Food

Thanksgivings past

I don’ know about you, but I love to look back at pictures or blog posts from exactly a year (or two.. or three..) ago. Looking at old pictures and blog posts helps me to remember fun times and emotions that I felt.

Because Thanksgiving is on Thursday, I decided to look back through my blog and my Facebook and try to find one picture that perfectly describes Thanksgiving that year.

I found pictures on my Facebook from 2008-2012!

Thanksgiving 2008

This picture makes me smile.Hannah and I both painted our bedrooms rooms lime green over the Thanksgiving break. I remember this moment so well: None of Hannah’s furniture was moved back into her bedroom yet, so we decided to have a dance party. We plugged an iHome into an outlet and blasted music while dancing around her empty lime green room. We took this picture while we were dancing.

Thanksgiving 2009

My mom, sister, and I went Black Friday shopping in 2009 and I guess I was really excited about coupons! When I look really closely at the picture, I can see that the coupons aren’t for clothes or electronics. The coupons are for McDonald’s coffee. LOL. We shopped a good bit and had a ton of fun out in the craziness that is Black Friday.

Thanksgiving 2010

My family visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina for Thanksgiving in 2010. It was the most amazing (and totally weird) thing to be by the ocean and eat seafood instead of turkey for dinner. My parents wanted to take a picture of my brother and I standing in front of the ocean but he surprised me and picked me up before my mom took the picture. I remember that he didn’t put me back on the ground right away. He spun me around and around until I was dizzy and pretended to throw me in the ocean. I remember screaming and laughing so hard.

I also had started my blog by 2010! Here and here are my Thanksgiving posts.

Thanksgiving 2011

For Thanksgiving in 2011, my brother was living in State College, PA and had dinner with his girlfriend (now fiance!). My parents + Hannah went to New York to visit my aunt and uncle. I stayed home and hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Jimmy’s family at my house. We all had dinner, watched Pupmkin Chunkin, and played Twister. I remember being so nervous before the dinner and feeling so relaxed afterwards!

My Thanksgiving blog posts from 2011 are here and here.

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This post was so much fun to write and I absolutely loved looking back in time and remembering all of the fun Thanksgivings I have experienced with friends and family.

For Thanksgiving 2012, my aunt and uncle + 3 cousins are coming from NY to Pittsburgh to stay with my family for a few days! Last time I saw my cousins was for Easter in 2011. I’m really excited to see my family again! I know it’s going to be crazy and fun to have ten people (plus two dogs and two cats) living in my house for a couple of days!

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Muffins!

Hey. I just wanted to pop in really quickly and share a recipe before I head off to school for the day.

Yes, my room is lime green. My dad likes to call it “puke green.”

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400* and coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (the flours and spices).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.
4. Stir the flour into the wet ingredients in two batches, alternating with the milk. Mix until just moistened.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!

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I made some sweet potato muffins about two weeks ago, so I’m working on perfecting the recipe before I share it with you guys. They’re really good though! I’m also going to make butternut squash muffins when I find the time (school is killing me). I think I’m becoming obsessed with muffins?!

What is your favorite flavor of muffins? Any muffin recipe requests?

Bible verse of the day: For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 1 Peter 2:15-16