Thanksgiving 2014

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving are are getting a little extra rest and relaxation over this holiday weekend.

I started my break off with some sort of flu-like sickness, so things have been pretty low-key around here.  My fever was really high last Tuesday and Wednesday, to the point where I wasn't even sure I would be able to partake in Thanksgiving festivities.  Fortunately, things got a lot better throughout the day on Thursday.  I rested up and watched the National Dog Show with Wendy.

A few hours later, I was ready to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's.

It was requested that I bring my Brussels sprouts dish from last year.  I followed the same recipe but used pecans instead of walnuts. 

One of my favorite veggies!

Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without an extensive spread of pies.  My cousin and aunt are expert bakers and always create the most amazing desserts.

We continued celebrating last night with Jay's family.  Since we had already had our share of traditional Thanksgiving food, Jay's sister made spaghetti complete with homemade vegan meatballs.  It was perfect after such a heavy dinner the night before.  We ended the night with some competitive ping-pong and board game playing.  Settlers of Catan is our favorite - it is really nerdy but always a good time.  

My mom and I did make it out for our annual Black Friday shopping adventure, although it was a little toned down compared with past years (especially last year's craziness that happened at Kohl's!).  We still had luck finding some good deals.  I got quite a few smaller gifts that I often leave until the last minute, so I was happy to have that accomplished. 

Not sure what else is on the agenda for the next two days.  I feel like I have a lot of catch-up to do after being sick.  I hope to pop back in with a squash recipe and maybe some Christmas decorations in the next few days.  

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

Thanksgiving and a Brussels Sprouts Recipe

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!  Jay and I joined about 20 other family members at my aunt and uncle's house for am amazing feast.  Everything was beautiful, and the food was some of the best Thanksgiving fare I've had in years!

This was only round one:

And don't even get me started on the pies...holy cow!

My Brussels sprouts turned out quite tasty, and the recipe was simple enough that I'm sure I'll be preparing them this way many more times throughout the year.  

Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon (or 10 grinds) black pepper
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove any yellow or brown outer leaves on sprouts, cut off the stems and cut in half.
3. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Once all of the brussels sprouts are coated in oil, spread them into a 9- by 13-inch (or larger) baking dish or sheet tray to roast. Note: You may want to line your sheet tray with foil for easy cleanup because the caramelizing process leaves a sticky residue. Place in oven.

4. After 15 minutes, stir the brussels sprouts with a spatula or large spoon to even out the browning. After 30 minutes, stir in the maple syrup.
5. Continue to roast the brussels sprouts for about 15 more minutes, or until they are fork tender (about 45 minutes total roasting time).
6. Toss the roasted brussels sprouts with the walnuts and eat!

Later in the evening, we popped over to my stepsister's house to say hello to some friends and family who were eating over there. 

My little nephew, Ryder, is the cutest!

I made sure to call it an early night, because my mom and I had plans to start our annual Black Friday shopping adventure first thing in the morning.  I love searching through the ads every year and devising a detailed game plan...we don't mess around!  Even though most of the stores we went to had been open since the night before, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the items we wanted were still in stock.  We knew we wouldn't have a shot at the really big-ticket doorbuster items (and we weren't about to go out on Thanksgiving night to try), but we still scored tons of great deals and made a big dent in our Christmas shopping lists.  

Success!