Posts Tagged "Thanksgiving"

Geer Street + Giveaway Winner

Posted on Nov 25, 2012 | 4 comments

The best part about the end of Thanksgiving is the beginning of Christmas!!

Coming home from our holiday travels was still a bit sad. We had a fabulous time and I’m hoping Matt’s parents did too! We had warm-ish weather on Friday and a fun lunch in Wilmington before our drive home.

When we arrived, Matt got right back to his studies while I unpacked and started on the laundry. Around 5 though, we remembered that it was Saturday night! I brewed some simple syrup on the stove so we could make bourbon + orange bitters cocktails to sip on. And then we braved the cold and walked to Geer Street Garden for a date.

We just sat at the bar and ordered a few appetizers. I enjoyed a Pranqster, which ended up being a perfect Belgian!

I didn’t really know what I was in the mood for, so Matt chose the food: jalapeno cheddar hushpuppies,

fried chicken and arugula salad with hard boiled egg and parmesan,

and mac and cheese. All the southern foods complimented each other and really hit the spot. I loved all three items, and I’m going back for those hushpuppies.

Well, the winner is Brittany from Itty Bits of Balance, and she doesn’t like cranberry sauce! I’m not surprised:) Congrats Brittany!!!

I’m off to snuggle in my fresh flannel sheets. Night.

Island Feast

Posted on Nov 23, 2012 | 3 comments

We’re having an amazing time here on the island. It’s chilly, but the clear blue sunny skies make up for it.

A margarita kicked off the vacation and then we spent most of Wednesday afternoon catching up and showing Matt’s family around the island.

Thankful For It All

Posted on Nov 21, 2012 | 2 comments

Well, I guess it’s clear that cranberry sauce is the least popular of the Thanksgiving dishes! I’m surprised at how many people don’t like the sweet potatoes though…

We usually go to Matt’s house in Maryland for Thanksgiving, but this year we’re heading to Bald Head Island! Since our wedding will be on the island this June, we thought it would be nice to show Matt’s parents the venue, the chapel, and the island in general!

In years past, I’ve written a Thanksgiving post about what I’m thankful for. This year, I’m not even going to attempt to write that list because there are just too many blessings to count. I don’t know if it’s Thanksgiving or all the changes this year, but recently, I’ve just felt overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m thankful for it all.

So what are we eating this year? Well, my parents arranged for rooms at the Inn where we always stay (usually at Christmas time though). It’s really cozy during the holidays and has a roaring fireplace, but the lack of our own kitchen means no cooking of the traditional feast. At first I was sad, but then I saw the menu! We will actually be eating at the wedding reception site! I hope the food is good because we’re stuck with it for the wedding:)

Enjoy the the feast, the time with family, and all the fun that comes with!

Bald Head Family Style Thanksgiving Menu!

First Courses for the Table

Assorted Cheese Plate | Waldorf Salad | Broccoli Salad | Orange-Cranberry Relish

Traditional Sides

Turkey and Sage Stuffing Roll | Cranberry-Walnut NC Sweet Potato Casserole | Whipped Potatoes

Roasted Turkey Gravy | Green Bean Casserole | Braised Collard Greens | Roasted Heirloom Potato Salad

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots | Butternut Squash Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown Butter and Parmesan

Main Courses

Herb Roasted Breast of Turkey | Honey Glazed Spiral Ham | Crab Stuffed Flounder with smoked shrimp cream

Desserts

Pumpkin Pie | Sweet Potato Pie | Bourbon Pecan Pie | Cinnamon-Apple Cake

A Meat House Thanksgiving {Review + Giveaway}

Posted on Nov 19, 2012 | 78 comments

Way back when I lived in Boston, I stumbled upon a modern butcher shop of sorts, called The Meat House. The store wasn’t close to our apartment, so we only shopped there once, but we did enjoy the wide variety of meat and the neighborhood grocery feel. So, when the social media coordinator asked me if I would like the opportunity to review something from the store, I wanted to say sure! Only, I was asked to prepare a Meat House turkey for Thanksgiving and we’re not cooking this year (we’re traveling and eating out…), so I declined. But then she asked me if I’d be interested in preparing a turkey right before Thanksgiving (friends-giving?), but I was too overwhelmed by the idea of cooking a whole Thanksgiving spread by myself, and declined again. ‘No problem’ was her response! You see, the beauty of The Meat House, is that they have all kinds of prepared sides and pre-marinated turkey, for busy, lazy-on-the-couch, no-experience-cooking-turkeys-people like me!

So, with a gift card in hand, I went to The Meat House and picked out a mini Thanksgiving spread consisting of cilantro lime marinated turkey tips, sweet potato casserole, bacon brussels sprouts, and bourbon baked beans! The meat seemed really reasonably priced to me and there was so much to choose from! We chose turkey because of the holiday, but I’d love to try some of the spicy marinated meat too.

The store seemed bigger than the one I had visited in Boston, and meat aside, it has lots of other gourmet goodies, and beer + wine too! Oh, and pie, but I didn’t think Matt and I needed a whole pie between the two of us.

I love these kinds of stores because they always have great ideas for house-warming gifts or stocking stuffers for cooks. I couldn’t resist picking out a few extra things – I need more good seasonings around this kitchen!

We actually arrived only 15 minutes before closing, and I thought the staff might be annoyed that we were taking a while to decide what we wanted, but the staff were helpful, upbeat, and friendly, making it really feel like a small neighborhood market.

I cooked the turkey last night, and I’m a little embarrassed to say I wasn’t exactly sure of the best way to prepare turkey tips. Nothing a little googling can’t solve:) I bet this would have been great on the grill! I ended up searing the outside and then baking the tips in the oven until they reached 165 degrees.

And everything else was prepared by magic micro waves!

It was so much fun to have this feast on a chilly Sunday night – I actually couldn’t finish the whole plate though – gotta save room for the real thing.

The turkey was good, and I especially liked the hint of cilantro and lime, but I have to be honest, I think I butchered it with my cooking method because the inside was dry – totally my fault I’m guessing?

But the sides were fabulous! The rolls are actually from Great Harvest (we keep a stash in our freezer), but the rest of the prepared sides were from The Meat House. The bourbon baked beans and the sweet potato casserole were sooo delicious!!!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the brussels, mostly because we cook them at home all the time (and I’m kinda of addicted to the maple roasted ones we make), but I do enjoy bacon with my brussels.

Overall, I really enjoyed my shopping experience at The Meat House and I thought the food was very high quality. I believe the turkey was all-natural, but I don’t think it was organic (and I can’t remember if I saw organic or grass-fed options for the other meats) But, like I said, the prices were good for the meat and the sides, which you could also buy by the pound.

And now, the fun part – I’m giving away one $50 giftcard to The Meat House – it looks like there are locations in about ten states nationwide, so check the website to see if there’s one near you. To enter, leave a comment on this post – we’ll switch things up a bit – tell me what your least favorite Thanksgiving food is and why! I’ll pick a winner on Sunday.

To the Mountains

Posted on Nov 26, 2011 | 0 comments

Howdy. I’m absolutely loving my time off – longest time away from work since I started in July! Given our change in plans, Matt and I decided to spend the rest of our weekend in Charlottesville, visiting Kath and Kanz and my parents. We arrived just in time for a Thanksgiving lunch on Friday. THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I love getting to try other people’s Thanksgivings.

  

For dinner, we drove to a neighboring town to see a performance by musician Scott Miller. We dined at the music hall, where Matt and I split a huge portion of local spare beef ribs as well as a local pork ribeye with bourbon bbq sauce.

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Today, I’m relaxed, rested, and stuffed full of Great Harvest french toast. It’s time for exercise and then we’re off to Virginia wineries. Wheeeeeee.