Witness to History

Where was I with my camera in tow all day yesterday?
Hint: Virginia got a new governor and other elected officials.

Who had an all access pass to photograph the event?
Hint: There were lots of sweet visuals.

Lots and lots of interesting people and vignettes. And lots of rain. And lots of fog.

And of course, lots more photos.

Rustic Turkey Soup

How was your Thanksgiving, my friends?

We spent a quiet day at home cooking, eating, relaxing, and engaging in an abnormal amount of food-related conversation. Our rotation of Christmas DVDs played on (didn't always watch, but it was nice to hear them in the background anyway). We called family members and a few friends to catch up. In between we drank cappuccino and hot chocolate. Nice.

We were kind of sneaky and munched as we cooked, so by the time the table was set the hubs and I were not that hungry (which didn't stop us from eating a little more anyway).

Besides turkey, we roasted carrots and parsnips, and brussel sprouts. We made dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and apple pie.

We had a lot leftovers!  As usual, even before the meal was over, I was thinking of ways to use all the savory sides and turkey in other yummy comfort dishes. I have an aversion to discarding food, so I always try to reinvent leftovers.

Each year most of the Thanksgiving leftovers make their way into a savory, herb soup for a lighter day of eating. Besides breakfast made with leftovers this year (a modified version via this Pin), the soup is pretty much all we eat the day after (and the day after that). It's so good with the caramelized and crusty roasted veggies.

Oh, and after the soup we have a little apple pie, of course!

Rustic Turkey Soup

(I didn't give specific quantities for every ingredient.
Use what you have in the quantities you prefer.
Cooking is all about improvising!)

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.
Add 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup water. You may have to add more liquid later, depending on the quantity of your turkey meat and veggies.
Add any leftover gravy (this is what makes the soup rich and flavorful!).
Bring to boil.
Add leftover veggies (add fresh too if needed).
Add shredded turkey. We like a lot of turkey here.
Bundle up a thick bunch of your favorite fresh herbs in cheese cloth and tie off so they don't escape.
Submerge the herb bunch in the soup.
Season with salt and pepper to taste (we didn't add salt because the herbs pack a punch).
Bring to boil again.
Turn down heat and let simmer until thickened a little.
Remove herb bundle.
Ladle into bowls and while soup is still hot, top with crunchy home made croutons, shredded cheddar cheese, and springs of herbs (herb sprigs are optional, but they look pretty, don't they?)

Enjoy!!

Foggy Adventure

A bunch of us hit the road super early on Sat to travel to a little town outside of Goochland for an early morning adventure.

The fog was so thick we had to hold up the entire caravan of travelers in a parking lot until it cleared up a little. 

The sun finally burst out full force from the thick, cloudy sky and mother nature gifted us with a bright fall sunrise over the foggy hills. It was incredibly lovely to watch the steam slowly burn off the landscape to reveal beautiful fall colors.  

Such a stunning and unexpected visual treat!

 

Fall Aboard

What happened to the weekend? It flew by. In fact, what happened to Oct?!

If you're like me, as usual its going to become a dazzlingly, hurried scene heading into the holidays. We're already making plans for December events.

While shopping at Stony Point I stopped by Anthropology to browse new fall additions. The hip design staff was making ornaments for their holiday tree and inviting customers to join in.

After I sat down at the beautifully arranged table (as only Anthro can do) and took in the mounds of glitter, paint, cardboard ornament templates and other crafty paraphernalia, I realized that I felt slightly intimidated and that it had been entirely too long since I'd gotten crafty like that. I quickly pushed any doubts aside and dug in!

While relearning how to wield a hot glue gun (the feel of hot glue singeing the tip of a finger rekindled long forgotten crafting memories), I chatted with the delightful staff as we folded, wrapped and assembled lovely ornaments that resembled abstract gilded fruit and piled them into overflowing mounds and bowls.

Simple crafts are so much fun.