Thanksgiving at the Biltmore

I would have to recommend that a trip to the Biltmore Estate during the holiday is something to add to your bucket list. The decorations are too beautiful to describe and not a single detail is missed. The mansion is decorated as it would have been in the early 1900’s when the Vanderbilt’s would entertain their own guests at Christmas. It’s simply breathtaking.

Below is a video of the grand dining room. This will give you a glimpse into the splendor of that time when ladies and gentlemen were... ladies and gentlemen.

Destination: Asheville, NC

This is a weird holiday year for my husband and me. We are typically surrounded by the kids but as they are aging, getting married and now all grown up, we find ourselves without our family this Thanksgiving (we get Christmas). So, we decided to go on a mini adventure and disappear over the  holiday.

Fortunately the temperatures are forecasted to be mild (as mild as the end of November can be) for the next few days. This is a good thing since we intend on exploring the wonders of the Blue Ridge Parkway in route to our eventual destination of Asheville, NC and Thanksgiving at the Biltmore Mansion.

If you want to follow along on our route, see below for the Blue Ridge Parkway Points of Interest. Its sort of like a scavenger hunt. I'm going to try and catch a selfie at each of the top points of interest. This should be a fun adventure. Keep an eye out for updates!

https://visitncsmokies.com/blue-ridge-parkway/?gclid=CjwKCAiAzuPuBRAIEiwAkkmOSMNEDmERAgkQUHaeHpEXa-xfA7P36fKVR2oG29tdaZw--3oqUg814hoCOsQQAvD_BwE

Easy Embroidered Ornaments

A few years ago I asked for an embroidery machine as my Christmas present. Santa (Nick) delivered my gift on Christmas morning and I have spent many relaxing weekends working on new techniques and projects ever since.

I recently came upon a pattern for these adorable ornaments and spent last Sunday holed up in my craft room cranking out about a dozen of them. Each takes on the look of a decorated sugar cookie. They will be perfect as the decorations on a tabletop tree in the kitchen. You can also wrap up a set to give a friend or use as gift tags. There are lots of clever ideas!

If you have an embroidery machine and want to make some of these cute hanging ornaments, you can! Just  visit https://www.swakembroidery.com/products//mini-christmas-cookie-ornaments-set-4x4 to download the pattern and begin crafting a few special gifts or just make them for your own tree...like me! :)

Broccoli & Rice Casserole

This is one of my favorite dishes during the holiday. I have no idea why I never make it other than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its old-fashioned comfort food. Delicious and as good the following day as it was when it came out of the oven. Enjoy!


Prep: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
1/2 C. Chopped Onion
1/2 C. Chopped Celery
1 Pk. Frozen Chopped Broccoli, thawed
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 can of milk
1 C. Velvetta, cut into squares
1 C. Instant Minute Rice
1/2 tsp. Salt
*** 6 Ritz crackers, crushed


Directions:
1) Using a large skillet or pot, lightly brown the onion and celery in the vegetable oil, over low heat.
2) Add thawed broccoli to the vegetables, cover and let steam for 10 minutes.
3) Add soup, milk, cheese, salt and rice to the mixture.
4) Heat until it is boiling and all the cheese has melted.
5) Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
6) Top with the crushed Ritz crackers.
7) Bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Jalapeno Corn Casserole

This has been a recipe favorite of my family for 30 years. It is quick and easy and a favorite of pretty much everyone. You can control the heat by by adding more or less jalapeno to the recipe. It is delicious! :)


Prep:
Pre-heat oven - 350 degrees F., Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Ingredients:

3 (11 oz.) cans of vacuum packed white shoepeg corn, drained
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. Garlic salt
1 jalapeno, diced (remove seeds)

Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and evaporated milk until smooth
2) Fold in drained corn, garlic salt and diced jalapeno pepper
3) Spoon into prepared baking dish.
4) Garnish with sliced jalapenos.

Its Only a Week Away

Well, are you ready for the shopping craziness that will begin tomorrow morning and go on until January? Yeah, me either.

We all know what happens tomorrow, and the grocery stores are even more aware of the frenzy that will take place as ladies...and some men...go in search of the right sized turkey (maybe the free one that the grocery store rewards you with for spending a fortune there each week), the potatoes, Libby pumpkin or the last one of those frozen pie shells. Yes, it is about to be crazy out there and that is before we talk about parking spaces, grumpsters (people that can't get happy), and long long lines.

So, I was thinking, maybe I could help my gal-pals out this year. In one of the chapters of my cookbook,  I made a simple menu with some of our family favorites. No, its nothing like a Martha Stewart menu, on my menu you can find all the ingredients at your local grocery store. Nothing fancy schmancy, just a good time Thanksgiving dinner. I hope its useful for you.

Visit tomorrow for a few of these delicious recipes.

Its Been Too Long

Yes, I've been out of pocket for awhile. The truth of the matter is, I lost my spark for writing. One day I just didn't enjoy it anymore and wanted to do other things. For the past three years I've traveled the US, I took up quilting and hat making, wrote a cookbook, survived menopause and I'm dealing with all of the gravitational changes that happen when a woman passes into her 50's.  

Now that the spark is back, its time to bang out some new ideas and hope that you find inspiration, feel empowered or simply be entertained.

There is not enough space to capture all that has changed over the past three years. For me personally, I have grown as a person and a professional. I am still with the same company...at least parent company. We did move to Pennsylvania a couple years ago as a result of a position change. After 10 years of flying across the US, I was ready for some normalcy in my daily routine and while I still cross much of PA on a regular basis, it is not nearly as taxing as that of my road-warrior companions whom I have shared many air-travel war-stories.

A few major things that happened in the past few years included the addition of two daughter-in-laws, an engagement (wedding is in May 2020), the loss of some close family members, including our beloved dog Burton, who inspired a few of my earlier posts.

Grandchildren???....only the furry kind, but I am patient. I've accepted that we live in a different world nowadays. Young women are as successful, if not more, than their spouses. I am filled with pride that my sons married...and will marry...such extraordinary women. Grandchildren will simply have to wait. :)

That's the quick and dirty update. On to the many areas that I want to write about in the coming weeks and months - holidays, entertaining ideas, recipes, weight (gain and loss), travel destinations, new interests, movies, books, decorating, Pennsylvania...beautiful PA, crafts, and so much more. 

If you enjoyed visiting my blog before, you shall not be disappointed to add it back to your bookmarks and join me once again. I've even made it a little easier, you can add my site address to your favorites - www.teacakesntidbits.com. I hope to post a couple times a week. My creative juices are flowing...look out!