The First Sweatsgiving

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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?

Maple Syrup Cupcakes

It’s Part III of my Fall dinner party wrap up and though fancy cheeseboards and decadent mac ‘n cheese got us through the first part of the evening, the dessert course is always the most coveted. Especially when there’s an Italian family involved.

While I whipped up some Maple Syrup Cupcakes, our guests brought so many delightful confections that we had a veritable smorgasbord of goodies to feast on.

All the bases were covered, including a decadent Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake topped with strawberries from Sweet Melissa Patisserie...

My Aunt Janet’s famously best ever chocolate chip cookies (really, I’ve never had a better chocolate chip cookie and it’s my mission to get to the bottom of her secret ingredient)...

My Aunt Janet’s Grandma Mary Apple Pie (see the depth of that thing? I’m taking notes for the next time I attempt one of those bad boys...)...

 

And my own maple syrup cupcakes, a rich cake with cream cheese frosting that I couldn’t help but compare to homemade pancakes. They were full of fall flavor and a fun change up from the traditional chocolate or vanilla cupcake (not that there’s anything wrong with those). And the bonus element? These cupcakes were even better the next day when I tried them for breakfast, after the flavors had a chance to meld together. The one downside? Real maple syrup doesn’t come cheap...especially when you buy it at the specialty food store attached to your apartment building. Oops. Anyhow, aren’t you dying to get down to the details?

 

Maple Syrup Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
*Adapted from The Kitchn
for the cupcakes:
3 C all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, slightly softened,cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable shortening, at room temperature
2 C pure maple syrup (not Mrs. Butterworth’s or any imitation maple syrup of the sort)
3 egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 C whole milk
1 C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional, I left them out)
for the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
12 oz cream cheese, softened
4 C confectioners’ sugar
2+ tbsp maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. I got sweet orange and yellow gingham ones (perfect for Fall!) from Bake it Pretty! In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Meanwhile, in your stand mixer (or in large mixing bowl with hand mixer) , beat the butter and shortening until completely combined. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the maple syrup. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is combined, about 3 minutes. Next, add the egg yolks and egg, one at a time. Beat together until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Slowly pour in the milk. Add the rest of the flour and mix until just combined. If adding walnuts, fold them in.

Fill the prepared cupcake pan about three-quarters full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The pans should be rotated midway through the baking time. Cool the cupcakes for 15 minutes in the cupcake pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: In your stand mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the sugar and the maple syrup and beat until smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes - I used a sweet pastry bag and tip set that I snapped up at Party City.
Makes 24 cupcakes

So there you have it. A roundup of desserts from our Fall Dinner Party, each one of them decadent and delicious and absolutely perfect for Fall. In fact, I had to send most of the leftovers to work to keep from eating every last bit of them!

The question of the day is: What's your favorite dessert? A sweet cupcake? A rich chocolate cake? Or do you skip the sweets in favor of more savory goods?

Decadent Macaroni & Cheese

I don't like to lie to you.

In fact, I refuse to lie to you. So I'm not going to write this to you and pretend that this macaroni and cheese isn't the most decadent, filling and stomach-ache inducing of its kind. It is. But it's also the most delicious I've ever made. Or had. And I'd also be lying if I didn't tell you how I've been dreaming of it since preparing (and subsequently devouring) it at our dinner party on Saturday night.

This cheesy, rich macaroni & cheese is made grown-up by using cheeses for a sophisticated palette. No Velveeta here folks (though I'm not discounting its deliciousness). Instead, it's given an adult spin with Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses taking the spotlight. Since only a small portion is recommended (you know, for heart attack prevention purposes), we also dined on pulled pork and shredded turkey sandwiches with carrot-stuffed bell peppers made by my all-star chef Mom. Doesn't it scream Americana? I hope so, since that's the theme we were going for!

Since Mom is the keeper of the pulled pork/shredded turkey/stuffed pepper recipes, today I'm sharing with you my contribution to the main course, the mac & cheese. Is your mouth watering yet?

Decadent Macaroni & Cheese
*Adapted from Ina Garten
1 lb macaroni (elbow or cavatappi, which is what I used)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 C all purpose flour
1 quart milk (4 C)
4 C Gruyere cheese, grated (12 oz)
2 C cheddar cheese, grated (8 oz)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 C bread crumbs (I used white bread with crusts removed)
1 tbsp kosher salt + more for pasta water

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to box directions (remember to salt the water). Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk, but do not boil it. In a separate, larger saucepan, melt 6 tbsp of butter and whisk in the flour until it forms a paste. Cook on low for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t burn. Whisk in the milk, making sure that it all combines together and thickens. Turn off the heat and whisk or stir in the grated Gruyere and cheddar cheeses until smooth (Note: I grated mine the night before in my food processor fitted with the grater attachment. It made grating so much cheese a snap!). Stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Mix in the macaroni. I used one of my ginormous red mixing bowls to get 'er done. 

Place in a large baking dish. If making in advance, cover and set aside or refrigerate. If baking immediately, cover with breadcrumbs and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly.

 

So there you have it. A tale of decadent, rich, creamy macaroni & cheese. Is it an everyday food? Certainly not. Is it enough to make you go mmmm? It certainly is. So what do you think? Are you a fan of macaroni & cheese? What's your favorite kind? And bonus question: What's your favorite decadent indulgence?