Simplistic Elements

Thanksgiving is officially 3 weeks away! Where are you at with it?

Are you hosting Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving? Or are you traveling to a family or friends and need to bring something? Well I got you covered either way! Even if you are doing a small family dinner for 5 or less, I think you like some of the recipe and drink ideas in this blog.

I think something for everyone to remember is holidays don’t have to be big for them to be special. Its all about the quality and love filled in a space at a certain time. Just remember that.

So I have decided to do a 2 part Thanksgiving blog. The first on what foods and drinks you can make for hosting or take to a loved ones home if you are traveling. That’s the one you’re currently reading. The second part to the blog that I will release next Monday will be more, how to make it through Thanksgiving during uncomfortable circumstances, tensions and family/friend drama. We all know them and have them so I thought I could give some tips that you may truly be thankful for. (Yes pun intended)

Drinks

For now lets get into the yummy stuff! I want to first start with wine parings. Wine is prominent during Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving Dinners, but do you know what goes with what? I didn’t so I had to learn and wanted to share the knowledge. Check out this video below by Chel Loves Wine and also the Thanksgiving pairings article by Better Homes & Garden.

Now for you non wine drinkers and if beer is your thing this graphic below is just for you! https://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/recipes/thanksgiving-wine-guide/

Wine and beer pairings can really bring out the flavors of food so I encourage you to try it this year and be intentional. It also goes with out saying to always have water available. Sparkling water during large meals as this is also nice for digestion.

I also found two great drink recipes that are refreshing, tasty, and not “basic”. Oh, did I mention they are also NON alcoholic? Yep these drinks that are for the win are Cranberry Cider Punch and Honey Berry Kombucha Smash. Perfect drinks for a holiday dinners and parties you are hosting. Or hey maybe just for yourself! Who says it needs to be a special occasion to celebrate?!

Food

Ok, enough about the drinks lets get to the food! I thinks it time to change up some of those dishes we always bring to Thanksgiving. Delish.com shared 85 recipes and I picked my top 5 that you might want to give a try. These recipes keep the tradition but put a nice spin that everyone will enjoy. Click on each dish to be directed to recipe and video.

1. Green bean casserole bundles
2. Cauliflower Stuffing
3. Pumpkin cornbread
4. Roasted butternut squash soup
5. Bacon ranch Brussels

Place settings

Now depending on whether you are hosting a large Thanksgiving spread or small you need to have something to eat on. My rule of thumb is if you are feeding 8 or less people use real plates. If your party is more than that consider plastic or paper plates. Don’t get the generic ones, because you can get some seasonal or nice ones for about $10 for a pack of 20 like the ones I used below for a dinner party. Purchased those plastic dishes at Marshall’s and they have quite a selection.

The great thing is these plates are nice looking yet toss-able for easy clean up. Unfortunate for the smaller dinners I talked about you can designate a dish washer or use these types of plates as well. The Dollar Tree and 99 cent store also have decent dinner ware that only cost $1 a plate for small hosting events. Even glass drinking ware and serving trays. Gotta love a good bargain at those stores.

I will say I hate cheap plastic eating utensils so get some quality ones. Especially if you are serving different types of meat that require cutting. If you wish to do table clothes I encourage you to get white or brown butcher paper rather then the plastic table clothes. The paper rolls out smooth and doesn’t have all the lines that the plastic does. Personal preference or Smart & Final sells rolls of the plastic so its wrinkle free. I know I’m a little particular.

Anyways those were my Thanksgiving Dinner suggestions and tips. Want to encourage you to change it up this holiday and add a little spice to your tradition. Nothing that completely rocks the boat, but nothing that is the status quo either. Until next week friends! And as always you can catch me daily on Instagram with my shares.