I’d like to welcome you to Coffee Talk. In case you’re new here, this is where I share some of the great and not~so~great stuff that I find on the web. Topics range from news stories that leave me scratchin’ my head to DIYs that I think are absolutely clever. And, who knows, there may even be a recipe thrown in here or there just for fun.
So grab a cup of coffee {or tea or whatever floats your boat} and let’s talk…
Can you believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner? Have you started shopping yet? Do you even know what you’re making or do you have a standard Thanksgiving meal that you prepare every year? We have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner but I try to add a new recipe every year just to change things up. Yep, I’m one of those hey, people are coming to the house for dinner let’s try something new tonight kind of people. Most of the time things turn out great, but every blue moon I try something that just doesn’t mesh well with my family’s taste buds. And, to be fair, it usually has more to do with the fact that my family is not big on change. I know, right? You’d think after living with me all these years they’d just go with the flow.
Anyway, Thanksgiving is going to be different for us this year. For one, three of our kids won’t be home: one is married and has a family of their own {and they’ll be with her mother} and the other two will be spending Thanksgiving together in Missouri {eating SPAGHETTI!!!! I offered to buy them a turkey but was told I’m the only one who cares about that}. So, we’ll have two of our kids and my parents over. I’m pretty excited about that…
My parents are pretty traditional when it comes to meals, so I usually don’t go overboard on the experimenting when they’re around, but I still like to kick thing up a notch:
- A Thanksgiving staple at our dinner table is sweet potatoes. I usually go the traditional route and just sweeten them up with some brown sugar and cinnamon, toss a few marshmallows on top and call it a day. But. Look. At. This. Sweet Potatoes done five different ways!!!! Major shout out to Kokoa Magazine for this because yes! I’m not sure which one, but one of those will be on my Thanksgiving table.
- Do you cook with wine? I used to, but since The Hubs and I quit drinking wine we never have any in the house, so I’ve avoided recipes that call for wine in the deglazing process. I know, that you can use fruit juices and broths, but I found that the taste was always just a bit, I don’t know, off. Then I stumbled across The Best Wine Substitutes for Deglazing Your Pans (and More) on Skillet and was like oh, yeah! Get ready for some serious pan gravy on that turkey, y’all.
- And, of course, I’ll be making my very own Orange Cranberry Tea Loaf for after dinner and between meal snacking. But you’ll have to come back next week for the recipe!
Now it’s your turn, what’s on the menu at your house for Thanksgiving?