HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of your life. Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have. Catherine Pulsifer

Good advice, and my friends and family are at the top of the list.

I have a new recipe for you. It's a little spicy, but if I can manage it, most people can. It's based on a recipe from www.simplejoy.com. Click HERE for her version.

JAMBALAYA FOIL PACKETS

1 (13-16 oz) ring of andouille sausage, sliced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 cup cherry or grape tomato halves
1 Tbs Cajun seasoning, purchased or make your own
1 cup Minute Rice
1 cup chicken broth
 
Heat oven to 400°.
 
Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well.
 
Spray 4-6 squares of aluminum foil with cooking spray.
 
Divide ingredients equally onto foil.
 
Raise front and back edges of foil and line up. Fold over 2-3 times.
 
Curl up ends of foil to seal.
 
Place packets on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes depending on size of packets.
 
Open carefully to avoid the steam.

I made six packets and each serving was this size. That's a salad-size plate; you can tell by the size of the carrots and olives. I wish I'd made only four, because I wanted more. It's good.

If you don't have Cajun seasoning, you can make your own.

CAJUN SEASONING

3 Tbs paprika

2 Tbs garlic powder

2 Tbs Italian seasoning

2 Tbs salt

1 Tbs thyme

1 Tbs onion powder 

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

And if you don't have Italian seasoning, you can make your own.

ITALIAN SEASONING

1 Tbs dried basil

1 Tbs oregano

1 Tbs rosemary

1 Tbs thyme

1 Tbs marjoram 

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

I just finished reading The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir. I knew a little about this amazing man from living in California so long. He was a co-founder of the Sierra Club, a conservation group, and he was also a naturalist and activist. You see his name a lot; on schools, libraries, highways, trails, lodges, mountains, woods, monuments, etc. He is also widely known in Alaska for his adventures there, and in Scotland as a famous native son. However, I was surprised to learn that he was an inventor. Everything he made was carved of wood, with bits of discarded metals and rocks. Check out some of his inventions HERE. I wonder if he's related to Leonardo da Vinci? And if you want to know more about the inventions, go get his ebook from Amazon. It's free. You'll be amazed at the reason he invented the "thing" with books on it. And his way with words delights me. I'll be reading more of his works.

Some quotes: "In every walk of nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

"God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools."

More quotes Click HERE.

Remember the "cocaine" found in The White House? Hmmmm.....Click HERE

Mailed my Thanksgiving cards - I hope I mailed them in time. I made them ages ago, then got busy and forgot the date.

How things change. On the left is my old cable remote; in the middle my old Samsung smart TV; on the right, my new Samsung smart TV. I hate it.

The new one is solar powered, so I have to remember to leave it upside down when it's not in use.

Remember when it was blondes who had more fun?

Finally! The TV shuffle is finished. Maybe.

In the office - the old not-smart-enough Samsung from the family room  with a Roku device. 

 

The not-smart-at-all Samsung is set up to play VHS tapes OR DVD.

The new LG is in the kitchen. Sometimes I like to watch TV while I'm chopping at the island, and I was so concerned about not having music in the kitchen, but it's not a matter of if, but of what kind.

And the Smart Samsung is in the family room with a DVD player. Yes, it's that tiny little black thing right under the TV. Guess I'll put some more DVD's in that hole, and not just the one I'm watching.

I have another Roku device I bought for the Not-smart-at-all Samsung, but I don't need it now. Perhaps I'll use it in the family room so I can navigate without using that stupid little remote.

 

I'll probably spend more time TV time in the office than the family room now.

This presents a few problems, however. One - beating Pepper to the chair. Two - if I get to the chair first,  getting my feet up before Pepper claims the ottoman. Three - the possibility of a catfight brought on by jealousy if Stormy gets on my lap while Pepper is on the Ottoman.

I also bought an antenna so I can see local stations, like weather when there's a tornado watch. It doesn't work with the too-old TV's in the office, and there's no place to put it in the family room. Perhaps I'll see if it works in the kitchen when I get over the trauma of climbing on the cabinet to make the changes to date.

And for sure, I'll be grateful on Thanksgiving, because that is the last day that I'll be paying the exorbitant cable fees charged by ATT U-verse.

Don't the police check for expired licenses any longer? I collected all these on one trip to Petsmart.

Even Arizona - Oct 2023

Remember last week's lovely photos Friend Linda took at her friend's dinner party? She had her own party on Saturday. 

Nutella Cheesecake

She was so busy being Hostess-Cook, she didn't have time to take any other photos. I'd show you her beautiful and mouth-watering menu, but it's a PDF and Google just made more changes to my pictures software and I can't figure out how to import it into my blog.

Where there's a will, etc. I imported her PDF, reduced it, rotated it on its side, took a photo with my camera, imported the photo, rotated it right side up. It doesn't do her beautiful artistic menu justice, but I wanted you to see it. 

As you celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday, being grateful for all the wonderful blessings that are ours, remember that I am blessing each of you and saying "thank you" for taking the time to share my life.

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING