Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thanksgiving Recap - Part I

As I said yesterday, I had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful to see family, host my parents, and spend time with my nephews and niece.

I will let the pictures do the talking!

Holding my niece Anna for the first time! I wasn't able to hold her at the baptism as I was sick that day, but holding her was worth the wait!

I totally monopolized her for the first couple of hours.  I love her little "milk dream" smile in this photo

Mom & my brother Kevin, the host, working on the Thanksgiving Feast!

My sister-in-law Julie working on the gravy, with Matthew supervising at her side.  ;)

Turkey & gravy!  Yum!

One of my contributions to the meal was brussel sprouts.  My aunt provided the recipe, which was called "Brussel Sprouts Parisienne"!  Gotta incorporate a little bit of France in the meal!

It's not Thanksgiving without Lefse.  I can't have it as it has gluten in it, but I think my nephew Kolin ate enough for the both of us.  This is a Norweigian potato-based pastry.  It's very, very popular in North Dakota, but I am guessing some of you have never heard of it!

Kolin & Matthew enjoying the meal!

James & Andrew are all about the 'silly' poses!

After dinner, Anna and Charlie "played together".  I really caught Charlie by surprise in this photo!

The boys played so hard, they had to take their shirts off to cool down! 

 So there you have it!  A selection of photos from a wonderful day!  We capped off the day with a game of Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit, which is the perfect way to end a holiday celebration in my book!

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?  Mine is the mashed potatoes & turkey!  And chocolate pie - my mom made me my own little gluten free version, which was divine.  

26 comments:

Allison Blass said...

I love babies! Anna looks adorable!

My favorite part of Thanksgiving: making s'mores! Not your typical tradition, but my sister-in-law has one of those little portable fireplaces on their back porch and it's perfect for roasting marshmallows in the winter. :)

abbi said...

Looks like a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've never heard of the potato pastry thing but sounds like something I'd love!

Jeanie said...

That baby is just to die for! And it all looks delicious.

My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal -- sharing it with others.

Raquelita said...

Yay for Thanksgiving! I have heard of lefse, but I've never had it. There aren't a lot of Norwegians in the part of the country where I grew up. My favorite part of the meal are the mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing. The green casserole and pumpkin pie are not far behind, though.

Erin said...

Your niece is PRECIOUS!!! You are going to have so much fun with her :) And you? Look AMAZING!!!

Thanks for the heads up on quinoa pasta - I hadn't seen it anywhere (hazard of Kansas living ;) and then suddenly! Out of nowhere! My WalMart has it. You're a life-saver!

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

My favorite part is all the snacking before the big meal (isn't that terrible?!) I love the cheese/cracker tray, olives, rollups...

This year I was pretty good, but usually I snack without abandon!

Carolina John said...

That looks like a lot of family and a lot of fun! and no, I've never heard of lefse before.

Joey said...

Fun (and looks delicious) I've had lefse! Went to school at MSU in Minot, so there was lefse in the grocery store. Also in my home city we have an event called "Folkfest" and there's a Norwegian pavilion where you can buy lefse.

missris said...

You look so pretty in that first picture--your skin looks so glowy and amazing! And you're right, I've never heard of lefse!

Marlys said...

Yup, lefse is big in our neck of the woods! Some like it just buttered and rolled up but our favorite is to butter it and spread sugar over it before rolling it up. Then there are others who lay dried beef on it before rolling it up. I don't have one drop of Norwegian blood in me but I do love lefse! My sister-in-law's family makes it every year and it is so delicious, but this was the store bought kind.
Pictures were great, and you do look wonderful! It was a bountiful day!

Gracie said...

Oh the little baby smile - so precious.

Leigh said...

I have definitely never heard of lefse. What does it taste like? Any holiday meal with my in-laws is not complete without perogies! And now I am craving some.

Marisa A. said...

OMG those little babies are cracking me up! They make the best faces. Glad you had a happy Thanksgiving :)

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

[hand raised] I've never heard of Lefse! They look good, though! Looks like it was a house full of young energy - the best!

My favorite part of our Thanksgiving meal this year? My soup. And stuffing. Yummmm.

Amber said...

I have definitely never heard of lefse but it looks delicious!!!

Your Thanksgiving looks like it was so fabulous. Makes me even more excited to go home for Christmas and see my family! I'm glad almost all of your family was able to get together this year!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I have never heard of lefse either. What's the pickled fish? It also starts with an "L", right? Anyway, I think I need to try it!

My Thanksgiving was good. I got to see my Mom's side of the family and to hang out with my boyfriend's family, so it was a fun filled family time! My favorite is probably the turkey/cranberry sauce combo, with gravy of course!

Mama Nastase said...

Oh, the milk smile picture is just too precious!! What a pretty baby she is! The Dotzenrods have some of the cutest kids ever!! I have never seen lefse, in fact in the picture I thought it was rolled up tortillas! lol We also eat those buttered and salted sometimes, or with beef in them. ;)

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Charlie looks a little deer in the headlights for sure! I'm going to go stalk that Target sweater down like no ones business. So cute. I've not had good luck with brussell sprouts, but perhaps I can try again.

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Aww I love all the cute kids pictures :) I'm glad your Thanksgiving was great and that you got to see everyone!

crystal said...

A post full of happy family pictures...perfect :)

Stephany said...

Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving. Turkey and mashed potatoes are my favorite parts as well!

I *love* the photo of Charlie and Anna. Charlie looks like he's hamming it up for the camera, ha!

Abby said...

Ugh how I miss lefse. Az ppl annoy me when they say "ohhh just like a tortilla". No! Tastes much different! Lol

I'm going to be honest and day I don't looove thanksgiving food. My favorite is a tie between squash and cranberrys.

I love the pic of Anna & Charlie!! And the pic of the boys with their shirts off is just priceless!

Unknown said...

Looks like a fantastic feast!
How I love your mom's chocolate pie!

Ashley said...

Wow, your niece is so tiny and adorable!

Becky said...

It looks like so much fun - and I'm so glad you finally got to hold your niece!!!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Your niece is beautiful!! I love her name too - Anna is very classic and pretty.