Thanksgiving

And there you have Thanksgiving! Due to technological inadequacy, some of the desserts are shown before the meal but no one said you couldn't have Aunt Kim's ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL Apple Crisp and Pumpkin Cheesecake before dinner.

Our Thanksgiving was small and quiet. We went to Boston where my mother's brother (Uncle Dave) lives. It was a wonderful, yet ephemeral, trip but as always, amazing food was created. No short overnight trip will stop this family from under-indulging on Thanksgiving.

As you can tell by the selected photos, we had a pretty traditional meal. You got your turkey, your stuffing, brussel sprouts and bacon, freshly made dinner rolls. Unfortunately we were so excited to stuff our faces that not all of the dishes were captured by photo. That's what happens when you travel for 4 hours on an empty belly. However, my aunt does a phenomenal job playing "Susie Homemaker" and satisfying the masses with her delicious cooking and baking.

I must comment, after not only Thanksgiving festivities but "Wine and Cheese" and my sister's recent engagement, that a four day food-fest was certainly had, enjoyed, and over!!! Thankfully, we will be getting back into the routine of normal-sized portions and healthier choices but it was certainly FUN while it lasted.

Photos to come featuring "Wine and Cheese!"

Holiday Food Anticipation

Annnnnnd, the holiday food daydreaming begins....rightfully so being that Thanksgiving is in T-one week! As you all might remember from so avidly checking in on my blogging, my reliable digital camera decided to unreliably not work...to my utter dismay. Therefore, personal "foodie" photos will take a backseat until sister old snaps a buxom montage over the holidays with her own camera.

Anyhow, I am taking this opportunity to rant and rave about my favorite (and I'm sure shared) foods/gatherings for the holidays! I love the turkey, but I must say (and quite obviously from my chosen photo), the sweet potato pie is SOOOO the underdog and it is SOOOO amazing. Therefore, I am dedicating my first "fave thought" towards the magnificence and simplicity behind the candied sweet potatoes which my mother makes (recipe courtesy of one of my best friend's stepfather's.....that would be Kaylin, the tall blonde on the right on the aforementioned "seis post" with respective photo op). I think sweet potatoes, while unique and not typically enjoyed universally, have received a not-so-keen reputation because they haven't been known to be doused in brown sugar, butter, and chopped pecans. Yeah, let's face it, the holidays are certainly the times when you can kiss your stellar diet goodbye. It's definitely time to FEAST!

Anyhow, while this blog post may not be in my traditional "photo/recipe/AMAZING ANECDOTE" fashion, the next few posts will surely make up for it....because....well, two things:

1. Thanksgiving----which means I will take many photos of the INCREDIBLE meal my aunt always makes in Boston....AND
2. Wine and Cheese party- (aka 'wine and chee' spoken in my friends' sweet ebonic language) Wine and Cheese is the traditional post-Thanksgiving food and drink get together that me and my best friends, the seis, create every year! Here, we usually pick a theme and all make one dish to bring to the party. We also customarily choose "Secret Santas" for the Christmas season....ahem, and Chanukkah season....(props to being the token Jew!).

As far as this post lacking, you can see that over the next week, the floodgates will open with foodie faves and splurges running the gamut from my aunt's gourmet stuffing and cranberries on Thanksgiving to Italian panini's and my much anticipated "three-cheese baked gnocchi with bacon" at our Wine and Cheese party. Worry no more!!!! Because...............there is food to be made and, therefore, food to be had.....and don't you worry, food will be had so long as my family and the seis have anything to do with it.

So, speak soon and start stretching your stomachs for the Tuuuuuuuuuuuurkey...I already have! HAHA

Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I have a thrilling new way to even make a salad exciting. Well, Giada de Laurentiis does! Last night I made this salad as a side and I was inspired to do so because, while we didn't wish to eat something heavy like a potato dish, we wanted more than plain iceburg. So, Giada hooked us up and I will be happy to eat the rest of this in a few short hours with my dinner tonight.

This salad was definitely a little bit more time consuming than I had planned but well worth the process being that it was so well received by my family and my self. Of course, as far as the 'svelte' issue goes, frying up Parmesan coated veggies isn't perhaps the most healthful way of donning fresh spinach with other veggies, but at least they aren't beer-battered and deep-fried right? RIGHT! And, the light dressing certainly adds to the healthful factor being that it isn't a cream-saturated mess.....

So, here is the recipe for this fantastic salad....

Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad:

2 1/2 cups bite-sized broccoli florets

2 1/2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups lightly packed fresh spinach leaves

1/2 lemon, zested

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method: Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl. Toss with the beaten eggs to coat evenly. Place the Parmesan in a large tray or baking dish and dredge the vegetables in the cheese, pressing to coat evenly.
Pour olive oil in a large heavy skillet until the olive oil is 1/4-inch deep, about 1/2 cup depending on the size of your skillet. Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the Parmesan-coated vegetables. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Let the vegetables cook until a crust forms, about 3 minutes per side. Turn the vegetables only when they easily release from the bottom of the pan. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
Place the spinach in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the spinach with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan coated vegetables. Toss and serve.

And there you have this awesome new way to enjoy spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.

**Side note: Unfortunately my technologically reliable digital camera just randomly decided to not work anymore, so I accredit this photo from the Food Network's site! However, my salad did in fact resemble this photo near exactly! :P

Enjoy!