How can I raise the level of gratitude in my life? Let me count the ways.
Meg says: Mom~ Each step of the way you were in my thoughts…as I made my two pies & taught Stella how to make her first pie, accomplshed a perfectly moist turkey, and received rave reviews about my sweet potatoes…
As we all gathered hands to say thanks, Stella finished with, “And I so proud I make my first pie.”
Yup, she pretty much summed it up. Even though it wasn’t my first, it still makes me smile to think my momma would have been proud.
I love you Momma. I am so thankful.
Make sure some rendition of the ingredients listed below end up on your menu in two days. The combination of yams, pecans, butter, and maple syrup will have you in a FIT of gratitude. Okay, so in the photo below, we made EXTRA butter, pecan, maple syrup topping. Okay, so we ended up eating the extra’s rolled up in balls and cut into stars. Okay.
Baked Yams w/Maple-Pecan Butter
8 small yams
2 cups pecans
¾ cup butter
6 T maple syrup
1. Place yams on a rimmed baking sheet and pierce each one a couple of times with a fork so that steam escapes while they bake. Bake at 325°F for 1¾ hours.
2. In a food processor, chop pecans until they resemble fine crumbs. Add butter and maple syrup and blend for about 10 seconds. Sprinkle over skinned yams. Keep warm in the oven until serving.
Linda Kopisch says: Those butter balls and stars look SO good. Who needs Thanksgiving! One thing I do to make life a little easier is peal the yams first and either wrap in foil to bake or just put in a foil lined pan and bake to get a crispy “skin” you can eat!
MaryJane says: I am going to try your idea with some leftover yams I have that still need to be baked. Many thanks! Love the idea of a crispy skin on a yam.
I thought this letter by Erin Barnett, Director of Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org), was a good read for Thanksgiving gratitude.
Eileen Widman says: Yes! Amen to this. Gratitude in hard times grows us in unexpected ways!
Did you know that two-thirds of family farmers are close to retirement? The federal Department of Agriculture wants to see 100,000 new farmers per year over the next five years.
Eileen Widman says: Grateful! With a full heart!
Nancy says: Thank you for being so well grounded. We allow our lives to become complicated and it is easy to forget how lucky we are. You always put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart.
Laurie Dimino says: Couldnt have said it better Nancy. In this crazy world it is so nice to read MaryJane’s blog. It really does keep you grounded when you stop and think about things a littile bit doesnt it?
Blessings MaryJane and crew- you are much appreciated!
I received a call late at night a week ago from the emergency room. Alicia, our ‘Ace’ photographer, had just walked in the door of her friend’s house when his nervous pit bull bit her … in the face! Horror of horrors. Thankfully the bite wasn’t too deep and is healing well. While at work this week she received a little gift from some really thoughtful family members.
Jonni Lynch says: I’m sorry about her bite…Mary Jane, I love your magazine and am a devoted member of the forum, long term, but please, please, please don’t write, “pit bull”. Just say “nervous dog”–as inocuous as this post is, it just perpetrates the terrible stigma attached to this breed. In my whole life, the only dogs I’ve been bitten by was a “nervous” schnauzer and my auntie’s mean chihauhau…my Pit Bull runs from thunder claps!
MaryJane says: You got it going forward! No more pit bull.
Jonni Lynch says: Thanks for hearing me 🙂
micki says: That jumped out at me too….as I’m reading it a week later :/
Uh-Oh! How bad is it that I was standing at my desk eating while reading this? Very, pretty, really, awful bad! Thank you for the blog head slap. I will do better. Today. At lunch…
I was thinking along these lines this morning as I peeled the last of my peaches and froze them..and on my way in from the garage I thought to myself how fortunate and grateful I am to have green tomatoes ripening nicely for our late fall dinners. Thank you for posting I am truly a grateful farmgirl.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
like the photo.roses herbs perfectly looking bird.family waiting in the wing