Thanksgiving dinner 2011 'at home'

I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time last year.

Although I've hosted many gatherings and parties over the years, I still feel that my first Thanksgiving dinner is my greatest culinary accomplishment. 

The menu was inspired by countless hours of research and sampling . . . and every dish was made from scratch, all the way down to the Apricot-Ginger Cranberry Sauce and the cornbread in the stuffing. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law brought an array of beautiful home-made pies for dessert. 

~ Our dinner menu ~

Fall Flora Jacquard tablecloth

I bought this beautiful table cloth while visiting family in Kansas last September. I fell in love with its deep, rich colors; and for me, it served as a reminder of my dad, since I bought it in his hometown of Parsons, Kansas.  I still smile when I see it. My hope is to always dress my Thanksgiving table with this linen cloth . . . and make it our tradition.

Because I prefer natural and "real" table centerpieces, I flanked the 10-foot long table with  two white pumpkin towers, and laid long bare wood branches down the center. Fall fruits and vegetables were also nestled among the branches . . . beautiful Bosch pears, small Italian eggplants, as well as several glass candle votives.  

One of my favorite memories of our Thanksgiving dinner was watching our family visiting with one another at the table and enjoying dessert in the sparkling candle lights, along with a fire in the background. It felt like I was in a magazine for a brief moment. 

I highly recommend adding candles to your Thanksgiving dinner table. When the sun goes down, something magical happens as they twinkle like stars along your table. It's quite beautiful.

Each guest's place setting had two goblets . . . one for water, and one for their very own petite bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. To make their drinks festive, I added a few pomegranate seeds to the glasses. The seeds danced in the Sparkling Cider bubbles . . . It was so pretty.

A printed menu was tucked into each linen napkin, and a petite apple sat atop.

A foil turkey sat perched atop the kids' place settings. I found them at Powell's Candy Shoppe.

Although we sat for a formal dinner, our meal was served from ~ and kept warm in ~ chafing dishes that sat atop a buffet table. Chafing dishes are a wonderful way to keep your Thanksgiving meal warm for your guests.

Thanksgiving dinner wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving dinner without my mom's home-made Honey Bread recipe. I made petite rolls . . . half were honey white . . . and the other half were honey whole wheat.

Although our Thanksgiving dinner was A LOT of hard work and preparation, I have such happy and fond memories of that day. I look forward to hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for our family and friends.  

Thanksgiving,

to be truly Thanksgiving,

is first Thanks,

then giving . . . 

Sharing with . . .

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