If you haven’t already heard, the Ratcliff’s are packing up and moving to the Crescent City. Wes get an incredible job opportunity and we are so excited about this new chapter in our lives. Change is a good thing and there are many new developments we want to share with the world. That being said, Simplyaboutg.com and 72mach1.com are merging.  Visit  Adventureinthebigeasy.com to read about life in a new city.

There was a big to do here in the 225 tonight. It’s all anyone could talk about today, anticipating snow in Baton Rouge. Would it really snow , would it stick, will it still be here in the morning? Well…Yes, No and it’s already gone. Forget Pat Shingleton, I get my weather updates from Facebook.

Make no mistake, Non-LA natives, snow is a big deal for us cajuns. It’s not uncommon to see kids playing outside with their new toys on Christmas morning barefeet and on shorts. So the 1/8 of an inch of frost that stuck to the ground for a half an hour around 10:30pm was enough to get everyone out in there yards building miniature snowmen. Kayla and I were having a snowball fight. Our snow balls were about the size of pecans though.

I couldn’t resist, when it really started coming down, I woke Kayla up and brought her outside to play. I can tell you that she wasn’t a big fan of the cold. We didn’t stay out too long before coming in for some late night cocoa. Not just any cocoa though, Kayla’s first hot cocoa. She was not letting go of that mug. Poor baby’s fingers were red and frozen and she did not like it when they started to thaw.

I had hoped there would be some snow left in the morning, but the rain has come since and washed it all away. Maybe we can hope for more before Christmas.

Yep, we are T minus 2 days till Turkey Day, which just happens to be my favorite holiday. I love the fall colors and the cool ( not cold) weather, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg and apple cider, and of course the food.  If you know me, you know I love to cook and I love to host, so at Thanksgiving, I get to do both. So this year, instead of posting what we ate, ( after the big day), I thought I’d post what we’re going to eat and share some of my recipes.

I won’t have quite as big a crown this year as last, so I decided to cheat a bit and get one of those fabulous boneless, stuffed turkeys from Chris’ Specialty Meats, but the last few years I have prepared my turkey from frozen status using this great recipe.  It is delicious and very easy to follow.

When it comes time to carve that bird, check out some “How to” videos on youtube.

As for sides, I make the Mac & Cheese, but I have a tiny oven, so my mom makes her wonderful dressing, and sweet potatoes and also this Cranberry Jello salad that is out of this world good. If I had the recipe I’d share it. I also make a basic chocolate pie, ( Cook and Serve chocolate pudding in a Graham cracker crust) But that’s not all, here is a recipe for French Silk Pie. I only make it once or twice a year because I would eat the entire thing. Yeah, it’s that good.

Crust
1 refrigerated pie crust (softened as directed on box)

Filling
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4  eggs

Topping
1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls, if desired

Directions:

1 .      Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2 .      In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
3 .      Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

So anyway, Thanksgiving is not all bout the food, it’s about being thankful, and I am very thankful for my family and friends, health and happiness and everything else I’v been blessed with.I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

We took Kayla out to the pumpkin patch and let her pick a pumpkin. She was too cute in her Pirate costume, she picked it out herself by the way.

Kayla got to spend Halloween with Maw Maw and Paw Paw. This is where Wes and I spent Halloween

Annette and Daniel had some extra tickets and thought of us We had a great time even though it was COLD!

Even Kayla got to drive. She cut some donuts on that cart. She’s a natural

Here is my last run, and my best time of 56.1 sec

This is Wes

This was the scary part.

All done!

And I swear, with the hood scoop, I picked up another 3hp, lol.

Next up…Tint!