This past weekend I was lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving multiple times with family and friends. On Thursday I enjoyed a wonderful meal with about 20 of my closest family and friends. We had everything from mashed potatoes, turkey, steamed broccoli, sweet potato fries with melted marshmallows on top, onion gravy, cranberry sauce and so much more. Every Thanksgiving we like to incorporate our Russian traditions into the Thanksgiving dinner including a variety of dishes that include fish, salads and other recipes. Even though we are Russian, my family really appreciates the holiday because they give thanks to our country for allowing them and us to be here. They are thankful to America for letting them in 30 years ago, letting them start a life for themselves and their children. Its safe to say that after my meal on Thursday everyone in that house had to be rolled outside to their cars because of how full we were. But the food didn’t stop there. On Friday, my friends and I decided to have a “Friendsgiving.” At 12 pm, all the girls gathered at my friends house to start cooking. We began with the turkey, putting all of the stuffing inside of it, which consisted of dried fruits and rice. After, we wrapped the whole turkey in bacon and placed it in the oven for it to start cooking. Then, we began preparing the side dishes such as baked mac and cheese and pizza bread. Our pizza bread consisted of tomato sauce, cheese, onions, garlic, and a few other spices. Following the bread, we made steamed vegetables: string beans, broccoli, peas, and some others. At about 4 pm, everyone else joined us at my friends house to indulge in this delicious meal. 

This is what our meal looked like, two portions of everything and the turkey that was wrapped in bacon. It wasn’t exactly a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner but that was the point. We incorporated our own ideas and favorite dishes into this Friendsgiving dinner. Last but not least, my family and I indulged in our last turkey of the year this past Sunday. My mom has an adult day care business in which the elderly absolutely adore my mother. Therefore, one of the grandmothers decided to make my mom a turkey to show gratitude for everything she has done for the center and everyone within it. 

This is the turkey that the grandmother prepared for my mom. My brother, my mom, my dad and I enjoyed this wonderfully delicious meal Sunday night to put an end to Thanksgiving.

Going to weddings I usually see and eat the same foods all the time. My cousins wedding was a little different .The past Saturday my cousin got married at the Marina del Rey in Queens. The place was beautiful and I was expecting an extravagant wedding party. When they told me they were having  huge cocktail party and to be ready to eat I thought they were kidding, Turns out they weren’t. Walking into the room I smelt all the different foods that were made and being put out onto the tables. Iv never seen that much of a variety of food.

When I waked in and saw all the food I was ready to eat. The first station was filled with pastas(hot and cold), mozzarella and tomatoes, salads, vegetables,rice, stuffed peppers and mushrooms, antipasto, breads and crackers. The second station was all fish. They had a sushi bar, fried calamari, rice with shrimp,fish salad, grilled vegetables with shrimp, and baby scallops. Looking at all this food before the wedding even started I was thinking of how I was going to eat my actual meal. The food wasn’t over. My cousins wife loved her bbq/home cooked meals. Along side the room there were mash potatoes(with toppings of bacon, cheese and gravy) There was a little stove cooking baby steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers. Mac and cheese and fried chicken was her favorite so they also had that. At the end of the cocktail hour dessert was put out that consisted of little pastries and fruit. They wanted to have everything that they liked and I think they definitely  accomplished that.

Cheryl wrote a similar post, and I would comment in response but I think I have something different to say. At school, I eat surprisingly healthy. We already discussed how the freshman 15 is a myth, although I got a lecture from my cousin’s wife at Thanksgiving how it isn’t a myth and it’s because teenagers drink too much alcohol. I feel like I eat a lot more vegetables and fruit at school, and not only because of the cafeteria effect and the variety.

I am more in charge of my own diet in the cafeteria and in my dorm room. I have a lot of “junk” in my room, with snacks like TastyKakes (it’s a Pennsylvania thing), Halloween candy, and other foods high in sugar. But I also keep things like celery, carrots, clementines, and fruit cups in my fridge. I often go for the Wheat Thins when I want a snack, but I tend to snack on clementines when I want something sweet.

At home, I want my “home” food. I eat a lot of things I can’t get at school, or things that the school cafeteria doesn’t make well. The cafeteria cannot for the life of them make good pasta (my mom says it’s hard to make pasta in a buffet setting, but that’s just an excuse to me), and that’s my favorite food, so I eat a lot of pasta at home. I have scrapple, another Pennsylvania treat that most people don’t really like. It’s a “meat,” but I’m not really sure what’s in it.

I’m home during a lot of holidays and important events, such as this past week I was home for my brother’s birthday and Thanksgiving. We went out to eat quite a few times while I was home; I went out to eat with my mom a few times just to spend time together, and I went out to eat with my best friend, Christy, to catch up. In total, I went out to eat about four times while I was home, not counting spending money on snacks when out shopping and at the movies. My family hosted Thanksgiving this year – my mom has a huge family and we have the biggest house – and we made a lot of food and then it went into our fridge and onto our counter. All we’ve been eating since Thursday is pie and Turkey and mashed potatoes. And over winter break we’ll be hosting Christmas and going to multiple parties, eating even more holiday food and leftovers.

I love being home with my dogs and my mom and my friends, but I wish I could be a little bit more in control of the fruits and veggies in my house. I think the freshman 15 would only be a problem during winter break!