"Let the Gluttony Continue" Our Thanksgiving Recap

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with VABeau's family and friends in Indiana. We arrived Wednesday night after a very uneventful security experience at the airport. This past week was the first time that VABeau's immediate family had all been together since his sister's wedding this Summer. It was so much fun catching up with everyone.

We woke up Thursday to a fabulous Bloody Mary spread and delicious smells from the kitchen as his parents geared up for their 32 Thanksgiving guests.

VABeau and I on Thanksgiving Day

My Father-in-Laws famous bloody marys

The Turducken!
My in-laws definitely outdid themselves this year. In addition to turkey, we had smoked Turducken. I think I will stick to my traditional turkey, but it was definitely worth trying and the smoky flavor was amazing.

CAWife and I

My MIL entertained everyone with a Turkey coloring contest

It was an intense competition

The Turkey Gallery

The Judging of the Turkeys
Thanksgiving Day was a huge success full of food, board games, and fun with family and friends. By Friday we were all ready to get out of the house so we headed to Indianapolis to see my SIL and BIL's new apartment. We then all went to the Titanic exhibit at the Indiana State Museum. It was fascinating to see how many items have been salvaged from the ship and of course we could not resist a photo op on the Titanic!All 8 of us

VABeau trying on a bustle in the museum

My SIL, Katie, and I giving the bustles a try
After the museum we all headed to Broadripple for dinner and delicious beer at Brugge Brasserie.

With my SILs

All of the girls-Katie, Claudia, Peyton, and I

The hugest order of fries ever! There were so many dipping sauces I could hardly choose.
Brugge was amazing and I can't wait to go back next time we're in Indianapolis! We spent our final full day at VABeau's home enjoying the outdoors.

VABeau and his brother enjoying some time outside together

Braving the cold to enjoy his parent's patio

The guys

It was so cold the fountains froze!

Despite the freezing temperatures we squeezed in a brief family football game

Even Bella joined in on the game and appears to be guarding me in this picture
Our final night was spent playing board games and before we knew it, a serious game of asshole began.

Teaching VABeau's parents our favorite college card game

As the game went on, hats started getting added for various positions. I was the unfortunate asshole at this point.

Before we knew it, everyone had a fun hat

and some great pictures were created

A final shot of the star of the holiday-Bella-my in-laws black lab puppy.

VABeau's parents went out of their way to plan a fun and food filled four days for the 6 of us and we really enjoyed every second of it. Of course, we ate too much, drank too much, and did not exercise nearly enough. But it was so worth it! We had such a great time and only wish the 8 of us could get together more often. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Menu Monday

Monday (A-)

*Fireworks Pizza

Delicious pizza and beer at one of our favorite restaurants with our favorite couples. Dinner was great and a few of us even stuck around for trivia. Although our team was pretty horrible...maybe even the worst team in the whole bar?

Tuesday (A)

*Panko Breaded Tilapia

*Trader Joe's Asparagus Risotto

*Salad

This is our go to fish recipe. The panko bread crumbs make a great substitute for frying and works best with thin fish such as tilapia. I dredged the fish filets in flour, dipped them in egg, covered them with panko crumbs, and place them in a pan of hot olive oil.

I cooked the fish for several minutes on each side, until they were a nice golden color. The fish was so delicious and a great/healthier version of fried fish.

Wednesday (A+)

*Chicken Piccata
*Roasted Red Potatoes *String Beans with lemon zest

I wanted to try something new with our excessive amount of Costco frozen chicken. Luckily my latest Cooking Light was full of inspiration. The sauce in this recipe (below) is amazing, I wanted to pour it over everything!

Thursday(B+)

*Leftover Piccata Chicken

*Roasted Potatoes

*String Beans

Friday(A-)
*Pinot Grigio Seafood Pasta

One of our favorite meals made much easier by using Trader Joe's frozen seafood.

Chicken Piccata

From Cooking Light November 2010

• 4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup.

Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley and capers. Serve over chicken and sides.

Sweet Tea, A Wedding, and Home Sweet Home

VABeau and I all dressed up
Last Saturday VABeau and I headed to Greensboro, NC for the wedding of our friends, Morgan and Stefan. Fortunately, Greensboro is pretty close to South Boston so I was able to squeeze in a couple of days at home with my parents before the wedding fun. My days at home were filled with relaxation, good food, quality time with our beloved black lab and cats, and getting my fill of sweet tea which is just not as available or good in the DC area. It was also incredibly nice to have some quality time with my parents before the craziness of the holidays begins.

Miss my favorite pets so much!

VABeau met me in South Boston Friday night and we made the short drive to Greensboro on a beautiful Fall day the next morning. The wedding was beautiful and we had a blast with my 1101 girls. The 1101 house has brought so many friends together over the years. Including Jacqueline, Cath, and I
All of the 1101 girls at the wedding
During the wedding I even got to meet a fellow blogger, Christina, and it turns out we read each others blogs! Her blog is fantastic and I love her "Favorite Things" posts. Overall it was a beautiful and incredibly fun wedding and we wish Morgan and Stefan the best!The beautiful hotel where the reception was held and where we stayed. The Proximity Hotel is one of the first truly "green" hotels I have stayed in. It's actually LEED platinum certified which is pretty incredible.

The most beautiful and classic centerpieces I have ever seen at a wedding

I am obsessed with the tiny lanterns hanging from the flowers

Jacqueline and I on the balcony

VABeau and I

Mr. and Mrs. Gassner!

Loved their entrance and moves on the dance floor

The tables were named after restaurants that were special to the couple. We were seated at the Arlington restaurant where the couple had their first date.

Can't get enough of the gorgeous flowers

Cath and her boyfriend

My favorite, red velvet cake

With the beautiful bride

Morgan's brother caught the garter and decided to give the bouquet catcher and everyone else quite a show

The band was great and really got the crowd involved. The bride and groom singing along.

Stefan and Morgan's brother helping out the band

Eventually they had all of the ladies involved

This past weekend definitely reminded me of why I love and miss the South so much. It was so nice to be home and spend a few days in the land of sweet tea and homemade biscuits!Of course I couldn't leave without a quick stop at Biscuitville for the best biscuits and sweetest sweet tea!