The Best Sweet Potatoes

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Some people like dressing, some people are all about green bean casserole, and some people just come for the turkey. I really like it all, but what I look forward to the most are the sweet potatoes. I'm not talking about canned yams topped with melted marshmallows; I crave sweet potatoes baked to fluffy perfection, mashed with butter and sugar, and topped with a crunchy pecan topping. Sweet enough for dessert but served as a side dish: this is the only sweet potato recipe you need.

Mini Cranberry Pear Streusel Pies

Last year I made apple and chocolate pecan pies for Friendsgiving, and while they turned out great, I really wanted to try something completely different this year. A pear and cranberry streusel pie seemed like just the thing, perfect for Thanksgiving but a little outside the norm. Individual mini pies are just the right amount of dessert after a big meal, plus its hard to say no to a dessert that's already portioned out. While making mini pies is a little more work than making one big pie, this recipe will also serve a lot more people than a single pie will, making up to 24 individual mini pies.

Your New Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes

Everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving dish, the one they look forward to making and eating every year (I'll be sharing mine soon!). But it's also fun to experiment with new recipes, on the off-chance you might discover a new favorite. The same can be said for your serving dishes. You always want to use grandma's china or the platter you got as a wedding present, but there's still plenty of room at the table for something new.  

My Friendsgiving Table

After finding my tablescape inspirations and completing my napkin and votive holder DIYs, I was finally able to bring everything together this past weekend when my husband and I hosted Friendsgiving. Here's how my table turned out.

I tried to use things I already owned (or things borrowed from friends) as much as possible. We had eleven total seats, which forced me to embrace variety since I don't own eleven of anything. I used three different sets of plates, drinking glasses, and napkin rings. I did purchase a few new things, including some new gold glittery glasses from Target that played well with all of the gold accents I was already using. My sister contributed this lovely bread basket full of homemade rolls.

I also purchased some blue appetizer plates from Target (I wasn't lying when I said I buy everything there!), that I thought went nicely with my tablecloth. 

The thank you cards (also from Target) were a hit. I wrote each of my guests a personalized note. The best part of Friendsgiving is appreciating what each of your friends brings to the table, literally and figuratively. My only regret is that I don't have enough space to invite all of my friends!

Many thanks to Samantha for all her help with making Friendsgiving run smoothly, including loaning me some lovely china and taking most of the pictures in this post. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

BombPop DIY: Striped Votive Holders

In addition to my peacock printed napkins, I did another DIY over the weekend in preparation for Friendsgiving. This one, not coincidentally, also involved gold and print. I decided to try a DIY from 52 Projects, but instead of vases, I created striped votive holders.

The materials I used were gold spray paint, square glass votive holders, and black cotton cord meant for jewelry-making. 52 Projects recommended using twine, but the cord was cheaper. If I do this again, I might try it with twine instead, because the cord slipped around quite a bit on the glass, making it difficult to keep a design in place. Just another example of a time being a cheapskate didn't pay off, I suppose.

BombPop DIY: Gold Peacock Feather Print Napkins

I had fun this weekend working on a few DIY projects for my Friendsgiving tablescape. Two elements that I knew I wanted to incorporate from the inspirations I found last week were gold and prints. I thought a fun way to add both would be to paint a gold print on my napkins.

I picked up some inexpensive white cotton napkins from Target (12 for $10) as well as a peacock feather stencil from a craft store. 

Friendsgiving Table Inspirations

I'm preparing to host Friendsgiving (or Thanksgiving with friends for the uninitiated) for the very first time, and I'm super excited about it. One of the major responsibilities of the person hosting Friendsgiving, outside of making the turkey, is decorating for the event. So, I've been combing the internet and Pinterest looking for some tablescape inspirations. Here are a few that I'm into:

Source: isuwanne

I really love the nontraditional Thanksgiving color scheme incorporated by this one as well as the use of what appear to be thank you cards as part of the decor. They could be used as place cards or for sharing individualized words thanks to each of your guests. Either way, I am totally stealing the idea! Plus, I'm obsessed with milk glass, which is what the candle holder and the covered serving dish in the picture above are made of. The light fixtures in my kitchen and dining room, which are original to our house, are made of milk glass. I also have some milk glass vases I scavenged from a friend's wedding a few years back. I'm definitely looking for any ways I can incorporate things I already own to keep costs down.

Source: The Kitchn

I'm also really loving this one from The Kitchn. Again, note the nontraditional color scheme. The eye-catching centerpiece consists of fruits, vegetables, and gourds, which again is a great way to reduce costs while also keeping with the spirit of the occasion. I happen to have picked up some decorative gourds a few weekends back and have been debating about whether I should use them in a centerpiece like this one or scattered around the table. This centerpiece definitely has a big impact, but it also takes up some valuable table real estate.

Source: Making Lemonade

I'm always drawn to using metallics for table settings. Nothing says festive quite like silver and gold. When shopping for my table I'm hoping to find some gold items to add some razzle dazzle, perhaps some votives or a gold embellished table runner or tablecloth like the one pictured above. Or I just might paint some of the previously mentioned gourds.

Source: Uma Stewart

Patterns are not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Thanksgiving, but there is no denying that they add a richness to the proceedings that complements abundance of food. Also: flowers. Flowers are a must for a great tablescape in my opinion.

I hope these pictures have provided you with as much inspiration for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table as they have for me. You can see more of my Friendsgiving ideas on Pinterest. And if you are thinking about starting a Friendsgiving tradition of your own, check out this post on "The 17 Rules of Friendsgiving" from Buzzfeed.