Thanksgiving Burlap Bunting & Cottage Pie

I love it when the weather is foggy, a day ago we were surrounded by fog for nearly the whole day.

All of this November weather has got me in the crafting mood, so for the last couple of days I have been busy stitching away on my Christmas ornaments as well as sewing up the Thanksgiving bunting that I wanted to make. I will share my Christmas ornaments in a post next week, I am really enjoying making them. I am really happy with my first attempt at a burlap bunting. I hung it above our fireplace, to finish off my Thanksgiving mantle decor.

The bunting triangles are 7 inches across at the top and 9 inches tall at the center (roughly 8 inches after making the fold at the top to thread twine through). I printed the letters from an Alphabet Template here. I cut out the letters from various fall colored fabric scraps I had on hand from various projects over the years using pinking shears. The letters are sewn on by machine stitching around the inside border of each letter. To hang the bunting I thread jute twine through the tops of each triangle, and it was ready to hang above the fire place.

Here is a closer shot of the bunting. This was a very fun project, and I am planning on making one for Christmas as well!

Nice warm comforting foods are also essential this time of year, I thought I would share one of my family's favorite meals- Cottage Pie. Cottage Pie is simple to make, and my whole family just gobbles it up! Here is my recipe.

Cottage Pie

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots blend

1 small 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 egg lightly beaten

1 1/2 Tablespoons Dried Chopped/Minced Onion

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

a few dashes of Italian seasoning

about 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar jack cheese

enough mashed potatoes to serve four people

dried parsley

I use a lot of dried onion in my recipes, I love the taste. I go through a lot of it, and my Mother in Law bought me this brand from Costco (Thanks Sue!). Now I am hooked, such a nice quality, anyone who has a Costco nearby should give this a try. Great item to have on hand in the pantry. Of course any brand will do for this recipe, I just thought I would share my new favorite. :)

Brown the hamburger until fully cooked and drain, then stir in tomato sauce and seasonings, then stir in beaten egg and stir until combined, then stir in frozen peas and carrots. Transfer to a casserole dish.

Top the meat mixture with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Then into your cooked and prepared mashed potatoes, stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese as well as 2 teaspoons of dried parsley. Stir until cheese and parsley are thoroughly combined with mashed potatoes. Then spread on top of meat mixture.

Bake at 375 F. until top is golden brown and meat is bubbly hot about 40-45 minutes.

This makes a perfect one dish meal or can be served with a salad and bread.

I look forward to spending the weekend doing some more crafting as well as getting my Thanksgiving grocery shopping done.

In honor of Veteran's Day I would like to say a big Thank You to all of our Veterans as well as to the families of Veterans- I truly appreciate your service to our country!! God be with you and yours!