Hi everyone! I want to tell you that since I got my shiny new iPhone, you can now follow me on Instagram if ya like. Check out @theavidappetite. I'm slightly obsessed at the moment, so I'm trying to post lots of pics!
On Saturday evening, Shaun and I invited some of our very good friends over for a Thanksgiving pot luck dinner. The catch was that everyone would make a couple of dishes and everyone was required to wear sweats.
Sweats + Thanksgiving = Sweatsgiving!
Shaun and I came up with this idea originally as a joke as we were thinking how great it would be to have Thanksgiving dinner in stretchy sweatpants and a big bulky sweatshirt. No dresses, no pants with buttons, nothing form fitting whatsoever. And then we realized that it was kind of a genius idea....and so Sweatsgiving was born!
I hope you are ready for a lot of mouthwatering food photos...because here they come!
I think everyone had a great time contributing dishes to our little dinner. There were 8 of us in all (4 couples) and so there was more than enough food...so much in fact that I'm still eating leftovers.
The night started with a delicious table of hors d'oeuvres. We dined on spinach dip (in a bread bowl! I love that!), stuffed mushrooms, an antipasto platter, vegetable crudite, lobster dip and a cheese board.
For dinner, I put together a simple table arrangement. Using a tablecloth borrowed from my mom, I purchased a table runner for $19.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond, and two 4-pks of Thanksgiving napkins from HomeGoods for a mere $5 a pop.
As for the centerpiece, I used some edible arrangements with a bowl of tiny clementines and a bowl of cranberries. No need to be fancy...rustic colors of the season is the vibe I was going for. As for the candles, I DIY'd my floating candles with a tutorial I found on Pinterest. I purchased a few Ball jars at A.C. Moore for $1.19 a pop. I tied some burgundy raffia around the top, filled them 2/3 of the way with water and popped in a floating candle. It was gorg, chic and wallet-friendly to boot.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner! I made a 17 pound turkey with pan gravy. I brined this baby and it was one of the juiciest turkeys I've ever had. Stay tuned for my easy brining tutorial!
Shaun carved it up and we set it out to be devoured along with a bunch of other dishes, including mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and Brussels sprouts.
And just when you thought this was more food than any 8 people could handle, you know we had some dessert! I filled my plate with homemade bourbon pecan pie, rich & creamy cheese cake and my apple whoopie pies!
So there you have it. A not-so-succint account of our first Sweatsgiving dinner! Everyone had a great time eating, drinking and most of all, relaxing in sweats :) Some people (ahem...me) were so comfy in fact, that they did not change out of said sweats until 5pm the next day. Just sayin'.
For a complete list of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, check out the Recipes tab and scroll down for Thanksgiving!
Questions of the Day:
Do you ever do a Thanksgiving with friends?
What dish do you bring to the party for Thanksgiving?