Thanksgiving Traditions.

It’s the long Thanksgiving weekend! What are you thankful for this holiday season? What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions that you continue with your family?

Having family and friends together at Thanksgiving time is special. There’s always the wonderful smells of turkey in the oven, fresh pumpkin pie being baked and the cheers or jeers from the football game going on in the other room! There’s always the other big debate of who is sitting at what table! Did you get promoted to the adult table this year? Are you still too young to move up and you’re stuck at the kids table for another Thanksgiving?

How do you make the kids feel special at their table for Thanksgiving? In my family we’ve always made sure the kids get a special beverage or drink of thier own, as you can see, in my family there is nothing short of uh… liquor at the adult table? As our Thanksgiving traditions evolve, we have moved our Thanksgiving meal to my brother’s house and the kids are pushed down towards the very end of the table. No more separate tables for adults and kids, they just uh… get pushed down a bit!

Empty shot glasses awaiting some apple brandy.

The turkey is ready to be carved.

The adult beverage course. Apple brandy, wine, and some water.

So while the adults have their beverages to have something to toast this holiday season, we make sure the kids have something special, so the children each received a glass of Gerolsteiner Sparkling Apple Mineral Water. I grabbed a quick sip of this beverage as I was pouring for the kids and I enjoyed it. I am not a mineral water fan, I just have a hard time drinking carbonated water that’s not flavored. However, this Gerolsteiner Sparkling Apple became an instant favorite for me! It’s made with apple juice from concentrate and contains no artificial sweeteners. Did you read that? No artificial sweeteners. That’s what I like the best about this! No added extra “junk”. My youngest has a hard time with carbonated beverages, he just can’t get used to the bubbles yet, my oldest enjoyed this beverage and we also had my niece try this out as well. She liked it, but she said she would have preferred if it were sparkling grape instead of apple. The children… can’t please them all! But it’s mom approved and since my oldest liked it as well, it will be a keeper in this house! The youngest will just have to figure out how to deal with the carbonated bubbles!

The children get a glass of Gerolsteiner Sparkling Apple and plain water.

Gerolsteiner Sparkling Apple Mineral Water.

This drink is not too sweet and is just enough flavor to sparkle up my issues with plain carbonated mineral water! There’s just enough natural apple flavoring in this mineral water, so for some people who are used to heavily sugared drinks and beverages, you may need to adjust your taste buds. But that would be a good thing! The world doesn’t need to be sweet, sugary and such – we need to learn to get back to natural flavors! This Gerolsteiner mineral water will help you get your taste buds back on a natural track!

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So what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend? I’m thankful for a healthy family and I’m thankful for all of the new friends here that we’ve met and continue to meet here on this Gourmet Nibbling journey! Now… are you going out to shop on this Black Friday? If you score some deals this weekend, be sure to share and let us know you picked up! I hope you pick up some deals on some gourmet treats and nibbles!

 

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For the Organic Fanatic.

Organic. By definition it means: of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides. (Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Most of us today want to eat food and drink beverages that are not comprised of noxious chemical elements and that contain pure, fresh ingredients. There are many organic products on the market to choose from and it can be hard as a consumer to determine was is best for themselves and/or their families.

I introduced Maintal products not long ago in a post dedicated to rosehip. Today I am going to introduce you to Maintal Organic Fruit Spread. Not only is this product organic, it’s also vegan and all natural. This blueberry organic fruit spread is made with 40% fruit and is made in Germany. So what’s on the label? What are the ingredients? I’m happy to tell you:

Ingredients: Raw cane sugar*, blueberries*, water, lemon juice concentrate* (acidifier), pectin. *Denotes: Only from controlled organic agriculture.

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That’s a pretty basic and simple list of organic ingredients in this fruit spread. This fruit spread contains pieces of actual fruit, as it should, for being all natural and organic! While some fruit spreads with actual fruit pieces sometimes taste odd or may have a texture issue, there is none of that with this Maintal product! Delicious, fruitful and smooth!

The blueberry organic fruit spread is perfect for breads, cakes, pastries and more. According to Maintal’s website, there are approximately 1 million vegan Germans. The mindset of people consciously increasing the amount of vegan products in their diet has been growing. Those who have included vegan foods in their diet have been found to have noticeable effects on the well-being of people who suffer from allergies, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

Maintal’s production processes and techniques have helped to preserve as many vitamins as possible within the fruit spreads. The combination of organic and vegan benefits nature, as well as, providing a simple taste of organic food for gourmet connoisseurs.