Sunday, December 1, 2013

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....


Our Thanksgiving was wonderful!  We had lots of delicious food-so much so that I served it buffet style as all the serving dishes would not fit on my table. My "high altitude" turkey cooked well and was moist and flavorful. I was concerned as I live around 6,000 feet and many things take longer to cook and require more moisture here.  I brined the turkey overnight in an apple cider/brown sugar/kosher salt solution, and I covered the turkey with a well-buttered cheesecloth while it roasted and which I re-moistened every 40 minutes or so. My only disappointment was the gluten-free gravy I made from the turkey drippings. My son's family eats gluten-free, so I had hoped a gluten-less gravy would taste good for all of us, but it was rather thin and for some reason tasted too salty. I'll have to work on that for next year! We also had many wonderful appetizers and desserts, which I, unfortunately, failed to take photos of, save for my daughter's birthday cake.  We always celebrate her birthday on Thanksgiving, as the actual date revolves around the holiday.  She said it always made her feel special to have her cake on Thanksgiving. She is certainly one of our blessings!



The weather has been beautiful in our area of Colorado the past week. The daytime temperature has been in the high 50's and low 60's! We took advantage of the weather on Saturday to begin decorating the outside of our house for Christmas. We felt so festive afterward that we roasted some chestnuts when we came inside and enjoyed them with a glass of wine. I heard the weather will be changing this week from an "arctic blast," and we may get some snow.  That will certainly make me feel even more in the Christmas spirit!


My husband flew to New York City on Sunday, as he has some business meetings there this week, and e-mailed this cell phone photo of the Christmas tree at South Street Seaport, near the hotel where he is staying.


This year a small temporary ice skating rink was installed near the South Street Seaport Christmas tree. This area of Manhattan was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy over a year ago, due to flooding from the East River, and much work is still being done to repair and revive the neighborhood. There will soon be a brand new development going up in the area that will replace the present Fulton Market/Pier 17 complex with new retail, culinary and cultural offerings. The project has been labeled "See Change." I'm so glad that the city has decided to invest in South Street Seaport, as it was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Brooklyn.

So, is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas where you are? I'll show you more of my decorations in future posts and some of the ways Christmas is celebrated here in the west!



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39 comments:

Sheila said...

It must have been an amazing Thanksgiving dinner at your house….two celebrations in one! These next few weeks will fly by and I hope that you have a wonderful time as you prepare for your family Christmas in Colorado. I hope that you will have a White Christmas and that you won't miss the hustle and bustle of Christmas in New York too much.

Sarah said...

Pat, your Thanksgiving feast looks delicious. I know it was enjoyed by all. I haven't begun to decorate for Christmas and won't get a chance till next weekend. Enjoy decorating your new home!

ellen b. said...

I always forget about the challenges of high altitude cooking. Good for you on working things out! Looks like a delicious spread. It really would be fun to experience New York at Christmas time!

Kris said...

Hi Pat! All of your food looked fabulous!! Your house is looking festive for the holidays! And how fun to see the NYC photos!!! I am sure you miss it some!!!
XO Kris

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Pat, this looks delicious! And a Happy Birthday to your daughter!

Loved seeing the shots of NYC, too.

We have odd weather. Warm one minute and cool the next. Lots of wind and sort of weird skies. This has been going on all month. I miss our sunny Florida falls!

XO,

Sheila

Lorrie said...

High altitude cooking can be a challenge - I lived at 9500 feet for many years. Sounds like you are adapting your cooking skills with wonderful results. Your Thanksgiving sounded delicious and fun.
Christmas in Colorado is something I'm looking forward to reading more about.

xinex said...

What a feast, looks really good, Pat! The Christmas tree in NY really makes a statement....Christine

Pondside said...

What a wonderful celebration it must have been - all of your together and none having to rush for a plane at the end. You must be so happy!

Billy Blue Eyes said...

That looked to be some delicious looking spread you put on there, Think I'd have been stuffed like the Turkey

diane b said...

This is an interesting topic. "Feel like Christmas".
What is it that makes one feel like it is Christmas? The decorations? the weather??? the music? the meaning of Christmas?
I guess it is probably all of them but one is tricky. WEATHER. People in the northern hemisphere associate winter, snow, roaring fires and warm clothes with Christmas. However, we in the Southern hemisphere associate hot weather, summer holidays, fun on the beach and cool clothes with Christmas. As most of us have our origins from the northern hemisphere many people still feel we should think of snowy weather at Christmas and stores sometimes use snow in their decorations and some Christmas cards depict winter scenes. I find this a silly hangover from over 200 years ago. I think we should stick to summer scenes. At last we are breaking away from the tradition of a hot baked dinner and going more for seafood and salads as a traditional Aussie Christmas dinner .

Ola said...

I do not feel Christmas atmosphere yet, although the shops are already decorated and ready to sell everything you need. I somehow feel it's a bit too commercial
but soon...:)

Tracy said...

Such good times! And lovely to catch up with you here, Pat! we were here in Norway for Thanksgiving, as we'll be traveling to the US soon for Christmas. But we'll have a little pre-Christmas cheer here before we go. ;o) We decorated and put up lights at the weekend, extra candles... I love all the extra glow this time of year. My health has been a bit up & down lately still, and I'm online a little less these days... But always good to be here. Wishing you & yours the HAPPIEST of Holidays ((HUGS))

Lynn said...

Sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving Pat, love the B-Day cake with pumpkins:@) Temps should be in the 50's here this week, no snow in Philly... so far!

Old Kitty said...

Oh wow!! That tree is amazing!! And yay for the ice rink and for the positive regeneration too!!

Awwwww now will you look at your Thanksgiving feast! The cake is totally fabulous!! So so pretty! Take care
x

Poppy said...

Hi Pat,

It is so nice to 'meet' you! Have just made myself comfortable here at your pretty blog and taken the liberty of clicking around a few of your posts to find some very inspiring words and images. The countryside that surrounds you in Colorado is just as spectacular as the bright lights of the big city, and you are blessed to call both of these beautiful places, home.

Looking forward to getting to know you and your blog in the upcoming days to this joyous season.

Happy birthday to your daughter!

Thanks for stopping by Poppy View and hope to see you again soon.

Happy to follow you, hope you'll connect, too!

Poppy

eileeninmd said...

Looks like a very happy Thanksgiving at your house. The food and cake look delicious! Happy belated birthday to your daughter. Have a happy week ahead!

Ivy and Elephants said...

The food looks delicious! I'm so glad your Thanksgiving was a wonderful one. I have to kind of imagine Christmas as it is a balmy 80 degrees here in Miami.
Thanks so much for stopping by and such sweet comments. Glad to meet you!
New follower,
Patti

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

It is indeed looking a lot like Christmas around your house.If the gravy was the only thing not up to par then you did great. Our son requires a gluten free diet and Heather has gotten quite good at it. We don't do gravey we do noodles and they turned out a little thin also.

Unknown said...

your food looks delicious in the photos! and beautiful decoration for the Christmas..
Have a great day..

SmilingSally said...

Hi Pat,

Family is one of the top things on our thankful list. I'm so happy for you to have had this gathering. The food looks super good.

Have a good Blue Monday.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

What a feast you had! Your Christmas decorations are looking great Pat. I have started my decorating and hope to be finished today or tomorrow.

Vee said...

Well I know this...I could have happily sat down to your table! It looks so yummy! Glad that the turkey worked out just fine. Gluten free cooking has many challenges I am sure. It looks a little like Christmas...not a lot!

Vee said...

here that is...your world is looking more Christmasy all the time!

RoeH said...

Yes and next year I'm inviting myself to your table. Wow that all looked good. Christmas here is pretty empty. Just me and the cat.

Judy said...

It's all looking mighty festive over there...from the Thanksgiving feast to the outdoor decor! I'm rejoicing with you...that you can celebrate with your family face-to-face these days.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Your thanksgiving dinner looks delicious, so many dishes to choose from. And, it is beginning to look like Christmas at your home.

LV said...

From what you shared, mo one left Thanksgiving hungry. Lots of good eats.

Jenny said...

It still looks like Thanksgiving here!

And I don't care at the moment - ha!

You are so neat Pat! I'm glad so many are touched by your life!

Pamela Gordon said...

That looks like quite a Thanksgiving feed Pat! I like the icicle lights on your house. The new ones are quite nice and different. It will be interesting to wee the Christmas traditions in your new state this year.

Lacey R said...

The meal looks delicious, interesting to hear about having to adjust cooking to altitude! I'm interested to hear about your Christmas meal planning, are you still planning to do the Italian fish feast on Christmas Eve?

Jeanne said...

Hi Pat, I am imagining your wonderful Thanksgiving in your new home. It sounds wonderful and I know how you love to cook and bake so life is going well in your new home. Christmas will be special as well. Your front door is beautiful.
It was nice to see pics of NY and good to hear the effects from Sandy are recovering.

Have a wonderful time this Christmas season.
Hugs, Jeanne

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Oh my, what a feast! Everything looks so delicious! We just got back from a few days in Branson where we have been going for Thanksgiving for several years now. It sure looked Christmasy and festive there! It was just beautiful and now I'm really in the mood to get with the decorating. Looking forward to seeing what Christmas looks like in Colorado!

Betty said...

We actually got some "cool for us" weather which always helps a little. Today it was probably in the 70's and we put up some outside decorations. I'm surprised it's so warm by you. I thought by now you'd be well below freezing and staying that way for the winter. Just an assumption on my part. I think of Colorado as cold and snowy all winter. Glad you had a good Thanksgiving Day with your family.

Anonymous said...

Very festive! That cake looks delicious.

Just a little something from Judy said...

How blessed your family is, to have you cook for them at Thanksgiving. The food looked so good!

I am thankful to hear that they are rebuilding and coming back in NY. I am sure the recovery process is a long one. The tree is so pretty!

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Tis the season and the food table looks yummy and the other images delightful and charming~

Pallavi said...

Yes, it's truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The stores are decorated in the Christmas spirit and the festivities have started :)

Little Wandering Wren said...

Hi Pat
No! It is not beginning to feel like Christmas, The kids have all but finished for the school year, some houses have decorations up but not many, Christmas lights are not so good when it is light so late, the weather should be warming up and it was nice at the weekend but they said we may even have snow on the Alps this week - That makes me think I'm in Europe not Australia!
Your Thanksgiving sounded great - well apart from the gravy but good on you for even trying!!!
Have a fun week
Wren x

Anonymous said...

It certainly looks like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Glad you had nice weather for your decorating. I took advantage of the warm to winterize. Stay warm in the upcoming cold!