Today I’m sharing our November Mountain Moments. This is a recap of what happened in the month of November, in and outside, of our mountain kitchen.
It’s December 1st and today is the first real cold snap we have had this season. I can tell it hasn’t been cold because my ginger is still trying to bloom and there are still a lot of bugs flying around our house.
Not to mention David and I are still kind of sneezy from allergies. I’m not sure what’s in the air, but apparently, we are allergic to the same thing. We just haven’t had a good freeze to kill off the allergens in the air.
Overall November was a good month for us. Here’s a little about what we’ve been up to, our November Mountain Moments:
HUNTING SEASON
Hunting season has begun and David hasn’t had any luck so far. He drives over three hours to hunt. However, I can go out and run errands and come home to see deer almost every time. I can’t help but laugh a little. Bless his heart, David loves sure loves to hunt.
We’d love to create some more venison recipes for all you hunters out there. Hopefully, he’ll get lucky soon.
THANKFUL AT THANKSGIVING
For a lot of families, Thanksgiving was different this year. However, we spent Thanksgiving the way we always do with my family. My 79-year-old mama wanted to get together. So that’s what we did. I think we all needed it. We missed our Easter together and didn’t want another holiday to slip away without getting together.
It was the first time we saw a lot of my family since Christmas last year. We all pitched in to put together the meal. David and I took smoked turkey breasts that he smoked the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I made squash casserole for the meal. Needless to say, we left my sister’s house fat and sassy that day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID!
This year for David’s birthday I surprised him or at least tried to by ordering him some fresh oysters from Rappahannock Oyster Company. The shipping was expensive but totally worth it. We steamed them open on the grill and paired them with beer, two different hot sauces, and crackers.
It had been a while since we had oysters. They were delicious!
I always try to make David a dessert of his choice for his birthday. But this year he wouldn’t come out and tell me what to make. So I took it upon myself to surprise him with a chocolate mousse pavlova.
Chocolate Mousse Pavlova is an idea I got from a local restaurant in Front Royal. David adores it and thankfully I was successful at replicating it. He even told me my chocolate mousse was better than another restaurant we order it from.
Since he loved it so much, I’ll be adding this recipe to the blog soon, because I believe you will love it too. Stay tuned!!
SUPPORT LOCAL!
Now more than ever it is so important to try to support local businesses and restaurants. We’ve been staying closer to home since the recent spike in virus cases, but we still take the time to do what we can while enjoying ourselves safely.
This past weekend we ate lunch at t new place in town. Afterward, the weather was nice so we decided to take a drive down in the valley to catch some live music outside at a winery we’ve never visited. We also found another brewery closeby we haven’t been to before with wood-fired pizza!
There was hardly anyone anywhere and it made us realize how much these small businesses are hurting right now. Support them if you can!
TOP RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Brined Hickory-Smoked Turkey Breast
COMMENTS OF THE MONTH!
“I have great memories of cooking hamburger patties in Worchestershire sauce. and some butter In the early years of our marriage and that has been 45 years. Upon seeing this recipe I’m going to be fixing it tonight, I will be adding some pepper to it though. Thank you”
Connie (Comment & 5-Star rating on Sizzle Burgers)
“My mom has made these for years and I now make them. I fry mine in shallow oil first and put them on a sheet pan rack to drain. I then bake them.”
Heather (Comment on Cracker Crumb Pork Chops (The Sexier Pork Chop)
“Thank you for a wonderful assortment of delicious foods, so many to pick from. I do think I have found some new traditions to add to our holiday table… Thank you Debbie and David for the time spent making these dishes and sharing them with all of us. Happy Thanksgiving, and many blessings to you and your family.”
Denise (Comment on Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup)
‘TIS THE SEASON
Smoked Beef Tenderloin – Reverse Sear
A step-by-step guide to smoked beef tenderloin with a reverse sear that results in melt in your mouth, tender, juicy beef with a garlicky herb-seared crust.
Mama’s Homemade Christmas Cheese Ball
Mama’s Christmas Cheese Ball is made with Velveeta, cream cheese, and extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and coated in chopped pecans. Its simplicity is delicious.
AROUND THE MOUNTAIN
My Thanksgiving Cactus finally realized what month it was and got with the program. This silly plant never ceases to amaze me. it didn’t bloom for years until I moved it to its current spot in our house.
I’ve been meaning to re-pot the thing, but I always forget and figure it’s too late to disturb it. At least it knew when to bloom this year.
Read more about Cacti HERE!
NOVEMBER MOUNTAIN VIEWS
That’s all of the November Mountain Moments. See ya next month with more moments from the mountain.
Thanks for reading!
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