The holiday season is officially here! I know it doesn't feel like it since it's still 80 degrees out, but the Red Starbucks cups mean Christmas is coming. This is my favorite time of year. I love the changing leaves, the smell of a wood burning fire and having apple cider! It's also my boys favorite time of year since it's basketball season. Three teams this year means we are going to be quite busy on the weekends, but I love seeing them so excited! I can't believe Thanksgiving is only three weeks away. I guess we better decide on our plans. Whether you are hosting or a guest, have fun and enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
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- Turkey on the Table
- Learning to Garden
- Did You Know?
- Thanksgiving Football Schedule
- Recipe of the Month
- Real Estate News
- Johnny Rockets
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Red Tricycle had a great article that inspired me to start a new family tradition called Turkey on the Table! It was created by two moms that wanted to teach their children gratitude.
Every day in the month of November family members get together to pick something they are thankful for and write it on one of the turkey feathers. Put the feather in the tail and by Thanksgiving he will have a full tail! Also, with every purchase, ten meals are donated to Feeding America! This has been our third year with our turkey! Our kids love it.
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It's time to decorate for Fall Harvest and Thanksgiving. We just went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels today to get some things for the front porch. As I was decorating, I realized we were missing foliage! Mums are a fall favorite since they come in so many beautiful colors. I saw an article at Better Homes that said if you decorate with pumpkins and gourds to choose orange, bronze, yellow and creamy white mums. I'm going to buy some and put them in metal containers since that goes with our farmhouse decor. (the image below was my inspiration, but I'm going to choose fall colors) It reminded me that I should have planted mums earlier this year so we could have used mums from our own garden for decorating. Inspiration for next year!
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The first broadcasts of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade were on the radio and started in 1932. The parade was not televised until 1946 and that was only in New York. It went national on NBC the next year.
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Thanksgiving Football Schedule
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We will definitely be watching and playing football at my house on Thanksgiving Day. For those who will have it on in their house, it looks like there are three games on this year.
There will most likely be a competitive flag football game going on at my house. The boys are getting older, bigger and faster. My husband really has his work cut our for him this year ;)
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I love sweet potatoes and am always looking to try new recipes for Thanksgiving! I am going to try this twice-backed recipe this year. It sounds delicious!
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Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
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Makes: 10 servings
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 1 hr 15 mins 325°F
Chill: Up to 24 hrs
Ingredients
- 5 medium sweet potatoes (10 ounces each)
- 1/2 cup cranberry relish
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins, snipped or chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce all over with fork. Place on oven rack. Bake for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop pulp from each potato half, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch shell. Place pulp in medium bowl. Set aside shells.
- Using a potato masher or fork, mash potato pulp until smooth. Stir in relish, cranberries, butter, and salt. Spoon potato mixture into each potato shell. Place, filled sides up, in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with walnuts. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Makes 10 servings.
From the Test Kitchen
To serve right away:
Chilling step may be omitted. Bake filled potatoes uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes or until heated through.
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The Wall Street Journal just published an article stating that a survey done by Freddie Mac shows that 78% of Americans say renting is cheaper than owning. The selling market is a little soft right now and that may continue if conditions don't change. Home prices have risen and mortgage rates have risen, which has driven many people to rent vs. own. However, renting (especially in this area) is not cheap either. If more people continue to rent, rents could increase and make it less attractive to rent. If you are trying to decide whether to buy or rent, give me a call and I'm happy to walk you through both options so you can decide what is best for you!!
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The Johnny Rockets restaurant that was located in Sunvalley Mall in Concord is now closed. The restaurant chain has fallen on harder times since overall mall traffic has been declining. This location was also temporarily closed a couple of months ago due to rat issues. The combination of these two issues may have been the reason for the closure, but there is no official comment on the closure. We used to go there when I was a kid so I'm sad to see it go. Fun memories!
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If you have topics about our local East Bay scene that you would like to see covered in Beyond the Fence, please send me an email at
janel@pelositeam.com and I'll do my best to include your suggestions.
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Janel Pelosi |
Pelosi Team | 925.408.8990 | janel@pelositeam.com
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