Meal Plan Monday - Week 49

I am not sure where last week went, time seems to fly by this time of year! We had a fabulous weekend, which was busy, but so much fun!

Friday we spent the evening making appetizers and getting ready for our annual holiday party (which I will do a separate post of later this week) and then Saturday the boy went to work, I got the house ready and then went for some pampering. I did something I have never done before and had my hair lightened. I started going to a local stylist last month who I just love. She mentioned that she thought my hair would look good with what she called a ten-pack which basically just lightened the part and center of my hair which blended it with the rest of my color. My hair tends to get darker in the winter and I usually just let it go until the spring when it gets naturally lightened by the sun. I absolutely love it though, she did a wonderful job and just in time for the holidays. They also have an esthetician on staff that specializes in eyebrows. They made the recommendation to actually darken my eyebrows and make them fuller, I decided what the heck. It is the opposite of everything I have ever known, but something different sounded like a good idea. I love it. She said it would really make my eyes stand out, and she was right. So much fun to go for some pampering before a big party.

This week is pretty mellow with some fun stuff thrown in. I really love this time of year due to all of the parties and festivities.

Monday
Plans - Shop for dinner Wednesday night
Dinner - Parmesan Panko Crusted Chicken with a Lemon Butter Sauce, rice, asparagus

Tuesday
Plans - Movie screening The Sitter
Dinner - on the go

Wednesday
Plans - Friends for dinner
Dinner - Lamb Shanks with Red Wine, Mushroom Risotto, green beans

Thursday
Plans - Wine Class
Dinner - Dinner during class, can't wait!

Friday
Plans - Home
Dinner - Asparagus and Meatball Stir fry

Saturday
Plans - Out
Dinner - Dinner at friend J's. She is a fabulous cook and it is a wonderful group, can't wait!

Sunday
Plans - Amazing Race Finale, I am sad to say, my team Andy and Tommy was knocked out this past week. I really thought they would take the whole thing.
Dinner - the boy is making his chili from Grillfest, I am making a white chicken chili.

Meal Plan Monday - Week 48

I just had to go and count and make sure that there are really that few of weeks left in the year. Seriously, where does the time go?

I really did mean to post this yesterday, but again, it is that whole time thing, it gets away from me sometimes!

We had an absolutely fantastic long Thanksgiving weekend. Ups and downs, but mainly ups. We were really organized and had the food prepped really well for Thanksgiving dinner which was nice and having a couple of non-family members was really nice too because it added a different dynamic to the day. There were 11 of us for dinner, 8 adults and my niece and nephews. Rearranging the dining room and moving it to the formal living room a few months back proved to be a wonderful idea and afforded us nice space, with all three leaves in the table, we still had plenty of room which was nice. The mashed potatoes I think were my favorite part.

We started with some wonderful appetizers. Ran out of time to make the stuffed mushrooms, but the Cranberry Cream Cheese dip was a huge hit and will be on the list to make for the party this weekend!

The adult table. . . .

With menu and place cards (I purchased these from Etsy last year, they are printables and wonderful!). The turkey was from an estate sale my mom dad, I added the flowers of course.

The kids table, they had their own flowers and decor. . . . 

The buffet all decorated.

Carving the turkey, do they look worried?

Everything turned out really good though!

We had my niece overnight and the next day I took her to see The Muppet Movie. We both really enjoyed the movie and it brought back memories of going to see The Muppet movies when I was a kid and even watching The Muppet Show. Always one of my favorites.

We did a little Black Friday shopping. Really we only bought a few candles at Bath and Bodyworks, spent enough to get the VIP Tote to give to her mom for Christmas. Then it was home for some relaxation and to wait for the boy to get home. We grabbed some dinner at Smashburger (a nice change from Turkey) and then headed to see Arthur Christmas.

But, good times came to an end when we came out to my truck and found a dead battery. The roadside assistance people were there quickly and got it jumped and we were back on the road. The next morning the boy went and got a new battery and we were good as new again. It is getting to be time for a new vehicle though, I just hate having a car payment. . . .

Saturday we worked on decorating the house and getting the outside decorated. The weather was pretty mild this weekend which was a bonus. Saturday evening we checked out a restaurant we had not been to in St. Paul called i Nonni. I had read a ton of reviews on it and they have won several awards over the years and it did not disappoint! They have a tasting menu, which is what we both decided to go with. It give you a choice of a starter, a pasta course and an entree. The portions are a little smaller, but they were perfect. This was one of the best meals I had eaten in a LONG time and the ambiance and service were excellent!

I started with the Rucola which is micro arugula, speck, apples, gorgonzola, black walnut, warm apple-bacon vinaigrette, delicious!

The boy started with the Tonnato which is slow roasted pork, seared tuna, arugula, crispy capers, lemon aioli, wonderful and fresh!

For the pasta course the boy had Pici - braised rabbit ragu, rosemary, treviso, caprino which was wonderful, but we didn't get a good picture of it. . . but SO good and I had Tortelloni - pheasant confit-rutabaga stuffed house-made pasta, pheasant liver pan sauce, pecorino. This was I think my favorite course. The flavors were incredible!

For his entree the boy chose Braised Short Ribs which were wonderful!!!

And I had the Hanger Steak which was excellent, I am sure this looks really rare in the picture, but it was a perfect medium rare and delicious!

After a wonderful dinner, we met up with the boys parents and his brother who was in town for Thanksgiving for a movie. We had wanted to see The Descendents, but it was sold out, so we opted for Jack & Jill which was okay, nothing tremendous but it was entertaining.

Sunday we spent the day with my parents for my dad's birthday. We started out the day at Jax Cafe for brunch, which was wonderful and then went back to my parents to watch the Vikings (lose again) game and to have some dessert. It was the perfect end to a long relaxing weekend.

This week is busy getting ready for the annual holiday party, but other than that, not too much on our schedule which is good.

Monday
Plans - Relax at home, plan menu and shopping list for holiday party
Dinner - leftovers, shepards pie

Tuesday
Plans - Finish decorating, clean house
Dinner - Pairings (easier to grab something on the way home with the boy working late)

Wednesday
Plans - Shop for party
Dinner - Most likely a frozen pizza by the time we get home

Thursday
Plans - Start prepping appetizers, clean out fridge
Dinner - Leftovers (see above clean out fridge)

Friday
Plans - Finalize appetizers, run out for any last minute items (hopefully we don't need to do this)
Dinner - Chinese or leftovers

Saturday
Plans - Holiday Party - YEAH! Really looking forward to this years party. We have about 45 friends coming and it has been a while since I have seen some of them! I am having my hair done that morning, and there will be some things that we will need to pick up that day. Also need to plan my outfit! At least that part I am close on!
Dinner - I need to remember to eat something decent BEFORE the festivities begin!

So much to look forward to this week, not a lot of cooking dinners, but I will be posting the menu for Saturday soon! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!