Friday, November 23, 2012

The Un-Thanksgiving

Happy day after Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone had a wonderful day of food and family yesterday.  I'm pretty sure I told everyone that our Thanksgiving plans were going to take a detour this year.  So I figured I'd show you.

First of all, my parents couldn't get down here for Thanksgiving.  If I have four hungry adults that love most foods, I will cook.  I love to cook.  But two hungry adults and two very picky teenagers don't seem to warrant the effort of two days of cooking.  In addition, we had a gift certificate (something we won at a raffle somewhere) to two nights at the Marriott World Resort in South Orlando that expired at the end of 2012.  My husband and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and thought why not?

The first order of business was getting an upgrade from one room to two.  Four of us sharing a room used to be standard, but not anymore.  Everyone's happier if there is more space.  We were going to eat Thanksgiving buffet at the hotel, but apparently it was "rape the tourists" day, because the buffet was $65 per person.  Ha!  I think not.  I couldn't eat $65 worth of turkey if I starved myself for two days.  

So we made reservations at a nearby restaurant called "Hemingways".  Nestled on a perch over the pool and golf course at the Grand Cypress Hyatt, this place has wonderful seafood with a Floridian flair.  We've been here a number of times before.  We knew we wouldn't be disappointed.

Our reservation was at 2:15pm so we were starved.  I ordered a Key Lime Ceasar Salad (sans anchovies).  I dug in and decimated the beautiful presentation before I remembered I was supposed to take a picture.  The salad came with romaine, caramelized pecans, shaved asiago cheese, and fresh Key Lime juice with the dressing.  

Oh yeah, and we ordered a bottle of Cava.



After that we all ordered our main entrees.  I like turkey and mashed potatoes, but I have a hard time passing up a grilled Mahi Mahi with white shrimp and creamy antebellum sweet corn grits.




My son the carnivore, ordered the cast iron Ribeye with black garlic butter and fried onion rings.  He requested the kitchen keep the asparagus to themselves.



My husband and daughter went traditional, ordering the Thanksgiving plate, which included roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry salad, asparagus and sweet potatoes.  Everything was homemade and tasted incredible, according to the two of them.  $29 all you can eat.  Much better deal than the $65.




I was the only one who opted for dessert.  I HAVE to have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.  I will never have a pie quite like my late grandmother's but I still must partake.  In a pathetic move of gluttony, I scarfed it down before I remembered to take the picture.  Here is what was left. 




True to the legacy of Hemingway, there were cats all over the resort, some that were peeking through the screen while we were eating.  (They were not Hemingway cats, though, with the extra toe.) Sweet little babies DID get a little turkey.  




We left our lunch and promptly went to the movies, because there are only about 5 incredible things to see this weekend.  (Wednesday night we saw "Skyfall"...stay tuned on a little chat about that one.)  Yesterday though, my hubby and I saw "Life of Pi" and the kids went to see the last installment of "Twilight".  (My son only went to appease the daughter, but was grumbling by the time he came out of the theater.)

So.  That is what an Un-Thanksgiving looks like.  Not bad if I say so myself.    



15 comments:

Anonymous said...

How fun!!! It sounds like you got exactly the Thanksgiving your tired mind and body needed. :) My day wasn't very good, but that's totally OK because tomorrow I embark on a 7 day cruise!!!

Amy said...

Aw, it sounds like you had a really nice Thanksgiving, Sandy!

Unknown said...

That food looks lovely! Glad you had a nice time and the opportunity to relax a little bit.

annieb said...

Sounds like a perfect way to give thanks to me. For the first time in probably 50 years I didn't cook anything. I purchased a complete dinner from a local market since there were only three of us and was impressed, pleased, and, yes, grateful. The food was very good and the cleanup was much easier. Wish I had done it sooner.

bermudaonion said...

My guys had the store open for several hours yesterday so we went out to eat and then saw Lincoln. Your Thanksgiving sounds much more relaxing.

Anonymous said...

Great story! It sounds like it was definitely worth not staying at home and also, not having dinner in the hotel. This was the ideal place for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Jenners said...

An Un-Thanksgiving sounds wonderful! I saw Life of Pi today and thought they nailed it!! Loved it. Even sprung for the 3D -- which was some of the best I've ever seen. I wanted to go into the screen.

Heidenkind said...

Sounds pretty gourmet!

Alyce said...

That sounds like an awesome way to spend the day! I can take or leave the traditional foods, but I had fun visiting relatives. :)

Peppermint Ph.D. said...

Oh wow! That mahi mahi and your son's steak look incredible! Either would have been fine by me :) I'm not sure I would go to all the trouble for only a few people either. I think the main thing is togetherness and being thankful...and you guys had that part nailed down :)

Carrie K. said...

I love that you found a way to celebrate that was just perfect for your family!

Anonymous said...

What a fun way to do Thanksgiving! We traveled over 2 hours to get home so we could let Gage nap for an hour. Woke him up to go eat with our 40 family members and he proceeded to puke all over my husband twice in half an hour! My mom would not be content until we showed up (with a sick kid). sigh. Your Thanksgiving sounds great!

Meg @ write meg! said...

Sounds like a very fun and relaxing un-Thanksgiving, Florida style! With all the chaos and crazy surrounding the holidays, I think most of us have fantasized about heading off a resort somewhere in lieu of the norm.

Zibilee said...

I didn't cook this year either. My step-mom did it all, and there was tons of food, but a lot of driving. I am thinking about just tucking in for Christmas and making my first feast for my family and friends. I am glad that you had a nice Thanksgiving without all the preparation and cooking. Might have to try that sometime! :)

Julie P. said...

I'd take that meal over turkey any old day!