Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving: Part III

For those of you just joining us, feel free check out Part I & Part II of the Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving series.

There comes a time in every vacation where your motivation to be productive is overwhelmed by the much more appealing anti-motivation to do absolutely nothing.  Black Friday 2012 was that day for me.  However, a complete lazy day is sometimes exactly what the doctor ordered for a “reset” weekend.

If you’re looking for some other ideas for lazy things to do with your remaining vacation, consider the following:

• Cook with a Theme - I’ve been talking about trying some new recipes all week, but those were independent recipes with no real common theme.  Yesterday, I decided it was time for a cohesive meal plan for the day.  Given that Anne is a huge fan of French cuisine, I figured adding a few French recipes to the repertoire could only be a good thing.  I started with some late morning crepes with a filler of Nutella and chopped cashews and topped off with homemade raspberry sauce and a blackberry merlot sauce:

Bon Apetit!

For a more substantive (and less diabetes-inducing) meal, I tried my hand at Chicken Cordon Bleu with lemon and parsley infused green beans.

Some things I learned:

• A little gruyere goes a long way.  Don’t overdo it with the cheese or it can become overpowering.
• A little prosciutto does not go a long way. Especially if you have some large pieces of chicken like I did, you’ll want to consider beefing up whatever recipe you’re using with a little extra prosciutto.
• Lemon juice is a potent seasoning.  Be careful not to add to much, just a few squeezed lemon wedges are more than enough
• Play an Old Video Game – I’m not talking about playing Call of Duty: Black Ops because you just bought Black Ops II.  I’m talking about (literally) dusting off the old console and throwing in a game that came out when you were still in high school.  For me, I probably spent 3-4 hours with one of my all-time favorite game series: Tony Hawk’s Underground.

Hours spent as a child…hours spent as an adult. It all comes full circle.

• Watch an Old TV Series - Earlier this year I got hooked on Aaron Sorkin’s new show Newsroom on HBO.  Anne has been trying to convince me I would like The West Wing for years and I finally gave in after Newsroom ended for the season.  Last night I finished up Season One and for anyone who remembers how the first season ended in a shower of bullets, you can understand why I’m itching to start Season Two.
• Watch an Old Movie – Seeing a theme of nostalgia here?  You bet!  While my friend Pete came in a little too late with his recommendation of Darkwing Duck (let’s…get…dangerous!), I elected to go with Osmosis Jones.  That’s right, Osmosis F*cking Jones.

Interestingly enough, I also watched another old flick starring Laurence Fishburn later in the evening…but I fell asleep with the dog in my lap right after Neo saw the Oracle.  Not a bad way to end the day.

Excited to get back into productive mode today, the second-to-last day of the Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving.  Check back tomorrow for the last post in our four-part series!