Heaven in my cup...and Help this Hostess!

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Coffee-mate has stocked the shelves with bottled happiness. I have actually stopped drinking a cup of coffee daily for a variety of reasons. None of which has lessened my caffeine-intake, but oh well. The cooler months are different, though. I always have a bottle of Coffee-Mate's Gingerbread Creamer in my fridge from November through February (yes, they keep them around that long). They also have other exciting flavors to go along with the festive-ness including peppermint, egg-nog, and the elusive caramel apple that is new for this year, but apparently has not yet made it to my HEB or Wal-mart. Our LIFEGroup is a big bunch of coffee drinkers and a couple of us have an ongoing joke that if your house is hosting, you better have your Coffee-mate creamer ready. I can't wait to host with the seasonal goodies! Silly, I know.
On to other exciting stuff...
The Dominguez house has been a wild and crazy place lately. I am loving my new side job of making cards and blogs! It has been so much fun. Thank you all for the amazing support you've sent my way-- the emails and calls and sweet comments have been so appreciated.
We were a little sad to move our friends Brian and Beth out of Killeen and down the road to Temple yesterday. I say "we" loosely, as I didn't actually help with any heavy-lifting...just a little casserole-fixin' to start 'em out right. We will miss our Thursday night "Office" parties and all the other fun stuff. But, hey...you're not that far!



David and I are hosting our very first Thanksgiving in our own home this year. We usually do the "every other year" thing between the Dominguezes and Pawliks. This is a Pawlik year and the honor has been bestowed upon me by my mother to take on Thanksgiving. There are a few strings attached. She is still preparing the turkey, stuffing and sweet potato casserole (she just couldn't let go completely now, could she?). One of my brothers also brings a smoked turkey...which I look forward to so much. It is heaven between two slices of wheat bread the Friday after. Other than that...I am just beginning putting together my menu. I feel a little behind. Mom would have already had her grocery list made by this point. And her chin probably just hit the floor when she read that I am just now thinking about the menu. But, seriously, her menu for this annual event hasn't changed much in 50 years...that's right...she's been the hostess with the mostest for a long time. So I am putting out a little plea, my friends. I would LOVE a few of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes that have graced your own dining tables for decades upon decades. Just some ideas for this first-timer.

Here's the game plan so far:
-As mentioned before...Turkey, dressing and sweet potatoes are covered.
-I will make the cranberry relish I have been making the last five years. It's my favorite and I am not all that into cranberries (It has jalapenos-- very Texasie)!
-I am also making an actual cranberry sauce that my friend Jennifer (aka, The Dinnertime Diva) gave me the other day.
-And mom requested my roasted garlic mashed potatoes that I have made before. Actually, they're not mine, rather this lady's.
-Mom will inevitably make a pecan pie. After posting this, my mom called quickly to inform me that she was of course making more than one little old pie-- she was a little embarassed that anyone would think she would only make one pecan pie! She is, indeed, making two pecans and one latticed-apple pie. Just thought I would clarify. I know you were all very concerned that we would run out of pie.

And that's where I am at. Needing a little direction, friends. I am desperately in search of a cool cranberry or apple type holiday beverage to serve in my new beverage server. Not looking for anything hot, maybe even a really great autumn-type iced tea would work-- my family is a big bunch of iced-tea drinkers. I want something that I can "float" stuff in. As weird as that sentence appears... I scored the beautiful Southern Living Beverage Server when I hosted my party. It is one of those large, clear ones with a spigot and iron holder. In the catalog, they "float" orange slices, lemons, etc. and I just loved how that looked. So this is why I am on a mad beverage search!

Any suggestions from your files would be greatly appreciated. Hope your Turkey days are shaping up, too! Gobble, gobble.