I recently became gluten-free which is a whole other topic that I could dedicate an entire post to, but I'm not, so it made planning a bit trickier. We had this...
It was REALLY good and in fact, I had it for dinner again last night.
It is a pesto stuffed chicken from Kalyn's Kitchen. It was easy and very good. The cooking time was right on too ( a pet peeve of mine when I try a recipe and have to adjust everything to cook it correctly!)
And we had mashed potatoes, balsamic-glazed carrots ( a fav around here) and Ghiradelli Gluten-Free Brownies for dessert from allrecipes.com. They were probably the biggest hit of the night. My husband actually finished them off for breakfast...lol
Anyway, I wanted to keep my tablescape somewhat simple as it was a one-night event and I am getting ready to start my Christmas decorating. I also wanted to try to incorporate my pumpkins and gourds that survived since Halloween because I just love the colors!
So here is what it looked like...
I used all of what I had and kept it super simple. I didn't even use "fancy" napkins because I didn't feel like ironing on Sunday! We used apples as our place cards and used all of our pumpkins and gourds as our centerpiece plus a few fake items too. When the candles were lit, it really looked very pretty despite how basic it was. The runner was a last minute addition with some fabric I had on hand. But...you could use cheap burlap from the fabric store...it looks beautiful as a table runner.
Here were a few of my inspiration pictures....I obviously didn't go all out this year...but that's what inspiration is all about!
I love the pumpkins, etc. in the center of this table from AndersRuff.com. I don't love the large centerpiece because I imagine it would be hard to see across the table of pass food, but it looks pretty. I like my table to be very functional as well as pretty so no one has to get up. I also think candles and candlelight make every meal more beautiful!
and...also the pumpkins on this buffet from decorica.com.
They add so much color to an otherwise dull table.
On both tables, they have used burlap for their runner. So pretty and inexpensive too!
I also used this idea from marthastewart.com that I love. It is so easy it's ridiculous and perfect for this time of year!
I used apples instead of pears for the color variations and...because I need them for a recipe for book club tonight so they served double duty...lol!
This was an informal get together for us here, but if yours is a bit fancier with fancier china, etc., you can still incorporate "live" items into your centerpiece to help keep the harvest theme.
We also had our "thankful" tree on our kitchen island as decoration. We did it as a family on Saturday night and as always, the kids didn't disappoint with the humor.
Some highlights...
My soon-to-be 10 year is once again thankful for soccer, this year her teacher, and for doctors??? Not sure about the last one, but we'll take it.
My 5 year old son was thankful for dessert again this year, his stuffed monkey and...the Thanksgiving turkey.
What a fun thing to do!
Speaking of kids....I forgot to take a picture of my kids' table, but here are a few ideas and things that I used. I used a cute paper store-bought table cloth that had a harvest theme on it to cover the table and some pretty ribbon to tie it back around the table legs so it wouldn't bother the kids at their feet.
Then I used construction paper in orange as place mats and put these adorable and free printables from paperglitter.com on top. These kept the kids very busy while they were waiting for their food to be ready!
I also used their napkin holders which the kids loved. Notice the burlap on their table too....such a functional fabric!
We made this cute turkey out of a pine cone from 'Shindig Parties to Go' to hold the crayons on the table too!
They have tons of other cute printables on this site that you can grab
for your own kids' table!
I also loved these ideas from 'Lisa Storms' and 'Be Different Act Normal' to hold crayons, but didn't have time this year. I think next year I'll go for the pilgrim theme on their table.
Lastly, I wanted to share some great ideas for kids' food and desserts. Some kids don't like the traditional Thanksgiving meal (unlike my son who is thankful for it...lol) and I have a few cute ideas to still keep it "festive". Also, some fun dessert ideas for Thanksgiving night or for a last-minute school party! I know at my house the kids are not interested in traditional pumpkin pie or other desserts unless they include chocolate, but these would be sooo fun!
Here are some fun ideas for either dinner on Thanksgiving or maybe tomorrow's school lunch.
From 'Meet The Dubiens'... she is the queen of fun lunch ideas!
Or these fun turkey sandwiches from 'Family Fun'....
And for dessert, arguably the most important part of the meal...
Here's some great Rice Krispie turkeys from 'Be Different Act Normal' and kelloggs.com.
I also love these turkey cookies from everydayfoodstorage.net. I love the little face!
And how about these beauties....from 'Our Best Bites'. They are no joke people! I bet they are so fun to eat too!
Here's a few more creative ideas....
Indian Corn cookies from 'Dollhouse Bake Shoppe'.
And 2 of my favorites...I must have a pilgrim thing on my mind this year...
From 'Taste of Home'...
Or these ADORABLE tee-pee cupcakes from 'Maddycakes Muse'...
I hope regardless of how pretty your food looks or tastes or how elegant your table appears...I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with people that matter in your life!
Poshed Up
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