SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 98
Hi! Thanks very much for joining me today for Sundays With Celia Vol 98.
Over the years many of you have told me how much you look forward to reading Sundays With Celia along with your Sunday morning coffee. I can’t tell you how much that means to me, and for this reason I do my best to be with you each Sunday. When I miss a Sunday it’s likely that I’ve been traveling or have been exceptionally busy, like I have been lately with my recent cabin renovation. It routinely takes me 5 to 8 hours to produce a blog post. That fact surprises many people but it’s true. Between shooting and editing my photographs, doing research, writing the copy, and doing all the behind the scenes, back-end coding stuff that a blog requires, it sometimes takes me days to have a post ready for publication. And unless I’ve managed to get a post together before I leave on a trip, I sure won’t find the time to do so while traveling, as I was last week for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Looking Back On Sunday
An example of a post I prepared before traveling, and published while I was away, was the one I posted earlier this week entitled, “Crawl Space Maintenance Tips For A Cold And Wet Winter“. If your weather is anything like ours, very wet and cold, you will likely benefit from this post. Click here if you missed it.
Thanksgiving in DC
This year we spent Thanksgiving in Washington, DC at the new home of our eldest son. Our family is spread out across the country, so it was simply wonderful that 3 of our 4 sons were able to join us in DC as well. To me, one of the best things in life is coming together in the kitchen to prepare a meal. All of our boys love to cook, so the preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner is a family affair, with everyone pitching in.
But my boys actually spoiled me this year, wanting to do most of the work themselves. So, as much as I love to cook and entertain, it was really nice to be able to pass-the-torch to the next generation. I’ve hosted our extended family Thanksgivings for decades (with a few exceptions), so this year was quite a treat. Therefore I can only take credit for the preparation of the stuffing and the gravy. The rest of the meal credit goes to our kids.
Sous Vide Turkey
Our son had an interesting idea to Sous Vide the turkey. He cut up a whole turkey the night before Thanksgiving and then cooked the legs and thighs overnight, as the dark meat takes extra time. Then on Thanksgiving morning he Sous Vide the white meat.
About an hour before dinner time he browned the turkey in the oven, producing what we all agreed was the most tender and delicious turkey we’d ever tasted! I’d highly recommend this method, and also recommend the Anova Brand Sous Vide that both my son and I own. You can find one like ours here.
Thanksgiving Dinner Side Dishes
Our eldest son also prepared an Acorn & Butternut Squash Soup. He used the hallowed out Acorn Squash as soup bowls.
He then topped the soup with Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab. It was divine! The soup was served with yummy, homemade Buttery Pull-Apart Buns. The recipe can be found here from Bon Appetite.
Our next course was a Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Pecorino Cheese and Toasted Almonds from Bon Appetite Magazine. It was dressed in a lemon, Dijon, shallot dressing, that was a bright alternative to all the heavier side dishes. Get the recipe here.
Our son also prepared these Roasted Shaved Carrots & Parsnips.
They were seasoned with Pine Nuts, Capers, Fresh Rosemary, Salt & Pepper and Olive Oil. He conjured up the recipe after enjoying a similar dish at Coppi’s Organic Restaurant in DC.
Cocktails & Appetizers in the Bar
Just as we have always done in our own home when we entertain, our son started the evening festivities in his home bar.
This lovely room in his new home was so well accessorized I just had to photograph it.
This is his amazing collection of Gin, a family favorite.
I love how he displayed his collection of glasses.
Speaking of Gin, our son prepared delicious Cucumber-Mint Martinis, made from a similar recipe he got here from Food & Wine Magazine.
It was made by muddling cucumber and mint with lime juice. Gin and a splash of champagne was then added. As an ode to Thanksgiving, he garnished the cocktails with fresh cranberries.
A lovely appetizer tray consisting of crackers & cheese, cured meats, nuts & olives was also served.
The Thanksgiving Tablescape
Nothing beats sitting down to a beautifully set table. It makes the food taste even better!
Intermezzo
Between courses we enjoyed a “pallet cleansing” intermezzo of refreshing Cranberry Granita.
The Dessert
We enjoyed traditional Pumpkin Pie with Fresh Whipped Cream for dessert. If you’d like my throw-down-winning-recipe for Pumpkin Pie click here.
The Day After Thanksgiving
Once the dishes were done and the last vestiges of Thanksgiving Dinner were in the rear-view-mirror, it was time to burn off some of those extra calories. So our family set off on a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Our middle son picked up a couple of Capitol Bikeshare electric bikes nearby, and the grandkids got to ride behind their dad on his cool child-seat attachment. It was my first time trying out an electric bike, and what fun it was.
For dinner we enjoyed a wealth of leftovers and then headed out to buy the Christmas Tree.
I can’t remember the last time we were all together picking out a tree.
Going Home
It’s always bitter-sweet to return home after a wonderful trip, especially one spent with my family that doesn’t come together very often. While we were away enjoying mild weather in Washington, DC, mother-nature absolutely wrecked havoc on our hometown of Lake Arrowhead. It snowed 3 feet on Thanksgiving Day, causing road closures and power-outages for 10s of thousands. Many of my neighbors were without power for 4 to 5 days! We managed to miss all that, except the storm did not spare our landscaping. After 15 years of nurturing my beautiful Cypress Trees, we drove in the driveway to discover that 3 of them were broken in half by the heavy, wet snow. I simply wanted to cry. Not a very welcoming homecoming!
This is what the same spot looked like a couple of weeks ago when we got our first snow of the season.
The storm also took down one of the trees in the rear of our property. I guess we will be getting a new stash of firewood soon.
Well friends, that was the long and short of our holiday adventures. I’m tucking in today as it rains relentlessly here on our mountaintop, washing away some of that snow. I’m doing my best to get in the Christmas spirit, spending my day decorating. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying a lovely Sunday. I am so grateful for the gift of your time today.
So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 98
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s what helps to make this blog possible. Thanks very much for your support.
