelt for photos, and playing cards.  Somewhere in there, we also managed to enjoy a firepit, but I had put my phone down, opting to live in the moment, not the photos.

And today, if we can get moving,  we will get the Christmas tree up and enjoy some pulled pork.  
Happy beginning of the holiday season!

Gina

Simple 2018 Thanksgiving table

I hadn't really planned out the Thanksgiving table until this morning.

I just figured I would throw it together and not stress it...and you know what?  It worked out great!

 

 Done.  I think that with all of our smiling faces lit by candle glow, it will be a beautiful dinner scene!  And now I'm off to bake a pie or two and munch on some chex mix, 'cause it's also my birthday today!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #220

Monday - Grilled Cheese sammies, soup
Tuesday - Texas style pork chops, mac and cheese, peas
Wednesday - Ordering pizza out so we can prep Thanksgiving meal*
Thursday - ALL OF OUR FAVORITE FOODS!!
Friday - Pulled Pork in the crockpot with potato salad, chips, etc.
Saturday - Turkey Soup, rolls
Sunday - Oven Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad

Gina

Hearty Beef Soup

This is the soup pictured on Monday's menus:

We had it one day last week when I was feeling puny and it sure hit the spot.  Soup weather is upon us here - we had our first freeze last night.  Seems like summer was over with the rain, now fall is over, and cooler temps mean I will will cook more comfort food.  I can't remember where I found this recipe, tho I have mentioned it in previous menu plans.

Hearty Beef Soup
1# lean ground beef
15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
13-14 oz carton veggie broth
14 1/2 oz can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 t. dried parsley, thyme and rosemary mix (use some creative license here)*
1 bag baby spinach
grated parmesan cheese

In a soup pot, brown the beef in a little olive oil.  Add beans, broth, tomatoes, and herbs.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.  Gently stir in ALL of the spinach until it is well wilted - it WILL all fit.  Continue simmering a few minutes, then serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and some garlic toast.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #219

It's soup weather!*

Monday - Brinner
Tuesday - Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Bites with broccoli and ramen
Wednesday - Freezer pizza, salad
Thursday - Orange Marmalade Chicken salad on croissants
Friday - Meatball and Rice Skillet with peas
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Beef Taco Night!
*But it's not on the menus this week...

Gina

5 thing Friday - Teddy, knife, Celis, water woes, Tech Week

Teddy is staying with us while The Girl has a "mini" busy season at work.  She is taking on new responsibilities and is doing a great job in her profession - I am super proud of her!

One day last week, Teddy sat in front of the living room windows and growled/barked softly to himself as some moving guys were unloading the house next door.  A fine guard dog he is! I'm sure both of them miss each other, though.

She will be here on the 17th...just 8 more days!

I took my mother to lunch last Friday, along with helping her get groceries and other errands done.  At the restaurant, this was the knife they included with the silverware. We used it to butter our rolls, but I could kill and skin a bear with it. 

Hubby and I have slowly gravitated over to the beer world and its been a good break from wineries and one of our fav places is Celis.  He likes the raspberry, I like the oatmeal stout.  We both love the quiet taproom with lots of tables to play cards.  And its literally 3 miles from our house.

Austin's Great Drinking Water Crisis of 2018 is at end.  And some of the sign placements at work just did not make sense. 

This week is National Rad Tech Week.  We've been super busy at the hospital making it hard for the bulk of staff to enjoy the lunches and breakfasts and all around fun stuff.  Such is the nature of healthcare now.

Gina 

Mealplan Monday #218

Monday - Crockpot BBQ Ribs, coleslaw, seasoned pinto beans
Tuesday - Grilled Cheese on sourdough with bacon, leftover coleslaw, chips
Wednesday - Lemon Chicken, teriyaki green beans, mac and cheese
Thursday - Hearty Beef Soup, garlic toast
Friday - Crispy Crusted Tilapia (with onions and peppers), brussels sprouts
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - Pesto Chicken with Penne, zucchini
*Note - making bacon jam this week, too!

Gina

Weekend re-cap: West Cave Cellars, Highlands, Bent Oak, Oskar Blues

On Saturday (after yelling at Hubby in the front yard over the planting of the shrubs - more details later), we decided to skip our usual trip to STW and make another trip to Westcave Cellars. 

We had to get there a roundabout way as part of the road they are on is still underwater from the torrential rains and flooding.  The owner was so happy to see people who had trekked that far that she let us sample an extra couple of wines with our tasting. 

We bought a bottle to enjoy out by the vines, then took a walk through them.  The weather was sunny and gorgeous - seasonal affective disorder from the rain gone!

There were only a few other people there, so it was like having it all to ourselves.  She said they are roasting a pig the second weekend in November - people to bring potluck sides.  Can't wait!

We only ate a cheese plate so we were starving mid-afternoon.  Sonic to the rescue.  Then we headed on to Highlands. 

{I spy a buck, ambling through our hilltop clearing.} We had an evening under the stars, and I didn't head in to bed until the coyotes started up their nonsense.

The next day I was up early for a walk around our loop. 

Took a few pics and got dozens of chigger bites to start off my week.  I really have to remember to start spraying myself with Cutter before I go exploring!

Around noon, we headed to Bent Oak for their pick up party and lunch al fresco.

They had wood fired pizza, salad, sangria, and cake.  Plus live music and a raffle.  The owners are so friendly as were our tablemates.  There wasn't a lot of seating and we had forgotten our folding chairs, so we called it an early afternoon.  And after a nap at home we ventured out again - this time to a place hidden away in an industrial park not far from our house.

They had great live music, too, and some tasty beer!  And we might have split a burger from their food truck...

We sat inside and played cards for a couple of hours or so, then headed home to cook dinner.  It was a relaxing end to a weekend that didn't start out so relaxing!
And hopefully this one will begin a little differently...