So, our first Thanksgiving on our own was, in my opinion, not too shabby. Here is how our day unfolded:
First, we figured we might as well do the touristy thing since it is our first Thanksgiving in New York City so we hit up the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I mean, we figured why watch it on TV when you can see it LIVE. Well, note to self, if you really want to see the parade, don't wait until the parade has actually started to go looking for a spot. I guess its true what they say, the early bird does in fact get the worm. Or in this case, a good view. Oh well, we settled for watching the balloons as they came down Sixth Avenue, which was still pretty neat. Next year we will definitely have to get up a bit earlier to track down a good spot (sadly this is probably wishful thinking since I'm not much of an early riser, but we shall see). Here are a few pics from the parade:
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| Our view...with Sonic the Hedgehog in the background. |
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| Diary of a Wimpy Kid |
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| Mickey Mouse on his Anchor. This reminded me of Jilly (not the mouse part, just the anchor). I miss you friend! |
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| Papa Smurf...Aka my Dad. :) |
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| Pillsbury Dough Boy. |
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| Sponge Bob! |
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| Random Dragon?? Any ideas where this one is from? |
When we got back over to Jersey, we decided it would be nice to go for a walk along the waterfront. I was first overjoyed to see Christmas decorations in the park (I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME
!), but then saddened to find that part of the waterfront walkway had been destroyed by the Hurricane. Luckily, it was just this small portion and we were able to get a nice leisurely walk in before returning back to our apartment to start the epic cooking marathon.
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| Presents in the Park! |
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| Christmas decorations are officially out! |
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| What used to be the start of the waterfront walk. |
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| The damage to the waterfront. |
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| The Hurricane broke the walkway in half. |
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| The broken walkway. |
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| Relaxin on the waterfront (the non-damaged part obviously) |
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| Our view |
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| Such a beautiful Thanksgiving day! |
We finally made it back to our apartment around 12:30 and immediately we got to cookin and watchin football
! We finished our marathon meal at around 9 PM and then enjoyed a delicious feast together. It was glorious
! While it was tricky to time all of the dishes since we only have one stove, we ended up producing the following: green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, homemade stuffing, stuffed mushrooms (as an app), mashed potatoes, gravy, beer can chicken, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, and beer bread. And for dessert, we had pecan tassies, sweet cream, and pumpkin cheesecake mousse parfaits. The meal was absolutely delectable. Sadly, as soon as we finished dinner, I zonked out. I can't even blame it on the tryptophan since we didn't have any turkey, I was just plain tired. Overall, it was definitely a successful day and reminded me why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday
!
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| The Feast! |
The next day we had plenty of leftovers so Tay got creative and made stuffing pancakes (kind of like crab cakes, but with stuffing). They were delicious
! The savory combination of the bread and sausage smothered in delicious syrup was spectacular. Definitely one of the better dishes of leftover stuffing I've ever had
!
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| Leftover Stuffing Pancakes. |
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Overall, I'd say our first Thanksgiving alone was a success. I am so thankful for the wonderful life I have, my family, my friends, a job, and of course, Taylor. Miss you all and I hope you had an equally fabulous Thanksgiving as well
!
