Things November: Nov. 10, 2010

Life is full of surprises, and today I received a very nice one.  I am the iFellowship "featured friend" over on Seeds of Faith Women today!  I don't remember exactly how I stumbled across it, but I'm telling you...I could spend all day over there getting dose after dose of encouragement from my Christian sisters!  Please do go check it out (just click the button below)!

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And now for today's fun facts for November 10th:

The Few, The Proud…

The US Marine Corps celebrates its birthday on November 10th each year. This year in particular the Corps is celebrating its 235th! Hoo-Rah!

MS Windows released

Although it wouldn’t actually ship until 1985, Microsoft Corporation unveiled MS Windows on Nov. 10, 1983. Our lives haven't been the same, don't you agree?

Sunny Day, Everything’s A-OK!

In 1969, Sesame Street premiered on public broadcasting stations. If you think about it, this was pre-school teaching before pre-school was cool! My favorite character is, of course, Big Bird. He is big and lovable and always kind. Who's your favorite character? (Below is a picture of the original cast!)

Famous Birthdays: Martin Luther, Miranda Lambert (my personal favorite female Country singer!)

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I love traditional Thanksgiving foods, but sometimes it's fun to just mix it up a little bit.  Here is a recipe for a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake that I made a couple years back for a party at work.  I like this one because you don't need a springform pan. Yum-O! (Photo borrowed from Kraft Kitchens, since we have long ago eaten ours!)

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups crushed ginger snaps 

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1-1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

HEAT oven to 325°F

MIX crumbs, nuts and butter; press onto bottom only of 13x9-inch pan.

BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Remove 1-1/2 cups batter. Stir remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.

SPOON half the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half the plain batter. Repeat layers; swirl with knife.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

I cut this into approximately 1" squares and put them in mini cupcake liners to make it more festive looking.

Things November: Nov. 4, 2010

I simply couldn’t find any interesting facts regarding this day in November, so I leave you with a poem and a recipe today. I hope you enjoy both!

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November

by Elizabeth Coatsworth

November comes
And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.

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If you are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving foods, there are plenty of recipes out there. Thanksgiving does not have to be heavy-laden with fatty foods to be enjoyable.

Here is a really simple recipe for green beans that my family loves (my kids actually taught me how to make these). These are a wonderful, tasty replacement for the beloved green bean casserole many of us grew up with.

Sauteed Green Beans
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
1 large red bell pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pat of butter (about 1/4" thick slice)
1 large lemon
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & course ground pepper to taste

Snap ends only of the green beans off and wash (you want to leave the beans long). Slice the red bell pepper into long slices about ¼ inch wide.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and butter, and then add the green beans and red bell pepper. Sprinkle in the seasonings and saute until the vegetables are tender-crisp (usually no more than about 5 minutes).

When vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and squeeze the juice of one lemon over them. Lightly toss, and place in a serving dish.


Enjoy!