Podcast 65: Family Thanksgiving Surprises & Nontraditional Food Ideas

Everybody’s family does Thanksgiving differently, so we’re sharing about those first times celebrating with your in-laws and what seems normal to one of us that seems odd to the other. Yep, there were a few “surprises” we experienced. And we actually have some farmhouse and garden updates this time! In the food section I’m listing some favorite Thanksgiving recipes for things that aren’t on the usual menu. And we both share our latest cool discoveries.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below right on your computer! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we talked about in the episode. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player below.

Prefer reading? Use the PODCAST TRANSCRIPT! Click here to open in a new window and read.

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We started the episode with an update of our dog, Samson, who we had centered episode 62 around as we navigated taking care of an old dog including feeding him real food.

Sadly, we discovered a tumor under his chin which was causing him to not eat, lose weight, and get progressively weaker even with the better diet. We said goodbye to him on a beautiful but sad fall day and buried him near our cherry tree with the little marker Brian made that you see above (which is just white spray paint – not sure why it looks glowing in the photo!).

Many who are newsletter subscribers or blog readers already know of this, but we wanted to update everyone especially since we had just talked about him on the podcast.

In case you missed them, here’s my tribute to our sweet dog and here’s where I mentioned him on the Good Things List, because he was a major good thing for our family.

Thanksgiving Surprises

While this part of the episode was made up of memories, I thought I’d link to some Thanksgiving helps for you in creating your own family memories:

• 23 Last Minute Thanksgiving Ideas: Things To Do, To Eat, & To Look At
• Thanksgiving Week Checklist Printable & Time Management Tips (This article has good tips, but the printable is now included in the season-long Holiday Planner.)
• Beautiful & Unique Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Farmhouse Updates

We’ve started on the kitchen demo as the first step to get some engineering done for the beam we need to replace the load-bearing wall that you see above. You can also catch a glimpse of the original beadboard ceiling that was under the wallboard – and finally it’s some original wood that’s usable – yay!

Fun fact (said with irony): taking apart the house is showing us how poorly made it was. There are posts that just end in the middle of the walls, doors and windows with no headers, and the main “beam” in the load-bearing wall is a 1×6. I kid you not – 1 inch thick. It looks like a joke.

So much for “they don’t make them like they use to,” ha! Also, for anyone wondering when we’ll be moving it – yeah looks like it will be awhile, doesn’t it?

In other news we finally passed all the insulation for the walls, so we can start on the wallboard and wood we plan on installing.

Confession: we haven’t gotten much done on our fall yard to-do list. So I mentioned in the show the mound and brick wall we’d already done, totally forgetting we had already mentioned that. So yeah – you’re not crazy and we don’t have two mounds and brick walls, lol. (You can see the before and afters of the mound in this Good Things List.)

Though we have been getting more things done since recording, so there will be a true update on our yard progress soon!

What’s Cooking: Thanksgiving Food Options

You can listen to what our favorite traditional thanksgiving foods are with links to those recipes in this podcast episode. Or head to this page on the blog that holds everything Thanksgiving.

Here are a few dishes that aren’t as traditional, but would be fun additions to the menu:

• Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
• Grandma’s Baked Tasty Rice
• Easy Baked Potato Fans (Hasselback Potatoes)
• Spicy Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
• Lemon Garlic Baked Carrots (amazing flavor!)
• Kale Cranberry Salad with Feta & Pecans

 This is Really Cool!

Brian’s: Pebble Smartwatch, and affordable option with a community that’s committed to keeping it updated.

Jami’s: Sloggers Rain/Garden Boots, the short version for more flexibility with garden chores. Plus they’re super comfortable!

 

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And if you’d like to ask a question or leave an idea for future podcasts you can call (541) 658-0215 to leave a voicemail and we’ll talk about it on the air!

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Missed previous episodes of An Oregon Cottage Podcast? You can listen to them here.

 

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