Sunday, November 20, 2011

Pre Thanksgiving Celebration

 This was my outfit tonight while hosting my family for a 'Pre Thanksgiving' Meal! The inspiration came from a local magazine we get called 'Ranch and Coast'. They had this shopping edition and a few outfits caught my eye this being one of them:
I liked the peeks of red under the animal print but what caught my eye the most was wearing thick black tights with nude heels. It was a synch to re-create with stuff I already own!




These tights were new purchase from Forever 21. Tonight was the first time I opened the package and I couldn't believe it. They were lined with this soft material. It was amazingly thick and soft and warm. I wish I had known I would have bought 2 pairs.










Silk Blouse - Ann Taylor
Animal Print Cardigan & Blk pencil skirt, tights & bangles - Forever 21
Nude Heels - Steve Madden

TODAY:
Worked like crazy cooking and preparing the house and the table for our dinner party this afternoon.
I used this recipe my friend gave me from Cook's Illustrated website (which she has a paid subscription from) and my turkey came out AMAZING. We brined it overnight and today I made this amazing herb paste and rubbed it all over and under that Turkey's skin and inside its breast meet etc...It only took 3 hours to cook a 20lb turkey if you can believe it! It was so juicy and moist and very tasty.
For the table I used the dried leafs and the pine cone branches the kids and I had collected for our fall basket to give it a 'fall' vibe. I wished I had orange napkins but I only have red ones so used orange candles and Halloween leftover mini pumpkins to make it a thanksgiving table.





I took out all the serving platters I was going to use for apps and the turkey and washed them so they were ready. Instead of buying a regular veggie tray from costco I did my own veggie platter with steamed sugar snap peas, slied cucambers, sweet bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. My new thing is also serving tortilla chips with a hint of lime with mango salsa. Very refreshing. Made mini quiches as well.

I always like to make a signature punch or drink for my parties. It gets everyone even those that don't plan to drink drinking! :)
For tonight I tried a new recipe called 'drunken apple cider'. It makes the whole house smell wonderful and the flavor is very warming with a hint of spice. It has apple cider, nutmeg, vanilla, Cinnamon sticks, cloves and honey! Once it boils you add 3/4ths of a bottle of a non dry white wine, add fresh apple slices and fresh cranberries and simmer a bit more. Looks great too. I wish I had taken some photos but it was a big hit. I will probably repeat it again.
 My daughter looked like a 'doll' in this retro looking outfit I got 2nd hand from a friend.
 With my Mom, sister and daughter. By coincidence all 3 of us were wearing touches of animal print!

With my hubby who is carving the Turkey!

The dinner was wonderful. I had place settings for all 3 kids (mine and my  nephew) and we all got to sit at least for a little while.

Here are the family MEN!

And the whole group!

We ended the night with wonderful desserts. My SIL made the cutest Turkey Cookie cake that my kids couldn't wait to eat. She also made a traditional apple pie. And my mom made this super light and delicious lemon rum cake which was also a big hit.
 Everyone helped out with the clean-up and I just have to put it all back tomorrow!
What a night!

11 comments:

  1. It looks like you had an amazing dinner and was totally loving your outfit! great photos and inspiration for my own thanksgiving!

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  2. I have those same tights. Love love love them!

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  3. İ can't believe that you have created the same exact outfit and looked really cool on you all night! İt was a great evening with beautiful table setting and drunken apple cider and the turkey was really moist and delicious. The pictures did come out cute and yes Juliet looked like a doll:) İ loved Trevor's sweat shirt also. Jon looked very relaxed and cool with his shirt. Every body dressed gorgeous for the occasion. Thanks for hosting it and was refreshing for me to be guest for the first time for thanksgiving!

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  4. Wow. Really, wow. You are such a stylish dresser. Every touch here is perfect and combining the leopard-print with the red is genius. Just watching you build outfits is an education in itself.

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  5. sana kalem etek de çok yakışıyor canım.. harika bir sofra bu arada:)


    Wear A Smile!

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  6. Hello Mommy!
    I can see it was a great dinner. Everyone looked so happy
    and had having a great time. I'm a sucker for animal print like leopard print you're wearing and zebra print like your mom's dress.
    I always forget this and I wanted to ask you again, how old is your son? your daughter? They are so adorable. Your daughter is just like a doll :-) very pretty.

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  7. Great outfit and bracelets! And I love your table settings!

    I am a new follower of your blog!

    I would love it if you stopped by my cooking blog and checked out a jewelry giveaway! Here is the link: http://twomindscookalike.blogspot.com/2011/11/busy-week-and-giveaway.html

    ~Rona

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  8. beautiful pics!!!i'm following you!!if you like mine,do the same!!

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  9. hot outfit!! definitely a favorite. love the eeks of red. for some reason i assumed your husband was tall...but the rest of the men in the family just get bigger!!

    [oomph.]
    What's the next line? Help write the story!

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  10. Totally love this outfit! Looks like a fun dinner and adore your daughter's dress, adorable!

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