Thanksgiving

The Hunt for ThanksgivWiches #2: Nick’s Old City

/ foodsweatandbeers / Leave a comment

Ok, to recap:

It’s time to look into something a bit more permanent…. Enter: Nick’s Roast Beef Bar and Grille in Old City!

I’ll shoot you straight: I’ve never actually been past the front bar area of Nick’s. I actually didn’t even know more of the establishment existed…. But if you walk past the bar, full of regulars watching the game (which game? THE GAME!) or a handful of bros loading up on cheap drinks during happy hour, you’ll reach a handful of tables just waiting for some hungry patrons.

And if you look closely at your menu, hearing the whisper of a gobble in your subconscious, you’ll spot this:

039977db-30ca-46b4-9fa1-12386f6d1e3d.jpg

Come to mama.

Thanksgiving All Year Long? It’s like they heard my prayers. This ThanksgivWich is offered… well…. all year long. And, thus far, it tastes closest to what I imagine from a genuine leftovers sandwich made by your dad on Black Friday while you’re sitting on the couch and ask for something to eat.

a1a4f567-de2b-4f39-922b-dbcf4a2f5827.jpg

Thanks, Dad. Err… I mean… Nick’s.

This turkey is moist as hell. And that’s saying something, mostly because I (much like many of my peers) don’t like the word moist. The cranberry sauce wasn’t any of that fancy schmancy stuff. Nope. I imagine it was from a can. It probably came out in the shape of the can.

DOESN’T MATTER, STILL GOOD.

The stuffing was a pinch on the dryer side, but that’s where the kicker came in….

6a16fa5f-63b1-48e5-851e-eee1557d679e.jpg

Cup of gravy the size of your sandwich? Sure.

Yup, that black little cuppa was chock full of gravy. I dipped. I poured. It got messy (just as any good Thanksgiving meal would [wait, what?])

Sure, the gravy could’ve been a bit thicker, the stuffing a bit less dry, and the kaiser roll, while doughy and delicious, resulted in a messy consumption experience. BUT served with a side of Nick’s infamous curly fries (Side Note: why aren’t these offered EVERYWHERE?!), I gotta say this tasted the most like something put together at home. And, during the rest of the year when ThanksgivWiches aren’t popping up all over the city, it’s good to know Nick’s will offer this staple all year long!

Six Pack Sunday: Gobble Wobble

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

The Top 6 That Were Hilarious about this Thanksgiving Weekend :

1. Tapas for the Appetizers for the Hors D’oeuvres

Snack before the snack before the dinner

One Price Family tradition: the “preat” (pre-eat) before we even leave the house or set out appetizers. This little dish was Doritos with shredded sharp cheddar cheese melted on top. Feel free to ride that one.

2. “Salads”

Dinner is served.

I promise, these later turned into Wedge salads. But they were just chunks of iceberg lettuce for QUITE some time. Appetizing, yes?

3. The Turkey Flies at Midnight

Ok, well…. maybe not midnight. But, I’ll shoot you straight, dinner was served promptly at 9:30pm.

Thanks for taking your sweet time, friend.

We’re night owls. Or turkeys. Whatever you wanna call it.

4. Sibling Shenanigans

You know who loves my fancy camera?

selfies galore

Belly laughs should always take place on the carpet

I’ve gotta find some Philly friends that are more interested in Carpet Photoshoots….

5. App Attack

Wait a minute.

Time out.

Does anyone else have Snap Chat?

Spooky, no?

PLEASE: can you all get it?! And then be my friend?

(Thank you SO MUCH siblings for suggesting this app. The best.)

6. Sweatsgiving

Anyone else start the night dolled up (like this):

All dressed up, with turkey in mouth.

And end up like this?

Sweatpants Selfie!!

Notice how most of my family is still dressed up… Not me. I make it a point to be the first one in the sweatshirt on all major holidays. Yes, I love dressing up.

I also love the extra space for stuffing those roomie pants give me.

Now, I’m exhausted and ready to nap off some of those late nights and early mornings. Crunch time’s coming in school this week…. gotta be well-rested, right?

Funniest family tradition?

Call Me Crazy

/ foodsweatandbeers / 2 Comments

20121121-172054.jpg

I am pretty sure that I’m the only person grinning like a lunatic at 30th Street Station right now.

I get the biggest thrill from crowded airports and train stations….

Hope everyone makes it home (or wherever you’re headed) safely today and/or tomorrow. Try to avoid stress-induced road rage, y’all.

Six Pack Sunday: Thanksgiving Hangover

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Ah, the post-Thanksgiving hangover.  It’s not really a booze hangover, as much as it’s an “Overeating, overdrinking, under-workingout, miss-my-family-alread” hangover.  And I’m feeling it (though I don’t actually leave until tomorrow morning.)

The boys have started trickling back to their respective towns (I’m the eldest of five kids, 3 brothers, 1 sister) and the relative quiet in the house is setting in. Yes, there’s still my mom, my dad, my sister, my brother, two dogs, and a turtle with me…. but you know what I mean.

It’s been a busy weekend, and though I didn’t take my camera out too much, I managed to snap a few bits and pieces for this week’s Six Pack Sunday.

Six Pack Sunday: Thanksgiving Hangover

1. Pretzel Perfection

Hear that chorus of angels?

I never ever eat pretzels in North Carolina. It’s just not something I’ll go out and get for myself.

In Pennsylvania, though, all bets are off. When I’m around Snyder’s hard pretzels, I can’t control myself. And the twist in the middle of the pretzel…. if anyone says that’s not the best part, they’re just sitting on a throne of LIES!

2. Sipping on Small Business Saturday 

Wanna get more customers in the store on Small Business Saturday?

Mimo party!!

Offer free mimosas to customers.

Bonus perk: they drink a few, maybe they get a little looser with their moneys.  Win-win, all around.

3. S’more-tini!!

Bottoms up!

Inspired by the ever-wise Jessica’s recipe, and an airplane bottle of Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow vodka, I enjoyed a s’moretini on Friday night.

If you like your booze to taste like a campfire treat, make these. ASAP.

4. Booty Bump

Did anyone but me miss this story until just today?

Holy moly

This woman in Miami tried to get a butt implant on the cheap from a Fake Doctor named Oneal Ron Morris, who filled her butt with super glue, tire sealant, and cement for $700.

Very very scary stuff.  Folks, if you decide to get major surgery on your body, and someone is willing to “make a deal” with you, you should probably see the red flags and head for the hills.

5. Remember the Memories

Good ol' tree

My aunt, who hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year, actually lives in my old neighborhood in Delaware that I lived in from birth until about age 10.  Of course, we had to sneak over to my old house and give a hug to the tree outside of it.

Totally normal, yeah?

6. Mother-Daughter Piercing Party

Clearly having a blast

My mom and I have sort of made a tradition in the recent history of getting pierced together. It’s like we egg each other on and WHAM, my eyebrow’s pierced.

Well, this Saturday, we took a walk around downtown West Chester, PA and stumbled across High Rollers Tattoo, which received glowing reviews on Yelp.

After signing a few waivers, holding each others hands for pain transmission, and admiring our new bling, we were done!

Hoop de loop

We each got the “helix” piercing, prompting my mom to call us a Double Helix.

Now you know where I get my sense of humor.

Did you have any exciting family adventures this weekend? 

How about any impromptu piercings? No? Just me?

 

Word-short (Dark) Wednesday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 3 Comments

Hey folks!! Glad you enjoyed my Thanksgiving DOs and DON’Ts from yesterday, I’m so hyped for Thanksgiving but, with packing and working and traveling, I only have a bit of time to blog.  Here are some of the best things on my Pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday.

Stormy Day for Beer Lovers

Since I’m not in Pennsylvania yet, my baby brother, Connor, is doing me a HUGE favor and picking up some of Victory Brewing Company’s Dark Intrigue, a bourbon aged Russian Imperial Stout, which has been hyped up for the past month or so. It’s pouring rain there, and he’ll eventually be out there for over an hour for Dark Wednesday, the epic release of the beer!

That’s love, right there.

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA!

Since I’m traveling tonight on one of the (or is it THE) busiest travel days of the year, I knew I wouldn’t have time after work for fitness. So I woke up bright and early this morning and head over to crank out a quick half hour on the elliptical.  Early morning workouts, while leaving me sweaty and out of breath in the AM, are the BEST because you start the day off in such good spirits!!

Also, when you have a recovery drink of Drink Chia, it’s that much better. The folks at Drink Chia (who I actually met during the Healthy Living Summit Cocktail Party ) were kind enough to send me some of their new Mango Tangerine Drink Chia (along with their classic other flavors) and, I must admit, the new flavor is definitely my favorite. With only 40 calories and 4 grams of sugar, it’s like a dessert smoothie with the benefits of antioxidants, omega-3, and all that good stuff.

First class, baby!

Just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, I received my A-List card from Southwest in the mail today!

No lengthy lines for this girl (MUCH more important in Philly than in Raleigh Durham airport).

I feel like a baller.

Are you traveling for Thanksgiving?

What would you wait in a rainy line for?

Thanksgiving DOs and DON’Ts

/ foodsweatandbeers / 6 Comments

Good day to you all, and TGIT(before Thanksgiving!)  If you’re as excited about the holiday season as I am (but don’t want to unload all your bank accounts to fund it), check out my Guest Post over at Cynthia‘s blog titled: Rich Girl Living on a Poor Girl Budget!  Curious how I afford my LAVISH lifestyle?  Well ALL is revealed (almost. There’s nothing about the magic beans I got from that shifty salesman when I was a young lass.)

I’m so thankful. This time in two days, I’ll be at home, with my family, maybe even helping out with some sort of recipe. Or maybe I’ll be on our annual Turkey trot (since my family of 7 is made up of a chunk of late sleepers). And, while I’ve had a fantastic past few Thanksgivings with family and friends, this year I’ve decided to make sure that I maximize my Turkey day without feeling awful and sluggish for the next few days. Or weeks. Because yes, that’s happened before.

DON’T get in an accident halfway through your 12 hour ride to Thanksgiving dinner and have to rent a car on Thanksgiving day. 

Uh Oh.

Last year, Ryan and I managed to burst a tire 20 miles outside of Sevierville, TN. 6 hours from our starting point. 6 hours from our destination. On Wednesday night, before Thanksgiving.

You know what aren’t open on Thanksgiving?

98% of rental car places.

A 50 minute cab ride to the airport later, and an all-out, temper tantrum (by me), we got a rental car and THANKSGIVING WAS SAVED!!

DO be able to laugh about it when things go wrong

Oh, Dolly.

In case you weren’t aware, Sevierville, TN is the home of Dolly Parton.

So yeah, if you get stuck, make a new friend! Even if she’s a cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton. Roll with the punches, life’s full of them.

DON’T feel obligated to buy butter in a seasonal shape

RIP Butter Turkey

There’s never any need for a giant thing of butter in the shape of a turkey. And you’ll feel like you have to finish it on Thanksgiving. It’s ridiculous (and hilarious), but spend that money on a sweet turkey shaped…. hat or something.  The hat is much lower in cholesterol.

DO deep fry, smoke, and roast turkeys

Turkey Smorgasbord!

If you can, try a smoked turkey. Try a deep fried turkey. Eat roasted turkey.

They’re all delicious. And all SO different!! Love those turkey options.

DON’T eat every casserole in sight

Six casseroles. Sure, why not?

I think sweet potato casserole is my downfall.

Wait. Scratch that. ALL casseroles. I can’t even control myself. Note to family: If you see me going back for thirds of casserole, grab a wooden spoon and THWACK!

Then, get me a beer. Because that wooden spoon hurt.

DO try a little bit of all your favorites, on a PLATE!

I LOVE variety. I love tapas and appetizer samplers and so Thanksgiving is just my dream holiday. Turkey’s great, but so are mashed potatoes, and mac & cheese and buttery rolls and green beans and I like to try a little of everything. But make sure you limit yourself to what you enjoy on a plate. I’ve found that if I pick and nibble at things without putting them on my plate, I eat MUCH more.

Plate your victuals, and don’t go pickin!!

DON’T forget about dessert!

Pie in the Sky

While I’m no Ed Levine (Read: Don’t fantasize about an all-pie Thanksgiving), I do love pie. In fact, when I was 10, I won a pie-eating contest with pumpkin pie! The prize?

More food (namely a GIANT tub of caramel corn.)  Delicious.

DO spend as much time with your family/loved ones as possible!!

Sisters, Aunts, Cousins, Nieces

That’s what I’m most thankful for, without question.

And even though Ryan will be celebrating his family in Key West (hard knock life, right?) I’ll be thinking about how thankful I am to have such a great beau in my life! (Especially one that will brave Dolly Parton-land with me.)

What are your favorite parts about Thanksgiving?

Any Thanksgiving DO or DON’T you live by?