TDATD

Roasted Capresse Salad

So, while the rest of you were brining your turkeys and candying your yams, I was shopping & cleaning.

I've mentioned before that we don't really 'do' Thanksgiving. Matt doesn't really care for turkey. Neither Alex nor I eat it, obviously. When I met him, Matt had already created something he called the Two Days After Thanksgiving Dinner; a feast for friends taking place, as the name suggests, the Saturday after.


Deviled Eggs

These dinners were perfect; those who'd been out-of-town were usually back, and many who'd come in for the holiday weren't leaving till Sunday.


Cold Chipotle Fried Chicken

The meals were generally themed; I remember him telling me about one built around 'things inside things'.


Baked Potato Salad

When I moved in, we continued the tradition, and served up some fabulous dinners. Skipping turkey day, we had Wed-Sat to clean & cook. So we turned out amazing, authentic Mexican feasts, and Indian buffets.


Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Cotton Candy Pink Frosting

When we moved to Tennessee, I was pregnant, and we were living in a small apartment that first year. The next, Alex was small and we were still renovating the house we'd just bought.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three years ago, we were finally able to resurrect TDAT. That first year, we did Caribbean food. Last year, we went super-fancy, and elegant, to celebrate Matt's 40th birthday (just weeks prior to the TDAT).


Blueberry Pie

This year, we thought we'd do something different. We had a picnic.


Turkey-Avocado Club Sandwiches

Serving up sandwiches and cold sides, with long tables covered in checked tablecloths. We had a vintage baseball game playing in the background.


Pan Bagnat

We had a perfect day: cold, grey and rainy. Lemonade & iced tea, various pops to drink.


Italian Sub

Just like any other holiday dinner, everyone ate too much. That makes me happy.


Coleslaw

We even scattered tiny plastic ants across the tables...


The Food


Drinks & Dessert



And when they left, guests took home a plastic bucket filled with bubbles, water gun, sunglasses, a special-ordered Yankee Candle to commemorate the night, Pixy Stix and Off! brand wipes.

Everyone had a good time, we got to see our friends, there's enough food to (at least) keep Matt going for a few days, and clean-up was minimal.

That's my kind of party.