WE SURVIVED OUR FIRST THANKSGIVING
This was our first time hosting thanksgiving in our house, with only our parents as guests it made out as a nice intro to hosting. To avoid a full meltdown I started planning early and broke the day down into categories.
Decor - we’re not holiday people so this was easy, a nice Fir (not to be confused with fur) Garland across the newly painted fireplace. And by newly I mean painted Wednesday night at 10pm after we got home from drinks with friends.
Serve-ware - As fire time hosts of a larger sit-down meal, we were not equipped to serve multiple dishes. Enter HomeGoods. I love an all white or clear dish, it really allows the food to be the shining star. Somethings to keep in mind: oven-safe porcelain means you can go from oven to table, without adding dishes or sacrificing aesthetic. Lids are everything, do you think everyone is ready to sit down as soon as your done cooking? lol no, never.
Food - As a first timer I promised myself I would make this as easy as possible, Trader Joe’s has great options for appetizers, and come November there’s an entire section dedicated to any and all holiday foods.
Drinks - This is my favorite thing to assign to guests, it’s a great way to discover new wines. Always make sure to have an alternative option to alcohol that’s not water, you want everyone to be able to enjoy, ya know?
THE DISHES
There are very few thanksgiving dishes that I can stand behind. Any vegetables soaked in a cream? No thank you. So you can imagine that when the time came of me to host the first thanksgiving in our home, the menu was LIGHT, but also took 6 hours in all to cook.
Turkey brined and ready for the oven, straight from Trader Joe’s. We threw in lemon slices and the left over mirepoix and garlic from the stuffing.
Chicken Sausage Stuffing (cooked in a pan, because I’m not sticking my hand in a turkey carcass, ok?) I used chicken sausage & TJ’s herb butter. And definitely save the juices for gravy
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts chop, coat in EVOO & TJ’s 21 seasoning salute, 10-20 at 400*
Spinach Apple Salad with Pecans & Gorgonzola
Baked Brie with cranberries
