A "Modern" Family Thanksgiving

Oh boy. To say that things did not go as planned this Thanksgiving would be an understatement. This is the first year my immediate family hosted our own Thanksgiving dinner. As many family members were celebrating with the other family on Thursday, we planned to host the big feast on Friday to accommodate everyone.

Of the original 14 people committing, only 6 showed. As a result, there was frantic last minute cooking (can't have Thanksgiving without cranberry relish and stuffing!). However, we had a delicious dinner and good company. It was a bit disappointing not to have everyone there, but on the bright side, we have a TON of leftovers, which makes me hap hap happy.

Also my worry about not bringing enough wine was all for naught.

I ended up picking up a case:

-A couple of bottles of the good ole standby Mark West Pinot Noir...USA Today recommended it as an affordable wine to pair with turkey. It's always been a staple in my wine fridge.

-A bottle of Graziano Zin- I figured I'd give it a go as it had a "turkey tag." Everyone seemed to enjoy it with our meal.

-Two bottles of Tamarack Cellars Fire House Red (my FAV!) I tried this wine at Veritas a couple of times and crave it. Unfortunately I was trying to skip town before Veritas opened so I

emailed the vineyard and asked for a list of retailers in the Dallas area. Thankfully, they replied and I was able to track it down.

-Finally, the saleslady at Vino 100 sold me on a bottle of Deerfield Ranch Sangiovese. The winemakers claim that low levels of sulfates and histamines = less of a red wine headache. It was also discounted for a limited time. I figured since I would never pay the retail price this was my chance to try it. Everyone seemed to like it as well.

Any tasting notes I would have provided are absent because my seasonal allergies decided to flare up just in time for the culinary pinnacle of my year. Just my luck.

After our lunch my mother, aunt, and I went for a walk through the woods. The weather was perfect for a digestion-aiding stroll. My mother took a picture of me in the midst of the fall foliage (because you know, my hair matches it so well these days). I was HORRIFIED by my paleness. I seriously looked like a vampire...a ghastly, "well fed" vampire. I decided that I need a spray tan posthaste.

Now I am trying to get inspired to dig out the pre-lit Christmas tree and decorate the house for the next go-round. Luckily, I have a bottle of wine left over from Thanksgiving.

Signs of the Season

I know, I know...I take and post way too many nature photos...but I am just weird like that.

Every fall I tell myself that I will take pictures of the tree full of persimmons at my parents' house, and every year the fruit falls off before I remember to capture it on film.

Timing is key. I personally think that the tree is the most interesting when all of the leaves have fallen, leaving bare limbs and the bright fruit.

A couple of weeks ago the tree still had leaves. I joked with my dad that he needed to leave some fruit on the tree so I could take pictures once the leaves fell off. When we visited last weekend he made it a point to remind me to take pictures (there's still a patch of leaves at the top).

He's VERY proud of his persimmon tree because of the high price the fruit brings at the grocery store. He's also the only person I know that actually likes to eat said fruit. As beautiful as they are, there's something about the texture that I do not find appealing.

So here they are in all of their unedited glory.

While I don't find them tasty, I do like to use them as decoration. (They match my mixer!)