thanksgivin'

Thanksgiving is beautiful, I think. Most American holidays are commercialized versions of Christian celebrations (the birth of Christ, the passion and resurrection of Christ, All Saint's Day, the feast of St. Patrick, St. Valentine, etc...) but Thanksgiving was instituted to thank God for His blessings, and besides a few unnecessary-but-fun decorations, really we haven't strayed too far as a nation, right? I mean, even if people don't know that God is the one they have to thank for their blessings, they usually are at least thankful, generous and hospitable for the holiday. That's a start! 

We were very fortunate to be the city of destination for the Thomas family Thanksgiving celebrations, so that our commute for the festivities was only a handful of 45 minute drives. Tim's aunt & uncle hosted most of the weekend, so we were able to spend time with family and enjoy a lot of great food & fellowship, even though I still don't know how to cook a turkey.

For the Thanksgiving feast, we prepared and shared what we know best: desserts. Of course, I tried a few recipes for the first time. (Who doesn't do that when cooking for others?)

I made pecan pie, which is my dad's favorite and possibly mine, and it turned out great! Never mind that there are only about 5 ingredients and the simplest instructions in the world. At least I made my own crust, right?

And because my mother-in-law likes dark chocolate as much as I do, I made a batch of dark chocolate truffles. The word truffle sounds intimidating, but they are deceivingly easy. 

Here's the whole gang!

And most of the gang, squished into our apartment for a Friday morning brunch. It was great to have everyone over! I love hosting and I love the feel of our home being full. 

I made little turkeys from Amelia's handprint for name settings and one of my girls & I made the "give thanks" banner you can just barely see on the window earlier in the week.

We also hosted a breakfast last Thanksgiving, and with the help of my sister and law and a few cousins, I made Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls. But this year, as I'm trying to be a little healthier/whole grainier, I  made my first severely-adapted recipe- a coffee cake from a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I was pleased with the results. Sweet but not sugary, and it tasted like solid food without tasty too healthy. Also with eggs and bacon and fruit salad, it was lovely breakfast.

Should you desire to be healthy for a day without giving up all things good and baked, here's the recipe I created:

Mostly Healthy Overnight Coffee Cake

(adapted from Overnight Coffee Cake submitted by Catherine S. Vodrey, East Liverpool, Ohio)

2 cups white whole wheat flour (Yes, white whole wheat flour.)
1 cup oatmeal, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (It works out to a teaspoon or so per serving. That's less than you'd use on toast!)
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup sugar (Again, a teaspoon! You can handle that.)
3 eggs
1 15oz carton ricotta cheese
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (Don't worry... there's twice as much oatmeal and four times as much whole wheat flour!)
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ (Go ahead and buy a pack, it's so good for you and you can add it to a lot of recipes!)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (Buy whole ones and ground them yourself if you can find them!)

1. Grease a 9x13" pan.
2. Mix dry the flour, oatmeal, powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat sugar, applesauce, and butter together well, beat in each egg, then mix in ricotta cheese.
4. Beat as much of the dry mixture as you can into the wet, stir in by hand the last bit (it gets tough on motors!). Then press batter into the 9x13" pan.
5. Mix the nuts, brown sugar, toasted wheat germ, and spices together and sprinkle evenly on top of batter.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
7. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, straight from the fridge. Enjoy! And feel good about your "cake":-).

Hope you all had blessed Thanksgiving celebrations as well!
Can you believe Advent begins Sunday?! I'm so excited and so not ready!