Thanksgiving Day Simple Solutions and Suggestions

Thanksgiving Day simple solutions and suggestions is exactly what we’ve got going for in today’s one week until Thanksgiving post.

Are you ready?

Good Housekeeping – Photography: Mike Garten

Simple makes a tasty appetizer plate, and a make ahead recipe for a simple yet impressive appetizer is an absolute appetizer must.

Thanksgiving day is a culinary marathon.

I don’t want to gloss over a step or course, nor do I want to give up one precious minute to the tedious or the trying.

Enter the recipes for a trio of cheese balls that can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Guess what I’ll be doing the Tuesday afternoon before Thanksgiving Thursday?

I’ll be in the kitchen with my Now We’re Cooking Thanksgiving playlist turned to holiday volume whipping up a trio of cheese balls for Thanksgiving appetizers.

Everything Cheese Ball

¼ cup sesame seeds

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tbsp. dried onion flakes

2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

2 8-oz. bricks reduced-fat cream cheese

Savory Dill Cheese Ball

1 8-oz. brick reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

2 tsp. lemon juice

Spiced Cranberry Cheese Ball

1 8-oz. brick reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

8 oz. goat cheese, softened

¼ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions

“Everything” Cheese Ball: 

Combine sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion flakes, black pepper, and salt.

With mixer, beat cream cheese with 2 tablespoons seasoning mixture . By 2-tablespoon portions, scoop and roll into balls. Roll in remaining seasoning mixture, pressing to coat.

Savory Dill Cheese Ball: 

Beat cream cheese, feta cheese, dill, and lemon juice using a mixer. By 2-tablespoon portions, scoop and roll into balls.  Roll in 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill.

Spiced Cranberry Cheese Ball: 

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and nutmeg. By 2-tablespoon portions, scoop and roll into balls.  Roll in 3/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped, pressing to coat.

Refrigerate cheese balls at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.  Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.  Serve with crackers or bread.

-Good Housekeeping

Tree Branch Coasters- Country Living

Sugarboo & Co.

Give the cocktail crowd something to ponder with these Jane Howard cocktail napkins from Sugarboo & Co.

Thyme-Pear Gravy

Use an insulated coffee carafe to keep the gravy hot and a burner ready to go for the next dish.

Pre-warm the carafe by filling it with hot tap water allowing to sit for a couple of minutes.

Empty out the hot water and add the gravy.

The closest my iPad gets to the kitchen is the accent table in the dining room as I am still recovering from the great spill debacle of two years ago when Dave the Builder “cooked” my tablet with a spilled Dr. Pepper.

 

Thanksgiving day is stressful enough without the extra worry of liquid vs. tablet.

Place your tablet into a Ziploc slider bag to protect it and worry no more.

Select your favorite scent of the season scented candle for a holiday greet the guests scent treat.

Candle – Cozy Cardigan

Presentation is key at the holidays.

Great look- a vintage bowl filled with ice and topped with miniature pine cones.

Miniature Pinecones

Tie a loose knot around the neck of a wine bottle with the ribbon material and color of your choice.

Tuck the stem of a pinecone into the knot and- voilà!- a befitting embellishment.

Grab a marker and personalize take home boxes.

Another suggestion is to ask guests to bring their own containers to tote their take home Thanksgiving leftovers in.

Continuing the embellishment theme, tie a ribbon around the take home box and adorn with a house or cabin Christmas ornament with a from our house to yours card.

As they say, it’s the little things that mean the most.

We Gather Together Holiday Table Ideas

We gather together holiday table ideas help to set an impressive Thanksgiving holiday table.

Getting the look, style, balance, and theme suited to your holiday dining and entertaining scheme requires a certain amount of planning and prep, and that’s where these we gather together holiday table ideas come in.

Design inspiration is often the driving force of my blog content, and I’m amazed at where it comes from at times.

Yesterday, somewhere between trying to locate what bedroom the cat was hiding out in and trying not to lose my religion over the cat and mouse game he loves to play with me, I stopped in the hallway to regroup.

Looking down the hall into the foyer, dining room, and kitchen in more than a glimpse and less than a stare, it dawned on me I truly liked what I was seeing.

Isn’t that the point of the design and decorating grand scheme of things?

I sometimes forget to just stand back and take in the look.  My vantage point allowed for a comprehensive viewing from foyer to dining room.

The vintage bamboo chandelier in the foyer.

The wallpaper selection.

The yet once again painted lantern pendant.

The decision to lighten up the dining room color palette.

The placement of artwork.

I like to try new things and new looks, but the traditional personal design style choices I come back to time and time again prove to be the ones I am most satisfied with.

Stay true to your personal style and design, decorate, and holiday table set accordingly is advice I not only give, but practice.

Southern Living

The absolute best holiday table ideas begin with a sense of you.

What suits your style, taste, and personal preference is what best fits the occasion and sets an impressive holiday table.

Scandinavian Dining Room

Create a backdrop with touches sure to resonate with the crowd.

Sure, most of us try to emulate moms-grandmothers-aunties side dish or dessert recipe- that’s a given.

I like to use decorative accents and tabletop pieces that make a shared memories, experiences, and regional commonalities connection with my guests.

Magnolias in glass cylinders cover the Southern aspect of our holiday table.

Fresh flowers or an heirloom bowl filled with fall leaves native to your area set a home for the holidays tone.

Wooden turned candlesticks instantly become I remember these conversation pieces.

Antique Blue Transferware Platter

A handed down from generation to generation family recipe served in a handed down from generation to generation serving piece is wow factor certified and guaranteed to tug at the home is where the holiday heart is heartstrings.

The heirloom crystal water bottle makes it way from the china cabinet to the Thanksgiving table.

Vintage Etched Coupe Glasses  ||  Plymouth Birds Double Old-Fashioned Glasses

Cocktail glasses in a similar pattern as the ones my dad served holiday spirits in, and goblets in the style of the ones my grandmother used at holiday time to serve her famous orange fluff salad in become a must have addition to the we gather together holiday table.

I don’t give a second thought to using paper cocktail napkins.

Rest assured, the holiday table ideas police will not be hauling you off to tablescape and place setting jail.

I go with the best of both worlds option and use a traditional and a zippy paper cocktail napkin.

House & Home

Fresh pears in white bowls is a simple and elegant suggestion.

I pick up gold-rimmed white stoneware bowls from Dollar Tree and keep an eye on the produce section selection of seasonal pears.

For approximately $2.00 per place setting you can add a fetching look to the Thanksgiving holiday table.

Gold-Rimmed White Stoneware Bowls, 7 in.

An impressive holiday tablescape does not have to be expensive or difficult to achieve.

Place the focus on folk, food, fresh, flavor, and fun.

My comical husband suggested I call this hosting tip “f” the holidays.

Holiday hosting humor is a fabulous stress buster. Dave is in charge of levity, and is brilliant at it.

We’ve still got the December holidays to decorate, entertain, and tablescape to and the holiday budget to manage.

Items that pull double duty justify the initial price of admission to the holiday tablescape party.

This is the exact reason I go with white plates with gold rims and serving pieces in November to December holiday friendly colors and patterns.

I’m embracing the home is where the holiday heart is theme with these Magnolia drinking glasses and Louisiana appetizer plates.

Wood Pattern Plate Charger

Gold-Rimmed White Stoneware Dinner Plates, 10.5 in.

The combination of a natural wood pattern plate charger gold-rimmed white dinner plates, and the look of vintage antique silver sentiment flatware makes a striking statement.

Make new serving pieces friends, but keep the old.

One is traditional silver, and the other, Millennial gold.

Tors Bronze Cast Aluminum Serving Bowl

I love a holiday twofer, and a Merry Thanksgiving gift draw is a fun and giving family and friend activity to partake in at the end of the Thanksgiving meal.

For many years, Dave the Builder and I along with another couple and their daughter spent Thanksgiving week at Chicot State Park before the kids got to the age of I’m bored.

Three bedroom, 2 full bath lodge with fireplace, satellite television, cellphone and WiFi service second to none, scavenger hunts, hiking trails, midnight runs to spot deer, owl and raccoons, stay up and sleep in as late as you want boring.

Not exactly what I would call roughing it.

Striving to keep things new, fresh, and in the holiday spirit, I came up with the hot cocoa and hat draw holiday kick off.

The moms would make hot cocoa, and the dads would light up the fire ring late Thanksgiving day afternoon.

While we were enjoying hot cocoa and getting back to nature, we would pass a hat around with each of our names in it.

Each of us drew a name from the hat and the planning began.

When we drove into the neighboring towns to antique and Black Friday shop, each of us would buy a kick off the holidays gift for the person whose name we drew from the hat.

Flickr

We set a $5.00 limit, and the rule was the gift had to be something the recipient talked about on Thanksgiving day or night.

Part of the fun was seeing how attentive and creative we could get with our gift selections.

A quick stop at the dollar store for a small Christmas tree, gift bags, and reindeer bells to ring round the campfire completed the process.

The kids loved it, and the big kids got into it as well.

Our kick off the holidays hot cocoa and hat draw gifted each us with a great memory.

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

– Dr. Seuss

I’ve tweaked the tradition a bit, and now it’s the We Wish Family and Friends a Feast of a Happy Holidays Season favor gift give.

Brass wishbone figurines stay in theme and make a lovely We Gather Together holiday keepsake.

Home is where the Holiday heart is, and ours beats strong here at Places In The Home.

Our holiday celebrations are all about honoring traditions old and new, making meaningful memories, sharing the holiday love with family, friends, and readers, and offering holiday table ideas, holiday decor finds, suggestions, stories, and sources.

Join me throughout the holiday season for all things house that make a holiday home.

Design, Create, Greet, Announce, Invite, and Impress with Paperless Post

This post contains links to Paperless Post.  I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions expressed are completely my own based on my experience.

Places In The Home is in full-on this is not a drill, the holiday season is here mode.

When a shopping network host announced Christmas is less than two months away, it brought it all home.

This end of October-beginning of November week kicks off the whole let’s holiday plan and prep shebang, and I’m inviting and celebrating family and friends, thankful feasts and fêtes, seasoned and Seasons Greetings, ’tis the season of soirees and open houses, New Year’s Day supper, and happy birthday greetings with a little help from my friends at Paperless Post.

Farmer’s Feast

Paperless Post is an online invitations, cards, and stationery platform. Begin the custom design process by creating an account.

Choose the occasion and from there peruse the selections of designs.

A wide range of distinctive designs, fonts, colors, backgrounds, shapes, and designers make it easy for you to create, design and send custom digital invitations, cards, and stationery for your business and/or personal needs.

Christmas Foyer Card with Envelope – Paperless Post

Paperless Post has many cards free to send, and you can send a free card to up 200 email addresses.

Birthday wishes, save the date, dinner party, graduation, fundraiser, new address, game night, add your own photo, sympathy, charity event, birth announcement, girl’s getaway weekend, entertaining, sip and see free and fabulous.

Topiary – Paperless Post

Premium designer cards require coins to send.  Coins are the currency used on Paperless Post to price premium design options and add-ons such as envelopes, liners, stamps, postmarks, logos, and backdrops.

As you go through the customization flow, the cost of your card per recipient will appear at the top right corner of the page.

Paperless Post never shows third-party ads on their website, in their emails, or on their mobile app.

Therefore, you do not have to use additional coins to remove ads.

Pheasant Plumage – John Derian

An invitation to gather together with friends to eat, drink, celebrate, and be grateful for one another on the third Thursday of November is but a custom design and email list away.

Gourd Times – Crate & Barrel

Holiday time is open house time, y’all!

A customized invitation to join you to celebrate not only fits the occasion, but reflects your personal style.

Plumier (Welcome)- Paperless Post

Holiday in the City – Rifle Paper Co. 

A Tuesday Tipple by Charlotte Olympia invites holiday style to the holiday mix and mingle.

The Lady It’s Cold Outside invitation is decked out in faux fur holiday finery for a festive evening of holiday spirits, decorating, and dancing.

So sipping cocktails-Dino on the hi-fi-Cherries Jubilee-1960s throwback swanky.

The Peas on Earth invitation is perfect for our Creole black-eyed peas and Southern buttermilk cornbread Peas on Earth, Good Eats for Luck New Year’s Day supper.

Peas on Earth

A Louisiana birthday celebration deserves a snazzy and snappy birthday card.

Snappy Birthday (Nicholas John Frith) – Red Cap Cards

Design, create, greet, announce, invite, and impress friends, family, and clients with custom digital invitations, cards, and stationery from Paperless Post.

The design and send experience is as easy as email, the design result as elegant as it is exceptional.

Grand Old Flag Pop and Splash Style 4th of July Bash

Plans for our grand old flag pop and splash style 4th of July bash are coming together.

Traditional Home

You would think color palette inspiration is what I gleaned from the country French aesthetic of this Charles Faudree decorated bedroom.

Oh, it catches my eye and pops the patriotic palette, but what speaks 4th of July to me is the blue and white plates on the wall.

More on that further down the post.

Old Glory proudly welcomes visitors and the 4th of July to Places In The Home.

I never shy away from an opportunity to add a pop of color to interiors or exteriors.

Displaying the American flag and decorative throw pillows in red, white, and blue brilliantly colors my world in true patriotic style.

Our usual cast of characters made an executive holiday decision to hold our 4th of July bash at my brother’s house.

I voted for our 4th of July holiday to look a bit more like this…

but the majority ruled for our grand old flag pop and splash style 4th of July bash to be a home for the holiday celebration.

Relocating our 4th of July bash to my brother’s house puts us closer to the lake and his pool.

Now that’s smart party planning.

My new waterproof bluetooth speaker will make its inaugural debut.  It’s not a party without the grooves and tunes of summer.

My Dad was a Veteran and a proud American.

His love of country was rooted in the American flag.

He fought for it, he never shied from his pride in it, and at the end of his life the American flag honored him.

In honor of my Dad, Veterans, and the military servicemen and women who serve our country, our flag flies for you.

What would a 4th of July tablescape be without a red, white and blue centerpiece?

I’m supplying the vase which is actually a cookie jar sans lid and the American flags.

Whatever greenery or flower I can find in blooming abundance in nature’s floral department (the yard) will be the center of centerpiece attention.

I happened to notice how full our neighbor’s magnolia tree is at present, and with their permission to “get all you want whenever you want” I’m thinking a bouquet of magnolias is where this centerpiece is going.

I’m staying true red, white, and blue with the party palette, but the 4th of July patio table will be set with vintage blue and white plates in various china patterns.

Real china plates?

Yes, real china plates.

Summer fabulous cotton towels as napkins.

 

Red Solo cups.

A pop of color, a splash of farmhouse style, and a party staple.

Summer sweet corn grown in the fields along the bayou is on the menu.

Some want it roasted.

Some want it cut off the cob and Southern fried with home grown tomatoes and sautéed Vidalia onions.

Some want it boiled, or as it was put to me, the way nature and the farm to table gods intended.

Summer sips, snacks, sweets, sides and sizzle simple is on the menu.

Dave the Builder will lead the barbecue pit crew, I’ll handle the sides, my brother is in charge of beverages and appetizers, and Mama Places In The Home is on dessert detail.

From planning to preparing to plating, our grand old flag pop and splash style 4th of July bash is a family affair.

We’re ready to go 4th, color our world and our holiday, and party in patriotic style.

We hope you all have a fantastic 4th of July.

If things don’t get planning and preparing crazy around here, I’ll pop in with a post next week.

Until next time.

A Most Fetching Friday: In Glorious Bring The Holidays Home Fashion

Today’s A Most Fetching Friday greets the first day of December in glorious bring the holidays home fashion.

Share a Coke

Nine & Sixteen Home

Christmas Home Tour by Craftberry Bush

House & Garden

TG Interiors

Veranda

Lancaster Home & Holiday

Holiday wishing you all a most fetching Friday and a lovely first day of December.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as we trim the trees and deck the halls in glorious bring the holidays home fashion.

 

Taste of the Holidays Spice Rub

Celebrating Thanksgiving begins two weeks out at Places In The Home.  Our family mosaic now includes new additions of a daughter-in-law, a niece-in-law, and a great nephew.

The gang’s all here, just not all at the same time.

The more the merrier.

A lovely sentiment to holiday celebrate, entertain and gather together to.

The home for the holidays welcome mat is out from October to January.

Better Homes & Gardens

The first holiday decorating and entertaining oops of many (because what would the holidays be without some kind of snafu) involves a breakdown in china pattern communication between me and my brother.

Turns out the china pattern in his china cabinet is not Autumn by Lenox but Lace Point by Lenox.

Sherlock Places In The Home is on the case, determined to solve the mystery of the missing Autumn china.

Table setting, decorating and menu delegating abounds.  Roasting the turkey for Thanksgiving is in my wheelhouse.

Prepping, roasting, carving and serving the bird is a grand undertaking and a one-time only main course event.

For that reason, the other two we gather together meals will feature boneless chicken breasts and pork tenderloin, respectively.

Woodland Turkey Stoneware Platter 

Presently in recipe development mode, Southern pecan sweet potatoes wrapped in puff pastry will make a culinary debut as the new holiday side dish.

Also new to the holiday menu is a spice rub with the herbs, spices and flavors of fall-autumn-the holidays-Louisiana-home.

You get the idea.

I tried the spice rub out on boneless, skinless chicken breasts last week.

Dave the Builder gave the spice blend 5 out of 5 forks.

I on the other hand thought the rub a tad too hot with pepper, and readjusted the amount from 1 Tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.

You can add to, but you can’t take away from.  There’s the rub.

Taste of the Holidays Spice Rub

Ingredients

2 Tablespoon minced onion

2 Tablespoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together.  Store spice rub in an airtight container.

Begin by patting each chicken breast or the pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel.  Coat meat with the Taste of the Holidays Spice Rub.  Lightly drizzle olive oil over tops of each chicken breast or the pork tenderloin.

For Chicken Breasts:  Bake uncovered in a preheated 350° oven for 35-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165°F.

For Pork Tenderloin of approximately 1½-pounds:  Roast uncovered in a preheated 425° oven for  20 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers between 150º -160°F.   Let the tenderloin rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving Home for the Holidays Mode

Places In The Home is in full-on Thanksgiving Home for the Holidays mode.

Pre-planning broadens the window of time between Halloween and turkey day, and although I’ve pre-planned the stuffing out of my Thanksgiving decorating, time is tight.

Here is the extent of my Halloween decorating.

Kitchen Ghosts on Tumblr

All things in full-on Thanksgiving Home for the Holidays mode slides right into the home for the holidays motif.

A play on words World Series style.

I love planning the Thanksgiving tablescape, sideboard decor, scrumptious sides and delicious holiday desserts.

Searching for lovely tabletop finds that capture the essence of the holiday rivals that of decor and menu planning, designing and developing.

I’m seriously considering setting a place at our Thanksgiving table for the guys and gals of USPS, UPS and FedEx that serve our neighborhood route.

We see them more than some of the family members who will be breaking holiday bread with us, and they come bearing parcels and packages.

The Places In The Home Thanksgiving table is being set with a trio of china patterns.

Starring as the simple yet elegant dinner plate set is a simple white stoneware dinner plate with a gold rim from Dollar Tree.

White Stoneware Dinner Plates with Gold Rims

Autumn by Lenox makes a first time appearance to the Places In the Home Thanksgiving table compliments of my brother.

The ex-wife left, the Lenox china did not.

Holiday desserts will be served on vintage ironstone dessert plates of unknown pattern.

Today’s Home for the Holidays inspiration gallery features Thanksgiving dishes of traditional and new-traditional pattern and color combinations for your holiday tablescape consideration.

Plymouth Gate ||  Ardencroft || Friendly Village
Harvest Acorn  ||  Alfred Meakin  ||  Friendly Village Pitcher
Painted Paisley || Plymouth Woodland  ||  Pumpkin Dish

As far as I’m concerned, the holidays have arrived.

Places In The Home is in full-on holiday mode, and with that the holiday show and tell begins.

 

A Show and Tell On This Beautiful Good Friday

Holidays are a time for celebrating, rejoicing, feasting and sharing.  We will practice and partake in all, beginning with a hippity, hoppity Easter’s on its way show and tell on this beautiful Good Friday.

Plastic Easter eggs and a gold bunny from Dollar Tree make eggcellent decoration anchors for the holiday dessert display.

Live lilies as well as porcelain and china flowers take centerpiece stage on the Easter table.

It’s the year of the wedding(s) in the Places In The Home family.

There’s talk of silver, china, monograms, cakes and flowers at holiday gatherings with assurances from one very proud mom and aunt that the topic of conversation is one of supreme interest.

Dorothy’s Homemade Coconut Cake Recipe from Alex Hitz is the perfect choice of Easter, bridal shower or bridesmaid luncheon dessert.

May I suggest a dessert pairing featuring fresh Louisiana strawberries topped with a heavy handed spoonful of granulated pure cane sugar served in watermelon glass pattern sherbets in spring and summer shades of pink and green.

Presentation wow factor now being served.

The bloom is off the rose thanks to recent tornado times however, a lawn and garden gift of good nature produced fresh blooms from knock out roses row.

Bridal shower inspiration bloomed, and rose petal ice cubes became the entertaining diy project of the day.

It’s all in the details.

Remembering, reflecting, celebrating, decorating and wishing you a blessed and beautiful Good Friday.

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