It seems like I spend a lot of my time getting ready for holidays and events and then cleaning up and putting things away to make way for the next big deal. Well, that is exactly what is going on now. We have had a spectacular fall season, enjoying beautiful weather and even more beautiful fall color. Now it is time to get the yard and garden cleaned up and “put to bed” for the winter and start thinking about decorating outdoors for the winter months. It is so great to have mild temperatures and sunny days for the task at hand.
Today, I am going to take care of the final yard work at the cabin. That usually doesn’t get done because the weather turns cold and it is the last thing on my list so I conveniently put it off to do in the spring. However, I love nothing more than a clean yard ready to pop as soon as the weather is nice, so fall clean up should be a must for me. The lake will be quiet and that beautiful shade of blue that Minnesota lakes are known for this late in the year.
Speaking of getting ready, this is when I start planning decorations and collecting recipes for Thanksgiving. I like to have harvest items incorporated with winter greens for Thanksgiving serving as a transition between the two seasons and keeping Christmas items “at bay” until after Thanksgiving.
For my dining room table I have bundled some small birch logs into a pyramid and tucked in artificial leaves and real bittersweet branches. It will easily transform into a Christmas arrangement by just changing out the leaves and orange berries with greenery and red berry sprigs. I like the fact that it is low and can easily be looked over making conversation with guests across the table comfortable. I am hosting a birthday party next week for a group of friends and it will be a perfect pre-holiday table decor.
Here is a recipe I am planning on using this season. My family really does like all the traditional favorites that they associate with the holidays, but I always try to introduce something new each year that may just have a chance at becoming a new favorite that I can add to my traditional menu. Everyone in my family likes Brussels sprouts…I know…kind of strange. I think they are really going to like this salad. I will do a trial run, perhaps for the birthday dinner coming up next week.
Lemony Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
