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pre-thanksgiving meal

Thanksgiving Thoughts

written by Parita 3 Comments

We all need a break sometimes, and I took mine the week leading up to Thanksgiving.  Honestly, it was much needed because my creativity, organizational efficiency, and ability to get my s*** together felt like it was at an all time low (hence the lack of posts and pictures in this post).  All good now though!

Our Thanksgiving weekend was pretty awesome.  It actually started on Wednesday for both me and Vishnu because we took the day off.  I talked to my sister that morning, and we decided to get together for dinner.  After going back on forth on what we should eat, we unanimously voted to go all out with a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal.  We kept it simple…kind of.  Vishnu and I ended up making mac n’ cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy, and mashed potatoes.  All from scratch!  My sister, her husband, and a few our friends came over, and despite the last minuteness in the kitchen, it was so fun.

pre-thanksgiving meal

We woke up bright and early the next morning, packed our bags, and headed to St. Louis for the a couple of days.  We stayed at Adarsh’s (my BIL) parents’ house and had a great time hanging out with Aekta, Adarsh, his parents and his sister.  We ate delicious South Indian food, played games, and shopped (Black Friday outlet shopping for the win!).

Vishnu and I drove back to Chicago on Saturday afternoon and were home by 8 pm.  We ate dinner, watched a few episodes of Parenthood, and called it a night.

Sunday was filled with unpacking, errands, and a little bit of baking (I made these delicious muffins).

This wouldn’t be a true Thanksgiving post without me sharing what I’m thankful for, so here are a few things (of many) that come to mind right now:

  • Vishnu – I’m one very lucky lady!
  • Family – both immediate and extended
  • Friends – new and old
  • Health – emotional, mental, spiritual
  • Our home (both our actual apartment and Chicago) – a place we’ll be for the next 3.5 years at least!
  • An abundance of daily laughter – without it, my world would be a sad place

With my pre-Thanksgiving ‘funk’ behind me, I’m looking forward to the next few weeks – holiday parties, cookie baking, Secret Santa with my coworkers, Hawaii, Christmas, New Years, etc.  I’m also looking forward to being more efficient with my time and tackling/starting a few projects. Hooray for end of the year productivity!

I hope your Thanksgiving 2016 was filled with lots of delicious food, laughter, and loved ones.

Here’s to Monday and few more weeks until Christmas!

Your turn – what Thanksgiving food do you look forward to the most?  For me, it’s all about the mac n’ cheese and cranberry sauce.  YUM!

Written on November 28, 2016 Related:Family, Food, Holiday

What an Indian Thanksgiving Looks Like

written by Parita Leave a Comment

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that I had a very Indian Thanksgiving.  Part of my reason for saying that was because, well, I’m of Indian descent, and the other part was because we literally ate Indian food on Thanksgiving day!

Vishnu’s parents hosted this year, and all eight of us (my parents, my sister, Vishnu’s parents, his brother, and the two of us) spent the day together.  We talked a lot about wedding related things but started off with a delicious meal (the best part of the day if you ask me).

Tgiving2 

My favorite items were…

  • Vegetable cutlets with panko breading
  • Chickpeas in a spicy curry broth
  • A kind of South Indian naan made with rice (it’s probably much healthier then naan too)
  • A sweet pineapple crumble with cheddar cheese (sounds weird but it was so good – a clear favorite with everyone)
  • My mom’s malai kofta (potato and paneer dumplings in a spicy cashew cream sauce)
  • My mom’s vegetable makhani (mixed vegetables in a spicy tomato cream sauce)

Round one…

    Tgiving3

And you better believe there was a round two!

It was fabulous!  I can’t wait until Vishnu and I host our first Thanksgiving as a married couple…I’m thinking we’ll go with an an Indo-American themed meal. Smile

What’s your absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish?

If I had to pick a traditionally American one, I would have to say cranberry sauce. 

 

Written on November 28, 2011 Related:Family, Food, Indian Food

Unplugging for Family

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Guess who’s back?  Parita’s back! 

I knew I hadn’t blogged in a while when my mom asked if I was done with blogging.  Umm…no way, mom.  It’s called unplugging [for family]!

Well, I’m back after a very Indian Thanksgiving in Atlanta with both my and Vishnu’s families.  The past five days were too much fun!  Lots of laughing and eating went on, as well as some picture taking…

Vishnu and I had our engagement photo session this past Friday!  The pictures won’t be ready for another three to four weeks, but my dad had his own little picture taking moment before we headed out, so I thought I would share…

M&D Camera 065

The past few days at home made me realize how lucky and blessed I really am.  There are so many things to be thankful for – Vishnu, my family, my friends, everyone’s good health, my job, the roof over my head, the food in my fridge, etc.  I could go on and on.  I think it’s time to bring my Thankful Thoughts journal back!

Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was full of family, friends, fun, and food (duh)!

Written on November 27, 2011 Related:Family, Inspirational, Wedding Planning

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