Thanksgiving Dreaming (Carolina Bloggers Link Up)

I made a Pinterest board this weekend for The Frisky's Pin it to Win it! Bitchin' In the Kitchen Pinterest Contest and it got me thinking about Thanksgiving. Brian and I are spending the holiday with my parents and having our own Thanksgiving the day after. It will just be the two of us. We'll probably only have a small ham.

We don't have the room to host Thanksgiving yet but I love daydreaming about what it will be like when we do. This is what I dreamed up this year...

The table would be set like the picture to the left. It's rustic with a fun edge. I could decorate with a mixed succulent wreath and birch candles. I love the table runner in the picture and the fall flower centerpiece.

Drink option would be seasonal--of course! Hot Toddys or Spiced Apple Cider Sangria and Homemade Apple Cider for the non-drinkers like me. The menu is traditional with a twist. My family always has turkey and ham. And you can't forget the pumpkin pie! This is the menu I came up with for my fantasy Thanksgiving:

• Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Cider & Vanilla Bean
• Roast Turkey with Pears & Sage
• Maple Glazed Ham
• Apple Pecan Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese & Sage
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Slow Roasted Green Beans with Sage
• Artichokes Braised in Lemon & Olive Oil
• Cranberry Sauce with Cassis & Dried Cherries 
• Caramel Apple & Pumpkin Pie
• Maple Pecan Blondies with Maple Butter Glaze

Check out my Pinterest board for images of all the yummy food!

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Carolina Bloggers - let's link up to celebrate the upcoming holiday! To participate, write a Thanksgiving themed post. It can be about your plans, your dream Thanksgiving, your menu, a family tradition, something you are thankful for--anything! If you make a Pinterest board to go along with your post, feel free to link it it up too. Be sure to visit the other blogs and leave a nice comment. 

1.	Thanksgiving Dreaming & a Link Up	4.	Champagne & Mason Jar's Friendsgiving 2.0
2.	Emma's Thanksgiving Pinterest Board	5.	Thanksgiving thoughts and truths
3.	Mommy in Bonlee-Easy Turkey Crafts for Preschoolers

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Why I'm Glad I Married my High School Sweetheart

Brian and I met in High School. It doesn't feel like it was that many years ago, but we've been together for almost seven years. I will never forget the first time I saw him. School had just started and we had an English class together. I sat in the front. He sat in the back. Our eyes met over the top of the Harry Potter novel his nose was buried in and it was friendship at first sight. Yes, friendship.

At first I didn't think we had a ton in common, except our shared love of reading. I remember that most of my friends didn't like him and didn't understand why we suddenly started hanging out all the time. The same went for his friends. But somewhere over a year of endless phone calls, countless video-games, numerous late night movies and several shared books, we fell in love. And our friends...well, they dealt with it. It didn't really matter what they thought because, by the time we actually started dating, Brian was my best friend.

We dated two years before college separated us for a short time. The separation was only in distance and it strengthened our friendship and our growing relationship. Brian moved to my college town after a year of long-distance-dating. And after three more years of hectic college classes, crappy college student jobs, and two cats, a few tears and a lot of laughs later...we happily said our "I do's" at the beautiful age of 21.

There are about five years between when we starting dating in High School and when we got married in college. And those five years mean the world to me and I believe those five years are what have made our marriage so strong. Why?

Brian and I grew up together, and to this day we are both still growing as individuals. We have each changed drastically since the start of our relationship--our goals are different now, our beliefs, our priorities. But we have supported each other through each of these changes, adjusted our relationship when it needed it, and fallen in love time and time again with the people that we are each becoming.

And along the way, Brian has helped me to remember the person I want to be and who I am in my heart. This is the foundation of our marriage, because it was the foundation of our relationship before. I know that I will change over the course of our life together, but I also know that Brian will love me through all of those changes, even if it is difficult sometimes. And when I forget who I am or I'm feeling lost, Brian will remind me. Always, I will do the same for him.

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

I make something in the slow cooker every week, and now that Fall is here I've got a lot of soup recipes to start trying out! This is one of our favorites to make in early Fall. The potatoes make it feel festive and add a fun flavor. For a printer friendly version, click here. Or hover over the image above to pin it for later.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds raw chicken breasts, halved *boneless, skinless recommended
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup peeled and cubed red potatoes
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Fresh parsley to taste (optional)

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook until chicken and vegetables are done, about 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
3. Remove chicken breasts and shred with forks. Return to pot and mix.
4. Enjoy!

October Recipe Round-Up

Nothing says Fall like a Slow Cooked Meal! Brian and I use our slow cooker all year round, but it feels especially festive once the leaves start to turn and it gets a little chilly out. Unfortunately our gifted slow cooker is on it's last leg, so it's almost time to upgrade. Our current slow cooker isn't great, but there are a few features I love. It's size (6-quart) is perfect! And the "keep warm" setting is useful for when the food is done but we aren't quite ready to eat. It doesn't have programmable cooking times though, and the controls aren't digital. It's just one knob that turns on and off. The insert is really easy to clean, but the slow cooker itself isn't. Using this criteria I've narrowed my list of options down, but I can't seem to make up my mind.

Stainless steel oven
amazon.com

Hamilton Beach kitchenware dining
amazon.com

Cuisinart MSC-600 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker: Slow...
amazon.com

Hamilton Beach 33265 6-Quart Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker
amazon.com

So many seemingly wonderful options! How do I know which one to choose? I'm going to have to make up my mind soon. I've got a lot of recipes I want to try. These are just a few that are on my to-make list. Don't they look delicious?!

Chana Masala	BBQ Shredded Chicken	Thai Chicken Soup
Boeuf Bourguignon	Squash Coconut Chili	Caramel Apple Crumble