Just got back from Kentucky where we were visiting with my husband's family.  It was a great visit!  Not only did we eat some great food, but we were with special family and friends.  I will add more meals tomorrow....but here is what we ate on Thanksgiving day.  Sit back and enjoy this delicious food!!!

When we got there we went to one of my favorite places to eat, Vietnamese Kitchen.  It is a little place with great food.

These are the spring rolls.  These I have figured out how to make.  Not really so hard.  You need to get round rice paper, usually found at oriental stores.  You need to soak it in hot water for about 30 seconds.  Then it is pliable and you can add fillings.  In the one here, they have lettuce, shrimp and rice noodles.  They have changed their dipping sauce since the last time I was there.  I don't like this thick peanut sauce as well as the thinner dipping sauce they used to use.  My mother in law said she thinks the owners have changed.....and this is one result of that change.  I like dipping sauce that is made with fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili peppers and ground peanuts.

This is  beef pho (BTW...it is called "fa" not "foe" per my husband) that my hubby had.  It was delicious...better than the place in my previous post from our trip to Toronto.

This is the elusive hot and sour soup.  I LOVE this soup and have tried several times to recreate it.  I can't get near it.  It drives me crazy.  It is SOOOOOO good!!!!  Spicy, sweet all at the same time.  As you can see, it has egg, tofu, green onions.  It is the broth I can't get......but I won't give up.

We went to my sister in law's house for Thanksgiving dinner....my mother in law made everything and it was all DELICIOUS!!!  She has been working for days on this dinner and you can taste all the love in everything. Here are all the dishes....as you can see...they are all the "typical" Thanksgiving dishes....but made with an extra dash of yummy=love.

Look at this turkey.  It was SO moist and delicious.  See all the vegis in there?  

Here is the traditional green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and french's crispy onions. Yum....and see the tin foil pan?  Everything was made in tin foil pans. So smart and easy to clean up.  Everything was placed out buffet style - right from the pans. 

My mother in law's homemade gravy. Look at that goodness....need I say more?!?

Mac and cheese!  My son liked this a lot!  He liked the way the cheese stuck to the noodles and "was stretchy".  

I love how every family has their own style of stuffing.  Some use challlah, some use texas toast, some stale white bread. My mother in law uses croutons and lots of vegis.  It is so yummy.....my husband can never get enough of his mother's stuffing.  And that always make a mother very happy....speaking from personal experience.

Sweet potato casserole with, of course, mini marshmallows on top.  I think marshmallows are one of my favorite sweets.  I secretly  picked off some marshmallow every time I walked by.  Shhhh....don't tell anyone.

Homemade mashed potatoes....the only way to make them.  No boxed or pre-made stuff here.

My plate of Thanksgiving goodness!!!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving....it is important to remember what you have to be thankful for.  It doesn't have to be huge.....it can be as small as being thankful you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on that wonderful, spongy white bread.

So I have been working 8.5 hour days at the grocery store due to the holiday. I am used to working 5 hour days and now this 3.5 hours more is rough.  My legs, feet and lower back have been hurting.  Yesterday I came home, said hi to our middle daughter, A, and went right to bed.  Here is what I had for supper....

Yes...the whole bag while laying in bed.  It's good stuff!  I should buy the smaller bags so that I have some portion control.....but it was my dinner.  Hey....it was better than a pint of ice cream for dinner.

S and our son, I, are out of town.  We will be meeting up with them on Thanksgiving Day.....they have been having a great time....here's what S had for dinner last night.....

Chicken and dumplings....boy do these look delicious and homemade!!  But they aren't......at a local restaurant.  I need to try these.

Work has been hard, but fun.  I really enjoy working there.  It seems that the average amount of people going to people's homes for Thanksgiving is 15-20.  The smallest group was 4.....and it was funny....she had one of the largest orders of the day.  I get it.  When your kids come home just a couple of times a year, you want every type of food at home they would want.  It is SO sweet and I know this time will soon come to be for me also. I wonder what our kids will ask for when they come home...since all they do is complain there is never any food at home for them to eat.

It was Melanie's b-day today at work.  She has been battling cancer and her birthday was a welcomed day. Sergio (from the bakery department - who also helped make the corn bread that I served with the white "sili") made her a cake.  It was delicious and beautiful....just like Melanie.  She works with flowers....and that brings joy and beauty into people's life.

Strawberry and chocolate cake.  And look at these flowers....amazing!!

I always remember this when I am at work....I might me one of the only people that smile at some of the people that come in.  Maybe the only person who notices them.  I don't ask people about their Thanksgiving plans unless it seems obvious by what they are buying.  What if they have no where to go.....

My sister-in-law and one of our nieces were in town from North Carolina, so we had a family dinner at my parent's house.  Unfortunately, my sil didn't come to dinner, but our niece did.  She just got her hair cut....like 10 inches less.  It is such a cute hair cut and she can't keep her fingers out of her hair.  I love sitting around the table listening to the kids talk.  Our girls are 14 and 13 and our niece is 13, so it is fun to hear their conversations about fashion, the definition of popular and Glee.

We ordered in from Lou Malnati's - a classic Chicago style pizza.  We ordered cheese and a Lou's Special (spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese).  I love the sauce....slightly chunky with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of it.  SOOOOO GOOOOODDDDD!!!!!!!!

I probably won't be cooking much this week.  I am working at the grocery store extra hours due to the impending Thanksgiving crowds.  But I am sure I will have plenty of good food stories.....stay tuned!!

Lou's Special....see the yummy crust and the different cheeses!!  Oh...and the tomatoes....yum!!!!

Close up on the sauce.....too bad this isn't a scratch and sniff screen!

Perfection!!

I haven't cooked much lately....not feeling so well. I think it has to do with the change of weather.  It really kills my sinuses.  I did make a yummy burrito for my son yesterday.  There is scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and diced potatoes in it.  When I make scrambled eggs, I do combo of whole eggs and egg whites.  For example in this burrito, I used two whole eggs and two egg whites.  It just makes it a bit lighter and healthier.  I also diced the potatoes very small.

My husband and son just left today to go out of town. S sent me this picture of a piece of pie he got at Shapiro's in Indianapolis.....a praline cream pie and boy does this look good!!! I do need to say....my husband is more than just a "mild" foodie, which is how is described him in my profile.  He is definitely on this food journey with me.....enjoying it all as much as I do.

Talk about being healthy....this is the healthiest way to enjoy this pie....just look at the photo!! No calories!!