When my family and friends gather at the table for Thanksgiving dinner, my husband Bob always shares a special Thanksgiving reflection. Below is one of his reflections, and you can share it with your family too.
Thanksgiving Reflection
So often times, as any other day,
When we sit down to our meal and pray,
We hurry along and make fast the blessing:
"Thanks amen. Now please pass the dressing."
We're slaves to the olfactory overload.
We must rush before the food gets cold.
Bur I'd like to take a few minutes more
To really give thanks to what I'm thankful for:
For my family, my health, a nice soft bed,
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head.
I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know.
I have been blessed beyond measure,
In my heart lives life's greatest treasures.
So please bless this food which has been provided
And bless each and every person invited!
Thanksgiving Brunch
On Thanksgiving morning my family and friends gather for brunch with special breakfast casseroles like, grits and greens, and we always have sausage rolls. Enjoy my traditional sausage roll recipe, and maybe it will become a tradition for you too!
Sausage Rolls
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry
1 lb. sausage
Thaw pastry for 20 minutes. On lightly floured surface roll to a 15 1/2 X 9 in. rectangle. Cut rectangle into three strips, each 3 inches wide. Divide sausage into thirds. Roll each into a 'snake' the length of the pastry. Place each roll along one edge of a pastry strip. Roll pastry around sausage. Wet edges with water and press to seal. Chill the rolls for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sausage into 3/4 inch slices and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.
Sausage Rolls
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry
1 lb. sausage
Thaw pastry for 20 minutes. On lightly floured surface roll to a 15 1/2 X 9 in. rectangle. Cut rectangle into three strips, each 3 inches wide. Divide sausage into thirds. Roll each into a 'snake' the length of the pastry. Place each roll along one edge of a pastry strip. Roll pastry around sausage. Wet edges with water and press to seal. Chill the rolls for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sausage into 3/4 inch slices and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.
My Thanksgiving Traditions
I'm all about 'tradition.' That's probably one of the reasons why I love sororities: our rich history and traditions! For Thanksgiving, we always gather at my husband Bob and I’s home in Florida. Mother comes in from North Carolina, my daughter Mary Leah flies in from Los Angeles and Linda Dinus, past AXiD National President, and her husband Ron come in from Bellingham, Washington.
Wednesday is the traditional 'make the pies' day. Mother makes the homemade crusts, Mary Leah makes the fillings, pumpkin and pecan, and I supervise!
On Thanksgiving morning we gather for brunch with special breakfast casseroles like grits and greens, and we always have sausage rolls. Then we watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and with high anticipation, we wait for "the real Santa Claus" to appear at the end of the parade. All the while, the smells of Thanksgiving permeate the air ... turkey roasting, yeast rolls baking, the stuffing and my 'special' cranberry sauce, check out the recipe below. When we gather at the table, there's always a special Thanksgiving reflection that my husband Bob gives.
All in all, it’s a wonderful weekend shared with some of my favorite people. Thanks for letting me share my Thanksgiving with you. I hope yours is filled with fun. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Sauce
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup port
4 cups cranberries
1/4 cup orange liquor
Stir together sugar, port and 3/4 cup water in heavy 3 qt. saucepan until blended. Add cranberries: bring to a boil and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until cranberry skins begin to split. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Stir in orange liqueur. Cover and chill 8 hours before serving. (Stores up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.)
Wednesday is the traditional 'make the pies' day. Mother makes the homemade crusts, Mary Leah makes the fillings, pumpkin and pecan, and I supervise!
On Thanksgiving morning we gather for brunch with special breakfast casseroles like grits and greens, and we always have sausage rolls. Then we watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and with high anticipation, we wait for "the real Santa Claus" to appear at the end of the parade. All the while, the smells of Thanksgiving permeate the air ... turkey roasting, yeast rolls baking, the stuffing and my 'special' cranberry sauce, check out the recipe below. When we gather at the table, there's always a special Thanksgiving reflection that my husband Bob gives.
All in all, it’s a wonderful weekend shared with some of my favorite people. Thanks for letting me share my Thanksgiving with you. I hope yours is filled with fun. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Sauce
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup port
4 cups cranberries
1/4 cup orange liquor
Stir together sugar, port and 3/4 cup water in heavy 3 qt. saucepan until blended. Add cranberries: bring to a boil and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until cranberry skins begin to split. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Stir in orange liqueur. Cover and chill 8 hours before serving. (Stores up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.)
NPC knows how to Wordle!
Do you know what a wordle is? NPC does! A wordle is a piece of text which has been rearranged into a visual pattern of words. The bigger the word, the more times it was used in the original text. Usually, wordles contain different colors and fonts to help separate the various words from one another. These designs are also referred to as word clouds or text clouds.
At this year’s annual NPC Conference in Austin, Texas, NPC distributed its very own wordle! The wordle was made by collecting terms from each of the NPC Executive Council members and their mission statements. The wordle appeared on the front of a postcard, and when flipped to the back, individuals were introduced to the 2011- 2013 NPC Executive Committee. See the wordle and postcard below, and if you like it, try making your own!
At this year’s annual NPC Conference in Austin, Texas, NPC distributed its very own wordle! The wordle was made by collecting terms from each of the NPC Executive Council members and their mission statements. The wordle appeared on the front of a postcard, and when flipped to the back, individuals were introduced to the 2011- 2013 NPC Executive Committee. See the wordle and postcard below, and if you like it, try making your own!
The 1961 NPC Conference
In 1961, Mary Burt Nash, Alpha Theta '30, was the third Alpha Xi Delta to rotate into the role of NPC chair. Before Mary Burt Nash, only two other Alpha Xi Deltas served NPC in this capacity. Both Ella Leib and Lena Baldwin were only out of college for 10 years before rotating into the chairmanship. When it was Mary Burt Nash’s turn, she was different. Mary Burt Nash was out of college for more than a decade when she was installed, and she had a great deal of education under her belt. Mary Burt Nash held a B.A. in history, an M.A. in history and a law degree.
When Mary Burt Nash was installed, the conference was no longer referred to as the Intersorority Conference or the National Panhellenic Congress. Now, it was officially titled the National Panhellenic Conference. The 1961 meeting took place in Chandler, Arizonia, and this was the last time, before Jane, that an Alpha Xi Delta was installed as the NPC chair. The events of the 1961 NPC Conference and Mary Burt Nash’s installation were recorded in the January 1962 edition of The Alpha Xi Delta, the Fraternity’s magazine at this time.
To read the article that appeared in The Alpha Xi Delta on Mary Burt Nash and the 1961 NPC Conference, click here.
When Mary Burt Nash was installed, the conference was no longer referred to as the Intersorority Conference or the National Panhellenic Congress. Now, it was officially titled the National Panhellenic Conference. The 1961 meeting took place in Chandler, Arizonia, and this was the last time, before Jane, that an Alpha Xi Delta was installed as the NPC chair. The events of the 1961 NPC Conference and Mary Burt Nash’s installation were recorded in the January 1962 edition of The Alpha Xi Delta, the Fraternity’s magazine at this time.
To read the article that appeared in The Alpha Xi Delta on Mary Burt Nash and the 1961 NPC Conference, click here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)