I don't want to jump the gun here, but one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is how everything on the dinner table goes so well together, although not in an entirely intuitive way. Even right down to dessert! The whole combination is just dynamite, and I love applying the same sort of formula to other dishes and recipes. Because who doesn't love the O.G. Thanksgiving formula of savory and sweet?...
Read MoreThis is a crowd pleasing cocktail for fall time, and especially for Thanksgiving. It even sounds like something to cozy up on the couch with: the Autumn Sweater. It has very few ingredients and is simple to throw together. In order to serve a group, you could also make a large batch of this in a punch bowl or other vessel (leaving out the hard cider so it stays effervescent), and top each glass with hard cider upon serving. It’s just sweet enough, while still being a fairly stiff drink. For my staunch Maker’s Mark-loving family, this is a way to turn the old standby into something a little more festive. And as the outcast who doesn’t love bourbon, I can still really enjoy this cocktail for its other seasonal and warming flavors.
Read MoreThe one thing about holidays that can be slightly more stressful than enjoyable: the splitting of family time. It’s a wonderful thing to have enough family members for this to even be an issue, but it can feel like an issue nonetheless. Christmas, although seemingly a more important holiday to many, is actually the less difficult one, I think, compared to Thanksgiving—given that it’s really a two-full-day celebration at minimum. Therefore, most people I know don’t have too much trouble splitting it someway between Christmas Eve day and night, as well as Christmas morning and night. However, Thanksgiving can feel like the trickier one due to its meal-centric nature. It’s hard to have an early meal at one location and then move to the next place to endure your food coma and not partake in that meal. It’s ok, of course, because company is still enjoyed, but there’s something about not being able to partake in the meal that just doesn’t feel right.
A good friend of mine (Hi Julia!) has a tradition in her family that I think is an absolutely brilliant alternative to splitting time...
Read MoreWhile stuffing may not be the star of the show, it’s nearly always the fan favorite. I know it's certainly my favorite part. It’s everything I love combined into one giant casserole, or better yet cooked right inside the turkey itself. But as much as I love it, I also secretly love that for whatever reason, it has mostly remained a Thanksgiving-only dish. I hate to think of any part of the meal becoming monotonous if we served it more often.
This is a really, really tasty take on stuffing with a little bit of a Southern spin. Its base is cornbread, and it's filled with sausage, bell peppers, celery, onions, corn, and lots of those fresh herbs more traditionally associated with Thanksgiving. It’s spicy and a little sweet, with great depth of flavor from all the vegetables and different herbs.
Read MoreThanksgiving is about family, gratitude, and abundance, and the vehicle for that message is the meal. That is what inspired me to make this fresh, rustic, and simple tablescape. I wanted it to be subtle and beautiful, without an enormous flower centerpiece or other distractions. I think a Thanksgiving table should feel earthy, comforting, and really be about the people sitting at the table.
Read More
