I worked through the morning, ate lunch, worked some more and then finally decided that a workout just isn’t happening today. If I don’t make it to the gym or take Sadie for a run before noon, a rest day will more than likely take the place of a workout.
Rest days are important, too!
Lunch
Lunch today revolved around one thing: Caesar dressing.
I bought this Bolthouse Farms yogurt-based Caesar-Parmigiano salad dressing a little while ago and when I tried it, I was instantly smitten!
I usually prefer vinaigrette dressings to creamy dressings, but something about the parmesan flavor of this Caesar dressing called to me. It ended up being a great impulse buy, Yes, it was the dressing that motivated me to eat a salad for lunch today!
Today’s salad included:
- Spring mix
- Carrots
- Celery
- Red pepper
- 2 MorningStar Farms spicy black bean burgers
- Caesar dressing
Friendsgiving Menu Planning
Since I sent out the invitation to our Friendsgiving party early last week, we’ve heard back from everyone and it sounds like we’re going to have a full house next weekend!
Now the pressure is on to have good food for our friends to enjoy!
As we watched a DVRed episode of New Girl last night, I grabbed a pad of paper and began jotting down menu ideas.
(I love how turkey didn’t enter my head right away. A girl needs her sweet potato casserole and stuffing!)
So far we’re planning to make the following dishes:
- Turkey
- Sweet potato casserole
- Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes
- Peas (I like to stir them into my mashed potatoes. I get it from my dad.)
- Gravy
- My mom’s homemade stuffing (Hands down my favorite dish of Thanksgiving!)
- Cranberry sauce
- Bubbee’s glazed carrots (Ryan’s favorite!)
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Green beans with caramelized onions and slivered almonds
- Diane’s pineapple souffle (I need to get this recipe from my mother-in-law and share it with you guys because it is unreal.)
Am I forgetting anything major?
I am also hoping for your help when it comes to dessert!
Neither Ryan nor I have any strong associations with fabulous Thanksgiving desserts. (Remember the year of the ice bath pumpkin mousse!?) When I think of Thanksgiving dessert, I think of pumpkin pie and apple pie, but I feel like you guys might have some fun suggestions for slightly more decadent and creative sweet treats. (No Cherpumple, please!)
Right now the only dessert I have in mind is the pecan cake with caramel mousse and brown sugar topping that I saw in the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine.
Suggestions (and links!) are welcome!
Question of the Afternoon
- What is your all-time favorite Thanksgiving dish? Favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
For me, it’s all about the stuffing! As for desserts, I’ll go with pumpkin pie a la mode… with extra whipped cream.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I love talking about Thanksgiving foods and I’m always looking for new and exciting recipes! 🙂 I love sweet potato casserole. I usually make a whipped one that is fantastic! My favorite dessert is good old pumpkin pie. I love it.
I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake and then when we served it we sprinkled caramel syrup over it. I’ts featured on my blog! It was really easy and oooo so delicious!
I made these mini pumpkin pies a few weeks ago and they are SUPER easy. And easy to eat for a large gathering. Check it out: http://www.ingoodfaithblog.com/2012/10/ridiculously-easy-mini-pumpkin-pies.html
oh so fun! they’re so itty bitty!! perfect for a party. i like this idea!
I’m not sure if you’re going for something pumpkin flavored, but you could make molasses cookies for dessert! They’re so delicious – they taste like ginger snaps except it’s a soft cookie. Enjoy your Friendsgiving! 🙂
I am SUCH a stuffing girl. My blog post today talked about how stuffing must be laced with crack or something because I am addicted.
LOL! i feel ya!
I love this Friendsgiving idea! I am on a study abroad program with my school, and I won’t be back home until after Thanksgiving. I was really bummed that I was going to miss out on the fun, but you’ve now inspired me to have a Friendsgiving of my own!
doooo it!!!
I’m totally with you-sweet potato casserole is my favorite! I don’t have a recipe right off hand, but doesn’t pumpkin cheesecake sound good? Perhaps you could do some kind of maple flavored crust. Just thinking out loud!
I’m a huge apple pie fan but hate how heavy it can be so this little recipe for apple slab pie (almost like a pie/crisp) caught my eye on Pinterest http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pies/crumb-topped-apple-slab-pie/?socsrc=bhgpin070512
Of course these turkey cookies are too adorable! http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/turkey-cookie-treats/31890610-3bcf-4d9e-8706-91445256525b#?term=thanksgiving%2Bdesserts&fv=AND(HasGridViewImage%3ATrue)&pi=3&ps=9
Pumpkin Pie! Or chocolate pecan! I love green beans with almonds, good call! That is quite the list of dishes!
My favorite dish is this Buttermilk Cornbread I make every year. It always gets rave reviews from everyone, except my mom for some reason. Whatevs. She’s insane. It got the recipe when I was a member of the Little House Book Club. I was about nine at the time, so it’s been to about eighteen Thanksgivings/Christmases. Love it!
French Silk Pie with fresh whipping cream! It’s super easy to make and TO. DIE. FOR! Let me know if you want the recipe!
yes pleaseeee!
I’ve a vegetarian so the turkey dishes are out for me but my mom makes this awesome asparagus veggie dish with cauliflower.. omgosh I could eat the entire thing haha
Pioneer Woman has an amazing Pecan Pie recipe. It just wouldnt be Thanksgiving without one of those!! I also think carrot cake is a fabulous dessert for Fall. I seriously have the BEST recipe ever for one(no yucky raisins in it) that gets rave reviews every time.
I didn’t see any rolls of any kind on your list – do you not do them? It might be overkill with all the other great (and filling) things on the menu haha
Sharon, I had to get back to you on this…I just made it with low-fat Almond milk, and it is fantastic. I think I just found my wietnr drink, and not a moment too soon. Snow flurries tomorrow
Love Thanksgiving eats 🙂 I make these pumpkin whoopie pies every year and they are a huge favorite with my family – and anyone else that tastes them! A fun play on a classic (and delicious) fall flavor!
http://www.marthastewart.com/344826/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-with-cream-cheese-f
Your menu looks great! My family always has a carrot cake at the dessert table at Thanksgiving.
It’s all about the mashed potatoes for me! Yummm!
And a chocolate cream pie for dessert with extra whipped cream! I’m all about eating as much as I can stuff in on Thanksgiving!
We love this: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/view2/pumpkin_gingerbread_trifle
So delicious!! Also, I made your moms stuffing last year and it was a HUGE hit 🙂 It will definitely be on the menu this year!
I found this on Pinterest and have yet to actually try them (they are high up on my list, though!) – but with Chai and pumpkin, how could you go wrong?
http://passthesushi.com/chai-pumpkin-spice-thumbprints/
I’d also suggest pumpkin bars with cream cheese topping for dessert – it’s easy to make a huge batch of those, plus they freeze well!
Otherwise, pumpkin bundt cake with chocolate chips?
Do a regular old pumpkin pie, but melt some dark chocolate chips and spread that over the bottom of the crust before adding the filling. Yum! Also works really well with no bake pumpkin cheesecake. (Maybe even better actually)
Desserts (my forte):
Cranberry Bliss Bars: http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/11/14/cranberry-bliss-bars/
Apple coffee cake with crumble topping and brown sugar glaze:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/apple-coffee-cake-with-crumble-topping-and-brown-sugar-glaze-recipe/index.html
Or, similar/without apples: Cinnamon streusel coffee cake: http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2011/03/cinnamon-streusel-coffee-cake.html
Pumpkin pie biscotti (even my bf who doesn’t die for pumpkin loved): http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2012/10/pumpkin-pie-biscotti/
These are typical “seasonal” items. If we want to get down to cookies, brownies, chocolate cakes…..
I’m all about the sweet potato casserole and stuffing! Yummm. As for dessert, pecan pie totally wins me over. Apple & pumpkin are good too, but nothing beats a delicious homemade pecan pie. Ahh I can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
My mom makes pumpkin cake! I’m Canadian so our Thanksgiving has come and gone and I’m a little sad that I can’t indulge again with ya!
But back to the cake.. it’s spice cake with cream cheese icing in the middle.. not on the top.. she drizzles caramel and pecans on top. So stinkin’ good.
Anything sweet potato!! Yum…
My favorite dessert is Pumpkin Dump Cake. Horrible name, wonderful dessert!
It’s not very “Thanksgiving”ish but our family likes Angle Food Cake – my mom makes it homemade.
For pumpkin flavored things I like pumpkin bars with chocolate chips.
OoooO what an exciting get together! All the food sounds great for that day, and what a coinkidink! I was just looking at this recipe by Roostblog and seriously wanna try some!
http://www.roostblog.com/roost/warm-apple-pie-pots.html
Maybe you can make those if it’s not too much work? But you can alter it by making a big batch of it perhaps…not sure. Hope this helps!
The newest issue of Food Network magazine has this outrageous looking pumpkin spice cake with chocolate pecan frosting/glaze. I’m not sure if they’ve put the recipe up on their site yet, but it looks incredible!
I love sweet potato casserole, but it’s not a family staple for some reason?! I’m going to volunteer to make it this year so I’m sure I’ll have it!
I love the stuffing, and then eating cranberry sauce, potatoes and turkey together (need all three in a bite!). My grandfather is from Louisville, KY and he always makes Derby Pie! It’s some kind of chocolate and pecan concoction, but always a big hit!
Stuffing and cranberry sauce! And my favorite dessert is pumpkin cheesecake 🙂
I’m so boring but my favorite part of thanksgiving is the brussels sprouts….it’s an odd fascination. I guess turkey is a close second though. Favorite dessert is always cheesecake! No getting ready for Thanksgiving over here though, since we already had ours in October:)
Gotta have pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I can’t wait!
I loved a recipe I tried out last year. So easy and so good. Pumpkin tiramisu! http://bittersweetbrooke.com/2011/10/26/pumpkin-pick-me-up/
You can’t have a Thanksgiving meal without mac and cheese! That’s probably my favorite dish out of any of them. The mac and cheese tastes good with a bite of pretty much everything… turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, you name it! My favorite desserts would have to be buttermilk pie and pumpkin pie. Yum!!
It’s a little cliche but Paula Deen’s pumpkin cheesecake is my favorite holiday dessert! I make it every year for Thanksgiving and it’s always a hit!
Im in a spiraling pit of dispair over not being able to come 🙁
Can’t wait to cook foods like this for the family!
That salad dressing is my favorite! So good =)
Here are a few I would recommend!
http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/10130062/pecan-balls-christmas-cookies/ (I know it say’s christmas, but they are too good not to make 😉
http://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2008/11/22/pumpkin-crunch-cake/
http://www.bakersroyale.com/cookies/pumpkin-7-layer-magic-bars/
Okay, I made this pumpkin cheesecake last Thanksgiving and it was a hit!!! If you want to make it easier to serve to a bunch of people, you could make mini cheesecakes using a muffin pan.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/double-layer-pumpkin-cheesecake-2/detail.aspx
I need some of that paisley stationery you’ve jotted on a few times : )
Here’s a Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake I made last year. My family ravedddddd about it, probably more than anything else I have ever made.
http://www.countingmycupcakes.com/2011/11/double-chocolate-pumpkin-cake.html
I followed Jenny’s (Picky Palate’s) recipe from here: http://picky-palate.com/2011/10/06/double-chocolate-pumpkin-cake-with-pumpkin-spice-buttercream/
You can always count on Jenny for an amazing recipe!!
Pumpkin or apple trifle! LOVE trifle’s and they are so easy to make! There are tons of ideas on pinterest!
Stuffing is for sure my favorite. Carbs on carbs on carbs. What’s not to love? I need to check out your mom’s recipe! It sounds delish!
I think this looks absolutely incredible. We are going to make this for Christmas brunch this year:
http://www.marthastewart.com/331762/pumpkin-bread-pudding-with-dulce-de-lech?czone=food/thanksgiving-center/thanksgiving-center-dessert¢er=0&gallery=274634&slide=285853
oh wowwww. can i come!? 🙂
I run at 5:00 am in Chicago. It is dark. I pretty much do everything wrong – it’s dark, I’m alone most days, and wear headphones.
I am only creeped out once in awhile by a raccoon or creepy Halloween decorations!
I found this recipe on Pinterest for Pumpkin Dump Cake and I’ve been dying to make it. I’ve had apple dump cake in the past and absolutely love it so this one should be a winner.
http://cookiesandcups.com/pumpkin-dump-cake/
Good luck!
Pumpkin chocolate cupcakes! They aren’t a traditional dessert like pies but they are amazing and versatile!
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts!!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/marbled-pumpkin-cheesecake/
YUM!!!
I love to make trifles or layer cakes…however, our family is usually SO FULL from all the entree foods that they only eat a little of my dessert. It is more for later that night to munch on. 🙂