Happy Thanksgiving 2014

I hosted my annual pre-Thanksgiving party this past Sunday. It all started 13 years ago because my friend Matt and I wanted to cook our first turkey, and now it’s a tradition. Skills and recipes have improved ten-fold over the years. That first year, our gravy was so think you could stand up a spoon in it and the Hollandaise sauce was from a package. But our turkey was great! It didn’t matter that things weren’t perfect, because our group of friends were all together and we were all celebrating what we were thankful for. sara thanksgiving

Thirteen years later, things have grown and improved. What started as pre-Thanksgiving for eight has grown to this year’s record of 22 people sitting around the table. We’ve all had our ups and downs and grown as people. Some have children, now. Our pre-Thanksgiving meal still brings us together to celebrate and be thankful.

This year, my table was set with my Christmas china and I made it all casual with burlap topping the tablecloth with a stand of lights peaking through. Centerpieces were made of glittered pumpkins, crabapples and acorns. Here’s a tip — arrange your centerpieces on cake stands so they can be easily removed if you need more room for the food. And, as I posted a few days ago, I used brass initial ornaments for place cards. My guests took them home to hang on their Christmas trees and to keep a special memory of our pre-Thanksgiving for years to come.

I have so much to be thankful for this year, including the launch of this website and my new business. I want to thank each of you for helping me along my journey and I can’t wait to see where the road leads from here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is this year’s pre-Thanksgiving menu:

Appetizers:

Baked Brie with Pear Cranberry Sauce

Homemade Herbed Cheese Puffs

Roasted Herb Nuts

Sparkling Apple Pear Cocktail

Warm Spiced Winter Wine

Dinner:

Lemon Rosemary Roast Turkey

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Walnuts & Golden Beets

Raw Cranberry Salad