As promised, here are some more delicious side dishes for your thanksgiving dinner! How much do you love to have a day where making/eating 6 different sides is not frowned upon? i have to say it is the best thing ever. happy preparations!
[image from here]
thanksgiving is in two days! i can't believe it! i wanted to share with you some recipes that my mom has relied on for many years. the many sides are my favorite part of thanksgiving, and they are foods that you don't really eat at any other time of year (which is probably what makes them so special). my absolute favorite dish is the coconutty sweet potatoes, they are basically a dessert. i know most of you probably have your thanksgiving meals all planned out, but for those of you who are looking for some new delicious recipes, here you go!
ps. i will share a few more recipes later today or tomorrow, so stay tuned! (hint: rolls, salad, and potatoes!)
thanksgiving is in one week! i am so excited! we are spending the holiday with some old family friends (since we are across the country from all of our family). while i'm sad we are missing out on my cousin's homecoming from his mission in guatemala and our family's thanksgiving traditions, i'm so happy we have someone to spend it with!
the day after thanksgiving is monumental for my dad. it is when he starts making his infamous 'two-finger' sandwiches. he takes the leftover rolls, leftover turkey or pork rack (which seems to find its way to every holiday, and i'm not mad about it), and some spicy mustard and makes the most heavenly little sandwiches. for the next week or so, whenever any friends or family come over my dad will make them a 'two finger' whether they like it or not. but mostly they just like it.
i've recently discovered a different way to reuse thanksgiving foods. at trader joe's they have the most delicious wraps that have turkey, stuffing, cream cheese, and cranberry. how easy is that? i have gotten them so often lately, and keep imagining how much better they would be with homemade foods. and they include a thin, creamy maple dressing to dip the wrap in. i usually heat it up for 10 minutes or so in the over, so the outside is a little crispy. i may or may not have discovered that it also tastes really good dipped in caramel. don't judge me.
how will you be using your thanksgiving leftovers?
{photo from here}
ps. have you seen this thanksgiving guide from style me pretty, it's pretty epic!
bobette taught a class on how to set your holiday tables recently, and i loved everything she did so much i had to share! she created 5 different place settings ranging from vintage to modern styles. it's never too early to get started on holiday planning right??
first let's talk about what you actually need for a table setting. the diagram above shows the general way that they should be set up, but your place settings can be more or less complex depending on what you have and how fancy-pantsy you want to be. consider the diagram a guideline, you do not have to do it exactly like that- and you will see in the examples below that we strayed a bit from what is shown.
1. placemat- my grandma always has a placemat set for dinner, and for some reason it makes everything feel so much more elegant. i always loved that when i visited her house for sunday dinners. this category could include your tablecloth, should you choose to use one.
2. charger- i feel like this is the place where you can be the most creative. there are so many different things that you can use as a charger, because you don't have to eat off of it. we thought of using: cutting boards, tiles, paper, serving dishes. really anything that is slightly bigger than a plate would work.
3. main plate- this is pretty much the only thing that you have to have for a table setting. unless you are super progressive and don't want to be confined by plates. no judgment.
4. salad plate- this could also be a soup bowl. either way it has to be killer since it is on the tippy top.
5. name tag- you can play with lots of different things here too. bobette has a killer collection of name tag holders (see below). i also love when people have little treats as their name tags (ie a chocolate box with the name on the outside). the name tag can be placed anywhere really- tied to the napkin or cup, on top of or next to the plate.
6. fork/napkin/spoon/knife- there are proper ways to set all of these if you are proper and are using multiple utensils. we like tying all of them together and putting them to the right of the plate (though if i had it my way they would be on the left hand side #lefthandedproblems).
7. cup- again, you can have multiple glasses and there are certain ways to set them. we usually stick with just one glass for our signature drink, and have extras near the drink bar.
for this setting we nixed the placemat and opted for that awesome lacy tablecloth (from my wedding, excuse the wrinkles). i love this look for thanksgiving- the palate of pinks browns and yellow are perfect. that charger is a serving platter, and i love how it matches the silver centerpiece. how perfect are the flowers too? oh and you can see one of bobette's name tag holders- the pink ornaments. loves.
this is the way that bobette is planning to have her thanksgiving table set. i don't think i could love it more. i have always wanted to steal those gold chargers, and combined with the charteuse napkins- she is killing me. those white plates are super old from target, and the salad plates are from anthro a few years ago.
we have seen this look quite a bit on pinterest lately. it has a limited color palette (she wanted to use tan napkins, but i needed more color/pattern- i can't go that modern). i do love the combination of the two white plates. that wreath was made of a boxwood branch in her garden, as was the rosemary surrounding the candles. those chalkboards with the wooden stands are new- i feel like they are super diy-able for those of you who are crafty.
what plans do you have for your thanksgiving table?
this is a guide for all of you boys who would like to buy flowers for your girlfriend / wife / secret crush / mistress, what have you. while you are already over 75% of the way to being awesome, why not add a little bit more oomph and give her flowers that she will actually love? don't feel bad if you have bought items from the don't list before, your girl is just happy you thought of her enough to buy her flowers in the first place. let's take that a step further and make you a romantic god in her eyes.
this list was taken from flowers most likely to be found in grocery stores (these pictures were taken at trader joes). i know these are the places you will most likely be buying from, so we are going to keep it simple.
1. hydrangeas- they are always gorgeous and are a different what girls normally receive. they generally come in blue or white, either color is lovely. these flowers are a little finicky, so take care.
2. tulips- you can never go wrong with a good tulip. feel free to take some liberties and mix a couple of colors.
3. roses- again, always a good idea. just please don't buy red roses, they are tacky.
4. berries- or some other seasonal flower. this might be a little bit scary, but try it out. they are nice for fall or winter.
also...
5. do find out your girl's favorite flower, just ask her straight up, she will be more than delighted to inform you.
6. do get peonies if you ever see them. rarely are they at grocery stores, but i have no doubt that they are every girls favorite flower. going out of your way to find them will be greatly appreciated.
7. some other acceptable flowers include ranunculus, stock, and snapdragons.
8. do get your girl flowers, even if you are unsure whether or not they are perfect she will still love you for it. i would say once every 1-2 months would make you a baller.
1. carnations- this is the cardinal sin of flowers. enough said.
2. mixed bouquets- most premade mixed bouquets are hideous. please stay away from them. i actually found one at trader joe's that i liked, but there is no specific reason why. so i won't confuse you.
3. daisys- this is just my opinion. gerbera daisys are lots of girls' favorite flowers, so buy them if you know she loves them. if not, please stay away.
4. mums- these are just ugly. i'm also going to include in this category any artificially colored flowers.
this isn't supposed to scare you, but to give you confidence! the most important thing is to find out your girl's preferences, it will make all the difference. these are my preferences, and jarman was trained on them early in our relationship:)
