The Eve of Thanksgiving Eve at Farmhouse

laying in a warm bed this morning with Teddy ,Whiskey and Dande listening to a light rain and the long lonely distant whistle of a train. smelling the woodsmoke still smoldering from last nights fire.

tip toeing downstairs in stocking feet to light another fire and make tea. toasting little circles of bread and spreading them with Maine blueberry jam...a gift from a friend...making my list for Thanksgiving shopping. soaking beans for soup. listening to Gregorian Chant for Christmas.

adding another log to the fire and pouring another cup of tea. thinking of you. and wishing you all a blessed THANKSGIVING...

Thanksgiving Eve Greetings From Farmhouse

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, dear friends. I've made the cranberry sauce and am off to pick up a few last minute things for Thanksgiving. I couldn't leave without wishing all of you a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends. All of you have given me so much pleasure over the past few months with your visits and inspriation. When I started this blog last July I had no idea how much it would open my world to meeting so many wonderful new friends from all over the world.But it has. I am so lucky to have met all of you and I look forward to the Christmas holidays. I am thankful for each and every one of you and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving..California-Style

Most of you who read me know I wish I was in New England...so yesterday for me was not my favorite sort of day.I'll just say it. It's hot out here in California.We took Buddy to Burger King for a double cheeseburger. He loves the drive-thru down in Arroyo Grande. Then we drove along the Pacific into Pismo Beach..checked out all the surfers, beach goers,and assorted dog walkers in the sand. After that we made our way to Avila Beach. Buddy loves the little playground there. I however do not. But I do it for him. People were actually laying out on the beach. On Thanksgiving. And they love it...but to tell you all the truth, it was putting me in a really bad mood.Where are the falling red maple leaves,the woodsmoke curling from chimneys,big overstuffed couches piled high with wool plaid blankets, apple cider simmering on the stovetop? It was smoothies and sunscreen here.KSBY T.V. was on early this morning. Did he just say we will reach a high of 81 degrees on Thanksgiving? He did. I heard him. 81 degrees. As I write this all the doors and windows are wide open and Buddy is panting. I may have to get the fan back out. And I wanted to put on my flannel Santa sheets today. Maybe not today.

But it is Thanksgiving..and I have alot to be grateful for. So I told John I'm done complaining.The weather should be the least of my problems... so now I feel greedy and petty for ever even saying anything. There is so much worse that 81 degrees. Way worse.So I am letting it go. I am thankful for the turkey in my refrigerator, the big sack of brown russet potatoes on my drainboard,the bakery box of rolls,the fresh green beans,the cranberries and the little carton of cream,my bag of walnuts from farmers market and the Limbertwig apples from Gopher Glen. My crock of fresh butter with sea salt.My soft warm bed upstairs,my garden, my kitty Whiskey sleeping happily in that red plaid chair,getting to take Buddy on his walk, what was left of my walnut bread to have toasted this morning with my "JOY" tea.The goldfinches tweeting at the feeder, my family....and all of you, my dear friends. I am thankful for you... Happy Thanksgiving.

Walnut Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I decided to start a new tradition this year here at Farmhouse. The weekend before Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to bake some breakfast bread to have in the morning with our coffee and tea. So I got out my "Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart and flipped through the pages the other night. That's it. That's the one. The Walnut Cinnamon Raisin bread. Had to make a quick run to Scolaris in the morning for the raisins, but other than that I had everything in the pantry. I mixed all the ingredients in the morning..it has yeast so it needed time to rise. After it rose in a couple of hours I flattened it out and pressed on the cinnamon sugar, rolled it up,placed it in the pans and let it rise again.It was getting late in the afternoon and my kitchen was getting dark, so I turned on the oven and in went the bread. While it baked I went outside...Christmas music playing....and got out my outdoor lights.I had John move a Christmas Tree that I have had in a big clay pot for years by the french door going out to the garden...and this year it will get lights. Later this afternoon John and I are going out to Baywood Park for farmers market...there is an italian man there that has the best old variety grapes. I want some for Thanksgiving and some for my cranberry and Limbertwig salad.It felt so Thanksgiving this morning on our walk with Buddy. The liquid amber on the corner of Church and Morro Street is bright red now. We call it the Thanksgiving tree. And it did not dissapoint...it was stunning this morning as the sun rose over Terrace Hill, the cold late November winds blew and the dark clouds floated through the sky.

Late this afternoon we are going to take Buddy for a walk. Saturday evening we hit the Motherlode of nature world. 2 barn owls. High up in a cedar tree. One took flight soaring quietly off towards that sliver of a moon against the dark inky sky. The other one stared at us...and Buddy. Big flat white face...orange eyes..and then, we heard them..hoooo hoooo....hoooo hoooo....going at 5 tonight to see if we can see them.....I'll let you know.

Eggnog Scones...The Recipe

I love collecting old books...these are a few I have gathered along the way...now...wondering to do with some of that leftover eggnog...well, make eggnog scones. These are perfect for Thanksgiving morning. You can make them the day before and freeze them...then in the morning just put on a pot of coffee or some tea and pop them in the oven to nibble on while you cook and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The colder they are before you bake them the better.

Eggnog Scones
Farmhouse Kitchen

Recipe adapated from King Arthur Flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients:

Dough:
2 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup cold eggnog

Topping:
1 Tablespoon eggnog
2 Tablespoons sparkling white sugar or cinnamon sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Work in butter till crumbly.
In a seperate bowl mix together egg, vanilla, and eggnog.
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix together till moist and holds together.This dough is easy to work with.

On a parchment lined baking sheet place dough and pat into a 10 inch circle. Score it in wedges like you were cutting a pie. (Mine never scores very well.)

Brush with eggnog and sprinkle with sugar.

For best texture and highest rise place scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered while oven is heating. Bake at preheated 425 degrees for 20 mintues or till golden brown. I had to really watch the last of the cooking. Make sure a toothpick comes out clean before you remove from the oven. Scones are best served warm with jam or butter. They can easliy be reheated.

Eggnog Scones In The Kitchen

We woke to another frosty morning today. All of the rooftops were covered in white frost. And it was cold. We could see our breath as we headed out the door in slippers and scarves to take Buddy for his walk. When we made it back home John built a fire and I headed into the kitchen to make eggnog scones and tea. We had a fire last night too. I made cheese fondue, sauteed some sausages, boiled a few white rose potatoes and diced from french bread. We sat in front of the fire nibbling on food dipped in cheese just like two mice. We wrapped up in wool blankets with Buddy between us, played Christmas music and had a wonderful early winter supper.

Cranberry ,English Walnut and Limbertwig Salad

This was the first morning we woke to frosty rooftops here in San Luis Obispo. I knew it was cold when I woke up and Whiskey Sour and Dande we both piled on top of me and Buddy was snuggled under the covers right by my side. He was as warm as a cinnamon bun. So the weather sure got me into a Thanksgiving mood. After we walked Buddy in our slippers today.....with hot coffee and tea..we came inside and I started to dig out some of my special Thanksgiving pieces. The glass compote was grammy's. We have had it on our Thankagiving table every year since I was born.I'll put cranberry sauce in that. And I think you've all seen the paper turkey. Surely, vintage by now..it's the same one we had on the table when Mark and I were kids in Los Gatos. I LOVE it !

The turkey plates are Johnson Brothers. I have a ba-zillion of them. I have collected them for probably 25 plus years. When we moved a couple of years ago from Cambria to San Luis John kept asking "why do we have so many turkey plates when we only have 7 for dinner?" "I don't know, it's just Thanksgiving love I guess." And so it goes.....

I am including a recipe that is probably about a thousand years old. I lost it a couple of years ago. But I am thinking..what did I need a recipe for? There are only seven ingredients. I found the recipe stuck in an old cookbook and added it to RED PLAID. I just love this salad. The recipe suggests you make it the night before. But I am not a fan of a salad that sits around. So I make it just a few minutes before serving it. You won't find this one in Gourmet or Bon Appetit. So it sure fits in well in my"Just old fashion in Maine Thanksgiving Theme" I have going on here this year at Farmhouse.You might have also noticed there lurking in the background some wine bottles....we have been going through the wine cellar too. It's not really a cellar..more like a gap under the stairs out in the barn.


Cranberry Salad
Eula Frye


2 cups raw cranberries, ground in a Cuisinart
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup small marshmallows
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups diced tart apples ( you know I love my Limbertwig or Blacktwig apples here)
1/2 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 cup cream, wwhipped

Mix together and refridgerate for just a few minutes till chilled.

Red Plaid Blankets

The first picture is a photograph of a picture I have in my home. I keep it up all year round. I love Thanksgiving. Every year I cruise all the foodie magazines..trying to come up with new and exciting ways to make mashed potaoes and stuffing. But this year I am going another way. The kind of Thanksgiving we had as kids. You know the one, nothing is made out of Gourmet magazine. I did buy the Novemeber Gourmet..being it is the last issue and all. R.I.P. But I am more in the mood for the other book. Gourmet Wine Cooking. The Easy Way. It's not that I'm looking for the easy way out...I just am in the mood for the other.Below is my menu for Thanksgiving this year. The Thanksgiving dinner you would find at grandma's house up in Maine. And see the red plaid blanket. That's what I want on my bed on Thanksgiving Eve in my bedroom while I am staying in Maine...waiting for Thanksgiving Day. The blanket is actually one I have thrown over my red wing backed chair. They are camp blankets from up in Maine. That's where I got them. That's were I wish I was for Thanksgiving. I'll once again...pretend.

Thanksgiving In Maine Menu 2009

Roast Turkey with herb, spinach and sausage stuffing
Cranberry Salad with walnuts and Limbertwig apples
Green bean casserole
Mashed potatoes
Roasted yams with pecans,butter and cinnamon
Cranberry Sauce
Pan gravy
Biscuits

Gopher Glen Cinnamon Spice apple pie

Signs O' The Season

I haven't left the house since Halloween Eve. And we needed food. So I got my sweater on...and headed out. And it's Christmas out there.
Went to Trader Jo's and got that cute rosemary topiary. The little ornaments on it I scored last year off ebay. And they are old. I just love them.I looked for something like that this year but so far, nothing. My friend at "Entertaing Mom" had the Thanksgiving Coffee from Starbucks this morning on her blog. So that was at the top of my list. I needed the cranberries and orange to make the cranberry bread tomorrow.And the kitty. He's just on there cause he is my big baby boy, Whiskey Sour.Isn't he cute? I think he is.