Restaurant Style Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This was the first year that Hubby and I have celebrated

Thanksgiving by ourselves. We decided to go to

one of our favorite restaurants to experience a

restaurant style Thanksgiving dinner.

I thought that I would share our experience with you

and how we felt about celebrating Thanksgiving in a restaurant.

The restaurant that we chose is 100 miles from us, one way.

That's how much we like this restaurant.

Because we were traveling so far we made sure that

our reservations were made well in advance.

Maggiano's Little Italy

(Sorry for the blurry picture. It was taken with my phone)

I wasn't sure how I should dress for the occasion

so I decided on a casual, dressy look.

Hubby wore a dress shirt with dress pants.

Sorry, no pictures of Hubby, he's a little camera shy.

You'll just have to take my word for it, he looked very nice.

I started with a simple navy and white striped shirt

with a pair of maroon jeggings and a leopard print

scarf and shoes.

I chose a simple navy colored purse to coordinate with my shirt.

Most times restaurants seem to be chilly to me so I will

add a cardigan to my outfit.

It was a beautiful sunny day on Thanksgiving but was windy

and cold. I chose to wear my camel colored Pea coat.

 Don't forget your sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun.

We made our reservations for 5:00.

It's a good thing we made reservations because when we arrived

it was standing room only in the lobby. It was PACKED!

We never imagined that it would be that busy.

We were able to be seated immediately because we had made reservations

 and our drink order was taken. Shortly after our drinks arrived we

were able to order our dinner from the Thanksgiving menu.

We sat and enjoyed our drinks for about 15 minutes before

our Entree arrived. After about 10 minutes our Thanksgiving

meal arrived. We couldn't believe how much food we received!

It could barely fit on the table.

I snapped this picture with my phone which doesn't even show

all of the food because they kept bringing more food!

We received so much food that we were able to bring home

enough for 2 meals each for the next day.

This is what we chose for our Thanksgiving meal.

FIRST COURSE:

Classic Tomato Bruschetta

and

Artichoke & Roasted Pepper Bruschetta

 SECOND COURSE:

Maggiano's, chopped Italian Tossed Salad

and

Caesar Salad

THIRD COURSE:

Served with cranberry relish.

Traditional Roast Turkey Breast with Giblet Gravy and Focaccia Sausage Stuffing

and

Country-Style Baked Nueske's Ham with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

PLUS,

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

and

Focaccia Sausage Stuffing

PLUS,

Taylor Street Baked Ziti

and Four-Cheese Ravioli

FOURTH COURSE:

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

and

Tiramisu

We never expected to receive SO MUCH FOOD.

We thought that we would receive a little of everything.

That was not the case!

From the atmosphere, to the efficient service and the wonderfully delicious food,

you can't go wrong with choosing Maggiano's for any dining experience.

We have never had a bad experience at Maggiano's

and are so glad we chose them for our

Thanksgiving meal experience.

 They did not disappoint.

We will definitely be dining with them again

for a Thanksgiving dinner

.

*This was not a sponsored post, just my own experience and opinion on a great restaurant.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I've been busy "Decking the Halls".

As soon as I get pictures taken I will be sure to share our Holiday Home.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Smash Cake

Our Grandson just turned 1.

One year ago he blessed us with his presence.

To help celebrate his first birthday I made a special Smash cake

just for him.

Shortly before his first birthday we found out that he was

allergic to eggs.

Oh no!

How was I going to make a cake without eggs?

I started doing some research and came across a recipe

for an Eggless cake. These cakes were created during

the Great Depression when eggs, sugar and

dairy products were hard to come by.

 I wanted to try out the recipe for

the Depression cake to see how the taste and texture was

before I committed to making our Grandson a Smash cake.

It had to pass my taste test.

Well......

I was not impressed with this type of Eggless cake.

It tasted o.k. but I noticed that it had a gummy, sticky texture.

Not what I was going for.

So I did a little more research about how to replace

eggs in recipes and I found a simple secret ingredient.

Unsweetened applesauce.

Alrighty then, I was ready to try again.

I was being lazy and didn't feel like making a cake from scratch,

so I thought I'd try using a box cake mix.

And you know what?

IT WORKED!

And the taste and texture were perfect.

You wouldn't even be able to tell that this was missing the eggs.

Now our Grandson can have his cake and eat it too.

Everyone commented that it was a pretty fancy cake for a

one year old to smash. A special cake for a special little boy.

Let the party begin.

We were singing Happy Birthday to him as his cake was being presented.

He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with it.

He tried picking it up at first.

Then he figured it out.

I believe it was a big hit for him.

The proof is in the pictures.

I also made a bigger version for the adults to enjoy.

I frosted the cake with a homemade Marshmallow Vanilla Buttercream frosting.

The adults had no idea this cake was made with applesauce.

All the adults commented on how delicious it was.

They couldn't believe it didn't have eggs in it.

If you know someone who has an egg allergy

who would love to enjoy a piece of cake, or a cupcake,

give this Eggless cake a try. I'm sure they will love it also.

Here is my recipe that I created for this Eggless Cake.

HOW TO MAKE AN EGGLESS CAKE USING A BOX CAKE MIX

1 boxed Cake Mix (I used Betty Crockers Super Moist) 

                                  Any brand or flavor will work

2 tsp. White Vinegar

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (use this even if you are making a chocolate cake)

1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted

1+1/4 cup Cold 2% Milk

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't over mix.

Evenly pour into (2) 8-inch round greased and floured cake pans.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.

Let cool completely before topping with your favorite frosting.

*If making cupcakes, bake at 350° for 14-19 minutes.

HAPPY BAKING!

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Holiday Traditions

With Thanksgiving just around the corner

(I know can you even believe it),

I started thinking about theThanksgiving meal

I was going to prepare, and I couldn't help but

 reminisce about the "Days Gone Bye" and how much our

 family Holiday Traditions have changed over the years.

I come from a large family. My parents had 8 children.
I'm the third youngest and the baby girl.

I remember growing up everyone would gather at my

parent's house for the Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

It was always a large gathering once my older siblings
got married and started their own families.

After I married and started our little family
we would divide our time between our parents homes
on Thanksgiving day.
A couple years after our Son was born
we moved 600 miles away from families and friends.
For years, each November, we would travel the distance and spend
2 weeks to celebrate Thanksmas (Thanksgiving & Christmas) with our families.
My Dad and Mother-In-Law have since passed away,
and our Son got married and started his own family.
 Now we rotate our holidays between our Daughter-In-Law's families.

Last year was my turn to host the Thanksgiving dinner.
Our first grandchild was born right before Thanksgiving.
 Instead of having our Son and DIL come

to our home for the Thanksgiving meal, I prepared

the meal at home and carted it off to our Son's house.
My Father-In-Law flew in to meet his first Great Grandchild
and to spend Thanksgiving with us.

This year I will not be hosting Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day,
instead we will be celebrating a week later because there is NO WAY
our Son was going to miss out on his Mom's traditional Thanksgiving meal.
On the years I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I would still make a Thanksgiving
meal just for Hubby and myself, but this year for the first time EVER,
we will be going to one of our favorite restaurants to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.

Although our family traditional holidays have changed over the years,
there are still parts of the holiday traditions that never change.
One of those lasting traditions is having a
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
on Thanksgiving.

While thinking about our Thanksgiving meal I started to crave
a pumpkin pie. Nothing was going to mask that craving except
a homemade Traditional Pumpkin Pie.
So I broke down and made one.
I started with the crust and decorated the edges with little
leaf and pumpkin cutouts.

After the crust was completed it was time for the wonderful filling.

When it was done baking I added a few more decorative leaves
and pumpkins on the top.

The whole house was filled with the wonderful aromas of this
pumpkin pie baking. Hubby and I couldn't wait for this pie
to cool so we could enjoy a slice.

Each slice was topped with freshly made whipped cream
and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.
Oh, YUM!

As our children grow and start their own families,
and we lose loved ones along the way,

it's harder to get everyone together to gather around

to share the traditional holiday gatherings.
But we learn to adapt and start new family holiday traditions.
Whether you stay close to home, or travel afar for your family
holiday traditions, cherish each and every moment because
time truly changes all things.

Have a Blessed and Safe Thanksgiving.

Until Next Time,
Veronica

A Little Denim Blue Jean Jacket

Who doesn't love the classic

denim blue jean color?

Blue jean colors are so versatile and timeless.

I own quite a few denim jackets in various styles and colors.

It doesn't matter what time of year it is,

I  love to wear my denim jackets.

But today's fashion post is all about 

the classic blue jean jacket and how to style it for

a casual but stylish Fall look.
This look makes me feel happy and it shows in my demeanor.

Just by changing my scarf I get a different look.

Want to be even more casual?

Swap your flats for a pair of boots.

Here is the same look but with a pair of chocolate brown colored pants and boots on the lower half.

Pair it with lighter colored pants and dark boots.

Swap out your scarf with a leopard print infinity scarf and tie it in a knot.

Swap your light colored pants with a pair of

dark pants and boots that match your scarf.

Remember my post with the plaid shirt?

I replaced the plaid shirt with a blue jean jacket.

I removed my boots and added leopard colored flats.

Brown pants and boots with a different print scarf.

Hubby and I had to make a trip to Costco to pick up a few supplies.
The weather was 34° so I dressed in layers.
Stripes and plaids mix well together as long as you stay in the same tones of color.

When I wear a shorter jacket I always make sure that my shirt covers my derriere.

See how quick and easy it is to create different looks

with just a few pieces of clothing.

Enjoy the beautiful Fall weather.

Until Next Time,

Veronica