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!