What are you thankful for?

Have you seen (or participated in) the Facebook Thanksgiving tradition of stating what you are thankful for every day in the month of November until Thanksgiving?  I thought this was a great idea and something I wanted to do, but I have been so busy that it has slipped my mind every day (literally).  So, I thought I would make it up to myself by posting it here!  So, below is my list of everything I am thankful for.  Though I probably could make a list that reaches into infinity, I'll cap it at 24 as Thanksgiving lands on the 24th day of November this month.  Some things might be a little silly, other things are not silly at all.  So, here we go!

I am thankful for:

1. My parents.  My parents are incredibly supportive and have backed me up my entire life - even if I was doing something they thought was stupid.  They provided a good example of how to live my life: work hard and appreciate what you are given.  They also supported (but tried to talk me out of) me not going to college straight out of high school.  I may have stressed them out a lot but in the end, I am an explorer and needed to figure out for myself what I wanted to do with my life.
2. My sister.  My sister is hard on me sometimes (in a good way!) and super supportive all the rest of the time.  I learned a sense of hard work and competitiveness from her.  She also taught me how to be tough when times get rough.
3. My sister's kids!  They are flippin' cute and so much fun to be around!
4. Pets!
• Bella.  Bella is my cat who I adopted from the Humane Society over 5.5 years ago.  She was about to be put down because no one wanted a cat who had a food allergy.  I totally know how food allergies go and decided to take a risk.  Turns out, she didn't have a food allergy (or got over it) and is the absolute best pet.  She makes living alone much less lonely.
• Copper.  Copper is my parent's springer spaniel.  I picked her out (or rather, she picked me out) over 6 years ago and she is such a good walking buddy when I'm at my parent's house.  She also loves Bella.  Bella pretends not to love her back.
5. My grandmothers.  Both of my amazing grandmothers have passed but I still remember them at every holiday (and every day).  I miss having them around but I am so thankful for the time I was able to have with them.
6. My job.  My job has taught me so, so much.  I grew up a pretty shy kid and my job forces me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn to deal with difficult situations.  I also get to be creative and set my own schedule - not too shabby.  :)
7. My work-a-holic-ness.  I'm not sure that's a word, but I can definitely be a perfectionist at work and that leads to work-a-holic-ness.  This can be a major stressor (sorry coworkers!) but I also think I wouldn't be where I am today without this quality.
8. Pumpkin.  'Nuff said.
9. Coffee.  Again, 'nuff said.
10. Being able to cook.  I live alone and I think if I wasn't able to cook, I would be a mess!  Cooking is so relaxing and you get a tasty treat when you are done.  And, getting to control what I eat = healthy!
11. My inability to bake.  Every now and then, I'll randomly be able to bake something decent, but let's face it, I really can't bake.  I have no patience to perfectly measure ingredients and bake for an exact time.  This is a good thing because I'd never get healthy if I was able to bake perfectly!
12. Charlie.  Charlie was the cat I had before Bella.  Charlie had feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and I only had her for a year.  The thing about Charlie is that she A) taught my parent's dog, Copper, exactly how to respect cats and B) taught me that even though you only have something for a short time, that doesn't mean that that time was wasted. 
13. My health.  Yes, I have some health issues (Celiac, muscle issues...), but in general, I am a very healthy person.  I am so thankful that I am strong and resilient.
14. Pickles.  My favorite food!  I can eat pickles any time of day - they make me happy.
15. My dad's green thumb.  I have a brown thumb.  I cannot grow much of anything.  My dad, on the other hand, can take a seemingly dead plant and bring it back to life in record time.  Because my dad has a green thumb, I get lots of free veggies, squash, apples, and pears from him!
16. Thanksgiving & Christmas.  I love the holidays.  They are such a good opportunity (and reason) to go home and see my family and friends!
17. My friends.  I have the greatest group of friends!  It's small.  There are some people I've known since 1st grade, some since high school, some since college and grad school, and some from work.  They are always there whenever I need someone to talk to and can pick me up when I'm feeling crummy.
18. Time off.  Because Thanksgiving is coming up, I will have a little time off.  I am so thankful for this as I really need time to decompress and get out of town!
19. My coworkers.  I ask a lot of questions and they are super supportive.  They also help me out so, so much!
20. My car.  So materialist.  I usually only drive 1-2 times a week (walk all the rest of the time) but I am so thankful that it doesn't break down when I need it.  I felt like my last car was in the shop every month.  My little Versa is the little engine that could.
21. Reese's peanut butter cups/trees/eggs...  My favorite candy.
22. My country.  I may not always like what's going on or want to hear everyone's opinions on everything under the sun, but I am thankful that we have the opportunity to say whatever we want without punishment and we are able to vote for what we believe in.  We have freedoms that others could only dream of.  We Americans are incredibly lucky.
23. My faith.  I do not attend church on a regular basis, but I am spiritual and believe that someone is looking out for me and my family.  I feel like everything happens for a reason and am thankful for every opportunity (positive or negative) that I receive.
24. Frugality.  I don't make a lot of money but I have everything I need (not everything I want).  I think it's totally cool to not have everything I want.  It teaches me what's really important.  In these tough economic times, I am so very thankful to have the ability to provide myself with everything I need and the ability to live comfortably.

Well, that was easy!  If only Thanksgiving was later in the month...

What are you thankful for?

Pumpkin Tea Lattes

Happy Friday all!  It's been a long week, but it's finally the weekend. 

So, if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a bit of a coffee addict.  Specifically, I love pumpkin coffee this time of the year.  I look forward to it every morning and used to drink a minimum of 2 cups in the morning and perhaps another in the afternoon.  I've weaned myself down to 1 cup in the morning, most mornings of the week, and another in the afternoon if I have to work at night or it's just been a super long day and I need to work out yet.

I recently saw a drink called a Cinnamon WarmUp the Door County Coffee & Tea's Facebook page.  It looked good and had cinnamon tea, vanilla syrup, and whole milk.  I decided to recreate this to be a bit healthier using apple cinnamon tea and frothed vanilla soy milk.  It was pretty good but it also got me thinking that it would be a whole lot better with pumpkin tea!

Enter this morning.  I didn't have to be to work early so I had a little extra time to play around with making a pumpkin tea latte this morning.  In the end, it was fabulous (though I was missing my caffeine kick this morning)!  It would be a perfect holiday drink for those looking for healthy alternatives as there is no alcohol or caffeine in it.  I bet adding a tablespoon of pumpkin coffee creamer would make this extra special on Thanksgiving!

Making a Pumpkin Tea Latte is super simple:

Heat 8 oz of water.  I have a Cuisinart Single Serve Brewing System (basically a fancy Keurig) that can spit out water for tea in 1-2 minutes so this is definitely something I could do every morning.

Steep pumpkin spice tea (I used Bigelow) for 5-10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.  I like strong tea in general and you'll want it a little stronger than normal because you'll add milk to it.  I let it go for 10 minutes.  Remove tea bag.

Measure out 1/3 cup milk of your choice - place in a narrow bottomed cup.  I used vanilla soy milk.  Microwave for 30-45 seconds.  Using a milk frother (I have an inexpensive BonJour frother that works well), froth the milk for 10-15 seconds.  Note - if you have a way to steam milk, use that!  I'm sure that would be better!

Add frothed milk to the tea, sprinkle on a little cinnamon, and drink up! 

The next week is going to be crazy, so if I'm not back to post again, Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Risotto

Although it is technically still fall, we woke up to this last Wednesday:

I love snow.  Well, it's a love-hate relationship.  I love watching it fall from my nice, comfy couch, all curled up with my kitty.  I hate, hate, hate driving in it.  I didn't use to be so bad.  Two years in Tennessee for grad school turned me into a wimpy driver!  On the upside this year, I walk to work, so no daily winter driving required.  On the downside, I am a total klutz, so I'm not sure this is any better.  Let's all cross our fingers and knock on wood that I don't slip and break a bone this winter!  :/

The weather has turned around and, happily, I was able to get out for some good walks this weekend, which I was sorely in need of!  I trekked 4.2 miles yesterday in 57 minutes, which is my fastest time ever!  Today, I was super achy and only managed 3.7 miles, which I did not time, but felt super slow.  Oh well, going for a slightly slower walk is better than no walk at all!  I see a rheumatologist during Thanksgiving week, so hopefully, we can figure out what's causing all this crazy achiness!

Since it was a bit warmer (and not at all snowy) today, I decided to make my favorite fall supper: pumpkin risotto!  This recipe is based off of a Rachael Ray recipe, but I make it risotto style because it's less work and it cuts down on calories and fat considerably while still giving you that creamy, pasta-y taste that made the original dish so good.

People always say that risotto is so hard to make.  It's actually very simple, you just have to have a little patience and stay near the stove for a while.  I have no interest in standing over a stove all day and I have no patience and even I can make this!  So easy.  So good.

Some general tips that I have found that create good, creamy, and healthier risotto:

1. Toast your Arborio rice before adding liquid.
2. Use unsalted stock!  Since you are concentrating the flavor of the liquids you are adding, I recommend using unsalted stock.  Salted stock could make your risotto super salty.  It's smarter to just salt it to taste.  I will usually use 3 cups of stock and then water after that if the rice needs more liquid (and it usually will).
3. Wait until the rice has fully absorbed the previous addition of liquid before adding more.  Patience pays off!
4. Stir, stir, stir.  Be sure to fully stir the rice every time you add more liquid.  Go back and stir at least once between additions of liquid.  Stirring is what makes it creamy without the cream!
5. Instead of melting and mixing cheese in, sprinkle a little bit on top.  You get the same cheesy bite without all the calories.

When I make this for my mom, I will typically add 2 links of turkey sausage.  I like it both with and without it, so when I make it just for myself, I don't go through the trouble of breaking out the meat and instead add mushrooms.

Pumpkin Risotto

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup portabella mushrooms, chopped, -OR- 2 links turkey sausage, browned, drained, and set aside

3/4 cup Arborio rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken -or- vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried sage

Nutmeg

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms (if using) to a pan and sauté on medium heat until soft. 

Add Arborio rice and let toast for a few minutes.  When you start to smell the rice and see that the grains are slightly browned, add in the wine.  Note:  I only had a sweet white and red on hand, so I had to use this, which makes the risotto a little sweet, but still delicious:

Let the wine cook out completely and then add 1ish cup stock.  Add bay leaves, sage, salt, pepper, and browned sausage (if using).  Stir thoroughly.  Allow the stock to cook out.  Once the stock is absorbed, add another cup of stock and stir.  Make sure you go back and stir at least once between each addition of liquid.  Continue this process (using water or additional stock as needed) until the rice is soft and creamy.

Wait until liquid is absorbed before adding more!

Remove bay leaves and add pumpkin and a small amount of water to keep the risotto from becoming too thick.  Add a few sprinkles of nutmeg and additional salt and pepper, if needed. 

Cook for 2-3 minutes and serve!  Top with Parmesan cheese for an extra kick of flavor.

Enjoy the last few weeks of fall!