Tuesday 4 October 2011

Turkey Talk

Plum Street Samplers Gobble

As Canadian Thanksgiving approaches this coming weekend my thoughts seem to be centered on turkeys. This little fellow, or Tom as I like to call him, has occupied some of my time this week. I wish that I had time to complete this before our holiday but that's unlikely. I'm just not that quick of a stitcher. So should I tack him up somewhere as is for now and complete him after the holiday or should I just forge ahead and forget about displaying him this year? He's a pretty fine looking fellow if I do say so!

My other thoughts have been centered on whether or not to cook turkey this Thanksgiving. I always have in the past and then repeat the same meal again at Christmas. After all, turkey is a pretty easy meal to cook. It's the side dishes that take so much time. This is the first major holiday where I'm no longer working and have more time to prepare the meal. Should I alter the mix, or leave things as status quo?
 My oldest son is bringing home a young woman with him with whom he has been spending a lot of time lately. For those of you who may not know, he has been separated from his partner for almost a year now. We were not unhappy with the split since the relationship was never a great one from the start and we are thrilled that he has found someone to share things with. As parents we never stop worrying about our children no matter their age!
Jeff told me that she is a good cook so is that why I suddenly want to changes things up? In any case I'm ready for a change. I have found a recipe for cooking turkey breast in the crockpot with wine, apple, carrot, celery and a whole host of herbs. It sounds absolutely divine and works really well for me since we are at church for most of the morning which limits my preparation time. I can prepare most of this the night before and just plug in the pot before I leave the next morning. It's still turkey but not quite the same as our usual roast with stuffing. It also suits my needs since I recently started Weight Watchers and it's a much more healthy alternative to all that gravy and stuffing. As for the pumpkin pie, I'm replacing it with apple crisp and some pumpkin pie squares which are made with oats.



Lately I've spotted an increase in the amount of these wild turkeys showing up in our area fields.
I used to spot the odd one or two and maybe a small group of four but their numbers seem to be increasing . Yesterday I spotted a field with close to twenty of them. I'd watch out fellas if I were you! Has anyone ever tried cooking wild turkey? I'm sure the taste is far different from our store bought versions.

I also want to share with you the lovely exchange gift which I received from Lynn last week. I have long admired Lynn's work. Her finishes are superb and when she announced another giveaway I jumped at the chance to win some of her lovely work. I was thrilled to bits when she posted that I had won her Paris giveaway. Look at the lovelies that I received!!



Paris pillow(with crystal accents), cupcake needlebook, cupcake pin, strawberry fobs
 
Front view of the needlebook

Closure with a Swarovski crystal

Handmade pins

Isn't everything fantastic!! Seen in person, Lynn's finishing skills are even more impressive.  Both the pin and the fobs are accented with beading and the pillow and needlebook with crystals. I can only imagine the amount of time she put into this finishing. Thank you so very much Lynn for sharing some of your talent with me. I love it!!
It seems my dear stitching friend Kathy is also an admirer of Lynn's talents and has been entering her giveaways for some time with no success. She has been teasing me and threatening to spirit away my winnings the next time she visits. I may just have to hide these pretties, lol!

I'll leave you with a recent pic of my granddaughters enjoying one of my favourite fruits of the season,hand-picked! I hope all the recent cool temperatures spur you on to even more stitching.


16 comments:

  1. I'm going to try something new with my turkey this year by smoking/cooking on our new Traeger grill. The nice thing about that is it'll free up my oven for more sides or warm ups!

    Good luck with your Thanksgiving plans and enjoy!

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  2. awe come on Lynn you can finish that Tom and cook one too. you have all the time in the world now. lol PS I just caught the news letter from the last post and love that title and of course your Canadian adaptation to the LHN. Off to check out 123 now...
    Be always in stitches

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  3. Your grands are adorable!

    I love your Gobble. I say display it and then finish it up! As for cooking the turkey, I'll be honest and say that my family isn't big on the bird itself. We love all the sides. I'd do whatever suits you best for the bird and then enjoy the sides, because that's what I'd do! LOL

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  4. Having turkey and Christmas this weekend lol. Won't that be fun.

    I am so very jealous and you know that. What lovely, lovely treats you received from Lynn. I knew her finish would be astounding!!

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  5. That turkey design is cute and the turkey recipe you mentioned sounds divine!! I say go for it!! Maybe try roasting brussel sprouts..I've tried that and they taste divine!! Candied carrots, sweet potatoes and maybe a stuffing? I don't know what your stand bys are, but I'm sure that whatever you make will be delectable! I can't wait for our turkey dinner on Monday!!!

    Congrats on your prize! She always makes the cutest little gifts!

    Your grand daugters are adorable holding their precious apples in their hands!

    Happy Thanksgiving Lynn!!

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  6. Tom turned out great! What you don't have time to whip him up into a finish before the weekend? Its only Tuesday!

    I've been seeing a lot of turkeys myself lately in my neck of the woods too.

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  7. That menu sounds so good...go for it! You can't argue with easy, less calories and good taste! Your granddaughters are so cute!

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  8. Oh Lynn, what a wonderful post! Love Mr. Gobble and I'd work on him until he's done and then he'll be ready for next year :)
    He's a cutie!
    Thank you for the recipe link. Sounds DELISH! I'm doing Thanksgiving myself for our entire family this year...I guess I better put my big girl panties on. I've never done this before.
    I hope you impress the socks of your son's new friend :)

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  9. Great job on Tom! He's lookin' good! I LOVE your idea of throwing the bird in the slow cooker! How easy!! I may have to try it! LOL..and congrats on winning that amazing giveaway!

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  10. You saved the best photo for last! As for Tom, he's already cute as is, so display him now and finish later if that's the way you''re leaning.

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  11. Love your turkey stitching and the turkey recipe. Think i will try that one - thanks for sharing the link!
    Your granddaughters are adorable...great picture!

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  12. Aww...your granddaughters are precious, Lynn. What a sweet photo!!

    I think Tom Turkey looks great already--put him out and enjoy the compliments :) Good luck with your dinner--I'm sure it will be delicious however you cook the turkey. The important thing is that you'll all be together. Do whatever is easiest for you. I've done Thanksgiving for most of the past 15 years and it's a lot of work (especially when you have 23 people like we do!!). This year I have a break--yay!! Heading north to my sister's place...

    Congratulations on your win from Lynn--her work is incredible!! guess you'll have to lock your prizes up when Kathy comes around :)

    Enjoy your Thanksgiving, Lynn!!

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  13. I love this PSS "Gobble" piece too. I hate to admit it, but I started it last year and it has yet to be finished! Your stitching is beautiful.

    Putting Mr. Turkey in the crock pot sounds wonderful. Would you be willing to share your recipe! Yumm...apple crisp and pumpkin pie squares sound really good too.
    Hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your sweet little granddaughters!

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  14. Oh, this is a darling design. I love turkeys...or is it I just love autumn?

    Congratulations on your blog win. Lynn's little set of goodies is too adorable.

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  15. Your stitching is looking great Lynn, that looks like a piece you could display year after year. Your idea to cook turkey sounds delicious to me, why not try something new? The final picture is adorable, you must be so proud of your darling grandchildren. Best wishes.

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  16. Your turkey dish sounds like it would be good, but my family are such traditionalists they would be unhappy to have it on Thanksgiving. But maybe later on in the winter...

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