Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a day that is full of tradition. I remember the days of waking up early and running to the TV waiting for the Macy's Day Parade to begin! I remember all the family packed in our house. The smell of food. The eating, all day!! Today was no exception.

I woke up early in the morning and came downstairs to find the in-laws sitting around the Macy's Day Parade while breakfast was baking in the oven. For breakfast we had Grand Marnier French Toast accompanied by my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I was happy with my muffins but I almost think that they would have been better without the "glaze". Too sweet and sticky. My in-laws disagreed. My mother-in-laws french toast is always great!

Appetizers came out around noon. We had a great spread of dips for crackers, pretzels and carrots along with Chex Mix and peanuts. My sesame garlic dip was good but it was just a different version of the french onion soup dip. It was a seasoning packet mixed with nonfat Trader Joe's Greek yogurt.

My first Thanksgiving drink was mixed by my brother-in-law. A delicious vodka and soda water with a splash of cranberry. It looks just as good as it tasted! The perfect color of pink!

My drink was a perfect match for my salad with homemade croutons! Yum!

The dinner table looked beautiful! For dinner tonight we had:

turkey
mashed potatoes
gravy
stuffing
butternut squash
sweet potato casserole
roasted asparagus
homemade cranberry sauce
homemade rosemary bread (that Matt made)
a couple beautiful bottles of red wine and good beer also graced the table

Last but not least we had dessert. My homemade pie. To be honest, it was way too sweet for my liking. I think the pie would have been perfect with more pumpkin and no cream cheese layer. Everyone was nice and they said they liked it. It's nice that they love me.

Today is a goal free day. No checklist as I would fail them all and I really look at the holiday as a "skip day".

Thanksgiving is a day to remember what we are all grateful for. This year I was extremely appreciative for technology. We were able to "visit" with my sister-in-law who is in Alabama celebrating Thanksgiving with a fellow AmeriCorps friend. She is stationed in Mississippi so Alabama was a nice 3 hour drive for her. We were so thankful to have the chance to celebrate with her. We also got a chance to visit with my father-in-laws family in Michigan, grandma, grandpa, 2 aunts, a friend, 2 awesome cousins* and their cute puppy! I am so grateful for Skype!

*Speaking of the two awesome cousins they design, make and sell their own jewelry! They are having a 25% off Black Friday sale! Check out their awesome Etsy site!

What were you thankful for this Thanksgiving?!

Hope everyone had a great day celebrating with family and friends!