Another Thanksgiving Dinner

Today I cooked a post Thanksgiving Dinner for Rob and I. I love cooking and felt bad that I didn't get to cook for Thanksgiving. So tonight I made a big dinner for us. We'll eat leftovers for the reast of the week until we leave town this weekend.

I cooked...
Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Fresh Rolls
Green Beans
Oriental Cole Slaw
Cranberry Jelly (for rob)
Chocolate Cheesecake pie

Yum! I forgot to take a picture. Back to work tomorrow. Only a 4 day week for me!

Home Again. Home Again.

We had a great Thanksgiving with Dave and Tami and then we headed down to Oregon for 2 nights. Wine tasting was fun as always. We came home with 3 skeins of yarn and 2 cases of wine! Our new favorite winery was Lawton and my old favorite was Styring. For being valued customers they gave us complimentary tasting and a free wine dogs calendar. I think I tasted a little too much since I got really sick later that evening but it was so fun nonetheless. It's so good to be home.

We stopped to pick up a turkey to cook on Sunday and before we put it away it was on the kitchen counter. Then we heard a thump and this is what we saw.

Gratitude

Gratitude, appreciation, or thankfulness is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

Here is a small list of what we are Thankful for this year.

1. The happiness and health of all of our family and friends

2. Our own health, happiness, and home

3. Our cats and especially Stewie's health, she is now 100% cone less

4. For this year, our jobs. Let's hope that both Rob and I can keep ours through 2009.

5. Travel. We're so grateful that we get to travel as much as we do and see different parts of the world, especially now when it's just the two of us.

6. I'm thankful that I have a yoga studio within 5 blocks of my house. My physical and mental discipline and ease of mind since starting a regular yoga routine has really given me a stress free life.

7. Rob is thankful that I like to cook (see pic below)

8. And we are thankful that we get to see sunsets like this outside of our living room window

Have a great Thanksgiving - make sure you give a Thanksgiving shout out to everything you are grateful for.

Calling All Meat Lovers!

A few weeks ago we purchased 1/8th of a cow from Baron Farms. Yes, that's 1/8 of an entire cow. We eat alot of meat, especially in the winter. In terms of shopping, I loathe Safeway (unless it's frozen veggies) and QFC. Costco is not far behind either... so that really leaves us with little choice for meat unless I want to pay 1 million dollars for meat at Whole Foods, which by the way I have only ever purchased dates there, and don't plan to return.

Alas, we found Baron Farms offered which offered 3 important factors for meat buying

1. Supporting your local farm business in Washington

2. All meat is grass fed, yet you don't have to call for the organic label (scam/hype)

3. 3.99 a lb, where can you beat that price?!

We locked in our order while it was still in the pasture. It was delivered to use the day after it was cut up and flash frozen. Thank goodness we had room in the freezer for 90 lbs of beef. This is what we got with our order.

2 - 8oz Tenderloin/Filet Mignon
3 - 12oz
3 - 14oz Rib Eye

1 - 10oz Top Sirloin Steak
1 - 3oz Sirloin Tip Steak
1 - 4lb Chuck Roast
1 - 4lbs Bottom Round Roast
1 - 3lb Brisket/Tri-Tip/Flank Steak1
1 - 3lb London Broil
1 - 4lb Cross Rib Roast
24 bags - of 1 lbGround Beef
1 - 1lb - Fajita Meat
1 - 1 lb Stew/Kabob Meat
2 - 1lb Short Ribs

2 - 2lbs Soup Bones

We've had a few friends who are now interested in going in with us for another order. If you eat a lot of meat, I encourage you to stock your freezer and support your local farmer.

Local Blog Shout Out

As you may already know, we live in Beacon Hill. It's an area just south east of Seattle, but still very close to downtown. It takes me about 15 minutes by bus to get to work, I just can't justify driving even if I wanted to. We really like living here. It's great to live in a neighborhood that is up and coming yet you see the same faces at community events, we are all trying to make it a better place. We will have a light rail starting in summer 2009 as well as a fancy new park, so it's great to see the change here. I see the same people from the library, to yoga, to the veggie stand, to the coffee shop and lawn bowling that's a great feeling especially since I am so far from where I grew up and this feels like home. I read a few Beacon Hill, Georgetown, and Columbia City blogs because they are the most local news that I can find.

Here are a few that I like:
Mid Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill Blog
North Beacon Hill
Beacon Lights
Blogging Georgetown
Columbia City Blog