Christmas 2015: The Sturgis Edition

Something that Mike and Melissa have always been grateful for, are the numerous opportunities they have to spend holidays with family. Other than the two years they spent in South Korea, the couple has either been affiliated with a school holiday schedule or been their own bosses. Done right, self-employment offers the freedom to celebrate the holidays with both sides of the family without too much hassle or inconvenience.

 

Following up a grand time celebrating the holidays with the Harrington crew and a quick weekend of slinging beer and pizza at The Burlington Place, Mike and Melissa made their way to Sturgis, South Dakota in order to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with Melissa’s family.

 

Arriving on a Tuesday afternoon, the Harrington duo took to lounging and enjoying snacks, brews, etc with the Allen parents. Fire crackling, menus being planned, small talk being had; the first night in SoDak was perfectly relaxing.

 

Upon waking up and slowly getting ready Wednesday morning, the crew made a quick decision to head on into Deadwood and try their hands at a slot tournament. The slots of downtown Deadwood and the Deadwood Lodge were not too eager to pay out for the Harrington’s, but there was just enough winning to keep all participants engaged and entertained for a more than a few hours. After lunch and a few more pulls at the slot machines, the Allen/Harrington crew made their way back into Sturgis. In anticipation for the upcoming day of festivities, Melissa and her father headed to the grocery store and checked off the list of items that would have them enjoying entirely too much junk food and French Dip sandwiches in celebration of the New Year the following day.

 

Awaking New Years Eve day, Mike and Melissa were horrified to discover that their heads were stuffy, their muscles achy, and their overall energy levels dangerously low. An entire year of decent health came to a screeching halt as both Harrington’s set out to spend the New Years holiday feeling under the weather. Fortunately, there were no plans to leave the Allen’s cozy home, therefore, it was 100% acceptable for the Harrington duo to remain in their pajamas, drink hot lemon tea and take in some Emergen-C with hopes of feeling semi-decent when additional family arrived ready to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

 

As the evening hour set in and the rest of the celebration crew arrived, M&M were unfortunately still feeling under the weather, but did their best to keep pace with the family; young nieces and nephews included. The afternoon began with the joy of Christmas giving; colorful paper flung far and wide, childhood exclamations of joy and excitement being shouted out and gifts being turned over and admired in the hands of many. Soon, Christmas activities were “out of the way” and the houseful of celebrants set into motion the joys of New Year’s Snacking, imbibing and gallivanting.

 

Between numerous dips, crackers, chips, roast beef sandwiches and out of this world sweet treats, the crew took part in a variety of activities. The children were given canvases for finger-painting (a future gift in the making) and a robot to build. Adults continued snacking and lounging in their pajamas. Movies were a go on Netflix, and Catchphrase made numerous passes around the dining room table. Soon enough, tiny eyes could no longer remain watchful and the over 18 crowd began a rousing, yet generally inappropriate game of “Cards Against Humanity”.

 

As the clock struck midnight, champagne was toasted (as were a few celebrants) and the Harrington duo begrudgingly gave up their spots at the game table and went to bed, hopeful that the morning would find them feeling less in the dumps.

 

Upon waking to the year 2016 for the first time, the Harrington’s were still below 100%, but could feel that progress was being made. The couple took their time packing up their belongings, old and new, said their good-byes and made their way back to Burlington, eager to see where the year 2016 would lead.

 

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Sunday Brunch: January 2016

With a few less holiday obligations to hi-jack the joys of weekly brunching, January proved to be a lovely month for enjoying relaxing Sunday mornings with some of the tastiest of treats to break the nightly fast.

Many brunch recipes came straight out of Melissa's Culinary Goals of 2016. Migas from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook (cookbook goal) and Popovers (popover goal and recipe box goal). Other items were just plain fun to dream up and devour!

The month began with a delicious dish of eggs, peppers and corn tortillas. Straight from The Pioneer Woman's cookbook, this recipe for Migas left Melissa desperately wanting a 12" skillet (which she has since ordered off of Amazon) and once again thrilled with her cast iron skillet...because, well, it's cast iron and that makes the world a more tasty place.

Another, fairly regular brunch tradition is the ever beloved Steak and Eggs. Having bought a side of beef late in 2015, the Harrington's ultimately have more beef than they can get through on their tight schedule, however, that does not stop them from trying and few things are more satisfying than a big, juicy, local steak with eggs and a homemade Bloody Mary on a Sunday morning.

 

Later in the month, Melissa decided it was high time she busted out her never-used Popover pan and try her hand at the fluffy, custardy little morsels. Using her mother-in-laws recipe (with a little help from the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook since one key ingredient seemed to be missing from the recipe card), Melissa whipped up a batch of Popovers. Having had this pan and recipe for as long as she has, Melissa had decided at the start of 2016 that making popovers would indeed be a Culinary Goal - not that popovers are intimidating...it's just there are some things Melissa has yet to get around to making. The muffin look-a-likes were full of fluffy goodness that held onto a bit of butter and jam in the most supreme of manners. Not to mention, they were the perfect compliment to a Hard Chai Latte!

The month concluded with Breakfast Burrito Bowls. This was the one brunch of the month the Harrington's were able to share with a family member. Having come to town to assist Mike and Melissa with their late season crow hunt, Katie was keen to dig into this inventive breakfast. The recipient of quirky kitchen items like tortilla bowl makers, Melissa figured breakfast burritos were just as easy to transform into a bowl as a taco salad and set about filling her bowls with cilantro lime rice, black beans, bacon and scrambled eggs. The completed dish was lovely, delicious and well suited to Bloody Mary's, of course.

Sunday Brunch continues to be the weekly routine that brings a semblance of normalcy to Abode 212, tricking the Harrington's in believing, for just a few moments, that their life doesn't revolve around managing, maintaining and staffing The Burlington Place.

 

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Christmas 2015: At Home with the Harringtons

Following a lovely brunch the morning of Christmas Eve at sweet little Abode 212, Mike and Melissa began the task of loading up the Subaru with gifts, pajamas, a few sweet treats and eventually themselves and their mutt. With Worland only an hour away, Christmas with the Harrington's is an easy, quick trip. Mike and Melissa arrived on Bluebell Lane just in time to crack open some beers and mingle with family members in preparation for a full series of Christmas Eve traditions.

Yearly, the Harrington's Christmas Eve table is set with a Seafood Casserole (prepped just as Grandma Carolynn had done for years) and, depending on who's cooking and who's coming, a pot of Oyster Stew can be found on the stovetop. Bread, veggies, fruit salad and desserts round out the meal which always preludes the Christmas Eve Service at the United Methodist Church. Filled with the once-a-year meal, steeped in tradition and holiday memories a plenty, the Harrington family makes their Christmas Eve trek to the United Methodist Church for the lighting of advent candles, gospel readngs and the infamous candle-lit singing of Silent Night.

Following this series of advent and Christmas-Eve traditions, expectations and joys, Mike and Melissa along with siblings, in-laws and parents return to Bluebell Lane for the making of much merriment and joy. Traditionally, the crew returns home, begrudgingly yet willingly agrees to take a family photo, knowing that they'll be in no hurry to dress in the morning to. take the beloved photo prior to the Christmas meal the following day. Thus, Christmas 2015 was no different, following the service, family members agreed that although they'd love to be wearing their pajamas, they'd rather take the family photo right away rather than attempting to wake up and get ready early enough to take the photo Christmas morning. So the crew piled around the tree, grabbed their pups and smiled long enough to capture a couple of photos before throwing on the pajamas and hunkering down for some gift unwrapping.

Being an all adult and dog Christmas experience, the unveiling of gifts took on a leisurely pace as each person opened one gift with all eyes on them awaiting joyful expressions, laughter and heartfelt thanks. While the Harrington clan is not all too eager to spend thousands and encourage the commercialization of the holiday, they are eager to give useful, thoughtful, fun gifts. One particular highlight included a smattering of outdoor backpacking themed gifts (including a pack for the brother-in-law who has yet to experience a good ol' Harrington backpacking trip) which promise to be used in the summer of 2016 for a family excursion into the wild. With the giving of gifts and the planning of excursions going late into the night, the crew soon found themselves brushing their teeth and making their way to bed.

As has been a Tom Harrington family tradition for ages, Christmas morning was not just a time for stockings but more notably the sharing of eggs, sausage and Grandma Carolyn's Apricot Coffee Cake with a beloved family friend; Heidi. Heidi is a sweet friend of the Harrington's who yearly makes Christmas breakfast with the Harrington's a priority. She arrives on time, every time. She excuses the fact that most of the Harrington's are still in their pajamas and have yet to finish their first cups of coffee. She says hello to all who are joining her, including the dogs. She gracefully allows the Harrington (and Dawson) men to carry or wheel her and her wheelchair into the basement family room. She politely accepts the meal, a glass of juice and a variety of gifts from the Harrington clan. She kindly offers a gift for the Harrington's, typically addressed to Patty, yet meaningful for the family as a whole. Heidi's experience of the holiday is a bit different than the full set of seasonal traditions as experienced by the Harrington's and most Americans. Yet, each and every Christmas morning Heidi reminds us all that love is the central element to the holidays and a life being well lived.

Following the breakfast tradition that ties family to generations past through food and the character of loving others as though they are family, the day continued by hitting the road toward Cody. Mike and Melissa had a quick stop over in Burlington to frost a few dozen mini eggnog cupcakes and grab some beer before heading on to John and Susan's for the family meal. Upon arrival on Sunshine Lane, the guests and hosts alike enjoyed festive cocktails, cold beers and all the most tasty appetizers while the scent of prime rib filled the air. The big meal was followed by take-away bingo, a family tradition that yields many guests walking away with something another deemed ridiculous, BUT everyone leaves with a gift and lots of laughter fresh from their bellies.

Wanting to soak up as much time as possible with parents, sisters and brother-in-law, Mike and Melissa returned to Worland for a night of games and snacking, opting to wake-up early in the morning in order to get the ovens on and a weekend's worth of work in at The Burlington Place before heading on to their next family engagements in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Wherever and whenever the holidays are celebrated, Mike and Melissa find themselves filled with immense gratitude and contentness at having been given these people to celebrate with and these traditions to carry out year, after year.

 

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5 Years Ago: Lady Annyeong's Adot-a-Versary

The Harrington's have opted out of the traditional Christmas Card. Not because they are complete scrooges, but because Christmas is a busy, stressful season! The duo obviously loves receiving all the holiday cheer, but, since returning to the states and choosing to live life in Burlington, the couple has taken a more haphazard approach. This year, the celebratory card comes as a celebration of five-years sharing hearts and homes with a sweet little three-legged mutt named Lady Annyeong.

Thanks to Vistaprint, these postcards can be adorned with as many pictures of her majesty as the Harrington's so choose and a letter can be produced on the back side with very little effort. To family and friends, Mike and Melissa hope you've received your official copy in the mail - if you've mooved recently, perhaps now would be a good time to send a Facebook message or email to on the Harrington's so they can get their address book updated and add you to their relatively-annual holiday mailing list!

Oversized Postcards by Vistaprint

 

Greetings and Happy New Year!

 

A couple years ago, we opted out of the yearly Christmas card and decided to be a bit more haphazard and spontaneous in our mass update mailings. Thus, our mailings are unpredictable to say the least. For the year 2016 (specifically January, 21st) we are celebrating our 5-year Adoptaversary of Lady Annyeong Harrington. Hoo-ray! So, you have the pleasure of receiving an update adorned with the face of the sassiest, three-legged mutt from the streets of Seoul, South Korea.

 

A few Lady Factoids: She’s obsessive over cheese-sticks, jumping up on the chests of her humans for regular cuddles, and wagging her little nubbin’ of a tail. She’s queen of Abode 212, inside and outside. She loves her backyard access and is certain that the queen size bed was purchased with her in mind. She is the source of great joy, many giggles and all the best feelings - five years with Lady has provided us a lifetime of great happiness.

 

Aside from celebrating life with Lady, we continue trucking along with the community of Burlington and our rockin’ little pizzeria/gastro-pub/bar. The Burlington Place is our constant source of joy, annoyance, success, ridiculous stories, inspiration, faith in mankind, disappointment in mankind, great eats, fresh beer, innovative cocktail experiences, and so much more. A few BP factoids: Record pizza sales in one day - 84; 10,000th pizza sold in April. 456 Crows killed at our most recently hosted crow hunt. Over 1,000 views on the #TBPPizzaSpecial known as More Than a Club (cream cheese, chicken, bacon, tomato, pickles and raw onion).

 

And some non-business factoids from the life of M&M: There are two guest rooms available at Abode 212 in Burlington, WY. M&M celebrated 8 years of marriage in September 2015. In 2015, M&M were able to attend the Mountain West Conference basketball games in Las Vegas. They also attended the Great American Beer Fest in Denver, CO. Mike built a patio and deck in the backyard AND set-up a hot tub(!) Melissa has resurrected the blog (www.theharringtontimes.blogspot.com) if you’re so inclined to stay relatively updated, that’s your resource.

 

Cheers to you and yours! (especially your furry friends!)

Mike, Melissa and Lady Annyeong Harrington

 

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Christmas at Abode 212: Burlington Traditions

Two thousand fifteen marks the third year Mike and Melissa have enjoyed the holiday season with Abode 212 as their home base. In that time, a few traditions have been well established with a couple more finding their way into the mix.

Each year, a Sunday afternoon is deemed the "Heathen Cookie Exchange" - an event for those of us who are more often found at the local bar than the local church. The event always features a healthy assortment of appetizers, a good deal of win and liquor, copious amounts of fresh baked cookies (each attendee is asked to bring 6 dozen of their favorite cookie to share with others) and loads of holiday cheer!

This year may have been the biggest yet: Cookies were lined out on every available surface, the infamous flaming cocktail was imbibed, bellies were overstuffed and this little community of heathen women showed-up in true fellowship format, filled with love, good-will and holiday cheer. The Heathen Cookie exchange is one of the most cherished (and, ironically, long standing) Burlington holiday traditions.

Other "traditions" to be described here within, are only traditions in terms of having been successful in their initial year, and therefore are now held as tentative plans and traditions for future years of Burlington living.

The Hot Chocolate tradition. As a paraprofessional at the local middle/high school, Melissa was eager to offer a gift for all co-workers, but was a little less excited about going to all the work to figure out a cute gift to give. She combed her Pinterest memory and suggested to her "Resource Nook" co-workers that, as a team, they host a Hot Chocolate bar for all faculty and staff. The idea took hold and soon the team had plotted who would bring cups, hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, coffee creamers, candy canes, whip cream, sprinkles and so much more to make the event truly memorable and absolutley delicious.

The day of the "teacher-lounge-hosted" event, the wind was blustery and the temperatures a bit uncomfortable, making Hot Chocolate that much more enjoyable and appreciated. Many adults enjoyed multiple cups of Hot Chocolate throughout the day (Melissa enjoyed a grand total of 6 cups of hot chocolate; that includes two on the day the hot chocolate bar experience was shared with resource room students). The day(s) were so much fun and the hot chocolate so incredibly delicious, that the Resource Nook decided unanimously to instate the Hot Chocolate Bar as their yearly tradition.

Hot chololate combinations of note:

hot chocolate + pumpkin spice coffee creamer + whip cream + nutmeg + gingerbread marshmallow = perfection!

hot chocolate + spoonful of Nutella = heavenly

hot chocolate + peppermint mocha creamer + whip cream + red/white sprinkles + peppermint marshmallows + candy cane = elevated classic

Finally, to add to the list of traditions that are yet to be traditions but are worthy or tradition status, Mike and Melissa hosted family at their home for a Christmas Eve Eve dinner of pizza (one even featured beer-battered pheasant from a pheasant Mike shot earlier that day!) and beer, games, chatting and puzzling. Morning rolled around and had everyone enjoying Brunch Sliders and a Bloody Mary Bar (using nothing less than the infamous infused vodka straight from The Burlington Place). As family slowly departed to prepare for traditional-tradtions of Christmas Eve, Mike made a quick offer to wear out the dog--nieces with a bit of hunting. Upon returning, the dogs and man were sufficiently exhausted and the rest of the crew at Abode 212 was set to head on to Worland and prepare for the continuation of Christmas traditions.

Having the chance to fill Abode 212 with family twice during the holiday season was a true joy for Mike and Melissa, to the point they are plotting future opportunities to invite their loved ones into the whole of their Burlington life, not just the work part of their Burlington life.

 

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Thanksgiving 2015: The Hosting

While many aspects of plotting out the Thanksgiving Holiday took place weeks prior to the actual event, plenty of tasks were left for the day of and the day prior. With weather forecasts predicting snow, guests of Abode 212 opted to travel one-day early and arrived on Tuesday evening. This implied the added perk that they would be able to enjoy Mike and Melissa at home, as opposed to at The Burlington Place (courtesy of The Burlington Place being closed on Tuesday's). Mike had run a few errands in town and agreed to grab sandwiches for dinner (original plan - Breadboard. secondary plan - Subway. Original plan failed because the small business ran out of bread...bummer). Melissa's parents offered to bring chips and an assortment of breakfast breads for the following morning. And Katie offered to bring dessert. Guests and food in place, Tuesday was shaping up to be a lovely evening at home.

Upon the safe arrival of all guests (after one set replaced a tire in Buffalo AND not a single snow-flake had fallen by the time night fell...go figure), the crew spent some time chatting, catching up and enjoying a cozy evening at Abode 212. The following day would see Katie taking on a long shift at The Burlington Place so that Melissa could stay home and work out some of the Thanksgiving meal preparations that couldn't be done weeks in advance. Thus, the home of holiday-prep was filled with lounging pets, a singing father (so. much. joy.), an eBaying mother and a busy worker bee host. Melissa had made sure to get her turkey set on the booze train first thing in the morning (a salty brine of hard-cider, bourbon, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, thyme, allspice berries and plenty of chicken stock was the track for said booze train), then at home set to work on the barley-mushroom salad, lemon-rosemary rolls (THE MOST AMAZING ROLLS EVER!!!), bourbon-pumkin-pecan pie (similar recipe here), hummus, vegetable prep and of course the cheesecake!

Wednesday ended with Melissa heading down to The Burlington Place with her parents to grab a couple of beers, a pizza (specifically The Sweater: pepperoni, sausage, buffalo chicken, jalapeno, and banana peppers on garlic olive oil with lots of additional buffalo sauce drizzled all-over!), greet some favorite customers and catch-up with Melissa's bestie (deets: the art teacher from Burlington Schools, Lisa: she's awesome and the students have decided she and Melissa are besties, one student even commented that the two were an example of #bestiegoals). Following these evening pleasantries, Melissa and her parents returned home at a decent hour, whereas Mike and Katie got stuck shootin' the shit with a handful of enjoyable customers until the late, late hours of the day (a.k.a. the early hours of the morning).

Come Thanksgiving morning the entire crew of guests and residents of Abode 212 were "game-on" for grubbing. Muffins, danishes, bagels, fruit, coffee, hot chocolate and all the proper add-ins were set on the bar cart, allowing everyone to dish and booze-up (that's right, the add-ins were most definitely boozy: Rumchata, Bailey's Irish Cream and Bailye's Chocolate Cherry Cream) as they were so inclined. Mike and Katie had agreed that there were some significant college basketball (Gonzaga!) and football games to have access to throughout the day, so Mike worked some magic with the newer TV from the bar, various wires and mobile access to the BP cable provider. Thus, the afternoon entertainment entered Abode 212 as Katie eagerly and excitedly cheered for the Zags (go, Jose!) and had Melissa's parents on the edge of their seats a bit shocked at just how vocal Katie could get. Additionally, at some point prior to the holiday meal, Mike, Katie and Zuma suited up for some chilly weather pheasant hunting. Most notably, hunting provided the perfect opportunity to fall into shit-holes (litterally) and wear the dog-out just enough not to be a beggar during the holiday meal

As the mid-day hour passed, the bar cart was re-arranged and played host to various dips, vegetables, olives, pickles, crackers and chips - just enough to keep everyone from becoming hangry prior to the full holiday meal. Thus the turkey continued to roast and fill the house with delicious and enticing smells, while guests kept themselves entertained with a puzzle, phone games, texts and calls to friends and family, cuddling the pups and choosing new brews to try (since Mike and Melissa keep a nice "little" collection on hand always).

As the last parts of the meal came together: heating the twice-baked potatoes, preparing the stuffing, boiling and seasoning the green beans, etc; Melissa set the table. Of course, this wasn't just a matter of pulling down the plates, Melissa had spent nearly as much time dreaming about the perfect dining table as she did dreaming about the perfect foods to adorn said table. So it was, the table was set with the Blue Willow plates Melissa has inherited from her grandmother and great-great aunt, white linen napkins with fall-themed napkin rings and a lovely holiday centerpiece (that Mike thoughtfully picked up while in town just a couple of days prior to the holiday). With the meal prepared and the table set, guests took their seats, spent a thoughtful minute going around the table and offering up their gratitude for family, friends, health, etc. and happily began filling their plates with all the bits and pieces which so perfectly came together to comprise the holiday meal.

Food comas setting in, nobody could imagine stuffing down a slice of pie directly after the main meal. So couching up or resting on an empty bed, the afternoon was spent relaxing and continuing the earlier projects of the day; namely pup cuddles, puzzle building and a round of Pandemic. As everyone shifted just enough to free up some belly-space the dessert plates found themselves filled with tasty morsels of pie and cheesecake. Then, as daylight faded into evening, Tom and Patty headed home to their dogs and the guests and residents of Abode 212 found their way into pajamas, beds and comfy spots for movie watching.

Friday saw everyone rolling out of bed at their leisure with most opting to remain in their pajamas for the entirety of the day. Melissa threw some ribs into the roaster, to be ready for a late lunch and continued forth with her day by adding Rumchata to her morning coffee. If napping were a popular activity on Thanksgiving day, it was wildly trendy the day after. Snack. Drink. Nap. Repeat. That was the basic routine of Black Friday at Abode 212. After chowing on some ribs and thanksgiving leftovers Mike and his father took Zoe and the Dude out hunting (everyone else continued forth with the Snack. Drink. Nap. Repeat. routine). Later in the afternon, Mike made a good, hearty go at hot tubbing, spending a few hours lounging and listening to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

As evening set in and the cocktails got a little creamier (lots of Rumchata, Tequila Rose) and harder (9% beers, whiskey, etc); Cards Against Humanity made it's way to the living room center and had the whole abode filled with tear-filled laughter (although the subject matter cannot be repeated here...or anywhere for that matter). Having chuckled and gasped their way through the entire contents of Cards Against Humanity everyone began to move from comfy couches and chairs into comfy, warm beds for their final Abode 212 holiday slumber.

With the arrival of Saturday morning, guests of Abode 212 began packing their belongings while the regular residents set about returning to their regular routine, including long shifts at The Burlington Place. While returning to a routine can often feel like a complete drag, all who enjoyed their holiday at Abode 212 entered their routine well-fed and well-rested, shouting: bring on all that good Holiday Cheer, December!

 

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Thanksgiving 2015: The Preparation

Melissa is a bit obsessive about food. (Let's be real, it's a bit more than a bit.) For example: she carries with her a small, green notebook to record ideas of names and ingredients for the infamous #TBPPizzaSpecial. Recently, while visions of cranberry sauce and the perfect turkey danced in her head; her mind landed excitedly upon the idea of a "Thanksgiving Series" of pizza specials at The Burlington Place. Not your typical "throw-the-leftovers-on-the-crust" concept, but...well, see if you can follow: This year, the Thanksgiving special is the Muchas Gracias - a pizza built on top of a cranberry salsa for sauce, dollops of cream cheese, fresh red onion, fresh jalapeno and ground turkey. Future pizzas will be built using Arigoto, Danke, and Merci as their nominative inspiration. Fun, right?

And whilst dreaming up the next five years worth of Thanksgiving Series Pizza Specials, Melissa was planning her own, booze-driven Thanksgiving meal. Having mastered both a Rumchata Cheesecake and Cabernet Blueberry-Cranberry sauce for last years "No-Parents, No-Rules" holiday extravaganza, the rest of the traditional dishes needed to undergo a boozing factor for Abode 212's first ever Thanksgiving meal (to be shared with Katie, Tom, [maybe Patty], Harland and Brenda).

Having only limited opportunities to run to town for groceries, planning had to begin just over a month in advance. Food magazines from the previous three Novembers littered the living room floor, Pintrest was at the ready and consideration for food traditions loved and loathed was at the forefront of the decisions to be made. This meant, that Melissa took into consideration facts like her folks are non-sweet potato eaters, and Mike will always pass on the green bean casserole and traditional pumpkin pie, so why work hard to incorporate those as main dishes? To be expected of a girl who prepared her first, full-on turkey dinner her senior year of high school (for the pure joy and experience of it all), Melissa felt no intimidation at seeking out new dishes, new methods of preparing a turkey and new ways to incorporate all the classics (sweet potatoes will find their way into the hummus this year, served on the relish tray as opposed to alongside the stuffing and a mushroom barley salad will fill the gap for the green bean casserole).

The menu began to take shape with boozy concepts taking a firm hold on most menu items- Melissa was struck by recipes for a bourbon brined turkey and a hard cider brined turkey (therefore, it should be no surprise she combined both concepts and had a hard-cider-bourbon-brined turkey to serve). As the turkey brine began to take shape in mental format, cooking the bird became the next matter of interest. Having a small kitchen and one small oven and NOT wanting to run down to The Burlington Place to take care of various parts of the meal, Melissa began her research on using an electric roaster oven to prepare a turkey (conveniently, an electric roaster came with the purchase of The Burlington Place, so Melissa owns one by association). Many bloggers and roaster experts had high praises to sing of their turkey's prepared in an electric roaster, claiming it was quicker, resulted in a juicier turkey and most importantly freed up oven space, Melissa was convinced and brought home the roaster to be cleaned and used on the big day.

While, some parts of the meal had been decided a year in advance: the Cabernet Blueberry-Cranberry sauce and Rumchata Cheesecake; the rest had to be decided upon in time for the bi-weekly grocery run. As such, from the piles of magazines a Mushroom Barley Salad (courtesy of Food & Wine), Lemon-Rosemary Rolls (courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens), and a Salted Pecan-Bourbon Pumpkin Pie (also courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens) made it onto this years menu. Additionally, a sweet-potato hummus and roasted chickpea appetizer (each courtesy of Pinterest) made it onto the snack cart. Brenda and Katie rounded out the holiday meal with twice-baked potatoes and lemon-butter green beans respectively.

Other, aesthetic details that came together in the preparation stage of planning the meal included the purchase of white linen napkins complete with paper-leaf napkin rings (an homage to Mike's grandma Carolynn who believed in the power and purpose of a well-set dinner table, no matter the occassion). Melissa also purchased a sturdy, folding bar cart to use as the brunch and snack station to be located in the living room so guests could easily snack without getting congested in the small kitchen of Abode 212. (Brilliant!) Melissa also repurposed her old, OLD, dorm fridge for a convenient, dining room drink station, another trick to avoid the congestion of the kitchen. Additionally, Mike conquered the building of shelves in one guest room so that boxes of beer (just a small collection that the Harrington's have been building for a few years now) could be better organized and less obtrusive in the small room. Mike also added small hooks to the back of both guest rooms for robes and towels (now that guests have the opportunity to soak in a hot tub).

In the life of Melissa Harrington, preparing for guests and big meals is just one of lifes great joys, the actual hosting obviously trumps the whole process, but the immensity of joy to be experienced in the whole of the event is truly life-giving. The small details, the big details, the menu plan, the cleaning tasks - all played into the execution of a most enjoyable, incredibly delicious Thanksgiving holiday.

 

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Will Trade: Pizza for Donuts

 

Since thier first fall here in Burlington, Melissa has heard rumors of mythical, magical donuts prepared by a particular, deep-rooted, Burlington family. These home-made, legendary, donuts are most commonly available on All Hallows Eve. However, for the Harrington's, being well over trick-or-treating age, without any children in their care AND having to manage a bar...there have been few opportunities to seek out these highly acclaimed morsels.

This year, the third Halloween of Mike and Melissa being present in Burlington passed with only a small teaser. Melissa begged and pleaded with numerous high school students who had stopped at The Burlington Place for their fill of candy, and eventually the Harrington's were recipients to one (only ONE!) of these sweet treats.

However, the youngest son of the ever-famed donut making family, assured Melissa at school the following week, that these home-made donuts should only be eaten fresh. This particular conversation lead to Melissa striking a deal that the next event which warranted the preparation of donuts, would be the ideal time to hold some fresh donuts aside and deliver promptly to The Burlingotn Place.

So it was, on the evening of Friday, November 13th, a caller rang into The Burlington Place, asked for Mrs. Harrington and claimed to have some fresh donuts available. Payment required? A simple, one topping pizza. Could it be done? You bet your sweet tooth!

Therefore, prior to some kind of crazy, unpredictable pizza rush on Friday the 13th, Mike and Melissa each devoured 3.5 home-made donuts, just the right amount to see them another TBP Friday night. This moment in history also marks a true coming-of-location, the creation of a root, the deepening of belonging, the truth of feeling as if one is truly a member of a long-standing community.

Cheers to donuts that give you roots!

 

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Favorite Pup Moments: Winter 2013 #tbt4tht

The winter with the pup has been a lot of couch cuddling and reading, dog-sitting and attempting to make Lady Annyeong become friendly toward other dogs, road-trips, family time including hanging out and attempting to share space with all the family dogs and even watching Lady get a bit active with some dog toys, which is not at all normal for this sassy pup.

After her initial distaste for Wyoming winters, she's come around and now happily makes her way into the bitter cold for her morning and afternoon walks, but don't let that fool you into thinking she LOVES winter, she just tolerates it and would always choose to curl up in a sunny spot on the carpet rather than expose herself to the elements for a long period of time.

 

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Favorite Winter Moments: 2013

Some days, the temperature drops too low, some days the snow falls and is purely inviting.

Regardless, winter always provides some cherish-able moments.

From playful pups to women's basketball.

Snowy city-scapes to cuddling up with a good book and sweet pup, winter is never that bad.

Riggs Family Weekend: Basketball and Sledding

While stopping off at Shadow's Pub and Grill was indeed enjoyable, the primary purpose of making their way over the hill was in fact to spend quality time with the Rigg clan - at least the Cheyenne, Loveland, Erie cousins (and their offspring as well as mom/aunt/grandma) part of the clan. This group of Riggs (which is the maiden name of Mike's mother, for any curious readers), met in Cheyenne to watch some little tyke basketball featuring a little Rigg followed by a High School basketball game being reffed by a slightly older, taller Rigg.

Basketball games aside, the weekend continued with eating, drinking, playing games, chatting and more basketball (Cowboys vs. Air Force). In the course of the first day, multiple games and levels of basketball were watched, rounds of beer, glasses of wine and slices of pizza were consumed - overall, a very fantastic way to spend a Saturday.

The following day, the crew reconvened and met up at Happy Jack for some sledding and of course more eating and drinking. It was, after all, a family gathering. The combination of beautiful weather, a Coleman grill to heat up delicious Elk Chili and a most loving and enjoyable group of people, the day was nothing but pleasant.

Consistently, these moments of being with lovely friends and/or family have been the moments that the Harrington duo relishes and rejoices in. Were it not for having such a lovely bunch of comrades to have returned to the transition from Korea to the USA would have been that much more difficult. However, being as it is, lovely family and lovely places have played a strong role in getting the couple to a point where they are stating to once again, feel at ease in America the Beautiful.

Christmas and other Shenanigans in Worland, WY: 2013

Oh to be home for the holidays! A long-awaited joy in the life of the Harringtons and while the school district wasn't overly generous in vacation time, it was far more than the couple had enjoyed for the previous two years during the actual holiday season and therefore allowed them embrace the days they had and spend as much time as possible lazing around and visiting family.

The bulk of Christmas vacation as well as the official Christmas holidays were spent with the Harrington family eating, eating, reading, eating, traveling, attending church services, eating, reading, blogging, wasting time on the internet and eating some more...oh, and just in case you can't put two-and-two together, eating always includes drinking, and lately, drinking always involves new (or well-loved microbrews...Christmas in Worland included Pig's Ass Porter and Polygamy Porter among others).

Aside from such a heavy schedule of dining and relaxing, the Harrington duo, in tow with the sisters made a quick trip to Billings to see Grandma Barb. With nothing but warmth and love, Grandma Barb welcomed in her grand-kids and quickly asked that the dog be returned to the car, because, unfortunately for Lady Annyeong, three-legged great-grand-mutts are not welcome to run free in all abodes. So while Lady shivered, the Harringtons enjoyed burgers and learning about Grandma Barb's life and her days in a sorority and her connection to Roald Dahl. Finally, commenting that the sun would soon go down and there was still a bit of driving to be done, the Harringtons slipped out of Grandma's house and joked on the way home about Tiger Lady and bugtruk (two Montana drivers who had earlier made a lasting impression on the Harrington-filled Subaru) before drifting off to sleep and letting the man Harrington get them safely home.

The holiday continued with the Christmas Eve meal and supplementary traditions (reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and other such cheer-bringing, holiday-spirited stories), Christmas morning stockings and gifts, traditional morning coffee cake, breakfast with Heidi and eventually the large, impossible to put-a-dent-in Christmas meal featuring turkey, prime rib, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls and every other imaginable item to be consumed...it was all there.

Rolling themselves home and overcoming the lethargic feeling that can only be induced by an abundance of food, the entire Harrington family eventually enjoyed the vacation playing new games, watching new movies, baking home-made pizzas and resting in the joy that is family and vacation and the promise of new beginnings.