Thanksgiving Traditions

As I am writing this I am sipping on some egg nog (dairy free) and trying to take a break from planning our Thanksgiving. I find this time of year to be a time of reflection, like I think most people do. We look back over the previous year, which then makes us think of holidays in years past. 

For my husband and I, Thanksgiving has been a holiday that we tend to spend by ourselves at our cabin. We live in Wisconsin and are both from Minnesota, so we go back to Minnesota for a full week over Christmas. Because we do this, and because Christmas is so close to Thanksgiving, we like enjoying a peaceful long weekend at our cabin. 

It's not to say that we have never gone back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving, or that we have not spent time with people over Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, it's just that we have started the tradition of Thanksgiving at the cabin.

Now that our daughter is four, I have a strong urge to create these kind of traditions. Growing up, we did not really have many traditions in my family, and I really want to create some for our family. I know I am not the only parent that tries to relive some of the special moments we think we missed as children through our own children. 

This year we will be heading up north to a new cottage that we just purchased after selling our old cabin.  It kind of makes me sad that our four year old will not have many memories from our first cabin, even though we have tons of memories of our time there with her. However, I am excited to start this new journey as a family, and to continue to create our Thankgiving tradition in a new place. 

A place with no internet, no cable, no phone. Just a nice fire, good food, some beautiful nature, and our family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gluten-Free Goulash

All right, if you are from the midwest, I am sure you do not need a recipe for goulash. I just wanted to share my jazzed up gluten free option that I am currently enjoying. 

Now that I am eating meat and the cold weather is setting in, I found myself craving goulash. It was one of the few things my mom made that I liked (sorry mom, but you admittedly don't like to cook). The true midwest version involves hamburger, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and elbow noodles. Some people may use onions and green peppers also. That's it, pretty easy.

I am calling my version the jazzed up version. It includes gluten-free noodles, ground turkey, mushrooms and black olives. It honestly combines my mom's spaghetti sauce and goulash recipes.  Like most pasta dishes (and soup), I think this tastes the best on day 2 and 3!

Gluten-Free Goulash

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Note: My version is drier. Feel free to add more spaghetti sauce if you would like a soupier version. You can also use regular pasta instead of gluten-free pasta.

-1 Pound ground turkey

-9 Ounces gluten-free pasta of choice, I like the spirals

-8 Ounces fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

-1 Can of black olives (5 ounces), drained and roughly chopped

-1 Large clove of garlic, minced

-1 Quart spaghetti sauce (I like to use a quart of my homemade sauce)

-1 Tablespoon cooking fat of choice

-Optional: Italian seasoning (if spaghetti sauce is bland)

Directions:

-Cook ground turkey over medium heat in a large skillet or dutch oven until no longer pink, 5-10 minutes. 

-Transfer ground turkey to a bowl.

-While turkey is cooking, cook pasta per package directions. When done, drain and run under cold water to stop the pasta from cooking, set aside. 

-In the large skillet, or dutch oven (I used a 3-1/2 quart dutch oven), heat up the 1 tablespoon of cooking fat over medium heat.

-Add in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. 

-Add in the olives and spaghetti sauce. 

-Once the spaghetti sauce is heated up, add back in the ground turkey and noodles.

-Once everything is heated up to your liking, serve.

10 Minutes to a Clutter-Free Morning from The Becoming Minimalist Website

Below is a great post from The Becoming Minimalist website. Because we have an active four year old, our house looks like a tornado went through it every day. And each night, we try to straighten up so that we don't go crazy looking at the mess the next morning while we are trying to enjoy our coffee and plan our day.

10 Minutes to a Clutter-Free Morning

Our Beautiful Bounty in November

As I am writing this it is 23 degrees outside and windy! I am actually at work, but it is slow because it is too cold out for people to want to leave their toasty homes for a dinner out.

Yet, even though it is freezing out, yesterday I came home with the beautiful bounty seen below.

This is box 2 of 4 that we will be receiving this month and in December from our CSA Crossroads Community Farm. It still amazes me that I can receive local vegetables throughout fall and winter in Wisconsin! Did I mention yet that it is 23 degrees outside?

Though everything we receive this winter will be a storage vegetable, it will still taste fresh, and it is local. With proper storage by Crossroads Community Farm, and then proper storage in our own home, we can eat local vegetables until early spring!

This is just a reminder that even though winter will soon be upon us (I know it is cold and snowy in the Midwest, but it is still technically fall) you do not have to get your vegetables shipped from across the country (or another country completely). Don't get me wrong, we still like to eat lettuce and spinach in the winter once and awhile, but we try to offset that with our CSA vegetables as much as possible.

15 Non-Toy Gift Ideas For Kids by Renee Robinson

With Black Friday right around the corner, and all the December holidays coming up, buying and giving gifts can get out of hand. Attached is a great link for some alternatives to the usual toys,toys, video games and more toys.

15 Non-Toy Gift Ideas For Kids

Tiny House(s)

Our family lives in a house that is approximately 800 square feet (and I may be rounding up a bit). There are only five of us, three humans and two cats.  I know it seems small to most people, but it fits us just right! 

My husband and I have owned a 2500 square foot Victorian (with empty, unused rooms). We have lived in two apartments that were bigger then our house ( 900-1000 square feet), and we lived in and took care of a house for a friend that was probably similar in size to our Victorian. We currently are selling a cabin that is around 600 square feet, and purchasing a different cabin that is in the 600 square foot range.

What we have learned over the past 15 years, and living in multiple properties, is that we like smaller. A small house is cheaper to own, meaning we can do more with our money, like own a cabin. It is way easier to clean ( which I LOVE). It is easier to maintain and furnish, and forces you to be organized. It also forces (allows?) us to be close. Instead of us hanging out in separate rooms, we are together. My husband and daughter can read on the couch while I cook dinner, and I can still be part of it because our livingroom and kitchen are open to each other. Yes, there are times we all want some space, but we can still go off to our bedrooms or go for a walk. 

The tiny house I am referring to though is not our own. It is the tiny house movement that is so amazing to my husband and I. I am talking about houses that are 85-250 square feet! Ok, that would be way to small for even us. In fact, the thought of it as I watched the documentary in the link below made me claustrophobic. What we love about it though is how creative these people get with their spaces and how they live their lives.

I think my husband dreams of making a tiny house, but something that would live in our backyard where he could escape once and awhile, not for our family of five to live in!

If you are interested in finding out more, below is a link to an article about the 'Tiny' documentary. You can find the documentary on Netflix, it is about an hour long.

Tiny

Here is also an awesome example of a tiny house:

The Small House Catalog

Bone Broth

I have to admit I am a little obsessed with bone broth. Anytime I make a chicken in the crockpot, I put the bones with any fat and clinging meat back into the crockpot, add vegetables, and make broth. Recently, when I have bought rotisserie chickens at our local Co-op, I have also frozen the bones and leftover bits and pieces for future broths.

Below is a nice article talking about the benefits of bone broth, and also a recipe (which is pretty close to what I do). 

Give it a try, it's so easy to make!

Bone Broth