Can you believe it's here already? November has already come to an end and here I am,
way behind, blogging in December! We don't even have decorations up yet! Where has the time gone?!
However - we managed to get this far behind for good reason.
In fact we started early, no really. You see this year we went up to Colorado Springs to spend
Thanksgiving with Family. The plans were set far in advance, and since we knew we wouldn't
be home for Turkey Day we had a little early celebration the Saturday before.
A giant winter storm rolled in and dumped rain on us for a solid 36+ hours.
What better excuse is there for an all day cook-a-thon that ends with pie?
We crock cooked our bird using a recipe we found online, but before we
could crock we needed cranberry sauce!
It was so easy! It only needed 1/4 cup orange juice, so a fresh orange was perfect, add 1 cup of sugar and a sack of cranberries (that we still had frozen from last year) and it bubbles up into this beautiful crimson masterpiece. I will never cranberry from a can again!
Time for the star of the show, the bird!
We cooked on low for about 6 hours (give or take)
In the meantime, we also whipped up:
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| Pumpkin Pie <3 |
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| Delicious sweet potato home fries for breakfast |
And you're never going to believe this last thing we whipped up...
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(more spaces for dramatic effect)
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We whipped up a functioning(ish) shower!!!!
(actually, since this picture was taken, there's even more added, the shower knob for example)
It all started with some finishing touches: caulk
Yep. While we were rained in, I worked on our quasi Thanksgiving meal and Dylan put in a full day's work on the master bath. When we traded hard labor for cooking - I scrubbed every last speck of filth off of the tub and Dylan made mashed potatoes and gravy. Now that's teamwork!
Now I offer you a "just for fun" photo.
You see, Dylan used an old business card to help keep the caulk line clean as he moved along the shower. This caulk-mustache was a complete and total accident, but wholly amusing nonetheless.
As the sun went down, our work was done (or rather, we were done working) and the rain was still falling. We cleaned up for dinner and set the table
It was delicious and festive! A non-holiday at it's best. I believe we finished up the night with pie, and a few episodes of Dexter. Alright, so Dexter may be more of a Halloween theme, but hey, technically it wasn't Thanksgiving yet.
[Pre-Thanksgiving was supposed to be it's own post before we left,
but... well you see how well that worked out!]
But wait! There's more!
What about the trip to Colorado?
Fret not, photos ahoy!
Remember that winter storm I mentioned? It wasn't just in Arizona, or just the west coast. That puppy rolled in and swept across the entire country (...well almost the entire country.) We were admittedly a little worried about our trip because we were driving. But lucky for us, the storm went on ahead of us, and we had a whole 24 hour break from it before hitting the road.
There was snow everywhere! All around us! But the roads were clear and the sun was shining.
We couldn't have asked for a better trip!
When we hit New Mexico we stopped in both Hatch and Las Vegas for gas, coffee,
and a little farting around
Outside that burger joint... what's it? Sparky's?
I love the robot, I imagine Eugene from Bob's Burgers would FLIP for that particular robot.
Las Vegas was good and snowy!
Our first overnight stay was in Albuquerque
Hotel #1:
It was a nice, giant room at a Sheraton. We scored it from hotels.com for $70 *bounces eyebrows*
On our way to the hotel, we happened to drive by a legit, real life Bob's Burgers.
If you know me, even only a little bit, you must know we had to stop here.
Now, the burger's were certainly no gourmet Chevre Which Way But Loose Burger or Last of the Mo-Jicama Burger, but it was home of the Ranchero Burger. Of which, Dylan and I both ordered.
I'll give it that the people were nice, and we didn't get sick. (God that sounds like a really bad review, doesn't it?) You know what it reminded me of? The old Stouffer's salisbury steak... only with a spicy cheese sauce.
We came, we saw, we at it. You know how it goes on roadtrips.
The next day, we hit up a couple of local Albuquerque spots for coffee and breakfast
and then we were on our way to Colorado. (Namely, Satellite Coffee who made us this delicious
"Mexican Latte" that was out of this world!) <- you're damn right I just made that joke.
The next 2 days were filled with family and food and gatherings and gluttoning
and all of the other heartwarming traditions of November.
On one of our outings we waited for a train to pass carrying nothing but loads and loads of coal
Dylan's well timed joke was "I guess there weren't any good kids this year"
ZING!
Saturday was our last day in CO. We all decided on one last meal as a family.
Dylan googled for a good brunch joint in Colorado Springs. Google directed us to a place called
"The Principal's Office" that is very well reviewed and just a little new and trendy. It sounded fun.
Everyone punched the address in to their GPS and when we arrived, we learned that "The Principal's Office" (among many other things!) actually resides inside of an old school.
Originally built in 1916. Seriously, check this place out http://ivywildschool.com/ I am beyond smitten!
Inside we enjoyed pastries and coffee
The handles on the doors at the coffee bar were kind of hilarious
Of course, the first thing that came to mind for me was Paddlin' Peggy
They left in so many of the old school elements, and probably embellished a few others
A map of what they've done with the place:
and down at the brewery end:
Where we had to stop for a sampler
Then it was on the road again, this time headed home.
Hotel #2
We were at the Santa Fe Sage Inn, it was nice. Not the most luxurious stay ever, but it was clean and friendly, the staff were excellent and we only paid $50. Can you really beat that?
Once settled in, we asked for a dinner recommendation, they sent us over to Restaurant Martin (which sounds like Martine, ohh la la!) It was freaking delicious.
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| The Maple Leaf Farm Duck Leg Confit |
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| Crispy Sage-Manchego Polenta |
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| New Zealand Venison |
ooooh yeeeah
After dinner, we found a fun sports bar in walking distance from the hotel, Junction
We had some dessert and drinks while we watched some college football
They did offer up some pretty sweet cocktails
We had a blast! Walked back to the hotel, watched the end of that game and hit the sack.
Excellent road trip day if I do say so myself.
Sunday morning we awoke in Santa Fe ready to hit the streets like any good tourist.
After we ate, of course. We went to a famous Santa Fe eatery Pasquals
I enjoyed most of this mind blowing omelette
Dylan had the trout hash.
SO GOOD.
We took in a little culture
Art:
Historical Buildings:
An amazing old sculpture/fountain
The attention to detail on this was incredible
We did some shopping, had one more stop for gas and fast food and then made it home Sunday night.
I can't even come up with some campy ending for this one, the post itself was almost as exhausting as the trip! I have to admit though, it's been a lot of fun reliving everything.
See you guys next time, thanks for stopping by!
