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.

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.)

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!

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.

Jane's Installation Recap!

Alpha Xi Deltas had so much fun in Texas watching Jane Sutton become the National Panhellenic Conference chairman! The installation took place on October 15, 2011, during the weekend-long NPC annual conference.  For those of you who missed the event, we have plenty of photos and videos to keep you up-to-date on everything that happened in Austin, Texas!

Saturday morning was off to a busy start. NPC held various meetings to conduct NPC business. All of NPC's Panhellenic organizations were in attendance throughout the weekend to take part in the annual meeting. Once the meetings and sessions concluded, Alpha Xi Delta began the celebration for Jane and her new role as the NPC chair!

As many of you know, this event marked the first time in 50 years that an Alpha Xi Delta served NPC in this capacity. In order mark the occasion, Alpha Xi Delta had a “Xi-esta” celebrating Jane and 50 years of Alpha Xi Delta! Sisters from the Beta Alpha Chapter at the University of Texas and the Theta Lambda Chapter at Southwestern University were at the "Xi-esta" to show their support for Jane and Alpha Xi Delta.

The event was filled with Alpha Xi Delta spirit and excitement for Jane. There was lemonade and snacks for everyone to enjoy. As individuals walked around the room, fact cards provided them with a little Alpha Xi Delta history and some memorable pop-culture moments from the past 50 years. Sisters also had the opportunity to fill out their “Congratulation’s Jane” postcards and  meet Jane. Everyone had a great time.

Following the "Xi-esta," the day concluded with NPC's Closing Banquet. At the banquet, awards were handed out and Jane Sutton was installed, along with the other members of the NPC Executive Board. Once Jane was installed, she delivered her first speech as the NPC Chair!

After Jane’s installation, the weekend continued with a “Celebrate Jane” theme to honor Jane and her new NPC position.

Now that the weekend is over, be sure to check back to receive updates on Jane and NPC. Follow Jane on Twitter @NPCChairman, and before you go, check out the video below to see the moment when Jane was installed as the new NPC Chair!

NPC Facebook Icon

Have you seen Alpha Xi Delta's new NPC Facebook icon? You too can show your support for NPC and Alpha Xi Delta's NPC delegates. Upload the icon below and use it as your Facebook and/or Twitter profile pictures this week leading up to Jane's installation.

Every 52 years, Alpha Xi Delta has the opportunity to become the NPC Chair. Before Jane Sutton, only three other Alpha Xi Deltas, Ella Leib, Lena Baldwin and Mary Burt Nash, served NPC in this capacity. Let's show our support for these special Alpha Xi Deltas and NPC!

Tool Kits Now Available!

This NPC Tool Kit should be used to educate your Panhellenic delegate and additional chapter members on the National Panhellenic Conference. It contains information on what NPC is and what the conference does, information on Jane Sutton and the importance of her role as the NPC Chair, media samples, such as press releases, pamphlets and flyers your chapter can use.

If you have any questions about this tool kit, contact the Associate Director of Area Development for your territory, or Lauren Felts, Director of Communications and Marketing.