Thursday, November 6, 2014

Order of the Odor: Volume 3




Two questions this month in celebration of Thanksgiving. We would love to know your answers to these questions too.

1. What does your Thanksgiving Day spread look like?
Adam makes fried turkey every year in our driveway. I make a garlic powder, black pepper, and salt rub and he slathers it on and fries it in peanut oil. Some things I always make: All Day mushrooms, cranberry pomegranate sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, rolls, canned cranberry sauce (for my father -in-law), a salad (pear, pancetta and arugula last year), some times sweet potato casserole, and usually fresh green beans (NOT in a casserole. Ew). For dessert I like to make Pumpkin Roll Ups (for my Dad), pumpkin pie (for Adam), Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake (sisters), and pecan pie (me). I love to make it all from scratch, except the canned sauce. 

2. In what Thanksgiving traditions does your family participate?
The first tradition (and my favorite) is the Thankful Tree. Adam, Savanna, Scarlette and I each get our own color/shape leaf and we write one thing we are thankful for on it each day and tape it to our Thankful Tree that is on the wall. By Thanksgiving Day the branches are full of love and blessings. Guests like to laugh at some of the things we are thankful for too (mainly Adam's comments) and sometimes fill out a leaf themselves and stick it to the tree.


Our second tradition is having lunch at Alderman's Ford Park in Lithia Pinecrest. As a sixth or seventh generation Floridian on my maternal side, we have an old tradition of having our Conrad Family Reunion that day, I have not missed one since I have been born. Over 120 of our relatives all bring a dish and chairs and gather at the park to fellowship and eat yummy foods ranging from traditional Thanksgiving fare to venison and swamp cabbage to Aunt Pilar's famous eggrolls and noodles. We leave there stuffed in our bellies and hearts to go home and prepare for the dinner time feast. On a side note, I have been blessed to be able to know my great great grandmother, Grandma Keen  
Some midnight Black Friday shopping with my sisters does happen on occasion but only for a few hours and I am in bed by 2 am. 

Deb over at It's Always Something has the envious position of being able to visit the Rosegirl's Boutique. She did a pop over very recently and hauled some delicious smells.


LoLo Loves Scents melted a PERFECT 10 scent last week and we all know a 10 out of 10 wax tart does not come around often.... you might want to read about it so you don't miss out on this gem.


Sunnee at Fragrance Obsessed has had the pleasure of trying an up and coming new vendor with nice results. You have to see these gorgeous tarts; the shapes and colors are eye candy.


The Redolent Mermaid has started a new vendor interview series, see what great idea the owner of Vintage Chic Scents has come up with regarding the wax community.




13 comments:

  1. You and your family have some wonderful traditions! What a great post. You have gotten me excited to try some new recipes! That butter cake sounds faaaaaabulous. Much love to you and your family!!

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    1. <3 thank you!! Try the pumpkin cake and top it with cool whip.... Mmmmmm. I loved this volume too. I am so pumped for Thanksgiving. Deb's FB count downs are spurring me on too.

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  2. Great tree, it is lovely seeing how close everyone is. And the leaf for Beardie. I didn't see Adam's funny one at first. Men!

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    1. I love how Savanna drew a picture of him! Adam puts that on the tree every year and now that the girls are reading they giggle and get a kick out of it. Boys will be boys.

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    2. The weather's looking good for the weekend. :) Safe travels.

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    3. Oh it is!! At the beginning of the week, rain was in the forecast. Thankfully the rain came early and now it is clear skies and brisk weather <3

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  3. I love your thankful tree! If I had one, you and our smelly sisters would be one there because I am so grateful for our friendship.
    I also love your tradition at the park but I was trying to imagine all the food that is brought for lunch and then going home to eat your delicious thanksgiving feast! Not to mention how organized you must be to make everything from scratch and be absent from the kitchen that day.
    <3

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    1. I put my smelly sisters on a leaf before I left yesterday <3 I start prepping a couple days before thanksgiving since we have the whole week off school/work. By the time we get home from the park I only have the salad and green beans and such to do. We are stuffed like ticks by the end of the night for sure.

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  4. Wow, that dinner sounds amazing! My friends deep fry their turkey every year and it's really good. I'm glad they do it 'cuz I'd be too terrified :) The thankful tree is a great idea!

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    1. I would be too. All the fires and burns. No thanks. Adam is my super cautious insurance guy who minimizes all risk. He has it down to a science. It really is juicy and yummy with that salty crispy skin. Mmmmmm....

      We love the thankful tree and I plan on doing it until the girls go to college ;-)

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  5. How cool! Love reading about your family Thanksgiving traditions! We've never deep fried a turkey, but my brother does & it is good!! If it's our turn to host, Craig is in charge of turkey & he cooks it in the oven. Regardless of if we host or not, it's requested that I make sweet potato casserole, LOL! My version tastes more like dessert instead of a side dish! :-)

    Love the Thankful Tree too! We haven't done one in a few years!

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    1. Oooo Tricia... May I please have your recipe?? I love dessert like sweet potato casseroles!

      Would your girls do a thankful tree now that they are older? I plan on keeping the tradition even when I get eye rolls and sucking teeth and long suffering sighs and exasperated "moooooooooooom"s. ;-)

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    2. I'll gladly share my recipe with you! I'll see if I can find it on my computer. It has chopped pecans & dark brown sugar topping instead of marshmallows. It's always been one of my favorite holiday recipes that my mom made & she finally shared the recipe with me a few years back so that I could make it for my inlaws. My FIL requests it for most holidays, LOL!!

      I'm not sure if my girls would still do a thankful tree or not. We did it a couple times, then things got really busy, then we moved, etc. I may try it again next year!

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