Archives for November 2014

A Tabler Thanksgiving Tablescape | Tabler Party of Two

Thanksgiving Tablescape Inspiration! Yesterday was a beautiful Thanksgiving Day in Palm Desert! Our first at the new Casa Tabler. The temperature was in the low 80s but cooled to the 70s by our serving time, so we enjoyed an outdoor Thanksgiving feast! And thanks to this checklist, I was able to plan in advance, organize, and make sure the day was stress free! I love making a beautiful Thanksgiving tablescape. I pulled out the Thankful Thanksgiving tablecloths that we started writing thanks {Read More}

Three Reasons I’m Thankful This Thanksgiving

We have so many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Here are my top three. 1. Family is arriving!  Kids, siblings, parents, cousins, nieces, aunts and uncles! Not all of any of those categories, but a wonderful mix of many we love. One major perk that came with relocating to California is the plethora of family members just a couple hours away. Many in our family came through my dad’s second marriage. Can I just say we are blessed? So many families struggle with {Read More}

Pepitas! How to Make Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I can remember when growing up that we would make roasted pumpkin seeds after we carved our jack-o-lanterns. I also remember it was a lot of work, but that we loved them! So this week, after gutting my pie pumpkins and making homemade pumpkin puree, I decided to treat Tom and me to the yummy seasonal treat of roasted pumpkin seeds! I was surprised at how interested my dear husband was in this little project! Before roasting, you do need to {Read More}

Homemade Pumpkin Puree for Scratch Pumpkin Pie

Learn how to make pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie from scratch! A few years ago, I was part of a fresh produce co-op in San Antonio. The week before Thanksgiving, my delivery included a couple of pie pumpkins. Now mind you, I don’t think I had ever made a pumpkin pie, even from a can. The local grocery store, sold delicious pies, and that’s where mine came from. But I’m always up for a challenge, plus I hate to waste {Read More}

Our Family’s Favorite Holiday Side: Spinach Madeline

I’ve been eating Spinach Madeline for every single holiday as long as I can remember. In fact, a holiday isn’t a holiday in our house without this amazing dish! Spinach Madeline is best described as a creamed spinach with a slightly spicy southern twist. Except I wouldn’t touch creamed spinach, but I can devour this stuff like there’s no tomorrow. That’s how good it is! One caveat about this dish is that it is decidedly not as healthy as the average dish I {Read More}

How to Prepare for Your Son’s First Holiday Visit from College

Prepare yourself.  If your son will soon coming home for his first holiday visit from college, things will be different. HE will be different. Some of the visit will be challenging. But mostly it will be different in a good way! Nonetheless, you need to prepare that this is not family business as usual. Be Prepared for the Challenges 1. You can all but forget about enforcing a curfew. He has managed on his own for a few months. Hopefully he is doing well in school and {Read More}