thanksgiving food frenzy

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! I spent mine eating, cooking, working out (to work off the gluttony), and shopping (buying workout clothes), see a trend here? haha.. you’ll see what I mean from my pictures.

I actually enjoyed two traditional Thanksgiving meals. One at church (not pictured) and a potluck at work where I brought the non-traditional roasted caprese salad (new fall/winter fav).

Colors of Christmas (and Italy)

I definitely work with some talented home cooks. Favorites were the homemade cranberry sauce, moist turkey, and pecan ice cream (not pictured).

time to feast!

Since my family isn’t a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving food (having eaten it twice already), my sister and I (with the help of Michael), made a steak dinner with Asian bok choy salad, shrimp orzo salad, and roasted fingerling potatoes. If you haven’t already noticed, I’m obsessed with orzo pasta.

shrimp and orzo salad – a little taste of summer

I enjoyed a lovely brunch at Early Bird in Fullerton, a cute brunch/lunch spot that’s fairly new. People have been raving about this place and I have to say it’s worth the hype! From the coffee, to the eggs benedict, to the open-face truffle egg sandwich, it was all fresh and flavorful. The hollandaise sauce was delicate and tangy which paired well with the buttery fingerling potatoes (these are the rich cousin of the Idaho potato; I bought them for $5/lb vs. getting a 5 lb bag for $5. Well worth it!).

eggs benedict

The interiors made it seem modern, urban, and well… not Fullerton =). Haha.. I could imagine this place right at home in Chicago or San Francisco. It’s sad that OC doesn’t have more brunch places like Early Bird (just mediocre at best), this one sets the bar high. I’ll be back… to try their fried chicken and waffles.

clean and casual vibe

Aside from my foodie tales, I had a very restful Thanksgiving. I know that it shouldn’t take one holiday to recognize God’s grace. His blessings are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).