5 Things I Learned Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

We had big plans to spend the holidays in NYC with family but at the last minute decided not to brave the early winter storm with toddlers in tow. Instead, we opted to stay home and host dinner for our family here in town. It’s been a while since I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner and was a real treat, even in our tiny 700 square-foot apartment. While dinner itself was imperfectly perfect, I learned a few things.

1. My bookshelf doubles as a fantastic little bar.
This may be a duh, but I had never thought of it before. I whipped out one of my favorite graphic tea towels, set up my vintage champagne bucket and we were in business.

2. Make sure the turkey thermometer is set to Fahrenheit. Again- duh, but we almost demolished our hopes of a super juicy turkey by reading the thermometer at Celsius (mine is an all too fancy digital model). We caught it in the nick of time- turkey save.

3. Homemade Poire William makes for a beautiful and impressive aperitif with a story to boot.
The Poire Project was a huge success and the drink itself turned out pretty and pink. More later in the week.

4. Store-bought food on the table is a-ok.
I didn’t have the time or the energy to bake a homemade pie. My sister-in-law brought a pecan pie over from the local bakery and holy smokes was it good. Seriously the very best pecan pie I have ever tasted and I’m a tough crowd, being Texan by blood. All nuts and hardly any goo- way better than any pie I would have made.

5. Handwritten tasting notes are always a good idea. I was running short on time but really wanted to include my tasting notes on the table. In a last minute dash, I wrote up the cards, stamped them with some snazzy metallic ink and voilá- success. I think tasting notes are a fun way to engage guests about your wine picks and are a nice little keepsake from the day.

How was your Thanksgiving dinner? I’d love to hear your tips or lessons learned.

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