It’s Thanksgiving week! I absolutely love the Thanksgiving holiday because it allows me the opportunity to make a variety of dishes from scratch. Since we moved to Nashville six years ago, we’ve been hosting the Thanksgiving day feast. To be honest, I actually love it and I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to what dishes are “mandatory” in a Thanksgiving dinner. There are quite a few must-have’s on the table in my book right down to the relish tray that is complete with sweet pickles, olives and cranberry.

Here are a few of my favorite dishes and recipes you may like for your Thanksgiving menu.

The picture above was taken from my iphone last Thanksgiving and is my new favorite Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe. You can find the whole recipe on the Pioneer Woman’s blog here. I ended up using a large bag of crusty french bread cubes that were already baked and cubed in the bakery at Publix in lieu of the cornbread/white bread Pioneer Woman uses. I agree with her that organic chicken broth is far superior to regular canned broth. In any case, this recipe is hands down, AMAZING. I could have gobbled up the whole bowl and skipped everything else!

My Other Thanksgiving Recipe Favorites:

Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole
This one is far superior to the typical canned mushroom soup and french onion topping recipe. It isn’t much work either and tastes rich and delicious.

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople
My favorite apple pie recipe! My own review notes from a few years back (I’ve been making this one for years now): This was seriously the most beautiful pie I ever baked! I added a bit more vanilla and some cinnamon (just because I like to!), but other than that, this recipe is perfect!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mmmm…garlic and mashed potatoes, what could be better? My personal review posted on the site a few years back: Wow! These were REALLY GOOD. A new holiday dinner staple. Like others, I used whipping cream instead of the milk (and maybe a bit more than it called for to make them extra creamy). Yummmmm! The real roasted garlic I think definitely added that extra yummy touch. Will make this again for special occasions!

Easy Herb Roasted Turkey
I love this recipe. Sadly, I will be relinquishing control of the bird this year to my Dad. My Mom and Dad are visiting us this year and they have their own way (but still tasty!) way of preparing the bird.  However, if you’re looking for a delicious turkey recipe, here is my review I left in previous years: Yep, all the reviewers are correct – this is THE BEST turkey recipe ever! So glad I chose this recipe for our thanksgiving this year. Was a bit worried about all the herbs that covered the turkey, but didn’t matter in the end! The meat literally fell off the bone before it was done! And the white meat which we don’t usually like because it is dry – so moist – just like the dark meat. And the gravy – no seasoning at all required!!! Just add some cornstarch and it was done! I did brine my turkey overnight which may have added to the yumminess (was my first time doing that). I also added a sliced apple to the inside cavity to add more moisture. I injected some of olive oil/herb mixture under the skin. I also used a reynolds turkey bag. This will be our turkey recipe from now on!

I hope you enjoy some of these recipes and be sure to let me know which are your favorites! What are your Thanksgiving must-have’s at your feast?

Today, I’m happy to report my hand-poured mason jar soy candles are in stock and ready to ship! The truck just delivered them and my studio is filled with such lovely pumpkin spice & apple aromas. All I need is a cozy sweater and Pumpkin Spiced Latte and I will be set, right?

Allow me to share you a journey of these sweet little candles…

Over a year and a half ago, I sat in the room at the very first Stationery Academy and shared some of the big dreams I had for myself to the group. They were things I hadn’t said aloud before, let alone put on paper.

It makes me smile to think of the powerful results that have come from this activity. I even encourage this same action – the naming of your biggest dreams and goals – to the new friends I meet at AH Inspired. I encourage them post them on their blog and put them out there into the universe. As they say… “if you can name it, you can claim it!”

So, that afternoon in Pensacola, I listed off some various things – some things I still have in my heart to want and work toward – but randomly, out of nowhere, I said,

“I want to make a candle. An “Amber Housley” candle. It will be cute and southern and homemade and come in a cute mason jar.”

Now developing a candle isn’t usually on someone’s big dreams list, but it was on mine. And finally this summer, I set about to make it happen.

Allow me to introduce you to the AH soy candle holiday collection that is: cute, southern, homemade and of course, packaged in a cute mason jar:

Here are some of the fabulous features of these candles.
These darling half-pint 8 ounce mason jar candles are replicas of good old fashioned canning jars with the words “mason” engraved in the glass.

- made from 100% soybean wax
- does not emit toxins while burning
- emits an incredibly small amount of soot
- biodegradable
- water-soluble
- burns cooler and slower
- renewable resource
- supports US farmers and our own economic growth

Burn time is 55-65 hours.
The maximum recommended burn time is 4 hours per burn.

 The holiday soy candle collection is available now in the Sweet Tea & Lemonade Pop-Up Shop. There is a set of each style that would make a wonderful gift this season! How cute would it be to package them up as a gift for a friend in in an antique wire basket with burlap and fall leaves or pinecones like I did for this picture?!

I can’t wait for you to enjoy these as much as I have enjoyed creating them!

I’m celebrating the launch of some adorable Fall – Halloween – Thanksgiving products in my new Etsy pop-up shop with a special Pin it to Win it contest!

Fall is my most favorite season of all – the decorations, the parties, the weather – and I love going through Pinterest to find new ideas. Won’t you share with me some of your favorite ideas for the autumn season and also let me know what your favorite product is from the newly launched Sweet Tea & Lemonade shop?  Here are all the details of the contest that is open now through September 29.

Good Luck! I can’t wait to see what y’all come up with! Want to take a peek at what I’ve pinned so far for Fall? See my Fall Fun Pinterest board here.

I’m excited to announce the Fall edition of my pop-up shop is now open on Etsy.com!

I’ve stocked my Etsy shop full of adorable custom plates and platters that can be personalized to your family. These Halloween & Thanksgiving keepsakes will be fun to use year after year.

A fun and cheerful Halloween delight for your favorite ghouls and goblins! Dress up your table this Fall with this custom personalized melamine plate in chevron orange pattern with an adorably spooky haunted house!

This 10″ melamine plate can be customized with either a first name or a family name. Example: “Addyson” or “The Smith Family”. The message “Happy Halloween!” will be printed above the name. This will be a great gift and keepsake to use each year!

Plates + Platters + cuteness overload! = Oh my!

My sweet friend Cyn Kain was here last week to capture all of the Fall product festivities (not to mention photograph ALL of the everyday products that are launching on my birthday, October 4th!!). Get excited friends, it’s going to be amazing! I can hardly wait to share.

This little black cat Halloween plate is a favorite! I love the modern and bold black & white pattern. “No tricks, just treats!” is printed underneath the personalized name. This is also available in a platter design.

Halloween designs are available for order for a limited time only through October 17, 2013.

And our next favorite holiday on the calendar : Thanksgiving!

Gobble! Gobble! This adorable little owl is dressed up in Thanksgiving’s favorite mascot. What a fantastic addition to your Thanksgiving children’s table this Fall with a custom personalized melamine plate in harvest pattern with a super sweet turkey.

As with all of these, we want you to receive and enjoy your plates and platters as soon as possible, so you will NOT receive a proof of customization prior to production. Simply include the exact spelling and capitalization for how you would like your plate customized in the “notes to seller” section at Etsy checkout, and we will print exactly as you type it.

Thanksgiving designs are available for order for a limited time only through November 5, 2012.

Thanks so much for your kind words and support of these Fall designs. They are only a fraction of the goodness that is to come in just a few short weeks when the official Sweet Tea & Lemonade shop opens!

Last month, as I was prepping for a Chili Cook-off contest (which I came home with the prize wining trophy!), I decided I needed a festive Fall flower arrangement for my tasting table. I ran to Publix (where I can always find great flowers!) and picked up some fresh florals in their 3 for $10 section. Sunflowers were a natural choice since they always pair well with red and white checkered flag table cloths. I also chose some cheerful yellow spider mums since they have great texture and make a good filler.

I then went into the backyard to cut a few late-season but pretty-as-ever dahlias. This was my first year growing this variety of reddish-orange with yellow tip dahlias, and they did not disappoint! I’ll share soon how easy it is to grow my beloved dahlia flowers, but just know they are incredibly easy and plentiful to grow. I was really surprised at how long the season lasted in my yard this year.

With the sunflowers and dahlias mixed together, I thought it would be fun to stick in a few faux fall leaves (again from Publix). After I put the arrangement together, I realized what a great Thanksgiving table centerpiece this would make! That is when the impromptu photo session on my small kitchen nook table began…I call it: “Sweet and Simple Thanksgiving Tablescape for Small Spaces”.

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Warm wishes to you and your family this holiday weekend!