Thanksgiving

If Thanksgiving is all about being thankful and spending time with those that we love, then our family's holiday was perfect.  Thursday morning began with an early 6 miles of speedwork on the treadmill followed by a 4 mile run outside with Dad.  

We had a healthy breakfast of green smoothies and pumpkin swirl bread, and then proceeded to enjoy a lazy morning in front of the fireplace watching the Macy's parade and reading the newspaper.

As you can see, Bailey was quite content to spend the morning sleeping next to the fireplace.

My grandparents and uncle arrived in the early afternoon, and we grazed on smoked salmon rolls, beet crudités, rosemary roasted nuts, apple slices with brie cheese, wasabi crab bites, and cheese and crackers.  The wasabi crab bites and salmon rolls were the favorites, but I couldn't keep my hand out of the roasted nuts.

Bailey made sure to stay right by my side, reinforcing her love for my short visits.

Much of the meal was prepared in the couple of days prior to Thanksgiving Day, but Mom had a few last minute dishes to finish.  She always prepares a delicious feast, and this year was no exception.

Keeping with annual tradition, Dad was put in charge of the turkey.  The bird was stuffed with oranges and apples, rubbed in an herb mixture, and roasted on the Green Egg for 8 hours.  The result was a perfectly cooked turkey.

Our meal consisted of smoked turkey and gravy, cranberry walnut stuffing, oyster stuffing, mashed parsnips and rutabaga, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, celery salad, and homemade dinner rolls.

A little bit (or a lot) of everything rounded out my plate.  There's just something about that traditional Thanksgiving meal that keeps me craving the combination of flavors.  If only I had a plate of leftovers in the freezer . . .

We spent our meal playing a game of question and answer, reminiscing over family memories, accomplishments, favorite foods, dream vacations, and many other random topics.  

Family is most certainly at the top of my list of things that I am thankful for, and I couldn't be happier to call them my own and to be able to make the trip home to celebrate together.

The remainder of the holiday weekend included more mornings of sleeping in and lounging by the fire, watching the newest Hunger Games movie, hikes in the woods, and a brother and sister bike adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving!