a thanksgiving for the ages

isn't thanksgiving a funny holiday?  i think it's somewhat humorous and ironic that we as americans, i hear the fattest country in the world, have a holiday devoted to eating.  and not just eating anything.  eating fatty, sugary, gooey, delicious, comfort foods.  no, there is no religious or theological meaning to any of it.  eating to celebrate a large feast the settlers of our nation had long long ago.  how interesting, how bizarre.  

by the way, none of this is to say that i don't enjoy eating these things.  i love it all.  this year was somewhat disappointing in the fact that not only did i overeat, but i definitely gorged myself at two, not just one, dinners.  i didn't really get to savour the goodness of these meals, as time was rushed, and i didn't even get to lie around like the beached whale i was in a thanksgiving nap.  plus neither of the meals took place where i live so there were no leftovers to fill my stretched out belly the next day.  sad times. 

i did, however, make time to look at the ads in the newspaper for the coming sales on the blackest of fridays.  having little to no extra money is a bummer while scouring the good deals.  in the end, zack and i didn't even get up for the door-busters.  we did go to target later in the day and made a few necessary purchases (christmas story on dvd, lights for a tree we don't have yet, and a rain-check for catch phrase).  good thing we still had some gift cards from our wedding...

moving on, i was pretty proud of my contribution to the festivities.  i made two types of sweet potatoes.  one recipe was roasted sweet potatoes with herbs, very tasty, and the other was sweetened mashed sweet potatoes with a struesal topping.  i used to always hate sweet potatoes when i was little and avoided them like the plague, but now i've acquired quite a love for them.  my final contribution were carrots glazed with lemon.  quite enjoyed those too.  

anyway, i could talk till the cows come home about good food but for now i must ready myself for my second shift at my new job.  yes, i work (as a third part time job) at a christmas tree lot.  it's actually kind of fun though, cause i work with zack and some of his friends.  just like hanging out, except it's really cold, there's christmas music, and everything smells like sap.  more later.

oh and don't forget...

i need some inspiration on organization and creative projects, plus i really do want to make good food...

things i want for christmas

no this isn't a joke, i really am a little child who makes a wish list several months in advance.

real good soup

we had our parents over for dinner for the first time after moving in a couple weeks ago. i thought making soup would be the easiest and best thing for 8 people, so i got this recipe off of my sister's friend's blog and i loved it. so thank you to the inventor, it's amazing soup. just thought i'd share it again.

Minestrone Soup

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• I large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, miced
• 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• 28 oz can of tomato sauce (or crushed tomato's)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 med-sized carrots, sliced
• 2 potato's, cut into cubes
• 2 med-sized zucchini, diced
• 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped (or you can use 1 Tbsp dried)
• 1 C small pasta (shells, macaroni, etc.,)
• 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp. ground celery seed
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Over medium heat, in a sautee pan combine olive oil, onions & garlic and 3 Tbsp of stock. Sautee until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining stock, tomato sauce, celery, carrot, potato, zucchini and all spices (do not add pasta or parmesan). Mix and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer and simmer for 15 mintues. Bring to a boil again and add pasta & parmesan. Reduce to a simmer for an additional 20 minutes. I usually sprinkle some more parmesan on top once it's served. Enjoy!

our new found debt

a few days ago my husband found out about these special deals on computers at the bookstore on campus. not only were the computers being sold at a discounted student rate, but last night, as part of some pre-christmas sale, there was also no sales tax. our dream of owning a new imac suddenly because feasible, with the oh so generous financing the bookstore has to offer. (no, sadly, we could not afford the computer even with the discounts.) but being a student really does pay off. we got the microsoft office suite and cs2 for cheap (comparatively speaking), plus we got more ram added to our computer at 1/3 the price of doing it with apple, not to mention the fact that with the purchase of said imac, we got a free canon printer. granted it's pretty basic, but it has a scanner and it was free. no complaints here.

so the point of the story is, education is very important, especially the part about discounts that come along with being a student. and going into debt to further your education, build your credit, and make emailing at home a possibility is definitely worth it.

can't wait to set up our new computer...