Giving Thanks....

Lots of good things going on around Books, Belles, and Beaux.......and the day has just begun.

Son off to golf practice. (check)
Daughter busy with friends. (check)
Husband running errands. (check)
Fireplace and candle glowing. (check)
New books ready to explore. (check)
Delicious smells in the kitchen. (check)

After a busy morning of preparing some side dishes for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner, I'm ready to put my feet up. I'm not usually enthusiastic about cooking, but I do love the holidays and hosting family here at my home so Thanksgiving is when I pull out all the stops. I've made a delicious autumn cornbread dressing with Italian sausage, ham, cranberries, pecans, and of course, a Louisiana Creole blend of onions, celery, garlic, and parsley, with a bit of fresh sage and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg for good measure.

I also have my favorite Thanksgiving dish, candied sweet potatoes, all prepared and ready to go. My secret ingredient in the brown sugar and pecan sauce is a New Orleans must-have ingredient: Jack Daniels! Yum!

I'm letting Copeland's Restaurant do the fried turkey and the oven roasted turkey for me. :)

Besides Thanksgiving, November is also my anniversary and this year, since it is my daughter's last year at home, we decided to celebrate with our kids. They took me to one of my favorite places, the Windsor Court Hotel, for tea. Now, if you know anything about my husband (he's a big, ex-defensive tackle football player), you'd know that the sight of him sitting in these dainty chairs sipping tea from tea cups and eating cucumber finger sandwiches is really funny.....and very sweet of him to do this just for me. My daughter loves tea and had a wonderful time......doesn't my son look happy to be here?

In more calorie-counting news, we decided to extend our anniversary celebration and do something just the two of us......dinner at Antoine's with a whole baked Alaska dessert split between us. (You could feed an army with one.)

I'm also thankful for the wonderful book bloggers.....I visit your blog daily seeing what's new and interesting and enjoying each person's unique style and book choices. I also appreciate more than you know those who drop by and leave comments or make recommendations. This is such a fun hobby and I consider this a very important part of my life. 

Thank you for visiting, and I hope the upcoming weeks are filled with wonderful holiday celebrating, and of course, a little time for reading some great books!

Happy Thanksgiving!