Thanksgiving Dinner- 11/29/13

Set up Appetizers/Soup Carving the turkey Dinner and Desserts

I am always looking forward to Thanksgiving because it is the beginning of the holiday season and having 4 days off is a nice break. Thanksgiving day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal centered around a large roasted turkey with all the trimmings such as cranberries sauce, gravy, candied yam, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, etc.. and of course the traditional pumpkin pie to end the meal.

Beside the turkey dinner and giving thanks, watching the National Football League (NFL) on Thanksgiving is also a tradition for lots of Americans and it is no exception for us too.  It takes about over 4 hours to roast a turkey so while it is the oven I have our guests coming early (5:00PM) to watch football, have a few cocktails and appetizers while waiting for the turkey to be ready.

 

Table Set up

This year I have 11 adults and 9 young adults over for dinner.

  The inspiration this year for decorating the table are the colors of fall because it radiates warmth, coziness, comfort, and I choose gold chargers for a luxurious look.

 

Instead of having a centerpiece I opted to spread out a bunch of pumpkins in different color, texture, height and size.

 

I added an another dose of fall color by using vibrant colorful leaves to project a glowing warmth than added colorful pumpkins, huge decorating acorns, and a few candles.

 

The key to arranging leaves is to group them by size and color as you would with flowers.

 

Table overview....

 

Individual labels are printed to add a nice personal touch.

Earth tone glass pumpkin combined with acorns and fiery red maple make a beautiful focal point.

I have accumulated lots of decorations over the years so now it is just a matter of going to my storage and pick out what I need to create a Thanksgiving theme.

 

Orange, gold, brown, yellow are the main color scheme for Thanksgiving.

Simple elegance paired with timeless flatware and classy stemware keep the setting looking elegant then adding bold colors in the center for a pop of seasonal color.

 

Buffet area set up

The buffet table against the wall is set up to accommodate all the side dishes.  The table on the right is for all the proteins (roasted turkey, lamb kabobs and grilled ham).

The small table in the back is for bread.

Side dishes buffet table

Meat table

 

Dinner plates for dinner

Menu for Thanksgiving dinner

 

Table set up for the young adults

The dinning table for the young adults in our living room.  We cannot call them Kids no longer since they range from 19 to 26 years old.

My aunt Kim came early and her husband Larry took a quick photo.

 

The decorations for the young adults are a bit different but the theme remains the same.

Colorful and giant leaves are used to give a burst of color.

Next.. Appetizers & Soup

Home

Travel

Our house

Birthdays

Photo Gallery

 Mon  petit coin