something has got to give
Recipe: candied calamansi limes
There is so much going on here at urb and the holidays are poised just around the corner like a prank waiting to smack me in the face. It’s GREAT! Who doesn’t love being a frenzied mess? I get so much more done that way. Let’s quit with the chit chat and get to brass tacks.
this one is from the heart
Giveaways here, giveaways there. I wasn’t planning on a giveaway right now because we have a big one coming up to celebrate a certain black dog’s birthday. However, with Thanksgiving around the corner I’ve been thinking less about planning a giant meal (um, I still don’t know what we’re having for dinner and I’m not really caring at this point) and thinking more about what I’m thankful for. After this last trip to California where I sat in the back of the bus with some of my favorite food bloggers and talked about… BLOGGING, I was saddened to hear about the hateful comments and emails these fine people occasionally receive. In general, food blog readers are quite supportive. I have to say I felt a warm glow inside when I thought about my readers – you guys. I’m thankful that I have this awesome online community of fun, witty, creative, and caring people. And because you give me warm fuzzies, I’d like to give you a warm fuzzy in return.
one i made for katie in manos del uruguay wool (sage multi colorway)
Everything I’ve given away on the blog has been out of my pocket thus far. Today, I’m announcing a little giveaway that is from my pocket, my hands, and my heart. It’s a scarf. I haven’t made it yet! That’s because I want YOU to pick the colorway of the yarn. I’ve already selected the pattern: My So Called Scarf because um… it has to be something that I can actually knit and it’s a pattern that works for a man (all two of you) or a woman. Even if you don’t want a scarf, it makes a lovely gift for someone else. The winner will get to select one of these gorgeous yarns. I recommend choosing a multi (variegated) yarn because it looks particularly nice with the pattern. So here are the rules, kiddos:
1) Leave a comment on this post and share what Thanksgiving is about to you. Even if you don’t celebrate Yankee Thanksgiving, what does it mean to you? No novels, please :)
2) You have until midnight Mountain Standard Time (GMT minus 7 hours) on Wednesday, November 25th to enter (so 12:01 am will be Thanksgiving Day here).
3) Multiple comments from same person will be disqualified.
4) The winner will be selected at Crazy Random by The Dog and The Astrophysicist and announced on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009.
5) I will ship worldwide.
6) Good luck!
Not too long ago, my dear friends Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple shipped me a package of sharp objects I couldn’t fly home with from BlogHer Food 09. They included several precious fruits from their yard in the care package. [Okay, Diane told me last week that the passion fruits were bought because their passion fruit vines weren’t producing much – this does not diminish my gratitude one iota.] I ate the dragonfruits, froze the passion fruit pulp, and then what to do with those calamansi limes?
remember these?
i like that the lime is orange
I had never had a calamansi lime before. So Jeremy and I bit into one to taste it. Let me just say, it seems that we do a lot of this “let’s try this fruit we’ve never eaten before!” kind of activity where the two of us stand around and stupidly bite into the fruit (recalls digging into an unripe passion fruit after a hot hike in Hawai’i). They almost always wind up with the same result: *TART* My left eye twitched and squinted tight while my lips went into full on pucker mode. Saliva flooded my mouth. Jeremy watched and inquired about the taste. I looked at him with my right eye and replied, “ooh! sour!” I wasn’t expecting sour. I’m never expecting sour despite the word LIME in the name.
Dear Diane, What do I do with calamansi limes? She rattled off several ideas including cocktails. I sat nibbling on the rest of the fruit and thought the intensely orangy-lime fragrance would do well with candying. They were just so pretty.
lots of lovely slices
first we blanch them
So I candied all of the slices in the same manner that I candied lemon slices. The flavor is decidedly citrusy with a zesty kick at the end – brighter than candied orange peels. The deep orange color is truly stunning to behold in such a tiny slice. I imagine kumquats are similar although much sweeter and milder than the calamansi limes. I haven’t dipped them in tempered chocolate yet, but I think I will have to because I so love the combination of dark chocolate and candied citrus. Perfect for a holiday gift.
the parrot in me loves that they look like glass
Candied Calamansi Limes
[print recipe]
6 calamansi limes, washed
water for boiling
ice water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
tempered chocolate for dipping (optional)
Cut the calamansi limes into 1/4-inch slices (not too thin or else they tear apart too easily) removing any seeds. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and blanch the lime slices for a minute. Drain the slices and plunge them into a bath of ice water. Drain. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer and add the calamansi lime slices. Let simmer (don’t boil) for an hour (you can simmer as much as 2 hours). Remove slices from hot sugar syrup and set on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to dry. Could take up to 24 hours to dry. Dip in tempered dark chocolate and set on parchment paper until chocolate has cooled and firmed up.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I’ve never even heard of calamensi limes before either. Love the last picture!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I try to be thankful for the blessings I have everyday so Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, food and family.
Beautiful scarf. I love gifts from the heart!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:17 am
thanksgiving is about the food. :) i kid. it’s about the food and the people around the table who are there to share it with us. it’s that we have food, and food to spare, and people to love, who love us.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Thanksgiving is about family and food to me. My mother has passed, but every one of our Thanksgiving dishes is one of her recipes. We’re into the fourth generation now with my grandchildren, and no one will allow me to change a single dish (except to add more desserts!) It’s nice because I feel like my mother’s still with us at the table.
I think a scarf made by you is a fantastic gift! Thanks for a chance at the giveaway. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:28 am
We have a Thanksgiving tradition that is 40 years old and counting (I haven’t been around for all forty) but I love the holiday – getting together with family, eating awesome food and not having to frantically shop before you come! :)
The knitting is amazing. I am just learning and can’t wait to be able to read all your patterns! Lovely!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Your pictures are lovely – I have a special place in my heart for the state of Colorado. I love Thanksgiving for the togetherness. Although our families live in town and we see them regularly, somehow that one day of the year makes the time together sweeter. I’m also thankful for my mini gobbler (baby girl) – she’s such a blessing!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Ooooh, what pretty purple yarn! I know this is simple, but Thanksgiving – to me – is just getting together with my huge, funny family and eating WAY too much food and maybe drinking an extra glass of wine or two. It’s always fun to see what dishes everyone comes up with (I’m on green bean duty this year) and seeing how much the little ones have grown. I look forward to it every year!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I made curd with the calamansi they sent and put it into shortcrust tarts….hummmm…
Since I had never had Thanksgiving before I moved here, I am just happy to see Bill have a nice meal with his whole family and eat all the wonderful Southern foods he grew up on.
Hope you and Jeremy have a wonderful one!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I adore Thanksgiving. It offers a break from my daily routine. Allows me to focus solely on cooking for an entire day (or two…three…). And, most of all, I’m able to nourish those that have fed me in soul enriching ways. I also have to share that I learned how to knit using this very same wool and made my mama a thick scarf with it, after a few unravels, of course. Yours looks lovely (as do the limes).
November 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am
You don’t know how much I’m in need of a scarf! I love your generosity and I think that’s the most important thing about Thanksgiving. I love it because we get to share with our friends (our family is too far away) our food and our day (and a little booze helps too). This year I missed the big meal in Canada, but we still managed to scrap together something wonderful with all our friends. As for those limes, I’ve seen them before in Chinatown and will have to pick them up next time. They sound fantastic.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Thanksgiving is about getting together as a family. The food changes and sometimes it even catches on fire but it doesn’t matter because we’re all there together to share bottles (and bottles, and bottles, and occasionally boxes) of wine and laugh at each other and play with the kids and remember the time so and so nearly burnt the house down. Hmmm… apparently there is a lot of fire in my thanksgiving memories.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:41 am
How pretty!!! Never tried this kind of lime before (or a dragonfruit, or a passion fruit). Huh, I seem sheltered. As for me, I don’t know about Thanksgiving, it’s different every single year so I guess I just appreciate the variety. =)
November 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Thanksgiving for me is like another day of the year. It’s just a Holiday. With my family, we never celebrated, no particular meal for this day.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Happy Thanksgiving! What great yarn, 10 ways of softness. I made a scarf in that pattern, wore it one day and lost it at Stitches West! I’m still hoping some knitter out there is loving their windfall! Thanksgiving is a two-tined fork: amazing food and family time. There are just 4 of us, we cook way too much incredible food and really revel in each other’s company. We talk a lot about Grandpa B and Granny L and use their recipes. I can’t wait for Monday to see them! As always, I adore your photos, your lime shots here are making me salivate – candied citrus is a passion!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I love making candied citrus. although I’ll be honest, I roll mine in sugar… :O
November 19th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Firstly – I love that scarf pattern. I can’t knit, but I really like that texture and if I don’t win your scarf I am going to see if I can do a trade with a knitter friend to make me one.
I love everything about Canadian Thanksgiving. We plan the menu for weeks and end up changing everything two days before when we get to the Farmer’s Market and see what fresh, lovely vegetables they have that week.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Thanksgiving is meeting with my mother’s family at my grandmother’s house. It’s about seeing my cousins and saying why we are all thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Have you had Haagen Dazs Five Passion fruit icecream? I thought of you when I had it because you are the queen of custard! This is probably the only one of two flavors from a supermarket shelf that I have enjoyed as much as your icecreams. The ginger flavor is pretty darned good, too! Oh, that was a suggestion for what to do with the frozen passion fruit pulp even though you weren’t really asking for any.
Thanksgiving is a meal we have with our neighbors since their kids fled the coop and we have no relatives in the area. This year I am supposed to marinate the turkey tandoori-style but I don’t know if I am up to it. I might end up gifting them a turkey and a pie instead, grateful that they are such good neighbors. Neighbors are like family cos you don’t exactly choose them but when you have great neighbors, you don’t miss family all that much. Thanksgiving is to give thanks for all the wonderful people in our lives, near and far.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:57 am
That is mighty generous of you! Why thank-you.
Thanksgiving for me is about gathering. It is my all time favourite holiday of the year. More years than not as an adult it has been about gathering with friends, often holiday orphans. You know, the people who don’t go home for the holiday but still want to gather ina big group and have some motherly figure cook for them? We’ve brought picnic tables in the house to provide enough seating, we’ve potlucked, we’ve talked, and we ate and drank. It doesn’t even matter about the turkey, it’s about the people. I even remember one year where we came home from a rather lame wedding (it ended at 9?!) and Hubby, his mom, a friend and her date all sat on the kitchen floor picking at the turkey that lay resting on a cooler. I don’t know why we stayed there and didn’t move into the dining room, but we were there for hours together, talking and eating.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
It’s all about the family and food :)
ps. Those candies are gorgeous…!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
It may not be unique, but Thanksgiving is about family and food to me. Not so much the turkey or the stuffing but the special food that you can only get from special people. Like my grandparents oyster casserole…my pop-pop would always gloat about how hard he had worked breaking up the oyster crackers while my grandmother prepared the rest of the dish. I don’t get to enjoy oyster casserole anymore since they are both gone (and sadly there is no recipe), but Thanksgiving always brings me back to these happy moments.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I am thankfull to have a loving supportive family. I am very lucky. :)
November 19th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Thanksgiving to me is about family. We all gather together, eat great food, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a lovely time to just get the whole family together and not have to worry about gifts or dressing up or super-fancy dishes that keep someone in the kitchen the whole day. Just good food and good company.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is all about food and family without the pressure of gifts or holiday parties. I love cooking a blow out meal that leaves us with days of leftovers and then taking the next two days to do nothing but have fun and recover from the feasting!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Thanksgiving for me is about yummy food, cooking with my Mom, hanging with my family. I love Thanksgiving. :)
November 19th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Now that I’ve spent two Thanksgiving holidays with my husband’s family, I’m most thankful and excited about being able to bring some of his family’s traditions to my family. We are Italian, he is Hungarian, and tarhonya is a Hungarian dish that I have grown to love and am excited to share it with my family for the first time this year.
On a side note – I recently candied Key lime slices and while they tasted good, you couldn’t bite through the rinds. How do you get yours to a state that is eatable?
November 19th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Great idea! Thanksgiving is a time to come home and reconnect with family and old friends, drink good wine, eat good food, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and some football, make memories, and maybe — just maybe — ooh and ahh at a white Thanksgiving!!
Cheers,
*Heather*
November 19th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Mmmm calamansi. I grew up using a squeeze of calamansi in my arroz caldo (filipino chicken and rice soup) and it is my ultimate comfort food! I actually made some last night, but had to settle for a squeeze of lime as calamansi are hard to come by around here.
Thanksgiving is a time for relaxing at home with the family, stuffing ourselves silly with food, and then vegging on the sofa watching football or rerun movies. It’s my calm before the storm of Christmas activities.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Since I’m from Europe Thanksgiving doesnt say that much to me. So for me it is an excuse to drool about all these thanksgiving recipes I see all around on the web.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Beautiful scarf! I really like the Manos but have you tried Malabrigo? Another line with beautiful colors and I think it’s even softer than Manos. Really lovely stuff. (Please don’t enter me in your contest. You might’ve guessed that I’m a knitter also. Your generous gift should go to someone who doesn’t have a yarn stash like mine!)
November 19th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Am I oversimplifying things to say that, for me, it’s about the FOOD? I call it the day of eating. But it’s also the day of making pies and drinking and hanging out with my wonderful family. It’s a stay at home in your pajamas kind of holiday, which is my favorite sort. And I actually really like taking charge of the turkey dinner, which kind of makes me a freak.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I’m from Singapore so the concept of Thanksgiving is something I’m still getting used to. All the same, I believe that it’s about taking the time to reflect on where you are in life, thinking about the people close and dear to you and being grateful for all of it.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Well coming from India we never celebrated Thanksgiving ,but as I made America my house came to appreciate the gifts and grace that I enjoy and thanksgiving is a way to keep me grounded and be thankful .
November 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Thanksgiving for me is all about spending time with my family, eating my mom’s WONDERFUL turkey & stuffing…and praying for leftovers that I can take home with me.
It’s also a time when I start breaking out my recipes for holiday baking [my family members are my lab rats] and set up my Christmas deco!
Love the colorway!! i’ve got the “so called scarf” in my queue on ravelry right now!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
LOL.. I never bite in oranges, definitely wouldn’t with limes! ;-)) though I have never come across these limes!
Gorgeous photos and yes, it does look like glass…:)
November 19th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Thanksgiving doesn’t get much celebrated here in France.
However, I love the idea of having a time to pause and reflect on all those things we have to be thankful for.
This is a holiday that helps to build a meaningful life…
November 19th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Do… do parrots like glass?
November 19th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Beautiful picture!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Thanksgiving to me is about laughing, eating and love.
The candied calamansi limes looks really awesome! Pretty anything that is candied is ok with me :)
November 19th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Thanksgiving to me means lots and lots of family. My mom is one of 13 children and most of them still get together on major holidays, except now with kids and even grandkids. Unfortunately because of money and the fact that I live in California and my family lives in Texas means its just me and my hubby for Thanksgiving. But thats okay, I’m still cooking us a feast!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Hi Jen,
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I love its focus on good in-season food shared with family and friends.
I hope I win your awesome giveaway! (but if I don’t I need to learn to knit so I can use that gorgeous yarn!!)
(-:
November 19th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
To me Thanksgiving is about the gift of the family I have – the one that I was born into – AND the one that I married into. It’s the one day that I find Joy in 26 people in one tiny house!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers. And family, of course family. But oh, the siren’s song of a turkey sandwich…
Thanks Jen, this is so nice of you!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Thanksgiving is about family and friends (and really good food). My parents always host Thanksgiving dinner at their house, and in addition to family, any friends who do not have somewhere to go are welcomed at the dinner table. My father is a fantastic cook, and everything that he makes for dinner is delicious! Thanksgiving is also about celebrating my little sister’s birthday, since she was born on Thanksgiving so her birthday is usually within a few days of the holiday.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Thanksgiving is about actually remembering what is *right* in my life, instead of dwelling on the stress, the craziness, the Tilt-a-Whirl vertigo that comes with running a family.
Love the candied limes, Jen!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
What does Thanksgiving mean to me? Joy, peace, cooking, love, friends. I let nothing bother me on Thanksgiving. I love it more than my birthday.
You so silly. Biting into the lime like that. The first time I ate a mango, I just bit right in. And I couldn’t figure out why people even liked the darn things, with that strange bitter aftertas… oh wait, you’re not supposed to eat the skin? *Blush*
Great idea on the candied. They are beautiful.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Thanksgiving is frenzied fun to me. It’s sushi for breakfast, gewurztraminer wine, and trying new recipes.
One of the best drinks I ever had was this summer in Hawaii, a thai iced tea (sans milk) with crushed calamansis added to it. So sweet, so sour, all at once. Yum. What did you do with the passionfruits? They are my favorite fruits; I love to scrape the flesh, seeds and all, into a glass of sparkling water for a refreshing drink.
I didn’t realize you were a knitter.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with just my immediate family–we actually ditch the rest of them and head up to Steamboat, where we’ve rented the same condo for oh, 8 years now? It’s a time to sit around and relax, sleep in, play video games with my brothers, and cook with my mom. Oh, and shoo the dog. The dog is never far from the kitchen.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Oh Wonderful! I just taught myself to knit two weeks ago to make a scarf for my mother for Christmas! I would love this:) Thank you for the chance. Sadly, Thanksgiving is not a very celebrated Holiday in my family. So, I use it as a time to make (and consume) some very delicious food filled with love:)
November 19th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Thanksgiving is a time for me to spend with my family. I am in college so I get to fly home and see my parents, one of my brothers (the other is in NY and it’s too expensive to come out :( ) and cats. We eat the traditional food and go see a movie together! Pretty standard response but it’s my life and I love it! :)
Thanks for always doing such lovely giveaways and always having amazing pictures for me to drool over!!! :)
November 19th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I never thought calamansi can be candied.. simple wonderful.
I seriusly have no idea what Thanksgiving is about. Although, when you have the word “Thanks” & “Giving” i always had this imagine in my mind that its all to say thanks for all the giving people have been giving you or you have been giving someone… So its only proper to say Happy Thanksgiving to you Jen, for all the giving you have been giving. Its really a good thing that you have been giving out goodies.. and good recipes…
Oh… yum… Keep up the good work.
Your fan.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I have just recently in the past 5 years or so started a tradition on thanksgiving of celebrating the holiday with a very good friend of mine whom I met about 8 years ago. since we have a long distance friendship, when i went off to college we were still far appart (but closer than we’d been before), so come thanksgiving she invited me to her house in NY to celebrate thanksgiving since flying all the way home to california was too expensive of a plane ticket. i look forward to this time of year every year because i know i will always get to see my bud even if it’s been since the last thanksgiving. we love to cook the entire day with her mom, who always gets this great cheese platter that we nibble on throughout the afternoon while we make everything. i think one of our greatest dishes we made was last year when we made stuffed onions! ok this is turning into a novel, whoops!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s really about connections. There’s no gifts, there’s no cards, well maybe there are cards (I’m sure Hallmark would make sure of that) but I don’t send them. It’s about preparing a big meal, made with love, to serve to the people who matter to you. I love making my husbands favorite pie, or preparing a side dish I know my Mom loves. The best part of the whole day for me, it loafing around like a big lump after. Thanks the the chance at a hand made scarf Jen.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
hi – thanksgiving for me is a time to relect on and be grateful for the life that i have. i don’t think most people realize just how fortunate they are! thanks to you for sharing so much with the rest of us!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here so for me, it’s mostly associated with endless posts about turkeys and stuffing on an American food forum that I often read :) I like that it’s a day meant to be spent with the family and with some nice food..
Thanks for this giveaway, it’s a beautiful idea.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, especially now that I’m in college. I get to go home for a few days, spend hours on end in the kitchen in my pajamas, sleep in, see my relatives and high school friends after months of being apart, and snuggle with my parents and my brother. Nothing could be better!
That yarn is BEAUTIFUL, as are those limes. WOW!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because not only is it about family and food, it’s about gratitude. Especially in these times, I’m grateful for having a loving family and the means to provide food.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Family, food and shopping, 3 of my favorite things!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Thanksgiving is about seeing distant relatives and eating the best food of the season!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Thanksgiving is THE holiday to be with my family and just relax and enjoy good food and LOTS of conversation! I would love to win your scarf… I could use some color in my life right now!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
For my family Thanksgiving is a time to forgive and forget. To move beyond past grievances and just enjoy being together. For me it is my time to shine in the kitchen and prove to my parents every year that I’m beyond burning toast. :)
November 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Make that 3 male readers. A 50% increase!!
Scarf AND the candied limes look beautiful by the way.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
for me, thanksgiving is all about acknowledging everything awesome that we have going on in our lives that we take for granted on a day-to-day basis. and food. first the thankfulness, then the food. (and then the elastic waisted pants which you will be thankful for wearing)
i LOVE candied citrus. love love. maybe this year i’ll actually do it, instead of just admiring (and envying) your beautiful creations from this side of the interweb.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
For me, thanksgiving is about my great-grandma’s noodles, my grandpa’s apple pie, and my grandma’s stuffing. YUM!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I am thankful for my sister’s success in fighting her breast cancer, I am thankful that my brother lost no more than a finger. I am thankful my other sisters are in wonderful health. I’m thankful for my brother-in-laws and sister-in-law. I’m thankful that we all have a roof over our heads and do not have to worry about how we’ll eat. I pray that my uncle’s health returns and if it does not that he does not have to suffer. I have some of the most wonderful friends in the world and appreciate them completely. Mostly I am thankful for the man at my side, he is a wonderful caring man.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Thanksgiving to me is really about being with family and good friends. That and actually taking a minute to realize how lucky I am and be thankful for it all!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
This year Thanksgiving is all about resting. Usually I cook up a storm (and I probably will cook a bit) but after a grueling fall, I’m just looking forward to sleeping in, maybe renting some movies and actually taking the whole day off from work!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Woo hoo! These are gorgeous! You’ve cracked the code on candied sliced things. Kumquats next?
November 19th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Serving food to the homeless has always been Thanksgiving to me. That’s what my family did on years we couldn’t make the drive to see extended family, and it gave me a way to express that thanks by giving to others and worshiping God. That said, I’m really excited this year to be able to spend some time with my mom, who lives out of state :) It’ll be a family Thanksgiving like Thanksgiving with extended family never was.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
i think [part of what thanksgiving is about taking stock of the year and siphoning out the bad, without forgetting to reflecton how even the worse of what has happened has taught you something about someone, something, and life in general. the other part is of course being thankful for all the good and reveling in that good long enough so it’ll last you until the next thanksgiving :)
those candied limes look like glass art!
November 19th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Thanksgiving is all about family to me. Every year,at the end of the meal, someone will quote my grandmother (long since passed) “Catharine, you could make some lovely croquettes with this.” Then we will all laugh good and hard. My grandmother would utter that same line every year. We have actually gotten to the point where we will use that line for almost any leftovers. Sigh.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Thanksgiving for me is all about food, family and friends. (And, apparently, the letter “F”.) I’ve lived far away from my family for many years, but when I make one of my mom’s recipes for Thanksgiving, the memories it brings up always make me feel like my family is there with me.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. While I love the special dishes that we bust out once a year (stuffing, anyone?), I really just like being around family. Everyone is ridiculous and the food is goooood!
November 19th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Thanksgiving to me is the best Holiday of the year. I love the two days of cooking and then the several hours to enjoy family and friends.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Beautiful yarns!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons, but most of all because I love to make and eat (emphasis on the eat) good food. It’s one of the few times during the year when you can be a glutton; and it’s accepted!
November 19th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I love Thanksgiving becasue it is a time my family gathers together. And we eat. Perfect!
November 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Thanksgiving is MY MEAL! All about tradition and remembering those that went before us. Thankful for what they passed on to us. I do go off the reservation with the apps. This year, home smoked tuna dip, cheddar-blue cheese crackers and scalloped oysters. But, it’s all about the homemade cornbread sausage dressing!
November 19th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I moved to the States from Canada when I was 16 and was introduced to the world of American Thanksgiving. We have Thanksgiving in Canada too, we just celebrate a bit earlier. Since American Thanksgiving is such a family time for our Yankee friends, we started hosting Canadian Thanksgiving at home in October, inviting upwards of 60 people from all different parts of our lives to eat and yack at one big, long table. How I loved those days. :-)
November 19th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I love limes–how have I never heard of calamansi limes?
Growing up Thanksgiving was not nearly as important as the holiday season that came after in my family. I even spent one Thanksgiving day completely alone when I was 15. I decorated the house for xmas. :) But now that I am an adult and all of my parents’ birds have flown the nest, Thanksgiving is important to me as a time when we are all together, at least every several years since we have obligations to our spouses’ families (I have 3 sibs) and of course also it is important to me because now that I am a grown up I can finally ditch the turkey and serve what I want on one of the most important dining holidays around. When I get to host that is! :)
November 19th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
The deep part for me: Reflecting on ALL I have to be thankful for which is so much I can’t believe I’m so lucky (even though I do this all year). The fun part for me: Preparing and cooking the entire meal myself! It’s exhausting and fun all rolled into one.
Gorgeous and thoughtful give away! :o)
November 19th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for whatever is around me – Family, friends, a roof over my head, the food on my plate. I love expressing gratitude, and in a personal way, it’s my favorite holiday.
November 19th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Thanksgiving (which is a mere memory now!) is about a good meal with family, reminding ourselves what is important in life. Realizing how lucky we are to be where we are. Such a fun giveaway Jen! Those limes are stunning =D.
November 19th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
ooh chocolate coated candied limes… looks so fun. I love enjoying the company of my family and friends around the table… looking forward to next week!
November 19th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Thanksgiving: a time where my family gets together, drinks, eats, and I realize how much I love them and how the fact that I only see them once or twice a year only adds to their specialness :)
November 19th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
for me thanksgiving is about the relaxation before everyone amps up for the winter craziness. friends, family, food and gratitude.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I’ll bite. Growing up Thanksgiving was often a bit of a strange construct to me. A lot of times the food and “fellowship” fell disappointingly short of those feasts portrayed in books and movies. So, I guess between dry turkey and spending most Thanksgivings away from family, whatever meanings the day is supposed to have tend to feel a bit forced. Newly married, to somebody deeply entrenched in familial Thanksgiving tradition, I am giving the whole thing a “second chance” and trying to develop new appreciation and traditions. I like the idea of the day really being a celebration of God’s fatherly provisions, by sharing those provisions with others.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I got here through FoodGawker. :) My interest was piqued by the candied calamansi because we have tons of them here in my country. We have a plant of it too in the back. I can make these for Christmas and hand them out to the visitors. :D
We don’t have Thanksgiving as a holiday here but in my Uncle’s house it is celebrated monthly when new shipments of their products arrive. It signals the successful sale of last months shipments and thus it is celebrated with a thanksgiving celebration with all the employees and their families included.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Wow. These are gorgeous! A friend recently did calamondins the same way. They were incredible. So: Thanksgiving? It means staying home and eating and drinking big. Nothing new there. No pressure. And I love it.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
To me, thanksgiving is about a day off spent eating good food in the company of good friends. This year is the fourth year I will host a potluck Thanksgiving with anyone I know in my area welcome to come. While I normally cringe over mixing all the various people I know, I just love Thanksgiving so much and cooking for my friends that I can’t wait! Thanksgiving has always been a happy holiday for me and so I can only hope to spread to others that they can have fun too on Thanksgiving.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Wah, those slices are gorgeous. I want citrus… navel oranges, clementines, pomelos! That’s what winter’s about.
As for Thanksgiving, it doesn’t mean much to me personally, since we’re Chinese and don’t do anything beyond maybe picking up a roast duck from the Asian grocery. Thanksgiving’s just another day, on which he laws of probability are defied because the whole country is caught up in a collective good mood. It’s awesome.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Family, friends, food, board games (football…ugh) & no shopping except for food…and this year a brand spanking new niece!
November 19th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because its purpose is to bring loved ones together, give thanks, and indulge in yummy food. Really, what more can you ask for in life?
November 19th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I am always thankful for my awesome family, supportive friends, lots and lots of yummy food, and… URB (aka. Jen!!). Can’t imagine my daily routine without any of the above…hehe….
Happy Thanksgiving from Vancouver, Canada. :o)
November 19th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
The purple multicolor one is gorgeous!
Tday is all about frantic craziness and getting everything ready and sitting down to eat. Same thing every year and very stressful. I don’t particularly enjoy it that much and feel that the tradition is just too archaic. I’m not a big fan of turkey in general but that is what is expected and wanted. I’m wishing I can change the tradition to something like a 4 day trip to the Bahamas.
I am very grateful for my family and friends but honestly, I am just relieved when January comes around. I am not a happy holiday person but that scarf would make it more tolerable.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The casual atmosphere, the friends, the family and the food and well, of course the day off all make for a lot to be thankful for. Now, if I could just get home for the holiday one of these years…
And your photos of calamansi limes are spectacular. Calamansi juice was my cool, refreshing drink of choice when I lived in the Philippines and with sparkling water they make a great glass of fizzy limeade. Yum!
November 19th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I’m from a family of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and as a family we don’t all feel particularly religious or Yankee. So for us, Thanksgiving is an excuse to get the family together and have a big feast–since I started cooking a couple years ago, we’ve seen more American dishes like stuffing and apple pie, but our staples are still hot pot, dumplings, and red braised pork butt. We figure that gathering your loved ones together, enjoying a nice dinner, and finding things to be thankful for isn’t limited to any one religion or country either, so there are plenty of good reasons to celebrate and none not to.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
It’s my absolute FAVORITE Holiday too – cuz it’s ONLY about the Fantastic Four – Family, Friends, Fun and Food!! It just doesn’t get any better in my book!!
November 19th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that gives me an excuse to fly home to see my family. I’ve been living 3000 miles away from them for about 5 years now and I look forward to my unfortunately infrequent visits. I personally am not a huge fan of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (although my Dad’s dressing is killer) but it’s great to spend a day or two in the kitchen surrounded by the people I love.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday! For me, its about spending an entire day with my immediate family- drinking, eating, and catching up with each other. And I LOVE Thanksgiving food. It’s definitely comfort food to me. This year, I’ll be cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner, and letting my mom have her first one off in over twenty years!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Thanksgiving is about family and friends. It is a fun opportunity to cook and eat things that you may not eat throughout the rest of the year. And it is about being happy and together with the people that mean the most to you.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Jen, you are truly a woman of many talents! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. I’m grateful for all the standard family/health/a roof over my head stuff, but these days I’m especially thankful for the internet. It’s brought me my husband, many great friends (which is especially meaningful to me since I don’t have many where I live now), and all of the warmth and inspiration that the food blogging community has provided for me.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Thanksgiving is a my favorite holiday because it flys under the radar and always pops up when you need that extra boost of family, good food and relaxation. No Thanksgiving songs play on the radio, no one has to go out and buy presents for Thanksgiving- at its simplest, the holiday reminds us exactly what we should be doing as often as possible no matter the season: loving our families, expressing our gratitude for the roofs over our heads and the food in our bellies. Also, Thanksgiving is the most romantic holiday, hands down; why celebrate Valentine’s Day, which is an ode to commercialized love, when Thanksgiving is the true combination of all the qualities I truly treasure most in my life: a cozy autumn, food cooked with thought, the start of snuggly sweater season in New York, family, and football.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Thanksgiving has a dual identity in my life. Back in the States, I associate Thanksgiving with football (I’m from Texas) and with baking pies. More pies than necessary, but they were always eaten and/or boxed up and passed on to those without pie!
But I also have Korean “Thanksgiving” (Chuseok). Then, I immediately recall the feeling of sweet rice flour dough and the smells and sounds in the kitchen. Always lots of chatter and watching of the little cousins running about.
In either case, food and family are closely intertwined. And I’m thankful for the love ‘twixt and throughout!
November 19th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Ooh! Those calamansi limes look so gorgeous! I would have tasted one too because they just look so sweet after you sliced them up before candying!
Thanksgiving means going home and feeling cozy with my parents and my brother. We don’t usually do a turkey but we definitely amp up the dessert making that week. Thanksgiving is the kick off of winter baking for my mom and I. I love that it means thinking about all the things I want to bake and all the people I want to distribute them to!
November 20th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Thanks for your generosity, the yarns are beautiful.
I like the family togetherness of Thanksgiving, traditional food is secondary.
November 20th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Happy Thanksgiving
It is a great time in our house I look around the kitchen and see how our two daughters have turned into wonderful grown women who love and embrace the idea of a family. The conversations of grown children with there parents is the best around any table but so enjoyable and funny at holiday times. Many blessings on you. Thank you for sharing yourself with all of us
November 20th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Thanksgiving to me is all about seeing family, eating good food, and playing a lot of cards. It is one of my favourite holidays, and although it has passed already here in Canada, I enjoy the fact that the food magazines and blogs are stiill posting Thanksgiving recipes for US Thanksgiving! Happy turkey day!
November 20th, 2009 at 6:17 am
We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in my country, so it actually do not mean to much for me, BUT my grandma has birthday this time of the year and mz whole family is together and this is all about people, food, and memories.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday, and this one is special to me for two reasons: it will be my first as a naturalized American, and it will be the first time I’ll celebrate it with Brazilians in our home… my very best friend, we met when I was 21 years old, and we’ve been in touch forever, even when living continents apart – me in France, she in Brazil, me in Brazil, she in England, me in the US, she in Brazil…
finally we’ll have a week together, during my favorite holiday, in my new home country!
I am counting the days….
(I hope this was not too novel like)
November 20th, 2009 at 6:50 am
In Argentina we do not celebrate Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my family and my friends. I’m thankful because we all are in good health, and because we lough a lot being together. I’m thankful because you are so generous with all of us sharing your time, your recipes, your thoughts and a lovely hand made scarf! Gracias Jen! :-)
November 20th, 2009 at 7:25 am
You know I try really hard to remember to be thankful everyday so Thanksgiving Day – just brings to mind turkey, stuffing, Pilgrim hats, pumpkins, wishbones and cranberry sauce.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:27 am
ooooooh! I think I may have to try and come up with a Calamansi Lime Macaron recipe.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:48 am
I am thankful that I found the love of my life when I was only 17. Next year we celebrate 31 years of laughter, children, relative health and great friends and family.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I got all the way to the bottom of the comments and forgot the assignment! Right, What Thanksgiving means to me…well Food=Love so, my favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving is cook for Friends and Family. This year I get to do it twice with two dinners! Absolute bliss!
November 20th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Only 2 men?? Were you counting Jeremy in that list? I know Mary, Lorna (Shiba Inu Warrior) and I have been a bit absent, but we’re still here! This will be the first Thanksgiving Mary and I will make ourselves in our own home, so to me Thanksgiving this year is all about new beginnings. When I think of the impending holiday images of culinary daring, food fights, and much laughter fill my head. I think this will be one to remember.
Subnote: We’re renting a cabin in CO for our honeymoon next year. Super pumped about our first trip to Colorado! We’re so going to the Kitchen!
November 20th, 2009 at 8:40 am
To me, Thanksgiving has always meant family and this year I give thanks for my new little grandson, even though he won’t be at our home this year (we have to share him with his other grandparents this year). In addition to my family, I would be thankful for my dear friends, mostly real but also cyber.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Thanksgiving is about time with family. Now that my husband and I have two young children, we are also finding it important to emphasize “thankfulness” (not that it wasn’t emphasized before, but I feel like it’s much more the focus). Beautiful scarf, by the way :o)
November 20th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Thanksgiving is about making good food and sharing it with friends and family. Since I am in college a couple thousand miles away from home, I’ll be having Thanksgiving with friends instead of family, but I don’t count it a loss!
November 20th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Giving thanks is about celebrating closeness – giving due to those you cannot do without but don’t always remember you’re “with”!
.. and thanks for not stopping the posting! :-)
November 20th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Thanksgiving to me is all about family- we spend the whole day cooking everything together as a family and are usually still in our pajamas by the time we sit down to dinner. I live on the East Coast and family is back home in California so the time together is much appreciated.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
since i’m in college, i haven’t been home for thanksgiving in awhile. for the past few years, thanksgiving has been a time where i have had the opportunity to celebrate thanksgiving at a friend’s house. it’s made me extremely thankful for the close friends i have made in college since i would usually feel homesick during this time. it has also given me a chance to see how people celebrate thanksgiving differently.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
i’m thankful for the little things – getting to walk the dogs every day, seeing the sunlight filter through the
leaves in the woods, the warm tea cup in my hand, still having a job in this economy, the bright stars in the night sky, those kinds of things. i know it sounds hookey but i try to make every day a “thanks giving” day.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanksgiving for me is a chance to do the thing I love most (cook) for the people I love most (my family, dogs included!).
November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
thanksgiving is all about family. for too long i took them for granted, now I enjoy being able to spend time together :)
November 20th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Thanksgiving is about, well, remembering to be thankful! Counting my blessings helps keep my perspective true and my heart right.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here but we celebrate our Christmas Day in a similar. way. My boys insist on hot turkey (and a bucket of gravy) and still talk (with disgust) about the time we had Christmas Day in Perth at my brother’s and my SIL served the turkey cold as a salad. For me it is being together with Bryan and the boys This year, for the first time, their partners will be with us.
I don’t need a scarf and should I win it will be for a dear friend in Indiana.
November 20th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
i love thanksgiving because it’s only holiday that i celebrate with both family and friends, including friends who show up from the randomest corners of the globe!
November 20th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Yum! Thanksgiving has recently been spent with my second family – all of my friends in this little resort town that don’t get to go “home”. Everyone gets assigned something – the people who don’t have to work cook and play with the dogs, and then when everyone is off of work we eat until we can’t and play games. Hurray for friends!
November 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Thanksgiving means cranberry, and the leftovers to go with it!
November 20th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Mmmm , I love Thanksgiving. First of all early in the week my children and I gather up our clothing that we don”t wear anymore and take it to Goodwill,then we pack a collection of cans and Thanksgiving worthy food and take it to the food bank.I drive my online friends crazy trying to get them to sign up for the Breast cancer cause or the Darfur Coalition and the Food Hungry site. I believe that we are so blessed in our country even if we are in a financial crisis and believe me I am one of those people hit hard by economic times,Thanksgiving starts in the heart being grateful for all our blessings and helping others who are struggling and teaching people to care for each other. On Thanksgiving we celebrate life and love around the table together as a family. We are blessed and grateful! Happy Thanksgiving to you.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I’m thankful that I am attending a meal at my boyfriend’s parents because I love their family and am excited to begin to make new memories with them.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
thanksgiving is a celebration of the best season of the year–autumn–and the things that make autumn so fabulous: great weather, pumpkin, football, and green bean casserole :)
November 20th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Thanksgiving is new recipes, full bellies, the fancy table, card games or dominoes, and family. And hopefully a bit of a chill here in SoCal.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
for me, Thanksgiving means time with friends and family, and lots of tasty, traditional favorite foods.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I’ve always happily hosted the family Thanksgiving complete with traditional recipes, decorations, and all the accoutrements. This year? Dinner in a hospital gathered around my very ill father-in-law. Doesn’t matter where we are, what we’re eating, or how pretty the table is, just that we’re with each other. And living in the moment.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:13 am
Thanksgiving means a great deal of warmth with good friends who have fast become family for those of us far from home.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:05 am
Thanksgiving is my favorite american holiday. For me it is about the people closest to me; my family, friends, random strangers that befriended me. It is time for me to look back and thank them being in my life. It is a time of gratitude.
November 21st, 2009 at 6:23 am
It’s the best sort of anticipatory overture to the holiday season– besides loving the fall harvest menu, I spend the day in Christmas holiday planning wonder: what will I make for parties, dinners, cookies, how will I decorate my house, what will I gift to my loved ones? What holiday events will I attend? Concerts? Parties? Plays? Movies? And most importantly– when will it snow??
I love Thanksgiving most of all.
November 21st, 2009 at 7:10 am
Thanksgiving has become the favorite “holiday” for my husband and I (both complete food freaks). For the last few years we always had Thanksgiving at his Parents house in Maine, This year we live in Norway and are going to bring our international friends in on the action. To us, it is a celebration of slow food goodness, preparing a wonderful meal with love and sharing it with those we care about. What I find most important about thanksgiving is that families who do not normally cook real food or eat together can take at least one day out of the year to enjoy a true meal. Personally I feel that “Thanksgiving” should happen more often.
November 21st, 2009 at 7:52 am
This year will be the fifth year since my granddad passed away the day before Thanksgiving. So it’s really just a time that I am thankful to be with my family.
November 21st, 2009 at 9:48 am
Jen, that is such a sweet idea! Thanksgiving is about random acts of kindness and appreciating the things you take for granted :)
November 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am
Thanksgiving to me is purely about celebrating family. Relaxing and enjoying each others company.
I love scarfs, the color you used in the first picture is gorgeous!
November 21st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Thanksgiving to me is a all about family and good food and being grateful for the people in your life….
November 21st, 2009 at 12:21 pm
To me Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with the people you love…and preparing and eating the food you love! Even tho I’m from Canada and wont get the day off…I’m still thankful!
November 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Oh Jen! I would LOVE that scarf… I live in an area of Idaho that can get c-c-c-cold in January/February… I love the pattern, and I have already picked my colors… That being said… PICK ME!
I ‘like’ Thanksgiving… I love the food and the family, but the obligations to go ‘see everyone’ can get tiresome… I am 45… I would LOVE it if everyone came to me for a change… But no dice… I still get to go to the in-law’s, my two families (divorce is lovely this time of year), and there is always the ‘odd’ friend we need to drop by and say hi to… Okay, now I have said my piece…
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 21st, 2009 at 12:29 pm
It means one more day until some serious shopping! I’ve never heard of those limes before and your pictures are beautiful.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in this part of the world, but I suppose it’s similar to what Christmans means for me: spending time with family and close friends, cooking and eating lots of traditional family dishes.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Thanksgiving means a break from school and time to bake bake bake up a storm. And have lots of cousins and family around to eat.
Also, LOVE that yarn. I’ve used it before myself.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
No gifts, no religion, just a spirituality of gratitude for all that we have added to traditional (and non!) foods and family. Oh…and there’s a parade!
November 21st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
First time poster (but regular lurker)- just want to say I love your blog! I just got a DSLR and I’ve checked out your photography tips! Also love your recipes :)
Since we don’t have much extended family here in the states, Thanksgiving for me is about an interesting mix of Chinese food and turkey with family friends. And I always make some kind of dessert! (usually a pie or this year, pumpkin cheesecake!
November 21st, 2009 at 5:38 pm
THANKSGIVING is all about family:-)
November 21st, 2009 at 8:27 pm
What an unusual Lime. I have never seen an orange lime before
November 21st, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Thanksgiving is about watching kids grow up over the years. I’ve been going to my fiance’s cousin’s place for T-day for the past 4 years, and I just love seeing her kids changing so quickly. I even love seeing the cousin’s husband’s niece year after year as a teenager, going through high school. It reminds me of being a kid again…
November 21st, 2009 at 10:54 pm
ooh we use calamansi a lot in filipino cuisine, like with bistek
http://www.inuyaki.com/archives/649
i don’t celebrate thanksgiving as we don’t celebrate this occasion in the philippines.
now that i’ve been here for a while, i think that thanksgiving is a way to reconnect with your family that you haven’t seen in a while and enjoy a good family meal together. i always look forward to the sweet potato mash :)
November 21st, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Thanksgiving is about the family and being able to share amazing food with them. :)
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:22 am
Oh gosh, you’re making me drool!
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:47 am
Thanksgiving means to me that you stop and take time to reflect on all the good things in your life…and be thankful. There have been many years that this was more difficult than others, but there are always several things to be thankful for once you really stop to remember them. Also..who doesn’t associate Thanksgiving with food and family….pumpkin pie specifically for me!
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
Thanksgiving always makes me think about my mother-in-law. She passed away three years ago, but, she would always make the lot of us hold hands in a big circle. We would then go from person to person stating what we were thankful for. It always took some time, because there were usually thirty or so family members and friends. But, I think having to spend that time so close to everyone really reminded us all as to how lucky we were to have each other in our lives. I still tear up thinking about her last Thanksgiving, and, looking back, seeing that she knew it was her last with us. So, to me, Thanksgiving is a time that makes me thankful to have had such a wonderful person in my life.
I think this scarf is the best giveaway you have thought of!
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 am
Thanksgiving for me is a special time with family and friends, my favorite holiday and occasionally my birthday. The food ties it all together. We have “practice” Thanksgivings in my family throughout the year as an excuse to get together and enjoy.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
What? No novels? Ahh, man.
Thanksgiving…. means thanks for all the amazing people and things in my life. Food on the table, roof over my head, heat in my house, and all the amazing love I receive.
Love the colors in that scarf!
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:04 am
Thanksgiving is about being with the ones you love!
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:05 am
About ten minutes ago I was watching this marvelous double rainbow out of my bedroom window and a warm and soft feeling filled my breast. I think its a Thanks for the wonders of nature.
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 am
Thanksgiving is family and food to me – see, no novel! :) Wonder if that recipe would work with Meyer lemons? My little tree pops out one little lemon about every three months!
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
hopefully this time my post will show & i wont frantically try again to post then to have it show me posting two later! LOL
Thanksgiving to me, is & always will be a gathering of family & good food. A lot of cooks in my family & a lot of good food.
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Thanksgiving is all about the friends and family that make life so colorful. What is life really without friends… people who support you, love you, laugh with you, and at you sometimes! It’s about sharing a meal with those you love. And everything is better with good food!
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I so love your fotos of the candied citrus fruits – they are really marvellous! Well, Thanksgiving for me is a homefeeling remember of a visit at the home of american relatives with a nice cocktail in the jaccuzi just before the turkey dinner (our first sweet potatoes and turkey!)
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I love the photos! When you are surrounded by friends/family and food, nothing else matters. That is when I feel most at peace and happy. I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Thanksgiving is not so much about the food, rather those who gather around the table. It is a time to celebrate family and all of life’s blessings!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Since most of my extended family lives far away, we often have thanksgiving with my parents’ friends’ families. Over time, it’s almost begun to seem like our “Thanksgiving family” – so I guess to me Thanksgiving is about enjoying “family” even if you aren’t related!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I have the funniest image of you, all squinched up from trying the lime :P But as far as Thanksgiving? It’s all about spending all. day. in the kitchen. Seriously, it’s all about prepping, cooking, baking, snacking with my entire family. We love food, so the menu is different every year. Too much fun.
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I am thankful that I I live in an awesome country like Australia where I dont have to worry daily about food shortages, terrorism threats, diseases, wars etc etc. We do have to worry about horrendous bushfires tho.
November 22nd, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Thanksgiving is the only holiday on which my Polish family eats exclusively Yankee food – thankfully, we’ve come a long way from the store-bought pies and canned cranberry sauce I remember from childhood.
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I love Thanksgiving – everything about it! Cooking wonderful food, being with people you care about, and then the leftovers – the reward for all the hard work. Appreciating what you have…
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Thanksgiving to me is affectionately known as “Random Western Food Day” among me, my brother, and my cousins. Coming from a Chinese family, Thanksgiving and various other holidays would be the only days that we would have non-Chinese food! And it would be made by my mom or one of my aunts instead of my wonderfully amazing grandmother, too, who normally would cook dinner. Though that was before I moved out for university… Right now, it’s a chance to go home and see my family, who I probably haven’t seen for a month and a half (Canadian!) and to eat food I didn’t have to cook or buy myself!
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 am
I love piling into the car with my family on Thanksgiving to go spend the day with friends. It’s a few hours of quality time together on the road. And then on the drive home, when we’re all stuffed full, it’s time to start the Christmas season — we sing carols all the way home! (I know, gag! But it’s our tradition so what can you do?)
Happy Thanksgiving urb!
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:41 am
Being a Chinese family in an Asian country, we never celebrate Thanksgiving, with turkey and all. But I think, our Thanksgiving celebration is when we celebrate Chinese New Year. With the whole family gathering around, and I mean “The Whole” family, with my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Preparing food together, chatting, sharing jokes and laughters, playing cards, eating, more eating. Whew.. what a great time to catch up with the whole family and feeling so thankful for them.
Interesting candy. I’ve never heard of Calamansi limes before. But it sure looks good ! And I bet, it taste good too.
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:37 am
I am thankful for my family, for the wonderful meal we will prepare together, for our new president, and for the great fortune we have all enjoyed.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 am
Standing at the 178th comment, I am not hoping big on winning this giveaway although it would be really really really lovely! To me, Thanksgiving is simply giving thanks to loved ones.
My husband says these candied calamansi limes remind him of his mum’s candied orange peels :)
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:03 am
Pretty limes! So Thanksgiving for me is about celebrating traditions and harvest. Best celebrated with family and loved ones, of course. But mainly it’s all about the food. Not necessarily a turkey, but a feast of the harvest. Emphasis on the feast.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 am
We don’t celebrate thanksgiving on this side of the world, but still, what it means to me is turkey and cranberry and a hope i would once get to stuff my face with everything that is a thanksgiving tradition. So, food. :)
I just candied some carrots two days ago, i was really interested in seeing no corn-syrup in these candid limes of yours, thank you for that, we’re learning sth new every day. :)
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
Thanksgiving to me and my family simply means another holiday where we get together and eat, which is a time we are always grateful for. We’ve only had turkey on a couple of Thanksgivings, because most people in my family aren’t fans. But we are so grateful for the holiday and how it in part celebrates eating and sharing.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
thanksgiving is, to me, the only holiday that doesn’t have a commercial “reason” for being. It is all about people & things that you love… whether they be people, food, or just traditions…. Time spent sharing memories are what makes each part of the holiday great… and new traditions are being made.
Lovely scarf pattern… gorgeous yarn…. good luck everyone!
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Thanksgiving, to me, is the most important holiday of the year. I grew up in a farming community and it’s such a poignant marker of the end of the growing season (always celebrated with so much great food!) Coming just at the beginning of long, cold, dark winters, it’s a time to reflect on the year’s successes and victories, as well as losses. Each year I’m reminded of the meaning of living with family in community (for better or for worse), what we have or don’t have. Sometimes surprised, as even when times feel so low, I can always find so many things to feel thankful for.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Celebrating family and loved ones around a delicious meal! And giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives… Happy holidays!
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Thanksgiving is about family and remembering what we really should remember everyday! Food too!
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
It’s all about the cooking – for friends, family and discovering that even though you already cook 4 different types of dressing to make everyone happy, when your daughter brings home new boyfriend, what’s another? (yes, really 5 dressings and that’s not counting the sweet potato casserole!!)
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Thanksgiving for me is about getting together as a family to give thanks for everything we have. I love your scarf pattern, thanks for sharing it.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Thanksgiving…. I keep this moment with my household only for now. the big meetings are done for christmas. however, it’s time to think about what the year has brought to us, and what we will bring to one another. it’s time also to thank for the earth’s givings – aka food – and let it time to rejunevate, and at the same time put our minds at rest end enjoy life :)
beautiful scarf !
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Thanksgiving to me simply means family. It’s so rare these days that we can all get together, destress and just *talk*. The older I get of course family means more and more. Thanksgiving is definitely a day to consider how blessed I am!
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Thanksgiving is my favorite–in my family, it’s like Christmas, minus the craziness. Your scarf is lovely!
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
what a fantastic giveaway!! i love that it’s from your heart and hands…and you are too, too kind to regularly offer such fabulous giveaways out of your pocket.
thanksgiving has always been about spending a whole day with family (a feat in itself, haha!), laughing, eating, and watching football!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
oh, I LOVE manos del uruguay! my local yarn store recently closed and it’s pretty much tragic. I’m at home for the holidays in Park City, Utah, and we’re loving the snow (and the 7500ft altitude! it’s a nice change from sea level VT, where I go to school). Thanksgiving’s my favorite holiday — what could be better than appreciating what we have with the people that we love? it’s all about family… and of course, food!
November 24th, 2009 at 6:48 am
For me, Christmas is about whole extended family getting together – all except my mom’s sister and her family, who are Jewish and thus don’t join us. Therefore, we always celebrated delicious Kosher Thanksgiving with them instead. I have many great memories of being there as a child, and I’m going back this year – with my significant other for the first time. Guess I’m growing up…. :-)
I am so lucky.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:31 am
To me Thanksgiving is about family. I live in Canada now but for a few years my family and I lived in the States and were able to celebrate American Thanksgiving which is more of a “holiday”. When we were in Syracuse, my mom’s sisters and brother all came from Canada to visit us and join us for American Thanksgiving because living in Upstate NY meant that a Christmas visit wasn’t always feasible. Being Chinese in Syracuse 20 years ago, meant there were few other Chinese people around. Having my mom’s family around made me and my brother feel connected.
Thanks for letting me share that memory.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Thanksgiving is about family and relaxing around the house. With such busy lives, it’s a chance to finally slow down and enjoy living. “Ahhhhhh”
November 24th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thanksgiving reminds me how blessed I am to have been born where I was. I had no choice in the matter. And to me that is motivation enough to give, and give lots. To give thanks for the life I have and the family I love, for my health and that of those around me, for a future that is bright and open, for my education and the chance for more, and to give to others because I have been given so much. Even if a bag of goodies at Christmas, a free tutoring session to a student, or that extra dollar at the check-out line, there are infinite ways I can give back and give out that which I have been so blessed to receive. Thanksgiving is a good “kick in the behind” reminder. :)
Thanks for the chance to think and write “out loud” about it, Jen. I have never written a post to you but thanks so much for your dedicated effort to this site. It has continually been a wonderful source of inspiration for me. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
November 24th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I love Thanksgiving!
It’s a time to be with those we love and remember the loved ones who are no longer with us.
It’s also the beginning of all of the holiday cheer! I can’t wait! :D
November 24th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving – October 12 this year. I am thankful for family, a comfortable place to live, a decent job and teh ability to create things – cooking and quilting.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Thanksgiving == Bowling around here. Good times.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:28 am
Although we do not celebrate the traditional american Thanksgiving in my home country, we have something similar, “Erntedankfest” which has a religous background. For me personally this time of the year means enjoying time with family and friends and getting into “festive” mood :-).
November 25th, 2009 at 4:26 am
It’s all about hangin’ with the family; cooking, eating, playing games, getting bundled up and going for long walks. It’s one of my favorite holidays!
November 25th, 2009 at 4:33 am
Thanksgiving is about sharing food and being with the people who are important to me. I love having my 9 year old daughter help me and my 7 year old twin boys try to help me. Their favorite part is buttering the turkey before it goes in the oven.
November 25th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Thanksgiving is about time in the kitchen with my mom. It gives us such a great chance to keep family traditions alive and reconnect over something we both love.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Thanksgiving is about the food, as well as family and friends.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I love Thanksgiving. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia we could pick all the vegetables from our gardens, and were always grateful for a good harvest. We would meet up mid-morning to help my grandmother cook, and then my grandfather would pretend to tease me for eating more than my uncle. My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and although Thanksgiving isn’t the same without him, it’s still my favorite holiday.
November 25th, 2009 at 8:48 am
What variety of fruits! Gorgeous.
Thanksgiving means for me celebrating and accepting what you do have . And with that relaxing and enjoying the day and meal with your loved ones. When I think of Thanksgiving I fell my mother in my heart , and he legacy lives on, as I prepare.
November 25th, 2009 at 9:08 am
The most elaborate Thanksgiving I has was when I visited my relatives in Mississippi – it was serious business. But for my closer relatives, it’s more casual and I often don’t participate in a meal (just a phone call to relatives). I’ve been wanting to cook and try out some of the more elaborate recipes designed by people who have had a chance to grow weary of the repetition. But while my father is still alive, the menu will stay pretty bland. But – I will be cooking my 2nd turkey ever tomorrow.
November 25th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Like the first celebrants, bedraggled and bewildered from having survived the harshest of New England winters — I, too, am thankful for simply being alive. A good life and good food to share with family and friends — all else builds from there. Happy Thanksgiving, Jen.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:48 am
In our home Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for all He provides for us and gives us. We attend a service of thanks at church at 9AM, then it’s home for the big meal. In the afternoon, we decorate the Christmas tree in the living room. Thank you for hosting such a great giveaway! :) ~~Rhonda
November 25th, 2009 at 11:20 am
At this very moment, I’m most thankful for the fact that I’m pregnant! And that I’ve made it to my 8th month for the first time, without any complications. For someone who’s had multiple miscarriages in the past – this is a BIIIIG deal! So yes, I think that would my no. 1 thing to be thankful for right now :) *she says while patting her huge belly*
November 25th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
To me, Thanksgiving is when I get to escape from college for a few days and come home to the comforts of family. Not having to cook my own meals is the best part :)
November 25th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Thanksgiving is about grub its my absolute favorite holiday!
November 25th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
This year Thanksgiving is about having a moment to rest, and that leads to much thankfulness! We love the fall, but it gets busy and the darkness getting discouraging, so its nice to have Thanksgiving as a chance to regroup and relax as we head into winter.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Thanksgiving means turkey dinner. Simple and tasty.
Would love to win a scarf.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Jen- Thanksgiving is a conucopia (sp) of our crazy mixed up life. Fun-Food-Family just as crazy as the day. We pick and choose our favorite traditional recipes and the just to crazy up the relatives we do something different. Fun and 2009 Thanksgiving should be different than last year. We are rezilliant in the USA, even our people out in space are given some form of Thanksgiving dehydrated and still our tradition. When our food banks are terrorized by theft, we kick it in and bring in more and better food. (This happened this year in the Seattle WA. area) Our food bank in Arlington Texas ran short of Turkey and threatened to use Chicken!!!! Oh no-no way people donated 300 turkeys and the day has been saved. I helped a young lady in the store today to find a Tofu Turkey- and her day was made!!! Americans go further and further to keep traditions and create new ones. So Jen- God Bless America and Bless your web site. You remember traditions and encourage us to grow and extend to new food creations each and every one of us readers. Hope you and yours have a great day!!
P.s. Hope I win ” The Scarf of the Year” Purple is my color – My friends call me “Lavender Lady”
November 25th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Thanksgiving to me is about family, love and food : )
November 25th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Since I have gotten married Thanksgiving as always been at my house. A tradition I have is cooking up brussel sprouts. As a kid, I hated those little green spheres. However in college, a friend bought a stock of them, and all of a sudden I was interested in giving them a second chance. I just boil them till they brighten up, drain them, then saute in butter ( which gives off a nutty smell). My sister actually drives from California to Arizona and will call to make sure they are on the menu. So how is that for tradition; brussel sprouts.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it means being with family and friends, and letting them know you appreciate them by cooking for hours :) It’s hard this year being in chilly Chicago while they’re all around California, but just thinking about it makes me a bit warmer.
November 25th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
i thought my answer would simply be “family”. but i’m realizing it’s much more loaded than that, now. it’s still about family, but in a different way. my older cousins are married, have dispersed, and are starting their families (two new babies in the last year), as well as their own traditions. i am often the only 3rd gen. at family functions in recent years, since my sister lives so far away. so i think the simple answer is still family, lots of food (we’re Chinese after all!).. and finding out what the new traditions will be, and learning to love those memories as well.
thanks for the contest, and happy thanksgiving to you and yours. =)
November 25th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Thanksgiving is about eating tons of Chinese and American food with 20 families that we know packed in one house. It is ridiculous, crazy, but awesome. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
November 26th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for our blessings. The family and friends gathered around a table of food in a warm house remind us of what is important in our lives.
November 29th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
You guys are great and I enjoyed reading what Thanksgiving means for you. I think this time of year more than any other is when I take a good look at the past year, at my life, at the wonderful people around me both near and far, and I am so thankful for all of it. I’m also thankful for all of you. xxoo
Manisha – I haven’t tried it! I have to admit that I stopped buying ice cream once I learned how to make my own – mostly b/c it uses up all the egg yolks leftover from making buttercream frostings or macarons! :)
Allison – I think it’s a tough call with the citrus. Candying orange peels versus lemon slices versus calamansi lime slices has all been trial and error for me. I guess if they are super hard, then you’ve simmered them too long or perhaps on too high a temperature? Also, I think blanching them first really makes a difference in removing bitterness as well as softening the rinds. I blanch my orange peels 3 times before simmering in sugar syrup.
Collette – I haven’t been keeping track of yarns for the past couple of years, so I haven’t tried Malabrigo. It sounds lovely. I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks!
Jess – parrots, crows, birds like shiny, sparkly, colorful things :) That’s why I’m a parrot. I love colored glass :)
Kim – I’d hardly call myself a knitter. I’m just a knitting enthusiast with minimal skills! My friends are PHENOMENAL knitters :) I froze the passionfruit pulp. Will have to plan a special dessert with it when I have more time (like in 2010).
December 1st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
So behind on my reader! Thanks for the candied fruit recipe, I think I might end up making my own for my christmas cakes…
January 4th, 2012 at 2:56 am
what is the shelf life of this candied calamansi lime? please do reply asap… thank you so much… its quite interesting for me to do it….
January 4th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
faye – at least a month if stored in an airtight container.