Thankful

Happy Thanksgivng Y’all

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

It shouldn’t be a suprise that Thanksgiving is one of my all time favourite holidays. Food, family, friends, and football. What else could you ask for? Other than family, Thanksgiving is one of my favourite things about America. So this time of year, I’m always a bit sad to be here and not there.

And yes, tonight I am making a bit of traditional dinner. Corn Casserole, turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and this week, I’ve baked Thanksgiving cookies. Honestly, I’m not sure about them. They’ve gotten good reviews so far from the usual suspects but something about them just isn’t right.

Could it be that they have veggies in them or could it be that I’ve never heard of a Thanksgiving cookie before this week? Or was it just homesickness making me a bit sad that I’m eating Thanksgiving in cookie form rather than pie form? Either way- I’m not sure how I feel about them.

I mean on paper, they scream Thanksgiving. And no, they’re not turkey flavoured or even turkey shaped. But they don’t quite taste like Thanksgiving.

Can you guess the flavour?

I made two types- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip– using Libby’s Pumpkin, of course and Sweet Potato Pie cookies.

The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip ones are interesting- the texture is quite pillowy and soft. Not the standard cookie texture but I think that’s why people are liking them. And they don’t taste like what they are. I also don’t think that they have a big punch of flavour. Not sure if it’s the recipe or just that Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are subtle. I mean I’m kind of happy they’re subtle because Aussies don’t always vibe with vegetable desserts (for good reason!). I’m not sure I’d make these again- not just because Libby’s canned pumpkin is expensive and hard to find in Australia, but they’re also just.not.a.vibe.

Sweet Potato Pie Cookies were different in a different way. They kind of were like Sweet Potato Casserole but in cookie form- because Marshmallows. And sugar. And cookies. These I would make again- but not all the time. Kind of like sweet potato pie casserole- and turkey. It’s fun once a year but not EVERY day.

So Happy Thanksgiving. I hope wherever you are, you’re with people that make you feel thankful and grateful and loved.

A meal to celebrate….

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Celebrate what you might ask?  

Lots of things really!  But mostly that We’re Awesome!  The Runner and I are both 100%, certified, Awesome or Amazeballs as the kids today would say.  So awesome and amazing that I randomly bought Bug Tails and Steak for dinner tonight– I’ve never cooked a Bug Tail in my life so if I get it wrong by tomorrow we might have food poisoning and feel decidedly less awesome but let’s roll the dice…..  

But aside from that, we have a lot to be thankful for- yes, Thanksgiving is coming up, and yes, it is the time of the year that you’re meant to reflect and Be Thankful for all the little and big things in your life and today I can say that I definitely am very thankful.

When I was little, one of my favourite songs to listen to with my mother was, “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got” by William DeVaughn.  If you haven’t heard it, it’s a fine piece of 1970s song writing….  Literally, I think to fully understand the lyrics, you have to have seen Shaft in a cinema while combing your afro and wearing your best pair of bell bottoms.  If you’ve never heard it, check it out here, but it’s kind of not the point…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDTXljIqxRE

The point is that I’m really Thankful this Thanksgiving season and I’m going to kick off celebrating my Thankfulness tonight with a lovely surf and turf meal for The Runner!