There are too many great photos to share from our Thanksgiving spent with friends, or Friendsgiving, this year. So fewer words and more pictures!
First, don’t all good things start with friends jammed in a teeny kitchen cooking together? I feel like I’ll remember all that giddy energy in the kitchen more than almost anything that night. So great to celebrate with some of my closest buddies.
When you get a bunch of designers together for a holiday meal, this is what the table setting ends up looking like. Amazing! Claudia out did herself with candles, tiny Japanese maple leaves on each napkin, native ferns in the middle and lush, bright tulips. Well done lady.
The spread! Final menu: Herb roasted turkey & shallot gravy, slow roasted root veggies, brussel sprouts w caramelized shallots, green beans w pine nuts & lemon, yam empanadas, garlic smashed potatoes, chanterelle stuffing, cornbread-sausage-apricot stuffing, fall salad, orange-cranberry sauce and angel buns.
Everyone comes from different parts of the country, so we all had different special dishes. The angel buns (above) were made lovingly by a friend from Kentucky. As cute as they are good.
Three words: cornbread, sausage, apricot. Oh momma… This stuffing was non-traditional and amazing. I have to track down Ben’s recipe for next year, or at least make sure we spend the holiday together again. The best of savory & sweet in one bite.
The plate. Well, the first plate. There were seconds…
So stuffed, we played cards and games after dinner. Had to let it all settle before dessert. Dominoes and poker were the most popular.
Desserts: pumpkin pie, chocolate layer cake w berry cream filling, chocolate empanadas, apple crisp and pecan cheesecake (above). I had a bit of everything – twice.
At the request of our hostess, the meal started with us all holding hands and sending good energy to the 14th guest at the table – the little baby in my tummy. Thanksgiving was everything is should be – a celebration of the people we love and the good food we are fortunate to have in life. The evening ended late, like midnight-late, and we all went home to warm, happy homes. How fortunate we are this year.
