My family has decided that we should host Thanksgiving at my house this year. It will be the first Thanksgiving that I have ever hosted so I am a little nervous...ok more like incredibly nervous. So I have been stock piling recipes and decor ideas for our first Thanksgiving. The more prepared I am the less nervous I feel, plus all of the ideas on pinterest are really inspiring me and I hope that I can wow my parents for my first Thanksgiving.
Here are some of my favorite decorating ideas:
1. These rosemary rings are perfect! I have a large rosemary plant in my backyard and string left over from projects so this is a very simple, cost efficient and elegant DIY that I can use for my Thanksgiving table. I have a feeling I will be using a lot of fresh rosemary all throughout the season for cooking and decorating.
2. I love the idea of a string of pinecones. This little collage provides some great rustic inspiration for Thanksgiving decor.
3. I think it would be really cute to have these "I am thankful for" placemats for the table. Before dinner we can all go around and say what we wrote.
4. I do not own any cloth napkins so I am looking for a set that would go with almost any holiday. I love these ace & jig napkins that will be in Anthropologie stores (not online). I may just have to go shopping this weekend to pick up a few. Or if I can't find them, I may stick with a more neutral design.
5. I currently have a round dark wood table in my dining area. I am keeping the table setting natural and simple. No table cloths or table runners. I love these pictures of a rustic looking Thanksgiving table so I am going to try and stick with that theme. Wood table with white dishes and little touches of color from the rosemary and centerpiece. In the end I believe a simple setting will look more elegant than a whole bunch of random stuff everywhere.
Here are some great recipes that I have been planning to use for Thanksgiving:
1. Fist and foremost, I plan on using a brine and oven roasting the turkey. My parents usually buy a smoked turkey, but I want to impress them with my cooking skills. Plus it is my first turkey so I want to go the more traditional route. I found this great brine recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. I trust her cooking skills so I will stick with her traditional recipe.
2. I will probably end up using this method to roast the Turkey, but I am still doing my research.
3. I love the idea of having a seasonal alcoholic punch for everyone to enjoy. I am sure my dad will have his favorite beer, but this would be great for the rest of us. Now I just need to decide on which punch to make because they all look so good!
4. As for the sides, I plan on making a traditional sausage and herb stuffing as well as mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce all from scratch. My dad has the best mashed potatoes and he taught me how to make them when I was young. I found this great slow cooker cranberry sauce recipe that sounds easy and delicious. My parents offered to make the green bean casserole and my mom's infamous buttermilk dressing salad. Since I am making everything else, I guess they can help out a little. :)
5. Now for my favorite part of the meal...the dessert! I plan on making my mom's infamous sour cream apple pie. It is a regular at our Thanksgiving table and our standard for apple pie in general. I already have my pie crust recipe that never fails, thank-you, Alton Brown! I have also made the apple pie many times before so I am not worried about it. My dad is a strict Marie Callender's pumpkin pie eater. He never makes his own and will probably refuse to eat any other pumpkin pie other than Marie's. So even though I won't be making the pumpkin pie from scratch, I know that my dad will be happy and it will take away the stress of making two pies.
Regardless of how things turn out, it is always nice to spend quality time with your family.
If you like what you see, you can follow me on pinterest here. Also feel free to leave your pinterest link or any ideas you are planning for Thanksgiving in the comments. Since this is my first time hosting Thanksgiving, I am looking for any and all inspiration I can find.
Peace.Love.Lauryn
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