Mini Thanksgiving

Well, hello there! It's been a while! I am finally settled into my new job, new apartment, and new life, which means one thing: time to blog more! I know, I know, I say this all the time. But maybe this time it will actually stick?

We are midway through my absolute favorite time of year. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays with no strings attached - no gifts, no religion; just family, food, and fun. The stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time for hall decking, treat baking, and gift giving (my three favorite things). Christmas is, of course, the BEST day of the year, and this year I have the great joy of bringing Hanukkah to my gentile roommates. We close the season with New Year's - a fresh start for the next 12 months of life. Isn't it beautiful?!

This year, my roommates and I decided to host a potluck "Friendsgiving" dinner. Mary pointed out that serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would take away from the big day, which we were all spending with our families outside of NYC. We decided our Thanksgiving needed a theme - and after we crushed Karin's dream of a Mexican Thanksgiving, Mini Thanksgiving was born. Few people know this about me, but it has always been my dream to host a party where everything was prepared in muffin tins. Mini Thanksgiving was here to make my dreams come true!

Okay, so neither of the things that I made were actually cupcake shaped. BUT it was really amazing how all of our guests interpreted the miniature theme. I hope you're hungry, because you're headed for a food pic spam!

Our table was set.



Sarah made sure we didn't prepare dinner starving - we all arrived to an apartment rich with the smells of Pumpkin Muffins and spicy Sweet Potato Fries!

Karin made Mini Brie Bites filled with delicious blueberry jam.

Mary prepared our main course, Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli. Giada ain't got nothing on this girl!

Mary also made sure we had plenty of crusty bread to soak up the buttery sauce.

I made Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes, but added a little extra garlic and rosemary for good measure.

Attempting to bring a little health to the table, I also made my famous Roasted Green Beans... served in martini glasses, of course.

Laura & Renee made Mini Mac and Cheeses that were to die for.



Kait stopped by and brought Domino's Cheesy Bread - a welcome addition!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of our delicious dessert - I think I was too full to move! Laura & Renee made us Mini Apple Pies a la mode. Here's a picture from Little Bit Funky's original recipe:

And obviously we hated every bite.



It was, by far, one of the BEST dinner parties I've ever been a part of.

Have you ever put a twist on a traditional holiday celebration?

The Clever North Wind Had Other Plans

Tomorrow, I am leaving NYC for the first time since I got here (with the exception of a day in Long Island, but that hardly counts). Looking back, this is the longest I've really ever stayed in one place without leaving, if only for a day.

Ridiculous, huh? But in undergrad, I had my boyfriend 2 hours away, my mom 4 hours away, my sister 5 hours away, a beach 1.5 hours away, Disney World 2 hours away... and me and my car just peaced out whenever we could. It's not that I don't like where I live. It's just that I get restless and bored in one place for too long of a time. I think it's genetic.

The first time I saw Chocolat, I knew I had found an explanation for this gene. I think I'll call it the North Wind Gene. For those of you who haven't seen the film, Vianne comes from a long line of drifters. They stay in one place until the clever north wind blows in and tells them to go elsewhere.

Her daughter, Anouk, hates this. But she reluctantly follows her mother wherever she goes. My mom has the North Wind Gene. I don't think my dad has it, but his job certainly wants him to. I lived in 5 houses before I was 8. I was used to home being a state of mind instead of a physical location, but I still felt Anouk's resistance to our constant moving.

But once we moved to Florida and stayed for 10 years, I grew restless. You can fight nature, but it'll come back eventually. I couldn't wait to get to Gainesville. Once I was there for 4 years, I couldn't wait to get to NYC. I was seriously done with the entire state of Florida. I should also point out that even though we were in that same house for 10 years, my dad has since moved 3 times and my mom has moved twice. Again, you can fight nature, but it'll catch up.

I know I'll be living in NYC for a while, but that doesn't mean the North Wind doesn't want me getting out of town every once in a while. The stress of school and the excitement of seeing loved ones only adds to the need for a vacation! In general, I'm looking forward to the things I miss about the South: warmer weather, sweet tea, southern hospitality, Publix subs and Chick-fil-A nuggets. But this Thanksgiving, what I'm really looking forward to is starting some new traditions with my family.

This is the first Thanksgiving we'll be having in my sister's apartment, and it's the first Thanksgiving out of the awkward-transition stage that all families go through when the north wind stirs the pot a little. I'm sad that my mom won't be there, but I'm really looking forward to cooking all day with my sister. The menu has some changes that stray away from the traditional Thanksgiving we had while I was growing up, but my all-time favorites are there: my famous green beans, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and frozen chocolate mousse pie. I really don't care what else happens as long as I have those three dishes and my family by my side.

Apart from Thanksgiving, I'll be spending a weekend in New Orleans with my sister and her fiance before we head to Atlanta to start the holiday. I've never been, and I'm really looking forward to a REAL vacation with absolutely no responsibilities.

Safe travels to everyone out there going away for Turkey Day! Hopefully I'll find some time to blog while I'm away, but in case I don't, Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

(All images from Fanpop)