“I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!” -Elf

Life is good.
My dad came to visit us for Thanksgiving. Great memories were made.
My husband and I hosted our first holiday. It was a success.
My mother in law and her husband are amazing. So is the pumpkin bread she made.
My sister in law is so cool. We had a sleepover party!
My father in law and family are full of holiday cheer. Thanksgiving dinner was fun.

I missed the rest of my family in Rhode Island and all over the world (Italy, Jordan, England, California, and more), but they were in our hearts with us!

Brunch was really fun (original menu here). All morning my sister in law and I chatted while cooking and watching the Thanksgiving parade and PhillyBoy went to pick up my dad. When PB returned with my dad and my mother in law and her husband arrived, it was time to eat! Everything went on the table at once, but I should have waited until right before everyone arrived to make the egg frittata muffins because they were at room temperature instead of hot. Besides that I’d say everything went really well! We ate, drank coffee and tea, and chatted and laughed. After brunch we watched part of our wedding video as we just got it and all relaxed. It was a fabulous brunch!

The table:

Yogurt bar with Oikos plain Greek yogurt (my favorite):

My mother in law’s pumpkin bread:

Roasted potato medley:

Mixed greens with pomegranate & walnuts in a Lucini fig balsamic vinaigrette:

Roasted asparagus:

Egg white frittata muffins with spinach and tomatoes (no bread):

Prosciutto e melone:

Za’atar bread (made with french baguette, brush of olive oil, and sprinkle of za’atar and then toasted in the toaster oven):

Newlyweds!

My yogurt bowl.. Yeah, I didn’t like it:

The holiday was so fun and it was great having my dad here! Remember: When hosting a party nothing has to be perfect- with a nice presentation no one will notice!

This post came two days late because my husband and I have been busy getting the house ready for Christmas! We just got back from Target where we bought our first tree!!!!!

We are currently watching Elf (my FAVORITE) and putting up our tree.

I feel so blessed.

Thanksgiving is already here.

In past years that would mean a morning with high school friends watching the football game, followed by an afternoon of family and visits from friends while eating a great feast. This year, the celebration has moved to Philadelphia, my new home, and PhillyBoy and I have been married for exactly 4 months (today, not tomorrow)!!! That means we get to play host and hostess for a fun Thanksgiving brunch, and we couldn’t be more excited! We are even more excited because we have a special guest coming- my dad!!!!- from Rhode Island.

One way I like to get ready for a party is by deciding what serving pieces and tablecloth to use ahead of time. That way I am not digging through my cabinets last minute looking for a bowl or platter, and I get to spend more time relaxing with guests. Since we are hosting Thanksgiving brunch, I wanted to keep the table light, so I am using a simple white (stain resistant) tablecloth and added the Etienne runner I bought from Crate & Barrel. I also set up some pretty Mariposa candlesticks I was given as a gift for the centerpiece.

Once I got all the plates and serving pieces on the table, however, the candlesticks had to be moved to the buffet table in the kitchen. I put a little piece of paper next to or on each serving piece to know what it will be used for. I also started putting out the room temperature yogurt bar toppings like the honey and nuts, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap until tomorrow morning.

All I have left to do before tomorrow now is vacuum and mop the kitchen and change the sheets on the guest room bed for PB’s sister (who we might be able to convince to sleep over!) and the house will be in great condition. I also need to pick up some prosciutto and good bread from Center City. I already made the roasted potato medley since it will reheat really nicely, and everything else will be made in the morning in this order:

-Roast asparagus
-Pour orange juice into pitcher
-PB clean POM pomegranates for salad
-make salad dressing
-put yogurt in bowl (back in fridge until brunch time)
-make egg white frittata muffins
-heat potatoes
-make batch of coffee & tea
-assemble prosciutto e melone
-assemble salad
-make za’atar bread and toast whole wheat baguette
-make bacon

Leslie and I made pumpkin cakes last night and I am going to bring mine as an addition to Thanksgiving dinner at our aunt’s house tomorrow afternoon. I am glad I did this ahead of time so I won’t have to worry about it during brunch tomorrow.

Beyond all that, all that is left is to EAT!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

(www.someecards.com)

Off to celebrate,

RhodeyGirl

For some last minute Thanksgiving dinner additions, try these recipes:

Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes
Mushroom Risotto
Pumpkin Cream Sauce for ravioli or other pasta

You can feel the energy in the air. The starting line is packed, people are jumping up and down for some reason I still can’t figure out, and the crowd is a walking advertisement for every running gear brand there is. It is the start of a race.

This Sunday PhillyBoy and I, along with many of our friends, will be running in the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Some of you might remember the accident of 2008, where I got tripped during the first five minutes of a half marathon in R.I. that we had trained for for 12 long weeks. We never finished that one, but we plan on finishing this one. The training this time has gone much smoother, and I think it is because we are not only eating even better, but we have been exercising consistently since that last training plan in spring of 2008. The easiness of training combined with our inherent craziness leads us to my point: We are hosting a post-race after party.

We know that it might be a little crazy to run a half marathon and then have 30-60 people over to celebrate, but we are doing it anyway. Like any party we host, the trick is to prepare as much ahead of time as possible. For this party I am actually not doing much cooking but am relying mostly on simplicity and the help of a few friends. We tried to focus on the foods that our fellow runners (or special guests) might want to eat after running 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

This race is really just the appetizer though, as the entree is the Disney Half Marathon we will be running in January for the Rally Foundation. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated in support of the cause. Please find our site here that explains the Rally Foundation’s mission and our donation goals better. I thank you all in advance for your help in reaching our donation goal of $1200!

Back to the food.. PhillyBoy sent out the Evite for the after party and I am in charge of getting the house ready. He did a much better job than me as he even wrote a poem for the Evite, and I have yet to scrub the floors and wash and put away heaps of laundry.

Here is the poem:

For months we’ve been training, we have all our gear,
And now the big race is finally here!

So please let us know if you’ll be at our place,
To have fun and see friends at the end of the race!!

Here is the simple and easy menu we have created so that we can refuel properly without any work that day:

Menu: Philadelphia Half Marathon After Party:

Round 1 (early in the day, around 10):
Bagel Buffet: assorted bagels, peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, jam
Fruit Salad: bananas, apples, grapes, pears and whatever fruits we find that look good
Sliced oranges, childhood sports way (in wedges)
Bowls of assorted nuts  

Round 2 (around 11 or 12 and later):
Party pizza (known as pizza strips for the Rhode Islanders, tomato pie for the Philly folks- Thanks Gina!)
PhillyBoy’s meatball subs
Soft pretzels (Any volunteers to bring these are welcome!!!)
Vegetable tray with hummus (brought by a fellow runner)
Pasta with sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and fresh feta (recipe to come soon)
Something sweet (brought by a fellow runner)

Drinks:
Coffee & tea service
Bottled water  
Seltzer
Orange juice
Soda & Beer?

*Thank you to all of our friends for help in putting together this party!

The shopping list:

24 assorted bagels (plain, whole wheat, blueberry, rye, sesame, etc.)
Freshly ground peanut butter
2 regular sized or one large size container cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 jars gourmet jam
6 bananas
6 apples (at least)
6 pears
2 bags grapes (1 for salad and 1 in case we need more fruit)
2 other kinds fruit (ideas: kiwi, mango, etc.)
1 bag oranges (approximately 10-12)
2 small containers nuts
Meatball ingredients (milk, eggs, beef, veal, pork, bread crumbs, parmigiano, 1 onion)
1 lb provolone cheese, sliced
2 large baguettes, one whole wheat, one white OR two bags small rolls
Stoneground mustard for the soft pretzels
2 boxes pasta (1 lb each)
1 jar sundried tomatoes
2 cans artichoke hearts
1-2 cups pitted kalamata olives
fresh feta
Milk, Splenda, small cream
2 cases bottled water
2 cases seltzer
3 cases soda
1 gallon orange juice
Styrofoam cups for coffee
Clear plastic cups for drinks
Ice (ask someone to bring)

Here is the plan:

Monday:
-Ask my mother in law if she can bring a cooler for us to borrow?
-Do all laundry and normal house cleaning
-Extend table to full length (It has leaves) + put on long tablecloth
-Test pasta recipe as dinner

Tuesday:
-Deep clean the bathrooms
-Organize guest room a bit better
-Find a very large bowl for fruit salad and select other serving vessels as well

Wednesday:
-(Possible event with Leslie)

Thursday:
-Go to Super Fresh (drinks, disposable items, pasta, cream cheese, Splenda)
-Set up disposables on table

Friday:
-Go to Whole Foods for all remaining shopping list items
-Set out teas

Saturday:
-Buy bagels
-PhillyBoy make meatballs
-Prepare meatball rolls (splitting in half)
-Slice bagels and cut in half (for smaller portions)
-Make pasta dish (to be served cold)  
-Make fruit salad
-Quarter the oranges
-Move toaster oven to bagel buffet area  

Sunday morning:
-Do nothing before the race except focus on the race.

Sunday post-race, Round 1:
-Set out bagel buffet, fruit salad, oranges, nuts
-Make big batch of coffee
-Pour orange juice into pretty glass pitcher & put canned/bottled drinks in cooler with ice
-Put on kettle for tea

Note: While I assign a specific day to each task to make it more manageable, I often do many tasks in a frenzy one night and then take the following night off. It all depends on how busy my workday is or how tired or energetic I feel. The point is to split up a big preparation into smaller tasks that can be done without interrupting daily life too much the week before an event.

I can’t believe the Philadelphia Half Marathon is already here!! I am really excited but also nervous! Sunday is only a few days away!!!!! So stoked!