a thanksgiving to remember

Once upon time, in a city not too far away, the sun came up on an American holiday. Manhattan was suddenly quiet and peaceful yet festive and inviting. Two girls jumped out of bed, got themselves ready, and hopped on the train with a city destination in mind. They arrived promptly at their aunt's apartment at 8 a.m. to a table already set for dinner.

And still there were things to be done. Their three young cousins were awake but still in their pajamas and they hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Come to think of it, neither had the girls...

One girl ate a Pop-Tart she had packed with her, while another sat down and ate oatmeal with their grandmother. She enjoyed it, for sure, but she was distracted by the whereabouts of a much-anticipated blogging guest. They had never met but, of course, knew all about each other for that is how the blogosphere works :).

Following a few hiccups of public transportation, the two were united, and immediately jumped on the subway to see the Thanksgiving day parade with her family. But alas the reunion was impossible. The two bloggies only had each other and they were more than fine with that. I mean really, who needs a gorgeous terrace serving brunch and champagne?

They saw bits and pieces of the parade in the true NYC fashion, from the busy and crowded street, being pushed left and right amongst impatient children and adults as freaky balloons and unidentifiable floats cruised down the block. And through all the confusion, they began to bond.

Haha, and the good times continued! They returned to her aunt's apartment shortly after it ended. Being the first ones there, they helped her aunt prepare: by watching the dog show, unsuccessfully finding a coat rack, and finally, running out on a turkey baster mission. No window wiper spray or failed rock band could stop the dynamic duo.

Shortly upon their return, they were rewarded with appetizers galore. They snacked on spanish cheeses, chorizo, French bread, crackers, hummus, crudités, chips and salsa. 

And if those few bites here and there hadn't been enough, the baked brie was eventually served topped with a homemade cranberry chutney and sliced almonds. So what if the better healthful and environmentally-kind eating habits were temporarily ignored? It was amazing, they were in cheesy bliss.

Then with their first glasses of wine in hand the two socialized. The visiting blogalicious beauty met every one, from her grandmother to her brother to her aunt & mom's friend from high school. How bold she felt to introduce Kailey to her crazy family ;).

Before they knew it, it was turkey time! Obviously in the symbolic not literal sense :).

There was quite the spread with salads and cruciferous veggies with the yummiest of spices,

traditional stuffing with meat, and that without for the veg-heads, 

fresh sautéed green beans with garlic, 

marshmallow yams, and last but not least, cranberry sauce.

They helped themselves to colorful plates of goodness and acorn squash made an appearance. 

Every one ate well and spent time chatting between bites. By this time, the two bloggies had covered the hottest of topics: nutritious food, boys, nightlife memories, their universities, expectant futures and gossip from the blog world. Satisfied with themselves, they moved on to digesting through play, with a painfully long game of Monopoly.

In between, however, there was a short break for dessert. A warm apple pie was served, 

with a cheesecake (of which was left untouched except for the decorative fresh fruit on the outside).

Strong coffee was enjoyed by some, while others opted for tea.

Then rainbow cookies made their debut alongside vegan cookies with a creamy chocolate center.

It all ended as wonderfully as it began, food fun, family, and friends, especially of the snackface kind, made for an unforgettable holiday. They were tired not stuffed and never quite did discover who was the Monopoly real estate mogul was (although Ivanka came close) but each one was oh so thankful. And they lived happily ever after. 

The end... at least for now ;).