Happy Thanksgiving!
We sat down with Nfocus magazine to share some of our entertaining tips for creating a warm, welcoming environment for the holidays. See below, and read more here about the many ways to create a memorable Thanksgiving for family and friends.
1. Pull out the fine china (we all know it’s dying to be used) and silver turkey platter, but be spontaneous with colorful napkins and festive cocktail glasses that you might not normally use on your Thanksgiving table.
2. Consider mixing and matching different materials and elements around your home and yard — you'll be surprised how well everything comes together. For example, mix your everyday dinnerware with your fine wedding china and your grandmother’s crystal. Bring in some tall branches for the buffet table, or incorporate colorful fall leaves into your centerpieces or place settings. You can also have fun with nontraditional flatware or incorporating mixed metals, like pewter and copper, for a perfect touch that sparks a good conversation!
3. Colors of fall bring warmth and happiness, and the flowers don’t disappoint. When putting together your table this year, use tones of orange, rust and gold and add textures of pods, leaves and feathers. Some of my favorites are two-toned garden roses paired with dahlias, kangaroo paw, sunflowers and bronze mums, along with some whimsical texture, like pincushion protea and bittersweet. Pomegranates and pears are also wonderful additions to autumnal arrangements, representing the bounty of Thanksgiving.
4. When creating your table or Thanksgiving centerpiece, remember to keep it low so guests can talk to each other throughout the meal. And don't forget the candles...always lots and lots of candles for an evening around the table.
5. Want to try something new with your turkey this year? Here's one of my favorite cooking hacks: Instead of placing a roasting rack under my turkey, I slice thick onion discs and place them under the turkey. This trick adds additional flavor to the cooking process, especially the drippings in the pan that you can incorporate back onto the turkey or into other Thanksgiving dishes.
