I'm Thankful for Trying New Recipes

Michelle Wright, who wrote Whisk Me Away, had another cookbook come out recently. It is called The Great American Table. It has recipes inspired by all 50 states... and then some.

Since November 9 was National Louisiana Day, I tried out a new recipe. Slow Cooker Jambalaya is in the Louisiana section of the cookbook.

I decided to double the recipe because I figured if it was anything like the red beans and rice that I like, I would be eating quite a bit of it. I don't know that doubling it was the best idea, though. It filled, literally filled, the slow cooker. Heh Heh Heh. 

Next time I make it (because it's worth making again), I think I'll drain the beans first. 

I'm Thankful for our Fablehaven Cookbook

November 8 was Brandon Mull's birthday. 

We made Ogre Stew and Rio Branco Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips.

Have I mentioned I love our Fablehaven Cookbook? 

 

November 8 was also Bram Stoker's Birthday and Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day. The Ogre Stew did have garlic in it. 

I'm Thankful for Bison

Road Trip! 

Besides Hug a Bear Day, November 7 was also Play Outside Day and National Bison Day so of course we did our annual tradition of going to Antelope Island to see the bison. 

Before that, though, we headed to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge so we could get Box Elder county for our birding challenge. 

At Antelope Island, we got our Davis county birds. Yay.

At this point now, Jeremy and I both got what we needed to get Bronze for this year's birding challenge and Lucky and Nichole still need some more because Nichole wasn't able to make this trip with us and Lucky missed some birding excursions earlier in the year.

We'll all get there, though.

We brought along "Otter the Bison" as usual and Jeremy wore a bison shirt.

We checked out a scope and tripod from the Orem Library so we got to try that out.

Libraries are awesome.

Jet insisted on getting a family picture with his camera. He's so cute. 

We got some far away bison pictures and some up close bison pictures. I love it.

We were close enough, Jet was able to get bison pictures with his camera. Nice. 

While we were stopped at a pullout to look at bison, we saw a burrowing owl. I'm not sure we've seen burrowing owls on Antelope Island before, though we know they're there.

The boys played their game of catch the falling leaves. As I was taking pictures of them trying to catch the leaves, a leaf fell on my sleeve, no chasing required. I thought that was pretty fun.

I love Bison Day! 

I'm Thankful for Winnie-the-Pooh

November 7 was National Hug a Bear Day. 

I made sure to celebrate with a Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animal.

Then Jr. Jr. decided to "celebrate." 

Ha Ha. We're so cute.

I'm Thankful for Pizza

November 6 was National Nacho Day.

I made nacho pizza.

The end. 

I'm Thankful for My Boys

November 5 was Men Make Dinner Day. I didn't have to make dinner. The boys took care of it.

First they mugged the food reaping whatever rewards they could, then they knocked it unconscious.  

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! I'm guessing Lucky wrote that last sentence. I love how personalities show in my blog when kids "contribute" to my posts. I get it, too, why he wrote what he wrote. The boys "took care of it."

Actually, the each contributed to taco salad. Jr. cooked the taco meat. Jr. Jr. washed and tore up the lettuce. Lucky made Kool-aid to go with it. Jet brought the chips to the table.

Have I mentioned I love my family? I'm thankful for my boys.

 

November 5 was also Guy Fawkes Day. Sian Ann Bessey has written some time travel romances. Her first in the McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance series, A Time Traveler's Masquerade, has the main character going back in time and being involved in the events surrounding the Gunpowder Plot. I joined in with some people talking about that book online that day.

I'm Thankful for Mummies and Candy

November 4 was King Tut Day. Jr. pointed out how there was a myth that honey was found in Tutankhamun's tomb and the archaeologists ate it.

I planned to make pizza mummies with honey to celebrate. Lucky came up with an idea and I kind of ran with it. Besides the pizza mummies, we had jars of... kidney (beans)... and gummy candy body parts the kids got for Halloween (brain, eyeballs, etc.). November 4 was National Candy Day after all.  

It was also Stress Awareness Day. I'm not going to mention all the stress we were aware of that day. Let's just say there was plenty.