Valeria Out Loud

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all had a spectacular Thanksgiving day with your family and friends. We sure did!

Here’s my Thanksgiving season breakdown…

First, we started with a Friendsgiving at a sort of new friend’s house. I say sort of new because he is Mike’s work colleague, has been for a little while but whom I met a year ago at a work party. We partied and fell instantly in friend love. We invited him and his family to our kids’ birthday bash in September, which turned out great. Then a few weeks later he invited us to his Friendsgiving. It was a lot of fun. His house is beautiful. His friends were beautiful. So many people and the food was pretty special. Especially that gravy. Who made that insanely good gravy?

Me. Haha. He asked me to join in the cooking fun a few times because he noticed I was dying to do something. I kept saying that I didn’t want to intrude but jumped up when he offered up the gravy duties.

Made a side dish-two of my fav things

The meal!

The girls had such a great time!

This was a really good wine, so if you are looking to bring me some… I suggest shelling out for this one! haha

A week after that my office had their Day o’Gratitude lunch. It was a lot of fun, too. We went to the Warehouse Grille in Boston. This was our first thanksgiving type luncheon and I hope to get together around Christmas. I don’t see enough of my colleagues; well, not of Sonia and Tonia. I love those girls!! We have worked together for a handful of years but Sonia left me to move back to Atlanta but always works from Boston when she visits her family. So it works out pretty great.

Then the main event!… THANKSGIVING DAY! This was the coldest Thanksgiving morning on record. But it was bright and cheery outside. My husband woke up early for his annual pancake breakfast followed by the Reading vs Stoneham football game. As, I slept till 8AM! I got to work on my Thanksgiving Day Cooking Plan (P) right after coffee. As our girls woke up… one at 9AM and the other at 10AM!! It was a Thanksgiving Miracle!

This year our dinner was for a smaller group of us. Per usual, my eldest sister lives in Italy, so it’s been eleven years without her for this holiday (but is coming home in a week!). My older sister goes off to Kansas City to see her husband’s family. And we had a change-up this year, my in-laws decided to stay with their daughter, who always hosts her in laws, she wasn’t sure if they were going to come up or not. It was just my family with my parents.

I was pretty nervous with us being such a small group, like it would be too quiet or not a big hoopla, but IT WAS A PERFECT DAY! We had such a wonderful time together right from their entrance into the house that I will treasure this day the most out of any other. We told stories. Shook cocktails. Played jazz. Talked about what we were all grateful for. Laughed and ate, a lot, but paced the timing out perfectly.

My dinner came out great and everyone loved it. I felt so good inside on Thursday. Relieved relieved relieved.

Here was the menu:

Cocktails

• Apple Pie Martini
• Side Car (my fav!)

Appetizers

• Stuffing stuffed mushrooms
• Bacon wrapped scallops

First Course

• Chicken consommé with fresh cheese tortellini

Red and White Wine

Main Course

• Roasted thyme/lemon capon (with marsala gravy)
• Sausage stuffing
• Roasted pumpkin spice butternut squash
• Sautéed mushrooms and peas
• Roasted herbed potato casserole

Dessert and Coffees

• Homemade pumpkin pie
• Homemade chocolate pudding pie
• Homemade pumpkin spice cake bites w cream cheese frosting
• Spiced cake balls
• Ricotta pie (from my parents)
• Homemade whipped cream
• Espresso, Lattes and aperitif

After dinner my in-laws came over with one of our nieces. The kids were so happy. They closed themselves in the tv room while the rest of us hung out and had a drink. They left after an hour or so. Once we cleaned up, the kids grabbed some old games and we played till we couldn’t keep our eyes open! It was such a beautiful day.

Making bread crumbs for the stuffing

The Amish chicken for the soup portion of our dinner. She was treating it like a baby.. too cute. hahah

Here’s her baby. hahaha

Cleaning the capon!

Prepping stuffing

Later that night, She wanted to bake so bad, so I let her … from scratch she made spice cake w frosting..so good.

She was so happy

My husband is the pie guy… he made two, a pumpkin pie and a from scratch pudding pie.

I went to bed exhausted some how… i am NOT getting old so shut up.

My baby!

this is a lot of butter, but i hear butter is good for the soul. so.

After meal prep, it was outfit prep. Bought this cute jumpsuit, which i was nervous to wear, but I LOVE IT! May be one of my favorite pieces of clothing.

Table is set!

The place cards H made. Everyone had a different one.

My movie star mom! She really is beautiful isn’t she? I can only wish to be this glamour queen at her age.

With my mom

My dad wth two of his grandkids is almost 80! One more year!

My parents with their grandkids

L was being a lil cheeky here…but she is cute

This was cute, L was trying to give my dad bunny ears but I kept having to reprimand her to stop, so my mom did it to her hahah

One group shot!

Thanksgiving love right here. 🙂

My lil bestie

We tried to take a photo to send to the cousins but they all came out blurry… hahah

Appetizers, scallops wrapped in bacon and sausage stuffing stuffed mushrooms.

Sausage stuffing stuffed mushrooms

soooo good

My plate..yes i took a bite first hahah

Cocktail queen here 🙂

Tortellni in broth.. so gooooood

Talking about what we are thankful for…

THEN EATING

My baby looked sooooooo good.. smelled amazing. gah so good.

We set it up buffet style because we sat at our round kitchen table, it worked out great!

the stuffing rocked socks.

My plate, not with a bite taken out.

Sorry H, but you are cute no matter what.

Dessert buffet

all homemade here.. so pretty

Her desserts came out sweet.

With the left over cake we made cake balls

My husband’s pudding pie

and Pumpkin pie

we like to make whipped cream, it really is too good to pass up

my plate.

Then it was game night starting with vintage Pictionary.

Then last night was our annual Friendsgiving. We always get together the Friday after turkey day. And we try to always hit the Kowloon on Rt 1. There is a long-standing tradition here with the vintage Polynesian kitsch of the restaurant, the insanity of how fast the food comes out after just ordering, AND, scorpion bowls.

I love seeing everyone!

So I may be in lust with this new jumpsuit..it is so comfy I cant even!

Scorpion bowls never tasted so good

The food just kept coming out!

That is sage advice…and never look back, that’s another one.

How cute are we? VERY!

Well, there it is. My Thanksgiving Season post. I had such a wonderful time And hope you all did, too. Happy Thanksgiving!!

xoxoxox