To sum up November in three words, I would say: Work. Eating. Fun.
Work: has been crazy; we are still working a lot of overtime, since the end of the year is near and everything needs to be done by year end. We have been going in on Saturdays, which I actually like, because without the phone ringing and a new email popping up every second, I actually get some work done! On top of everything else, we had a guy go out on Paternity leave and the temp who was supposed to cover his desk fell through, so we have been doing his work too. I was already pretty swamped; doing his work as well has made me way behind. In addition, his wife had some complications and the babies came two weeks early, so we have been doing it for a few weeks now.
Morning view from my office window
Fun: comes before eating because a lot of the eating was fun too! However, I had a girls night at the house at the beginning of the month, which was a ton of fun. I made a bunch of muffin inspired foods and there was plenty of wine and a dance party was commenced. The weekend after that, my brother had an end of Harvest party and it was good to hang out with some of his girlfriend's friends who I had met before but didn't know very well. The next day we canned some pickled veggies and then had Sunday dinner because it's CRAB season! The next day I took the day off and volunteered at the local food bank. It is near my aunt's house and when I asked if she wanted to join, she, my uncle and two of my cousins came too, so it was a fun family affair (plus I chalked it up as a workout since I had to move so many cans of food). Thanksgiving was spent doing a bike ride and then I got to hang out with my extended family, some of who I have not seen in a while (and who are all grown up all of a sudden).
Food: has been plentiful this month! At girl's night, I served muffin shaped foods: mac and cheese bites, southwest chicken cups, mini chicken pot pies, mini quiches, artichoke and spinach dip cups, and....salad. The recipes were kind of thrown together from things I already liked making. At the Harvest party, there was brisket (I ate SO MUCH brisket!), corn, cole slaw, beans (with Jalapenos), and salad. There is always salad. For Thanksgiving there was turkey, of course, and some super good mashed potatoes. My favorite were the two different kinds of stuffing. At one party, it was brie and artichoke stuffing; at the other it was cranberry, sausage and apple stuffing. Both were delicious, even though they were pretty different. Finally, I took the turkey carcass home and made turkey stock, which will be used soon!
Aside from the top three, there has been some running (163 miles), a bit of reading (2 books), a bit of yoga, one trail race, a bit of biking and a little too much TV watching (Parenthood, Greys Anatomy, Top Chef).
What did you do in November? What is your favorite food to serve when people come over? Do you enjoy crab season?
