Sunday, November 28, 2010

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Coffee, muffins and Bedlam

Woke up this Sunday morning to watch the big Bedlam game. Made atypical game day food for Ricky on this sunny, summer November day. Hot vanilla coffee with our French press, homemade muffins and fresh kiwi! Not your average food or beverage for football but we are enjoying our Australian morning as Oklahomans.

Boomer!!!!

Oh Christmas Tree

Saturday morning after our big Thanksgiving feast, Ricky and I cruised in our Jeep to a Christmas tree farm in Wanneroo (45 min north of Perth). With 8 acres of options, we choose the PERFECT tree. :) Ricky chopped er down, while I swatted flies away from his face. It was pretty comical.... 35 degrees Celsius as well!

Once we got home, I sang carols (ha) and Ricky implemented his lighting/ornament strategery (hahaha).















Thursday, November 25, 2010

Dressing, check! Derby pie, check!

Thanksgiving dinner was a success at our home. I made all the traditional fixins: mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, etc. Ricky roasted the 16 lber to perfection - moist white meat with hints of citrus and savory fresh herbs!

The only thing missing was our sweet mothers who have shared with us their expert cooking skills, time honored traditions and mucho mucho love!!! We miss these two ladies the most today. But honored them in the best possible way! My mom Ludi and I always (since I can remember) make Grandma Connie's cornbread dressing together. Every year we get out Grandmas's handwritten recipe. Her penciled in instructions and ingredients have faded over the years (I'm curious when she wrote this down -so thrilled she did!)  and I'm almost positive there is butter crusted on the paper. Not to mention the instructions are extremely vague. The cornbread dressing always comes out perfect as mom and I add stock, then spices, then stock, then more spices, and then another egg!
And of course I made 2 Derby Pies to fill my hubby's belly with a sweet taste of home! Rich, sweet and warm just like my mother-in-law - the best MIL in the whole wide world!!!
I cut fresh flowers and lit candles to decorate our little rental table and warm things up a bit. Really looking forward to living with our own possessions, which will be arriving on Dec. 10. Woohoo!











Happy Thanksgiving!

After numerous trips to the market, uncountable google searches and long conversations with my mom, I figured out how to make Thanksgiving dinner here in Australia. I feel very old fashioned... substituting polenta for cornmeal, pureeing an actual pumpkin (the Libby's can is nonexistent in Australia) and converting Celsius to Fahrenheit every time I turn the oven on.  Woolworth's (Reasor's of OZ) doesn't carry anything I actually need for a traditional American feast, so my creativity is running wild! Not to mention, I'm using only rental pots and pans, not my spankin' new Le Creuset ....

Well ready or not, it's here! Enjoy your turkey dinner as we will be feasting in Perth. Missing the family and giving thanks! xoxoxo

Pics of our 1st turkey dinner (all by ourselves) will come soon, for now...enjoy some vintage Thanksgiving pics!










Thursday, November 18, 2010

Turkey or Roo?

American Thanksgiving is one week away. Since I'm still in the "nesting" phase of our move, I feel the need to rush to the market every day to stock our fridge and pantry, not to mention buy all the necessary ingredients for next week's festivities. Ricky and I will be celebrating our first Thanksgiving away from our families and away from home. We are making this our home for now.

Today I bought the very last frozen turkey at the market. It's Nov. 18 and these are "Christmas turkeys" Once this stock runs out, that's it. You snooze you lose. Or choose an alternative meat... Kangaroo perhaps? Yes, Aussies eat Roo..... That's for another post (Ricky and I have yet to try). So anyway, I bought our first turkey. And SPED ALL THE WAY home. It's 36 degrees out (a whoopin 97 degrees Fahrenheit). I'm in fear of our precious bird defrosting.

Sad note. No canned pumpkin to be found anywhere in Perth...

Beachin' It