It’s snowing here! Both my older sons went to school elated about the snow flurries. The oldest, my high school sophomore, predicted early dismissal since his high school is up a steep hill and school officials don’t want a bunch of teenagers navigating a slippery hill in snow and ice. My 6th grader wore his new ski jacket and snow boots to school and said he felt like lived in Minnesota.
It was snowing off and on last night as we drove home from Salem. Once we reached the house we had an early Thanksgiving dinner and it was fun and festive as Mac ate his first real turkey. (However, he wasn’t big on my yams though…spit those out everywhere….) And now I write facing the window with snow falling just outside my window. So beautiful as the big evergreens are dusted powdery white on every limb!
To help celebrate Thanksgiving week and the upcoming holidays, my friend, beauty editor and blogger, Hillary Quinn, and I have a cool girlie contest to kick off the holidays! It begins today and runs for the next 6 days to Sunday, Nov 28th. There will be a total of 2 winners–one drawn from Hillary’s blog and one from mine–and the prize is a gift tote with 4 signed Jane Porter novels, a Starbucks gift card and some wonderful beauty products that I’d kill for!!
Want a chance to win? There are two steps to entering. Â First, visit www.hillarythebargainhunter.com and find Hillary Quinn’s motto for shopping. Then, click on this link to enter your answer and hopefully win! Winners will be drawn and announced by December 3. Hillary will choose a winner from her entries and I’ll choose an entry from my blog so check it out and hopefully you’ll win. And to double your chances of winning… leave a comment on Hillary’s blog, too!!
But wait–that’s not all!! I’m doing an extra contest on my own for those of you who are feeling lucky. Tell me in the comment section below what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is and you’ll have the chance to win my special Cozy For The Holidays prize. This is a super cozy, super comfy prize of a fleecey robe, hot chocolate, bath soaps, and some books. It’s a warm cuddle package just for you! My blog contest ends Tuesday night and I’ll announce the winner Wednesday morning.
And before I forget, I just want to say I’ve heard from 12 of you now that you’re sending money for World Vision, including my amazing Canadian reader friend Natalie who is also going to sponsor a little girl in China. Â Natalie–you rock. And that little girl in China will have her life forever changed by your sponsorship. Â The three kids we sponsor in Africa have better health now, better medical care, more clothes, more food, which means more opportunities to succeed. If any of you want to donate–remember for $10 I’ll send a signed book to you or a friend plus JP goodies–see my last blog for full details. I’m grateful for anything you can do!!
Now its time to bundle Mac up and take him outside to play in the snow! It’s going to be a great day!
Happy Holidays Jane! My favorite Thanksgiving dish would have to be the turkey and homemade dumplings, we only have these around the holidays, so I guess that would be why its a favorite.
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is Cranberry Orange Relish. I love the stuff!
The snow looks beautiful.
I love the traditional turkey. I don’t eat turkey that often.
Thanks for the work you do for World Vision. I am sending you a separate email.
Hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
My kids were hoping for a snow day today, but since it is already a half day, I highly doubt that they would trade this half day for a full day in June… Glad you have been able to enjoy the snow with the boys!
My favorite dish is my Sweet Potato Casserole. It has a yummy struessel topping – the dish is seriously like eating dessert!
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
We had a snow day today… well, a freezing rain day. Schools closed where I live in the ski area north of Montreal, numerous cars in the ditch in the morning rush hour, not worth going in… and I have a quilt asking for my attention.
I love my apple and pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving and my beet and apple salad. We had our Thanksgiving in October, but wishing you, your family and all your American readers a happy holiday!
Hi Kathryn, I’m Katherine also!I would love a copy of your beet and apple salad. Thanks!
Great contests! I am posting about both in my weekly giveaway blog this Wednesday. 🙂
Come to DC where it’s WARM!! It’s late November and I’m not wearing a jacket!
Favorite T-day food….I’m traditional. I love turkey and the garlic mashed potatoes I always make. Toss in pumpkin pie for dessert and I’m a happy girl!
Aww! Have fun, Jane! I LOVE pumpkin pie…got a head start early this year and bought some limited edition pumpkin pie flavoured ice cream. Yummm 🙂
Stephanie
hi jane: hope the snow stays at a level that doesn’t cause a lot of problems, but enough to enjoy! 🙂 my favoite thanksgiving dish is the sweet potato casserole we make. we use the regular ingredients you would normally use, but also crushed pineapples in it. even the boys will eat it!!!
Jealous of the snow you’re getting. I’m in Denver and we haven’t had much thus far. That said, hopefully soon! Certainly no sign of it being a white Thanksgiving here.
I actually have three and tragically none of them will be on the menu this year because my boy and I are having dinner at a friend’s house.
My mother-in-law’s fabulous sweet potato casserole. I’d never had it before getting together with my husband b/c my mother didn’t like sweet potatoes. Hrmph.
My mother’s/family’s cran-orange jello salad. This ‘can’ be made, but I don’t have the energy esp. when I’d probably be the only one who eats it.
My mother’s/family’s spiced peaches. A lot of time to make and, at the moment, the Del Monte spiced harvest peaches suffice as an alternative.
I love cranberry sauce and King’s Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls. They are just the best with roasted turkey.
I can make a meal just out of those two things and of course the bird.
Green bean casserole with extra french fried onions is my favorite dish. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi Jane, we’re enjoying watching the snow here in Redmond as well and my husband would love if we got several inches (though to be fair we both can work from home or walk a few miles to work and have almost no commute to worry about). I joined the masses at Home Depot on Saturday to get some ice melt and outdoor faucet covers just to be prepared.
We’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year for a bunch of our friends and have all the traditional dishes lined up. I’ve ordered a custard pie (which is my fave – Thanksgiving isnt the same for me since I don’t like pumpkin) in addition to pumpkin for everyone else.
Happy Thanksgiving!
My favorite dish is my husband’s homemade stuffing. I am not crazy about turkey but I do love the stuffing. For 15yrs we hosted Thanksgiving but this year, my family changed it up a bit so we are taking the opportunity to visit NYC and see the parade with the kids. I think I am more excited than the kids!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Jane!!
Favorite Thanksgiving dish? Sweet potato casserole…no, cornbread stuffing…umm, maybe pumpkin pie. Guess who will be eating too much this Thursday! LOL
Happy Thanksgiving, Jane and readers here! 🙂
My favorite dish is roasted veggies. What a lovely photo. Happy Thanksgiving.
Your cozy package sounds amazing right now since it is so cold here! We have been enjoying the snow and I am hoping to get more! Happy to hear your family enjoyed an early Thanksgiving!
My favorite dish is pumpkin pie!!
My favorite is my grandmother’s stuffing with granny smith apples, cranberries, celery, and raisons 🙂
I hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Lorie
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is a tie between cranberry orange relish and mince pie with brandy sauce.
Silly Mac! Yams are good. Maybe he’ll like them when he gets older.
The snow picture is so pretty. I love the first snowfall too. We don’t get much snow here though. But, it is supposed to get very cold just in time for Thanksgiving.
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is sweet potatoes with all the yummy marshmellows melted on top.
Hola Jane!
You are covered in snow and I am wearing shorts! Can not wait for Thanksgiving. Make favorite dish next to my husband’s deep fried turkey is the pumpkin pie. Extra cool whip topping for me. I can’t wait!
Happy Holidays to all…
My favorite is sweet potato pie…mm
Hi Jane.
My favorite dish is my aunt’s stuffing! It’s so delicious.
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Melinda
Hi Jane! I’m so jealous of your snow – I love snow (well, when I don’t have to drive anywhere…I’m not exactly the best driver so the snow definitely doesn’t help) and obviously we get it only occasionally here in GA.
Anyway, my favorite Thanksgiving food is pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting!! They’re delicious! I could eat them all day long.
Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your snow!
Hi Jane! It was 74 degrees here today…no snow in our forcast- in fact we’ve just entered the secondary tornado season here. It’s raining quite hard right now- that’s good because we’re 13 inches short of rain for our anual rainfall so it’s desperately needed. Anyway, I hope you have fun playing in the snow. Hugs!!
Love the photo and the snow, what fun (as long as the streets are good).
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is a special shredded cabbage jello salad my sister makes that has pineapple and walnuts, too. It is one of her specialities and though I have tried to make it, mine never tastes as good.
Snow! We are super warm again, here in Cumming…but no sun:(. My favorite Thanksgiving dish is…cranberry BREAD (no nuts)…but no one else likes it, so I make it for me, myself & I. I bring it wherever we eat our T-day dinner (this year Michele’s). Then I bring the leftovers home, because not many people eat it…and have it for breakfast while all the crazy shoppers are out scoring their deals (hate to shop on Black Friday). It was my mom’s favorite and whenever I make it, smell it & eat it…I think of her.
Happy Thanksgiving!
My favorite dish that we have at Thanksgiving is broccoli casserole. My sister makes it and it’s delicious. Then I want some pumpkin pie with a load of whipped cream on top. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Hey Jane! Love the pic with the snow 🙂 None of that over here, I’m so bummed. My favorite dish apparently isn’t Mac’s, but I LOVE sweet potatos. My mom use to mix them all up with a beater and then add some brown sugar, and throw some marshmellows on top of them and brown it all in the oven. Very tasty! Should ask my friend if she’s going to have any and bring some if not :0) Have a great Thanksgiving!
I love SWEET POTATOES! I don’t really care how they’re made (although my grandmas sweet potatoes baked in butter with marshmallows and brown sugar on top are the BEST!) I like them all! Love, love, LOVE sweet potatoes. 🙂
Then green bean casserole comes in at a close second but I usually have that a few times. The sweet potatoes that I mentioned are a once a year treat cooked that way…. 😉
Have a GREAT holiday Jane!
Traditional here with just the Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and veggie platter. Can’t believe your snow already. Mac is a doll too. Heading out to Florida tomorrow. Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.
Hi Jane,
The snow looks so pretty! We actually had a warm day today in New Jersey. I never really liked snow when I was younger, but now with 2 boys, I have no choice:) I’m glad you’re boys are loving it & hope Mac enjoyed it too! My favorite Thanksgiving food is sweet potatoes & one of my own traditions that I’ve been making since 5th grade (thanks to my teacher) is pumpkin bread. I have not forgotten about my donation. I started emailing you last night, but had to save it, some things came up and I will finish tomorrow. I hope others will decide to donate too this holiday season. Enjoy the snow!
Love, Stephanie
Happy Thanksgiving Jane! We have snow here in Vancouver, BC as well.
My favourite dish would have to be my mom’s homemade sausage stuffing along with her roast turkey. It’s soooo yummy!
Thanks for running this super fun contest.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is “overnight salad” that my Grandma used to always make. Royal Anne cherries, pineapple, marshmallows with a sauce of egg yokes, butter, sugar and whipping cream. Delicious! You make it the night before, hence the name “overnight salad”.
Hi Jane…
I wish I could get a little snowy morning like that. We just don’t get in here in So. Cal; at least not in Tustin! I hope had fun with Mac outside in the snow. So sweet!
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is always stuffing. Any kind of stuffing: sage, sausage, cornbread. I like it stuffed in the bird, in a casserole, cold from the fridge with a dollop of cranberry sauce (always homemade). Wow, now I’m really wanting it!
They are all good. This year I’m making cornbread stuffing.
Happy Thanksgiving to your sweet family. Enjoy every, last minute.
Hugs from Tustin,
Shannon
What a perfect giveaway for a snowy night here in the Pacific NW!!! Wish I had that kind of package tonight but snuggling with my 8-day old daughter is pretty great too! As for my favorite Thanksgiving dish…it’s a toss up between homemade rolls and sweet potato casserole.
I would have to say my favorite dish is the party potatoes that my mom makes. Mmmm!! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
It used to be my mother’s stuffing. My sisters and I would eat some raw and then we’d have cooked stuffing with the meal.
This past year I’ve changed my eating habits and I no longer eat meat or dairy so I’ll have new dishes and traditions. I’m thinking this recipe I’ve found called Home Diner Fries is going to be a new Thanksgiving favorite dish. 🙂
Have a great holiday Jane!
mine is green bean casserole and all the desserts!
I haven’t had dumplings in years. What a great idea! We have “bread and gravy” with our turkey, like a hot turkey sandwich. Makes me salivate just thinking of it (and all the calories).
I’m amazed when reading all the “weather entries”. I’m in southern Ontario, and we haven’t had snow yet (knock wood). Thought it was unusual that Vancouver and lots of US states already have snow and we haven’t, but I am NOT complaining! Much as I think your picture was adorable and snow on evergreens would be beautiful here too, I can wait. I believe that snow is in our forecast for tonight (less than 1/4 inch) and flurries on Thursday (less than 1/2 inch), so we’re still doing okay!
Happy Thanksgiving!
My favorite dish is my Mom’s stuffing. It’s just simply celery, onions, salt, pepper, hamburger, and a water soaked loaf of bread torn into pieces. All cooked together in a frying pan. I love eating it cold also.
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is the “Mashed Potatoes” They have to be Youkon Gold – we add butter, milk garlic and rosemary-yum, yum! Jane, Happy Thanksgiving!
Bring on the mashed Red Bliss potatoes, with tons of butter and sour cream melted into the mix. I am not a big fan of stuffing, but I can eat my weight in “bliss”.
Happy thanksgiving to your family, have fun playing in the snow, it been 18yrs. since I’ve seen snow for I lived in the chicago area all my life until, I decided to move to Fla. Anyways, I love the turkey and my stuffing, I make it with fresh cornbread and toasted white bread, and I add sweet sausage,apples and cranberries. Have a wonderful time playing..with Mac. I have 2-2yrs old in my daycare and we play games all day long,I love acting like a kid..and lots of giggles.
Oh baby, bring on the mashed potatoes, the ult in ultimate comfort food! Yeah turkey is great and I love me some corn (I’m making corn souffle from scratch as my contribution to T-day dinner). But it’s the mash that owns my common, culinary heart.
Side note: Thanks for the great contest both here and the beauty package. We had lay offs at my company for the first time last Thursday and the ensuing panic in my dept has been scary stuff. If we don’t win the new business we’re pitching for next week (we have 4 pitches going on right now) there will be another wave of layoffs and it will be bloody. There’s no way to know or take comfort in a job well done or a position well fortified as my bosses aren’t being consulted in any of the decisions. So, bleh. Having a possible treat to look forward to is – well – a treat, your generous heart billowing my spirits again. Thanks Jane.
My favorite holiday dish is the stuffing! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Stuffing all the way! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Jane,
The Pumpkin Pie. It´s still new to me, I have only known about it for a couple of years but now I’m totally hooked.
And today I’m trying to bake one for the first time. Wish me luck 🙂
Great picture Jane!
One of my favorite Turkey day dishes is sweet potato casserole with pecans and brown sugar on top…so yummy!!!!
I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and much to be thankful for:-)
My favorite would have to be corn pudding.
I try a new recipe each year and the one for this year looks pretty good.
Enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving w/your family.
Hi Jane,
My all time favorite Thanksgiving dish is my sister-in-law’s macaroni and cheese!!!
Pumpkin Pie with loads of whipped cream! 😀
my favorite Thanksgiving dish is homemade stuffing, my mom’s recipe. Yummmmmmm.
Turkey!!! The sides are good, but it’s just not Thanksgiving without roasted turkey!
my favorite is afterwards when many of us make turkey/dressing/cranberry sauce/pickle buns. We love it and it includes many favorites actually.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and as I’m Canadian and we have had our day I’ll be thinking of everyone eating Turkey, etc.
Jane,
My favorite is Corn Bread Stuffing with sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts. I’m going to be adventurous this year and try to make pumpkin cheesecake as well.
Jane,
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season! I am almost done reading She’s Gone Country and I have to say I could barely put it down to write this comment:) Makes me want to move to the country myself.
Favorite Thanksgiving dish would have to be my mom’s homemade Apple Pie. I realize it isn’t only for Thanksgiving but the Holiday Season is the only time my Mom makes if from scratch…YUM:)
My favorite recipe is my Mom’s take on Ambrosia Salad. It has Crushed Pineapple, Mandarin Orange, Mini Marshmallows, Coconut, and Sour Cream. Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!!!
we don’t celebrate Thanks giving in my country. but i do really like to see and taste the turkey and corn pudding 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving! My favorite dish must be the dressing. It’s all I’ve thought about as I’ve planned the menu this year! Lol.
This dish I’m going to describe is my favorite because it is a new one co-created by my son, Dan, and me for the Church Youth Group Thanksgiving Feast last Sunday. The feast is a potluck where all the attendees bring their favorite dish while the advisors provide the turkey. Dan asked me to make garlic mashed potatoes. I mashed cooked yukon gold’s and added a little parm cheese and garlic, smart balance and milk. I put them in the oven to keep warm until he was ready to go. He came in to the kitchen, opened the oven, took them out and added tons of grated pepper jack and steak grilling spices to the top. We pumped up the oven temp to 425 and put them back in uncovered for 15 minutes. They were a hit at the feast and several people came up to me afterwards to let me know that they would be adding them to their table this year.
Happy Thanksgiving, Jane!
With Love from windy NJ, Wendy M.
Good Morning Jane,
I would have to say that my favorite holiday dish is Candied Yams. They are simply scrumcious. I only get to enjoy them twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I know how bad they are for my waistline.
Enjoy your holiday.
Melissa M.
Baked potato casserole…tastes just like a loaded baked potato but it’s all whipped together.
Probably boring, but my favorite Thanksgiving dish is turkey. It’s always been sort of a “celebration/get-together” dish in my family, so it brings back a lot of fond memories!
Definitely turkey!! It is the only time of year we eat it usually and it is just so good I can’t get enough lol. Happy Holidays to you and your family, Jane!
I don’t really have a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner. Over the years my side of the family has started leaving town for Thsnksgiving, so we just get together with my in-laws. Neither my mother-in-law (who is wonderful!) or myself like to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner, so we started doing pasta on Thanksgiving! It’s not about what you eat for me, but rather who I’m with.
So my fav for Thanksgiving is pasta!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi everyone, it looks like the message I posted this morning didn’t post…but then I was multi-tasking and God knows that isn’t always successful!!
So I’ve returned to repeat the announcement of my winner and it’s….#24 Danielle Peck! Danielle, I just saw you in Frankfort and now you’ve got the lucky mojo as your number was drawn this morning by son Ty. Danielle, please shoot me a private email with your mail address and this prize is yours!
Jane
PS Not one of the three winners from my last blog contest contacted me with their address!! Winners, you have until Friday morning to get your info to me or I’m sending these prizes out to new folks in a new contest on Sat morning!
Nothing says Thanksgiving to me as a king crab legs or Dungeness crab cakes. Those are my favorite dishes. A glass of Lilet to accompany those dishes and then I can really enjoy this quiet day.
I love my grandmother’s mancotti. I am making it this year. We are sparing a turkey this year, as we are celebrating with vegetarian friends.
My fave dish is sweet potato casserole :). Yum!
Okay,okay so the contest is over…but before dinner today I couldn’t decide my favorite food…and this afternoon, I realized that I could not live without GRAVY!…a rich,brown, deep flavored gravy!…so I had had to have more potatoes and stuffing to soak up my plate of gravy;)
I love the cranberry sauce. Once the turkey is finished and there is some left I eat it like jam. Wonderful!
Happy Balck Friday to all the American shoppers.
Just catching up on your blog this week..and wanted to let you know that YES!, I did send off my paper work to World Vision last week to adopt/sponser that little girl. I have been thinking about doing it for a long time, and just never got around to doing it. I also sent you a cheque for $10 last week.
On a kind of funny note, my 5-year old son overheard me telling my husband that World Vision’s current campaign was to adopt girls in poverty…and he ran off screaming, thinking that meant I was going to get rid of one of my boys for a girl. He’s on board with the plan after I explained that it is not a child-swap 🙂
I missed your Thanksgiving contest, and Canadian Thanksgiving was back in October, but I just have to comment…hands down favorite Thanksgiving dish is the turkey stuffing with cranberries!
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend with your family Jane!
N
Great picture of you and Ty! He looks so happy to be with his mom. 🙂
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is always the mashed potatoes. And now that I am wearing adult braces, I am enjoying them even more because they don’t require chewing!
Enjoy the snow!
Hi Jane,
Neat snow. My favorite dish is the stuffing.
I love the main course…the turkey:)