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Sunday, November 29, 2020

Thanksgiving At Sista's



 Hello, dear friends.  I am so excited about this post. I  talked Sista into giving me the first scoop on her big news. 

As you may recall from my blog, my brother-in-law died unexpectedly in August. A silver lining of the pandemic is that Sista’s boys (neph 1 and 2) have been home with Sista.  As Thanksgiving was their family’s very favorite holiday,  they were bracing for a tough one.

Rather than allowing his absence to consume them, they decided to honor their husband/dad by writing a book about Thanksgiving.

It seems fitting as my Sista and her late Mista were known for fabulous holiday entertaining, and my bro-in-law instilled in his two sons a true love of food, wine, and cooking.

The working title for their book is:  The Ultimate Thanksgiving Playbook and will cover it all - from cooking, cocktails, conversation, table setting, and even cleaning.  It will make it easy for hosts to elevate their Thanksgiving game by providing cooking techniques, checklists, and resources.  It will be available August 2021, just in time to plan for next Thanksgiving!

Sista provided a sneak peek from their last few Thanksgivings.



Since the boys have been legal, (well maybe even before), they have created a Bloody Mary bar.  Their bar includes everything from homemade beef consommé to asparagus spears and celery foam.



Since tomato juice can be filling, they make clarified juice by hanging tomatoes in cheesecloth overnight. 


Here’s one of their signature bloodies made from clarified tomato juice, consommé, and vodka topped with celery foam. The rim is Lawry’s seasoning - yum!



Neph #2 is incredible in the kitchen.  
He insists on fresh turkey, which Neph #1 picks up from a local farm.









He even makes his own bread for the stuffing and organizes all the ingredients.












While the book will address different ways of cooking a turkey, my Chef Nef prefers separating the turkey into its parts.  He tells me that cooking the white and dark meat separately ensures that every bit of the turkey is perfectly cooked.

The kid gets his perfectionism from moi.
Have I told you that he was born on my birthday?





Neph #1 has made a study over the years of the perfect wines to pair with the turkey.

The kid gets his love for wine from moi.
His taste is a bit more refined than mine, though.















And last, but certainly not least, my Sista has set some beautiful tables over the years.  

And no one has more fun creating them!
Yeah, I think she gets that from me.


Thank you, dear Sista, for sharing your family Thanksgiving throughout the years.  

I can't wait until your book is published and I get my free autographed copy!!!


Need some gift inspiration?

I have some herehere, herehere, and here.


Until next time...






Lady Wiley in residence guarding the family bird. 










Preppy Empty Nester
Preppy Empty Nester

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Feel free to contact me through comments and email. I love to hear from my readers!

28 comments:

  1. Amazing news! How wonderful for Sista and her boys to honor their dad and the family's love of the holidays by sharing their secrets with us. I will be first in line for the book. Do I dare dream of coast to coast book tour plus meet and greet ... with guest appearance by PEN herself?! xo

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  2. How exciting!! It looks like it will be fabulous!! Do keep us posted!!

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  3. So nice that your sister and nephews can channel
    their love for their Hubby/Father into a book. Your nephew s sound very talented.

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  4. What a wonderful tribute to their husband and father. Boy, I am impressed by their expertise in cooking and serving it up beautifully.

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  5. WOW, Katie - what a wonderful Thanksgiving. Bless that family with their loss, yet continuing their traditions with big smiles on their handsome faces. The chef and wine someliere (sp) did a very fine job of things. And what a tablescape!

    Stay safe, stay well and stay hopeful and in the coming busy holiday season.

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  6. That sounds like such a wonderful family project! The pictures sure are inviting.

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  7. I am excited for sistas book too. Just look at those talented nephews of yours. Glad they were able to shine out of a dark time. Everything looked amazing.

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  8. Sista’s books sounds amazing. What a wonderful tribute to your sister’s husband...those nephews are quite talented. I can’t wait to get a copy next year!

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  9. Wow who knows after this book they may have their own show! So happy your nephews could be with your sister and make this such a celebration. Holidays can be depressing after the loss of a loved one. My sister too lost her husband, in May. She was able to spend it with her son as well. Our children can be such a comfort in such times.

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  10. Wonderful! Such beautiful tablescapes. Katie, this was such an uplifting post. What a special family you have. Blessings to Sista and her boys.

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  11. I was just thinking about your sister (most random thoughts-I know). So when this post popped into my inbox it deserved a tablet read! I love, love, love how they honored their dad/husband! Cannot wait! Yes, I agree with Juliet can we get a CO stop for a book tour! I could host it! laura

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  12. Wow - what an accomplishment for your sister and her boys! I hope that the book is a great success and inspires many people to host special Thanksgiving dinners.

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  13. Wowee! This is really exciting for all of you! Can't wait to be reminded of the publishing in 2021. I bet Chef Nef and the Mister go head-to-head in the kitchen, don't they??

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  14. Oh that's wonderful Katie! I'm looking forward to the book - what a sweet idea! And how lovely to have a chef and wine person in the family!? Thanks for the fun read!

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  15. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful way to move on with losing your spouse. I can't imagine how I would handle that, and this is just beautiful.

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  16. Such a talent for decorating, you can certainly tell you are sista's. Hope your Thanksgiving was meaningful.

    Xoxox Annie g

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  17. AND NONE OF THIS CAME FROM YOUR HUSBAND THE DEVINE CHEF TOO?
    I got the kid that owned the food trucks YOU get the NEPHEW that CREATES AWESOME BEAUTY AND BREATH TAKINGS MEALS!Love SISTA's plates and table settings!I will POST TOO AFTER YOU DO so I do not step on your pinkie toes!Such FABULOUS NEWS for HER and For US!!!!!!!!YOU HAVE THE BEST FAMILY!XX

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  18. I can't wait! Love to read the turkey instructions!

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  19. What a wonderful way to celebrate her husband and their family tradition, and I am so impressed with your nephews skills! Incredible family, what a gift this book will be!
    Jenna

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  20. I can't wait to see that book. What an incredible way to honor their husband/dad.

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  21. Do you really think she will give YOU a FREE autographed copy? Just wonderin'....lol. What a wonderful thing they have done-playing tribute to hubby/dad by honoring their favorite Holiday.
    I hope you have a great week, Katie. Wondering how the open houses were? xo Diana

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  22. Their handsome smiles are everything!

    -LaJolla Joi

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  23. Count me in. What a legacy! You may know I have 2 sons and lost my husband of 30 years three years ago so this especially warms my heart. There’s joy to be found among the clouds and proud of your sister’s family. Holidays remain tough, but I’ve found a happy chapter despite. I can’t wait to order this, we are big Thanksgiving fans...my favorite holiday.

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  24. Wow, those boys were paying attention! I can't wait for sista's book! Such a touching post Katie.........

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  25. What a wonderful way to celebrate a life and so many happy times together. I think I'll need to add Sista's book to my collection. Sending joy.

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