November Blessings

While the magic of the Christmas season begins to draw us in as soon as October ends, tempting us to deck our halls and trim the tree, we mustn't rush so quickly that we forget November and the beautiful things it has to offer.  

November is the time of year when the last of autumn's leaves lay strewn,  the robust fragrance of oranges and spice fills the air, the stillness of the barren trees and empty skies stirs in us a yearning to turn inward and indoors, and the promise of loved ones gathering calls us home. Most importantly, November is a time that we, with thankful hearts, reflect upon the magnitude and abundance of our blessings.

I'm excited to share with you some of what my family does to celebrate this month!

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

" O Beloved Spirit, truly You have given us so much, an extravagance of riches. Give us, we pray, one thing more-  the gift of grateful hearts. "  Susan Branch

The first of my family's traditions for November is to count our blessings. We have done this many different ways, sometimes as simply as making a list on a sheet of paper. But one of my favorite ideas was writing the things we were thankful for on the feathers of a turkey!  Below is the one I made this year!

If you would like to use my turkey as a template, below is a downloadable version I made. Click on the link, print it and cut out the turkey and feathers. You can then write your blessings on the feathers and paste onto a sheet of paper. 

 Download

Counting your blessings is a wonderful way to remember all you have to be thankful for! Sometimes it's fun to try to think of blessings that are often overlooked. These are some that my family thought of one year: 

An afternoon to do as you please

Holding your child in your arms

Ten hours of uninterrupted sleep  (I miss this!)

Being able to pay off a loan or credit card

Remembering funny memories with your family

Answered prayers

An unexpected compliment that makes your day

Having electricity 

Good health 

Having your efforts or hard work appreciated

Holding a good job

Never having to go hungry

Clean water

What blessings can you think of?

GIVE SERVICE

"If we thought of life as a gift we might not demand nearly as much from it. And if we lived more graciously, giving of ourselves more freely to the well being of others, many of our personal concerns would disappear and life would become easier for all."  
Lowell Bennion 

One of the biggest, and I believe, most important traditions my family has for the month of November is giving service.  When we remember all that we have to be thankful for, it is easy to realize how much we need to share all that God has blessed us with. 

Years ago, when I was still quite young, my family met around the table for Thanksgiving dinner and found at each place setting a white envelope.  Inside the envelope was some money. My parents then explained that we were each required to match the amount of money in our envelope and use it, along with our time and effort, to render an act of service.  We could serve anyone, in any way we wanted, but in two weeks time, we would meet back together as a family and share with each other how we had chosen to serve.

   It was an amazing experience as over the next fourteen days our eyes were opened to the needs of those around us. Instead of focusing on Christmas wish lists to Santa Claus, our attention shifted to finding ways we might serve others.  For those of us who were still quite young, those two weeks also involved doing extra chores to earn enough money to match the amount we had been given, teaching us to work and sacrifice in our efforts to help others in need.   And when the time came, what a memorable night it was to share with each other and our parents what we had done with our time and money. 

      

From then on, without our parents' prompting and without envelopes of money, it became a tradition each November for my siblings and I to try to find a way to serve.  Even years later, as a married woman, I joined with my siblings to provide Christmas for three needy families.  

      This year, a friend of mine from Honduras is returning home for Thanksgiving and asked for help from women in our neighborhood to gather together children's clothing and school supplies to take with her.  Looking for a way to serve this November,  I went through my son's closet to pull out clothes that we could donate and also made a special trip with him to the store to buy notebooks, pens and pencils. We then loaded them in a box and dropped them off.  I'm grateful that even though my son is still so young, he has already been able to take part in this November tradition of service.  

EAT HARVEST FOOD

This time of year, when the skies are meek and grey and the first of winter's snow begins to fall, there is something so welcoming in the aroma of warm, hearty soup simmering on the stove or the sweet smelling spice of autumn desserts baking in the oven.  Living in a winterless climate, I have truly missed those late autumn days. But I've learned that no matter where you are,  a satisfying way to celebrate the season, is of course, eating in season!  November brings a wonderful abundance of harvest foods that help to warm our hearts and homes. Make an effort this month to eat some of the season's most tasty treats:  Pears, Cornbread, Cranberries, Sweet Potatoes, Molasses Cookies, Soups and Stews, and Butternut Squash to name a few!

 I have made a number of harvest dishes so far this month:

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

This is my very own recipe! I don't use measurements, so please realize everything is approximate. 

Start by making a pie crust. I use Martha Stewart's recipe. The recipe is super easy and simple! Get it here!   (Note: you do not need to use a pastry blender or food processor. I just use my Kitchen-aid mixer.)

While dough is chilling,  cut veggies into small, bite sized pieces. I like to use carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and frozen peas. You could also use asparagus, green beans, corn, onions, celery- whatever you like!   I use about 1/2-2/3 cup of each vegetable.  Place all together in a steamer and steam until just barely fork tender.)  While vegetables steam, combine 1 can cream of chicken soup with 1 can chicken broth over medium heat. I add a dash of salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine, 

then heat until warm.  When pie dough is ready and you have placed it in the dish according to directions, spoon vegetables into the pie until they reach the brim of the pie dish. Then pour  the chicken broth mixture over veggies so that they are completely covered but do not overflow the dish. Place top of dough over mixture. Cut a slit or two to let steam vent and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes or until crust is brown and flaky. 

Homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu with baked Sweet Potatoes

My husband and I love the white sweet potatoes! They are a little less sweet than the traditional orange variety and are so tasty they require only a tiny bit of butter and salt once baked.  Also, I used the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe from the The Gathering of Friends cookbook volume 2. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu 

3 whole chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 lb thinly sliced ham

16oz swiss cheese 

8oz cream cheese

2 1/2 cups hot water

3 Tbsp granulated chicken bouillon 

1/2 cup white cooking wine

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup butter 

3 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs

toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350. Slice each chicken breast in half, cutting down the middle. Divide each half cutting through diagonally from side to side into three very thin pieces. Between two sheets of wax paper (or inside one gallon sized ziploc bag) tenderize the pieces on both sides using a meat mallet. Cut the swiss cheese into 1/2″ x 2″ cubes. Lay the chicken flat, place a slice of ham on the chicken and a cheese cube. Roll up chicken with ham and cheese, pierce with a toothpick through the middle to hold its shape. Place each chicken roll side by side in a 9 x 13″ pan. If there is excess cheese, cut into cubes and place in the pan between the rolls of chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken. In blender combine cream cheese, water, bouillon and cooking wine, puree. Pour the sauce over the chicken rolls. Toss bread crumbs in melted butter and spread over chicken and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Makes 18 small Cordon Blue Rolls.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

This recipe is from Our Best Bites: Savoring the Seasons

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

Makes 6–8 main-dish servings or 10–12 side dish servings

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 3 cups, see tip)

1 medium yellow onion, diced into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 11⁄2 cups)

4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 strips bacon

1 pound shell pasta

Pumpkin Sauce

1 cup low-fat milk

3⁄4 cup chicken broth

2 ounces (1⁄4 cup) cream cheese

2 tablespoons flour

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese, additional for topping, if desired 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Place squash, onion, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper on one of the sheets. Drizzle with oil and toss gently with your hands until everything is well coated. Spread into a single layer.

2. Lay bacon in a single layer on another baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in oven and cook 15–20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon pan from oven and use tongs to lay bacon strips on paper towels to drain. Crumble when cool enough to handle. Continue cooking squash an additional 13–15 minutes until it is soft and tender.

3. While the bacon and squash are in the oven, bring a large stockpot of water to boil and cook shell pasta according to package directions.

4. For the sauce: Combine milk, broth, cream cheese, flour, salt, and pumpkin puree in a blender and process until smooth. Pour mixture into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer 4–5 minutes, until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese, stir until melted, cover saucepan, and remove from heat.

5. Drain pasta and return to stockpot. Add sauce, squash mixture, and crumbled bacon and toss to combine. Serve immediately or transfer to a casserole dish, top with additional Parmesan cheese, and bake 15–20 minutes.  

Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the squash and then cut it in half and use a spoon to scrape out seeds. Slice into long strips and dice into cubes. You can also look for diced butternut squash in the produce section of the grocery store.

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili 

with  Cornbread Muffins

                  

                                      

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili 

1 can black beans

1 can corn, undrained

1 can Rotel, undrained  (This is canned tomatoes and diced jalapenos. Rotel is the brand). 

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 8 oz package light cream cheese

2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

My husband is a cornbread connoisseur - he loves the stuff!- and as a result we have tried many different kinds.  Our favorite is the Krusteaz brand Honey Cornbread. We both agree it is better than homemade (and easier)!

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite November recipes are!

POP   CORN!

My mom would read to us The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola, a picture book which tells about the important role popcorn played in the lives of early Native Americans and Pilgrims.

  When the pilgrims first arrived, the Indians gave them some hard little nuggets that resembled kernels of grain. The women, not knowing what to do with the gift, added them to a cauldron of soup to see if they would soften and become edible. However, when the soup was served, guests almost broke their teeth! The Indians finally showed the pilgrims how to plant these kernels to grow corn- something the Europeans were unfamiliar with at the time. It was a good thing because the corn nearly saved their lives when food became very scarce during the long, hard winters of the Northeast.  It became a tradition to place kernels of corn next to their plates at Thanksgiving to remind their children of the hardships and sacrifices of those first winters. 

The pilgrims also enjoyed popcorn in their soup, something the Indians taught them to do, and would even eat it for breakfast with cream poured over it.

 It was the Native Americans that invented popcorn! Accounts of early colonists record the strange kernels that Indians would heat until they burst open to look like little white flowers. They would even wear it as jewelry and believed that spirits lived inside each kernel of popcorn!

It is a fun tradition to curl up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and tell your kids about how popcorn came to be! 

My mom also had a lot of other fun Thanksgiving books for us to read!  Some of my favorites include:

In November by Cynthia Rylant

If you Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern

It's Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky

The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' by Eileen Spinelli (A hilarious story about remembering what really matters on Thanksgiving. There are two editions. The first, illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler has a human family in the pictures. The later edition switched to a family of foxes. Not sure why, but try to find the first edition- its much cuter!)

HONOR VETERANS

Last but not least, November is a time to remember those, past and present, who have served our country in the Armed Forces.  This is a holiday that is shared around the world, and is a wonderful opportunity to honor those brave men and women.

There are several things you can do to celebrate this holiday:

Write thank you notes with your kids to send to those you know who have served in the Armed Forces. If they live by you, you could even bake them a plate of cookies to go along with the thank you card.

Visit a military museum if there is one close to you. Some military bases have them. 

Send a care package to someone who is currently deployed. 

Have a grandparent, friend, or someone else you know who is a veteran tell your children what it was like to serve in a war. 

My husband and I had the opportunity to sit down with my grandma and look through her brother's scrapbook about World War II. It is filled with amazing photographs and memorabilia about his time serving in the Air Force during this War.  My grandma also told us what it was like for her as a little girl. She told us all about her memories of the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, about having to ration food and supplies, sending her brothers off to War, etc.  Spending an afternoon with her to hear these stories was a priceless experience!   

Veteran's Day (or Remembrance Day in other countries) is celebrated on November 11 to remember the day that World War I ended. A treaty or armistice was signed at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year.  After the war came to an end, on some of the worst battlefields in Europe, red poppies began to grow. It was considered by many to be more than just a coincidence, but instead the earth's way of remembering the blood that was spilled on those fields. As a result, this flower has become a familiar symbol of Remembrance Day.

My son and I, using red finger paint, created a picture of red poppies to hang on our fridge and help us remember those that have given their lives to protect our rights and freedoms. I drew a green stem with marker and then my son's handprint makes the flower. 

I made my own edible finger paint so I wouldn't have to worry about my son putting any in his mouth.

Combine 2 T sugar, 1/3 C flour, and 2 C water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, heat until mixture thickens into a paint-like consistency. Pour into a plastic container and add food coloring.  Remember to let it cool completely before letting your child stick their hands into it!

(Recipe from momtastic.com).

Hope you have a wonderful November!