Togetherness…

This holiday season, or lately every season possible, we find ourselves longing for togetherness. Maybe even craving it. Yet, we are told by “the powers that be” to social distance, limit the number of people at family gatherings, or just stay home.

If you are like me, being surrounded by family and friends between Thanksgiving and New Years’ is like some kind of unexplainable high. It really gets me in the feels. The holidays don’t seem right without the hustle and bustle, being in rooms full of people I love, and THE HUGS. I really miss the hugs!

Throughout the last ten months, we have had to learn new ways to be together. Thank God for Zoom and FaceTime! We are being taught, forcefully, that being together is important, it’s necessary, but there are many ways to do it.

Maybe we call our loved ones more, send them well wishes through handmade cards, maybe our birthday parties are through a screen or waving from the front porch…but we are together. More importantly, we value being together.

The quality of time together is better. It reiterates even more that we only have this one life, these are uncertain times, take risks, move forward, be brave, be still and know, and eat the gravy! I hope you all find ways to be together this holiday season, and remember to reach out to those struggling with loneliness! 

Thanksgiving dessert: not pumpkin pie… do cinnamon rolls count?

Side dish to make: homemade stuffing

Side dish to eat: Brussel sprouts, cream cheese corn, salad, the stuffing I made.. clearly I’m here for the sides!

How do you like your turkey: smoked or fried…as long as it’s not dry!

Parade yay or nay: yay! I like to have it on in the background as I cook!

Most thankful for: this could easily be a paragraph, but I’ll make it one thing. My kids, they are everything!

Gravy…

Why wouldn’t you? I’ll take that and that and everything else with a side of gravy, please and thank you. I wanted to change my thoughts up this month because everything around me feels so heavy. I needed something to feel lighter, so here we are.

The thing is, though, gravy doesn’t make anything lighter! It literally makes everything you put it on…heavier! Let’s take a moment to think about some of our favorite things to cover in gravy.

The obvious (and my least favorite) mashed potatoes. Seriously, what a waste of good carb intake. Blah! If I have to eat them, there better be some damn good peppered white gravy available.

Chicken fried steak… c’mon. I don’t know if it gets any better than country gravy on fried meat.

Just kidding, biscuits! My oldest child’s all-time favorite meal is biscuits and gravy. We eat it so often for dinner that she just recently learned it’s actually a breakfast dish and her mind was blown.

I don’t want to leave out brown gravy, as it does have purposes…I think. Oh yes, Poutine. That’s it, the only dish I love with brown gravy.

I’ll end with my absolute favorite dish including gravy and a piece of friendly advice that I like to share around this time of year.

The dish; the bottom of a very large biscuit, some meat (sausage or chicken fried steak), cheese, an over-easy fried egg, and a large amount of country gravy. Are you drooling? I am.

Here’s my advice, you can’t trust someone who diets during the holidays. If you’re in that wonderful food line and you see someone counting things like calories, macros, carbs, and avoiding the dessert table… keep your distance. ;)

This is a simple meal prep recipe or weeknight meal! The eggplant goes through a quick but easy brining process before it's roasted in the oven. Once cooked, you simply top it with the shredded chicken and drizzle some pesto over the top!