Thanksgiving

"In early Autumn of 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest, as was the English custom. That 1621 celebration is remembered as the "First Thanksgiving in Plymouth."

Thanks to those Pilgrims 390 years ago, I was able to drive to Maryland, from Nashville, and celebrate Thanksgiving with my family! And what a GREAT Thanksgiving it was!

My family has many holiday traditions. The first Thanksgiving Day tradition is to watch 

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

I always love seeing the balloons that return year after year, and the new ones that are added each year!  My family also loves to see (and hear) the entertainment (esp. the musical theater snippets). 

Breakfast is a MUST while watching the parade and the Cinnamon Rolls we had this year were DELICIOUS! We also had a little additive this year ... Orange Rolls! I have always loved them and much to my surprise, my sister made a special trip so I could have them this year! What a great family I have!


After the parade, we got ready and headed to my Uncle's house for dinner. It's always nice to be around family, especially around holidays. I spent Thanksgiving with family I don't see very often, so it was an extra special Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite (I'm a sucker for Turkey I must say). Here are my favorite Thanksgiving dishes ...

First ... the Thanksgiving Turkey ... need I say more?! Probably not, but I will! I LOVE Turkey, and the best part is usually there are a bunch of left overs, which means ... turkey sandwiches for the next week!! Happy Thanksgiving!  

Next ... Corn Pudding. Corn what now?! It's the best thing! I love it (though I must say I didn't try it 'til a few years ago because I was afraid I wouldn't like it). It's a family tradition, and it's amazing! If you haven't tried it before, or have never heard of it - it's pretty easy to make ... go try it!! 

Last but CERTAINLY not least on my list of favorites is pie! I have always been a cake person myself, and the traditional pumpkin pie has never been my favorite. So what's a good alternative you ask? Chocolate. (The answer's ALWAYS chocolate)! Ok, I also like Apple, but this year ... I went for the chocolate pie, thus it made the blog! 

Though these are the dishes that made my list of favorites, I also love: Mashed Potatoes (as long as they are real potatoes. Don't get me started on the potato pearls or flakes ...), Sweet Potatoes, Green Beens, and Rolls. Who could NOT love Thanksgiving dinner?!

This Thanksgiving was especially great because we turned it into a vacation. On our list of stops, we went to the Holocaust museum in Washington DC and also made a trip up to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and where the Liberty Bell was hung and remains today). Looking back, the Thanksgiving weekend of 2011, for me, was centered around freedom and that is DEFINITELY something to be thankful for!