Let's Do This: The T-Day Spread

Countdown. Days, hours and minutes are fleeting. T-minus 2 days to Thanksgiving...so, what's going to be on your table?

Your friends and family may already have time-honored food traditions that show up every year. Like the magical green bean casserole.

Ah, yes - green bean casserole.
...
Really? Dumping congealed soup on mushy beans?
Stop it. Stop it right now.

Image courtesy of girltomom.com

If you want to brighten up your Thanksgiving spread without buying a potato ricer, a gravy separator or other crazy kitchen gadgets, try these 3 new dishes I'm adding to my Thanksgiving menu this year. No fuss and super tasty, these will shake up your sides without taking your guests into unexplored, unknown territory because, face it - we're not all Pilgrims.

Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini
This is an easy-to-make yet impressive flavor combination of veggies + protein. Always gets rave reviews at my table. And, you can make these a day ahead and pop in the oven.

Recipe and photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
If you can't pass on making the mashed potatoes, serve these along side as a unique option - and, they're very kid friendly. Toss in some chopped fresh thyme or rosemary before roasting, if desired.

Recipe and photo courtesy of gimmesomeoven.com

Autumn Farmers' Market Salad
Save yourself some work and assemble a gorgeous bowl of fresh greens with seasonal splashes of color. Save even more time and sub in a store-bought vinaigrette. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of bonappetit.com


Here's hoping your Thanksgiving table shines...and if it doesn't, well, just have more wine. You'll start seeing stars soon enough.

Cheers and blessings to you and yours this holiday!

Tunes for Turkey Day

The table's set, the turkey's roasting and wine is at hand to help you get through this Thanksgiving...but what about setting the mood?  

House rules vary when it comes to television on Turkey Day. For some, it's banned with the intent for forced family fun, while for others, Thanksgiving TV is a tradition that's shared to keep the masses occupied after a stuffing-induced coma. And, as the children in the family grow older, technology tends to find its way to the table via the "i's" - as in iPhones, iPads and iPods.

"I just had to call and tell you how terrible my mom's turkey is.
Yep...uh-huh. It's THAT bad."

Regardless of your views on inviting electronics to have a seat at the table on Thanksgiving, I find a little music lifts the mood, covers lulls in conversation and helps any good host achieve the right ambiance!

There are plenty of free apps out there for music, but my favorite by far is Songza. Dubbed a music concierge, Songza not only lets you search for songs and artists but also allows you to select pre-determined playlists based on your mood or activity...for example, "Housework" or "Vintage Cocktail Party" (one of my faves) or even "Hosting a Sexy Pool Party" (the title alone makes me think I should do this more often).

Get over to Songza, sign up and pick your playlist, whether it's Thanksgiving Dinner Jazz, Good Ol' Time Eatin' or many more. And, here are a few of my suggested playlists to complete your Turkey Day. 

Cheers to your ears!

Songza Playlist: Farm to Table
Picture guitar, woodland beats and Indie influence taking the beats to the table for a funky feast.
Sample Tracks
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Midlake - Young Bride
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - Bird Balloons

Songza Playlist: Home Is Where The Hearth Is
Warm and soothing, this playlist keeps the background moving softly with various artists. A solid option for multiple generations, from grandma to grandson.
Sample Tracks
Big Star - Thank You Friends
Kirsty MacColl - Days
Bill Withers - Lean On Me

Songza Playlist: Thanksgiving Serenade
This mix of beautiful, somber tunes is best enjoyed with a cozy fire, candlelight and a subdued mood. Great for closing out the evening.
Sample Tracks
Ben Rector - When A Heart Breaks
Mat Kearney - Breathe In Breath Out
Sarah McLachlan - Fallen

Post It for Thanksgiving

I sent one for a birthday party. I've sent many for dinner parties, too. Heck, I even sent one for my surprise wedding to throw off my guests (...and yes, our wedding was sprung on our family & friends - more on that in a separate blog).

What is this I mysterious material sent, you ask? Why, it's Paperless Post, the online e-stationery shop!

There's much debate about the merits of handwritten correspondence versus electronic messages, and there has been for years. Remember the rise of the Evite - those kitschy, all-in-one web pages that boasted an event description, a wall of public RSVPs and random banner ads for Bacardi punch plastered all over your 1-year-old's birthday party invitation? Well, this is not that.

According to this classy Evite, you now have the party virus.
I'm sure this party has lots of Natural Light on hand to treat it.

We've come a long way in our electronic event extensions. Paperless Post adds both sophistication and a touch of realness by animating an envelope that first, features your name on the front; next, turns in time to show the flap opening; and, for the grand finale flourish, the invitation rises from the envelope as if you pulled it out yourself, all without a single paper cut. Genius!

While some purists protest the long-hand letter over the online invite, I say there's a time and place for everything. Wine & cheese at your home? Paperless Post apropos. Housewarming? Paperless Post appropriate, sure. To that list, I'd add Thanksgiving.

"Just to add insult to injury, I'm going to ride you before I roast you."
(Pilgrims were a resilient, rugged people.)
Image: PaperlessPost.com

I find Thanksgiving plans are most often communicated via phone, as it's still the most common communication tool across generations of siblings, parents and grandparents. "Dinner's at 6pm; bring a side dish." But, why not push the virtual envelope here and send a nice, electronic invite? 

This achieves a number of good things:

1. An actual Thanksgiving invitation is rarely expected, so it creates an element of pleasant surprise and gets your guests excited (and hungry).
2. It allows you to outline important details about your Thanksgiving soiree: when to arrive, what to bring and when dinner hits the table.
3. It allows you to demonstrate your own sense of style, as Paperless Post offers over 150 design options.
4. And, it saves you from talking to your half-deaf great aunt over the phone who yells in your ear.

The Mythical Turducken: every vegetarian's nightmare.

Let's give Thanksgiving the press it deserves! Save the trees and Paperless Post away, my friends.

Turkey Day Tables

Time to lay out the bird. 

My favorite part of entertaining is arranging the table. Sometimes it's more formal for a sit-down meal with a full spread; other times, it's a buffet of nibbles for game night; or, maybe it's just for display or decoration - meaning look, but you better not touch. 

A 'hangry' crowd approaches. Get the Thanksgiving table set.
Now.

Whether you're aiming to impress your mother-in-law or need a casual buffet to placate masses of hungry, foraging relatives, these decorating tips will have you (and your table) covered. 

Add heavy weights to the vase (rocks, grains, other) to make it sturdy enough to hold small seasonal gourds or vegetables.
Photo: theglamoroushousewife.com

Pick a color theme - here, it's greens and whites.
Photo: myhouseandhome.squarespace.com

This type of natural decor can lend itself to both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Photo: thebudgetdecorator.com

This table uses minimalism (read: not much stuff) and fresh ingredients (unassuming vegetables) for a high-brow look.
Photo: bonappetit.com

For more Thanksgiving (and other) ideas, check out Fellow Does Fab on Pinterest.

Tune In for Turkey Day TV

If your house is like mine on Thanksgiving Day, there’s one appliance in constant use: the television.

Throughout the day’s events, Thanksgiving TV programming is as much a predictable and time-honored tradition as putting a turkey on the table. It starts in the morning with coffee on the couch and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, then rolls into a light lunch or appetizers during the National Dog Show, then finally draws to a close with dessert and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (with mounds of stuffing and meat somewhere in between).

I’ll admit that for a bit, I felt having the television on seemed to be in direct conflict with the holiday. Family and friends gathering – and in some cases, this being  one of the few times a year this happens – means the house should be filled with chatter and silverware clanging and laughter…not Uncle Ralph screaming at the game. “People - talk to each other! We’re family! How are you? What’s new with work or school or life? Seen any good movies lately?” If conversation lulled, there were a myriad of topics to be thrown out.

"Since we don't have TV, let's just keep eating!" 

What I found, though, is when I took a more active role in preparing the meal, I wasn’t at liberty to lounge on the sofa and direct the dialogue. If you’re hustling supper in the kitchen and you don’t have a gregarious bunch of relatives, you mind find them sitting together in silence. That’s when I decided to make the television work for me. If you can’t be in the room to carry the conversation, let the boob tube do it for you.

This won’t necessarily happen on its own. While some families will take advantage of football games or commercials to introduce convo topics, others may still sit in silence staring at the moving pictures. *insert glazed over, blank expression*

By no means am I suggesting your family spends the entire day in front of the television. But, if TV viewing is on the agenda, give them a few incentives to make the most of their time together.

TV Trivia

Create quizzes for folks to fill out while watching those tried-and-true Thanksgiving shows.

• How many balloons will be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
• Who’s hosting the parade this year?
• What did Charlie Brown serve for Thanksgiving dinner?
• etc.

These quizzes can be taken while the live show airs or after. Have small prizes on hand for winners. Or, maybe losers do the dishes, eh?

According to Channel Guide Magazine’s blog, there are 2 Thanksgiving marathons you can also tune into on November 28th…

Friends – Our favorite folks from NYC will be airing from 10am – 5pm on TBS. (It would be worth watching just to catch the Thanksgiving episode where Joey wears Phoebe’s maternity pants, claiming they are his “Thanksgiving pants.”)

Harry Potter – ABC Family will air a three-day marathon of all Harry Potter movies, concluding with the network TV premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Accio remote!

Raise the interactive factor here and have the official trivia games on hand for folks to play during the shows. Go to Amazon.com this week, and for $20 - $40, you can have Friends and Harry Potter trivia games shipped right to your door in plenty of time for Turkey Day.

The moral of this story: go with the flow. If the fam wants to turn on the TV on Turkey Day, don't stop them. Make it a part of the tradition.

150 Years of Fine Feasting: Fellow's 12 Days of T'giving

WARNING: While you may expect fantastic Thanksgiving tips here - forthcoming very shortly - you're learning something historical first!

That first Thanksgiving we base our traditions on today happened in 1621, a autumn harvest meal shared between Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians. So, while the customs of Thanksgiving have been around for hundreds of years, it wasn't official until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the national holiday would be celebrated each November.

Ready to 'show your know' and share this tidbit of wisdom at the office or around the dinner table? Good. You're welcome. Now let's get onto the good stuff.

Thanksgiving is often an afterthought because of the retail rush of Christmas. My dad's seasonal saying comes to mind..."Looks like the stores put up their Christmas decorations. Yep. Must be Halloween." Sadly, this becomes truer every year.

Ho-ho-horrible. But true. Never, ever test an elf.

I come off my Halloween candy hangover just in time to start courting Thanksgiving. I have a true love affair with the season and the sight of family and friends around the table. On Thanksgiving, everyone is family! And, when your family gets on your nerves, the customary two, three or thirteen glasses of wine is totally acceptable. It's a covert lush's dream day.

Because Thanksgiving can get sidetracked, I found it only fair to give it a '12 Days of' celebration like it's Christmas cousin, if only for a year. Today and for the next 11 days, I'll post an idea, tip or trick to make your Thanksgiving a hit. (Partridges in pear trees need not apply.)

An easy, great app idea
When guests arrive for marathon feasting, offer a few bites to warm them up for the main event. I reconstructed this recipe after having it at a tapas restaurant in London. It's quick, easy, and goes great with wine.

ROASTED GRAPE CANAPE

Roasted Grapes:
2 cups red grapes (approx. 1lb)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper

Remaining ingredients:
Olive oil
1 small baguette
1 small log (4 oz) goat cheese
Honey for drizzling






Slice baguette and brush pieces with olive oil. Toast in a 450 degree oven for 5 - 10 minutes until just browned. While bread bakes, combine ingredients for roasted grapes and spread on a foil-lined baking sheet. Remove bread and roast grapes at the same temp for 20 minutes. Spread a layer of goat cheese on each baguette slice. After grapes cool slightly, spoon on top of baguette. Drizzle each piece with honey & serve.

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It's been 150 years and counting, Thanksgiving...thanks for all of the memories.
Here's to 11 more days of celebrating you!