Best Leftovers Ever!

Sure you think that I am going tell you how to turn your left-over turkey into some amazing casserole. But let's be real...we have all been there and done that. Further more if you ask me the best thing to do with your Thanksgiving left-overs is turn them into a sandwich that New Englanders call the "Gobbler". Simply place the left-over turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce between two slices of bread dressed in gravy. Old school yet yummy every time!

No what I really want to tell you about today is how to make the best grilled cheese ever! While I know not everyone makes homemade pimento it has become a staple appetizer for my family on Thanksgiving day. I have also learned that pimento makes for an incredible grilled cheese sandwich. The only catch is that if you plan to reuse it for grilled cheese you have to omit the mayo. I know that idea if offensive to some but if you are going to heat it in a sandwich mayo just doesn't work. 

Pimento Cheese

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
8 ounces of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
jarred sliced pimentos, drained and roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (we prefer a little more heat so I add 1/2 teaspoon)
2 to 3 dashes of hot sauce

Simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a hand held beater until a creamy spread is formed, then refrigerate over night so all of the flavors can blend together.

Allow pimento cheese to come to room temperature before serving with crackers and celery sticks.

*Or spread pimento cheese on buttered whole wheat bread. Then simple grill on low heat until the cheese has melted. Trust me, you are going to love it!!!!

Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

I hope that all you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our Thanksgiving was different since we could not travel home to my family but it was still wonderful. I tried my best to cook a meal that my Gram would have been proud of and while I did try my best it was clear that I have a ton to learn! Honestly it is very hard to clean a house and keep it clean with children then prepare a multiple course meal then serve it all at the right temperature. I have a lot to learn. But I am more than willing!

Thank goodness Hubby and my brother where able to talk me off of any "this is a total disaster" cliffs! (Hubby's note- Dinner was tremendous!) They helped me sit back and enjoy the moment. Family and food without any need to rush. I have more than I should and despite not being in New Jersey with our family I did not feel less blessed for a moment. 

Plus we keep it real all day long! We played game upon game and we kept score. What can I say, we are a competitive group. And I am sure that it would not surprise you that M and I won in the last game of the night. Do your families play any games on Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know that I am pretty much repeating last year's Thanksgiving post but if you ask me it is a message that bears repeating!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hubby's Holiday Take Over

I, Hubby, have been given responsibility for today's post.  Simply to amuse myself I considered filling this page writing about things Eileen would find unappealing (beer, "The Godfather", reasons Virginia is better than New Jersey, the Redskins despite the team currently being unappealing to everyone, etc) but the juice probably isn't worth the squeeze on that one.

I was given this responsibility because Eileen has been in the kitchen cooking up a storm for most of the day. While she has always contributed to Thanksgiving we normally go to New Jersey to be with her family so in the past she has only had to make a few things. This year we are staying at home so it is basically the first time Thanksgiving has fallen solely on her.

Due to the reality that with a single oven there is only so much that can cook at one time on Thanksgiving itself Eileen has been very busy the last two days trying to make things ahead of time. So far she has made soup, two pies, mashed sweet potatoes (my favorite!) and stuffing. The stuffing, which is amazing, is exceptionally important to her because it is her grandmother's recipe. Thanksgiving is Eileen's favorite holiday in large part because she associates it so closely with her grandparents who always used to host the day for the family. Her grandfather has passed away and her grandmother is no longer having Thanksgiving at her house but the day still holds tremendous meaning for her. Making the stuffing with her grandmother's recipe, something I have no doubt Eileen will pass down to our kids, is a way she is able to maintain a connection to her childhood while we start new traditions with our own children.

What Thanksgiving foods or traditions do you associate with your childhood that you are passing on to your kids? Whatever they are we wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

TGIF XIII

Can you believe that it is less than a week to Thanksgiving!?! To say that I have too much to do in not much time would be the understatement of the year. But have no fear, I have a plan!

{1} Blue & White Plus Orange

I am sure that it would not surprise you that I turned to Pinterest for some tablescape inspiration. I just love the Thanksgiving table setting that Jennifer put together! I have a feeling that I will love the way my Royal Copenhagen china looks with orange accents.

{2} Tom The Turkey

Last night I got our bird. I must have been quite the sight digging in the meat case looking for a turkey that weighed less than 13 pounds while wearing a dress. It was not pretty but I got what I wanted! 

{3} Thermometer

There is nothing worst than dry turkey meat on Thanksgiving! So to make sure that does not happen to me I ordered a new remote thermometer. In theory I will be able to leave the kitchen and socialize without over cooking dinner. Leaving the kitchen on Thanksgiving...a girl can dream right?

{4} Apron

I am a big fan of aprons! In fact I wear one almost everyday. They truly help cut down on the trips I make to the dry cleaners and the time I have to spend spot treating my wash. This year I will be wearing a vintage apron that my Gram gave me for Christmas last year but Anthropologie has a bunch a super cute aprons too!

{5} A Forgiving Top

I am sure it is going to prove that I am not a lady, let alone a Southern lady, but I plan to indulge on Thanksgiving. Truly this is my most favorite meal of the whole year! (The only close second is our lobster dinner at the Cape.) So I feel like this top with my pixie pants would be perfect for next week.

So what is your Thanksgiving game plan?

You can also find me at A. Liz Aventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness and The Good Life Blog

Trying Not to Get Ahead of Myself

Bad news - we are not going to be able to travel up to New Jersey this year for Thanksgiving. Good news - we are hosting my youngest brother for Thanksgiving. (Hubby's note- Better news: He is bringing beer and I don't have to drive anywhere!) So I have been cleaning like a mad woman to get our home ready for next week. It turns out that a family of five can make some big messes! 

Much of my day today was spent cleaning in our formal living-room. I have to be honest while I love this room, I just don't get to spend a ton of time in there. In fact for most of November I have only gone in the living-room to water the plants. After dinner....in the dark.

So imagine my surprise when I noticed that my Christmas cactus has tiny buds! Since I feel like everything is losing color outside I was so excited to see that soon my plant will be filled with beautiful, bright pink flowers. 

I can't believe I am going to say this but...my little Christmas cactus has put me in the Christmas mood before Thanksgiving. But don't go all crazy thinking that I am decking the halls and all that. One holiday at a time and in order...that's my rule and I am sticking to it!!!

She Shopped Until She Dropped

I love Black Friday!  For as long as I can remember I have just adored it.  While there are many great malls in NoVa, there is a mall in Jersey that I just love.  The Mall at Short Hills will always have my shopping heart!!!  I can not tell you how overjoyed I am that my daughter has joined me and my mother the last couple of years.  

Being expert shoppers Mom and I knew not to try and park at the mall.  On Black Friday we always park off of Canoe Brook Road in the office parking.  Trust us!!!  

B was a little lady on a mission!  We have been looking for colored denim jeans for B since August and today we finally found a pair at J. Crew that looked too cute to pass up.  And a cute top with some "bling".  I tried on the J. Crew Cafe Capri in red tartan which has been all over the blog-world.  I loved them but B told me that they looked like pj bottoms.  So I walked out empty handed:(

While the shopping trip might have worn B out, my mom and I were over the moon that B inherited our "shopping for a deal" gene!  Happy Holiday Shopping Y'all!!!

Different But The Same

Is your Thanksgiving like mine?  Filled with traditions that have been followed more years than I have been alive.  Every year Gram cooks the turkey, stuffing and makes the soup for Thanksgiving dinner at her Shore house.  All of her children and grandchildren fill out the meal with sides and dessert.  For at least the last four years I have made the same dishes: pimento cheese as an appetizer,  sweet potato casserole for a side and pumpkin pie for the dessert table.

Some might find it boring that we don't really mess around with the menu or venue, but that is the way my Pop liked it. And if it was good enough for Pop it was more than good enough for the rest of us since he was so loved and adored by my family. So even though Pop said his last Thanksgiving grace in 2009 we keep the traditions going as a way to remember him.

Due to Sandy we had to break with some of the traditions this year.  Gram and Pop's house was damaged during the storm and still is without power.  So my Uncle C gather as many Thanksgiving supplies as he could from Gram's home and brought them to my Aunt E's house.  The show must go on!

So just like every year I tried to take a family photo worthy of our Christmas card.  And per usual my kiddos did not work with me!

My Aunt's wedding china and silver looked beautiful laid out on Gram's Thanksgiving table cloths.  In fact this year there was more room so the "head table" and "weenie table" could even chat!

Being the competitive group that we are we still played "Hang By Your Nose".  Not sure at all how to explain this game in a blog post. Simply put it is a game that my Pop came up with using an old vacuum head and green tarp.  Sounds weird but trust me it is a good time!

So even though things did not go according to plan we had a great time.  I was surrounded by my family and felt my Pop's presence.  He would have been so proud that we did not have tears for things lost by the storm but rather we rejoiced in the fact that we were still all together on Thanksgiving!

No Need To Be Smug

I should have know better!  I walking around yesterday feeling all smug.  After L and I had taken down all of the Halloween decoration down I placed them on our dining room table.  I looked over everything with a keen eye.  For many items it was their last year of "service".  It felt so good to get rid of pieces that where not used or past their prime!  Then I reorganized the way they were stored.  After Hubby kindly placed all of the tupperware back in the basement I was feeling good.

Fast forward to this week.  I thought I might take some photos of how I used the magnolia leaves that I purchased at the town farmers market.  Nothing too fancy.

But I noticed a problem when I stepped back....

Every time a holiday is over and I really think that I have gotten everything packed away - that is when I find one rouge item.  Like clock work!!!

And of course the tupperware bin I needed was on the very bottom of a brunch of bins.  Oh well!  It was a good reminder that to get too smug.  No one is perfect...

But Old Bay and sweet potato fries are perfect! Then again, you would be hard pressed to find ANYTHING Old Bay doesn't make perfect!

Starting Fresh

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday L is in preschool.  He calls Thursday and Friday "Momma and L Days".  (That four year old sure knows how to make his momma smile!) Yesterday L was kind enough to work with me as I packed up all of our Halloween decorations.  When we had finished packing up and dusting the mantel looked like a blank canvas.

After homework and dinner I had a couple of minutes to work on the mantel.  I must say I was pleased with my quick set-up.

Somethings I feel like it is easier to re-do the mantel if I clear off the past theme, dust and walk away.  Then later I can come back and start fresh!

No matter where I have lived, up North or down South I feel that I have always had so much to be grateful for.  Which is why I think Thanksgiving has always been my most favorite holiday and I hope it always is.