A Bit of Respite and a Simple Thanksgiving.

 i really don't ever remember a November that was quite this cold.  Last week the temps dipped down into the teens and it didn't get above freezing for several days. Our water pipes froze, and then burst again.  The toilet appeared to be frozen and possibly backed up, and even with the gas heat and space heater we just couldn't seem to stay warm.

So we (the husband) decided we need a break from camping.

He booked us two nights at a local Holiday Inn.  We had heat, hot showers and flushing toilets!! Truly something to be thankful for!

We even had an indoor salt water pool!  We were thrilled to find the pool all to ourselves, but after checking the water we realized it was cold.  It was too cold for me, but the kids had fun.

We stayed for the two coldest nights, and then headed back to the camper Thanksgiving Day.

  As soon as we got home i set to work preparing a simple meal. Including as much home grown food as possible is important to me, so i picked out some root veggies i had in storage and picked some fresh kale and carrots that were still in the garden. i was hoping for fresh lettuce, but the tops of the plants were all pretty burned from the frost.

With our lack of running water (we had water in jugs) and lack of space in the camper, i decided to just make a traditional simple meal.  i cut up the root veggies and coated them in a little olive oil. Then roasted them in the pan i used for our Quorn Roast. 

i heated up beans that i'd froze over the summer.  Green, purple and yellow. i love lots of color in my food. i also sauteed my fresh picked kale with some olive oil and garlic. We also had the Quorn roast with a vegetarian mushroom gravy, stuffing and rolls. It was a perfect vegetarian Thanksgiving.

Despite having no running water, not going on our traditional turkey drive, forgetting to play Alice's Restaurant (another tradition) and the freezing temperatures outside, we had a wonderful meal together in the camper. Even with the challenges and set backs of this year, we were reminded of how truly blessed we are to all be able to sit down together and enjoy this abundance of food. So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!