It's November! Start Your Ovens!

This says November...

The beginning of November is so much better to me than the end of December. This is where it all begins. This is where, for one month out of twelve, I get organized.  I actually make lists. Lots of them, as a matter of fact. I start buying non-perishables on sale, flour, sugar, spices, etc.

I start making soup stocks to freeze in small containers. They are perfect for nights like this, rainy and cold. A day where the bloom is certainly off the mums. After running around all day, to have homemade soup waiting at the end, simply warms the soul.

If I put into the whole year, what I put into November, well, life would be infinitely better. The problem is January. I, and most of the people I know, go into hibernation mode, and my organizational skills are reduced to making sure to rotate the cushions on the couch so they wear evenly under my butt.

But, that's months away. For now, there is shopping, coupon cutting, listing, eating, menu planning, recipe clipping, event planning, over eating, sheet changing, trips into the city for special goodies your guests will be looking for.

My family members are traditionalists. Everyone has their favorites and everyone of them are expected on the table. But each year, I try to add something new, something different. As we are a two turkey family, one roasted, one deep fried, last year I introduced a buffalo-style gravy for the fried bird (traditional gravy is always made for the roasted turkey...the one that I eat), anyway, I'm not sure it went over well. So I will eliminate it this year and begin my search now for something that adds the wow factor.

Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday at my house, it's an event. And I savor every day that leads to it. So, over the next three weeks, Please stay the journey with me. Share the recipes, the stories, the excitement of getting the holiday season started.

Kitchen Clatter reaches the military bases of Afghanistan to the hills of Beijing, to every corner of the United States. I love getting emails from so many people who can relate to its content. I enjoy seeing your recipes and reading your family stories.

We are 76K plus readers strong and growing. So many have watched KC start as a family blog and drift into a food blog. For a brief while we took a fun-filled road trip into wedding blogging. So many of you offered support when I felt obligated to share with you a painful divorce. And then celebrated with me while I experienced the joy of independence. Soon, we will turn a new chapter. But for now, it's November and I am so ready to get this party started!!

I guess what I am really saying friends is, join me...and come home for holidays!

 Photos by ImageGoggle