"Thanksgiving in the Country" is in it's 38th year in Sergeantsville, NJ and has donated nearly $600,000 to the Cleft Palate Unit at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. So not only do you get a completely cozy day to celebrate FALL...the proceeds go to a wonderful cause! Win/Win, I say!
So on a COMPLETELY sunny and brisk Sunday, my Mom, Aunt, cousin & I all bundled up...
...and boarded ye' ole school buses to take us around to the houses on tour in Sergeantsville...
And DESPITE it's "Jersey Shore"/spray tan reputation, it's easy to forget that the Garden State is INDEED actually GREEN in some partsJ hahahahhahaa....the views from the bus were a nice reminderJ
The tour took us to explore 4 different historic homes, each exquisite in their own right...
One was complete with its own outdoor "summer kitchen," apparently big back in the 1700's when all of the heat from the cooking was done outside! However, on chilly November in 2011...we just enjoyed the smell of the wood burning fireJ hehehehe....
And let's not even DISCUSS this house (which included a $7,000 toilet. Yes, you read that correctly), which is a restored 1700's school house,the original part of the house being that middle section....
...which just so happened to be on sale for the 'bargain' price of $1.5 million dollars. Needless to say we all left here with daydreams of hitting the lottery and all moving right inJ
We even got a cozy lunch on the tour at the local church of yummy pumpkin soup, a turkey sandwich with cranberry chutney & rice pudding. Thanksgiving appropriate, no??
And after our 4th and final house, we also got to stop by the mill for a craft fair AND some cookies & hot tea:) A nice way to warm up, if I do say so myselfJ
And I got home with just enough daylight to squeeze in a quick walk with Scott & Penny through the park...
...even if daylight savings started to take effect as we were headed back to the house. THE only part I don't like about Fall/Winter: Seeing the streetlights turn on at 5:00PM!!!
But it wasn't too shabby when we walked into the house and had dinner already made for us, courtesy of our crock pot that had been simmering away all dayJ We went the Asian/Mexican fusion route with some Moo Shu Pork & yellow rice....
Scott started this while I was out for the day, by cooking up 3 big pork chops on low for 6 hours with a little chicken broth and some of this sauce...
Once the pork was tender enough to shred, he threw in:
- 1 1/2 bags of Cole slaw
- 1 can of baby corns (LOVE)
- 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 can of bean sprouts, drained
- 5 scallions, diced
- 3/4 of the remaining Sesame Garlic sauce
We served the Moo Shu up on oven-toasted tortillas....
We both figured that this had to be a pretty healthy Chinese 'swap,' as by the time it was all said and done: this dish was about 99% VEGETABLES! hahahahhahaha A lot healthier than take-out, and pretty much just as easy, thanks to the slow cookerJ Try this out instead of reaching for the phone next timeJ
Anddd another thing that HAD to get done this weekend: Breakin out all my turkeys...
...and Pilgrims & IndiansJ
I always want them to have their day in the sun before the tinsel & holly REALLY break out! Only 2 1/2 weeks till Thanksgiving as it is! That's just crazy!!!
Alright, I hope you guys had a great & relaxing weekend. Get out and get the last of those FALL activities in while you can....it's gonna slip through our fingers in a HOT minute!
Ahhhh...and one last order of business: My workout schedule from last week!
Monday: 30 minutes of dance & jogging + a round of weights (8 pounds)
Tuesday: Bob Harper Yoga, level 1 & 3
Wednesday: Bethenny Yoga (40 minutes) + weights & "booty blast"
Friday: 30 minutes dance, jogging & weights
Saturday: 1+ hours Yoga class
Sunday: 45 minute walk
Alright, that's all for now...Have a great Monday!J
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