We’re slogging our way through fall and, unfortunately, I can’t remember the last full week we had without rain.  After Thursday’s unexpected, yet beautiful, snow fall it’s apparent that we’re moving full steam ahead into winter. 

I finally did my Thanksgiving baking.  Thankfully, I only had one thing to make, my mom’s famous pumpkin roll, as we’re having a small group for Thanksgiving — my brother and his family.  While he tends to bring a dessert or two, I wanted to make sure my hubby, who has been extremely religious in eating healthy, had the sweet treat of his choosing.  I couldn’t find my mom’s recipe and opted for Libby’s recipe (yes, year’s later, I’m convinced the vast majority of my Mom’s ‘world famous’ recipes came off the back of one can or another…sigh).  Above and beyond the rolling, unrolling and filling, and rolling back up it’s an easy dessert to make and one that is a crowd-pleaser. 

While I’m getting ready for tomorrow’s sojourn up north — going over the Hudson and through the woods of south central Massachusetts, a few random thoughts for this Saturday: 

Tastes of Chicago:  Not the Northeast, but #yummy anyway.  Earlier in the year, a friend sent a 4 pack of Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizzas to my home — some girls from school were coming to visit and it was her way of being with us even though she couldn’t physically be present.  Three have been consumed, I’m saving the fourth to selfishly hoard on when no one’s looking.  These pies are sooo good (and that’s coming from a Jersey girl) and would make a fantastic gift for the holidays.  The company smartly partners with other Chicago-area food purveyors, creating unique gift options above and beyond pizza, including: the Lou’s/Lezza ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ combo, the Ultimate Tastes of Chicago Combo Kit featuring a pie, Vienna beef hot dog kit, and cheesecake among other food stuff, and the Portillo’s Italian Beef Kit.  Check it out for the epicureans on your holiday shopping list.

Kayak’s Thanksgiving Travel Tips:  Kayak recently posted its Thanksgiving Travel Tips; while most are geared toward flying, the fist tip hit close to home as it’s something I struggle with — packing light. Not my forte and rather silly as I inevitably wear the same 2 – 3 outfits when traveling while packing enough clothes for a month long trip.  Lately, however, I’ve been doing a packing reality check eliminating most of the ‘just in case’ items and reducing the amount of stuff I’m toting usually by half.

Baking/Travel Hack:  The pumpkin roll needs to get to its destination and among all my plasticware, I don’t have the perfect container for a roll — who does? A great alternative, that acts as a platter for transporting as well as a platter for serving is to use a piece of cardboard (most box tops are usually a good size).  Simply cut the cardboard to the size of the item and then cover with tinfoil, it’s that simple.   

That’s it for now, I’m running errands today, entertaining friends tonight, and hitting the road in the morning.  Next week posts will be from the Woodland Cabin in lovely Warren, MA (a town with less than 10,000 residents!?!).  Until then, I’m wishing you safe travels and, of course, bon appetite!