Still worried about the holiday tomorrow? Have all your friends decided to congregate at your casa despite the fact that your family is going to Grandma’s house for dinner? Well, I’ve got you covered! *wink*
Charlie Brown:
I can’t cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.
Linus:
That’s right. I’ve seen you make toast. You can’t butter it, but maybe we can help you.
Well ladies, if your house guests have not arrived yet, odds are you will all be together by tomorrow. So what sort of belle would I be, if I didn’t include one of the most important things to have on hand during the holiday season? I’m speaking of drinks, of course! It’s very hard for people to have unhappy discussions while holding a drink. It’s not only something to do (sip when there’s a lag in the conversation) but also something to spill, which will prevent the discussion from getting heated. So here’s how to build a basic bar with something for everyone…
You’ll want a good vodka, gin, and bourbon. Then, you can start adding different things like a good rum and a good scotch. You’ll also want some things to help you make cocktails like bitters, Triple Sec and simple syrup. Oh, and Grand Marnier.*
*Fun Fact: A glass of Grand Marnier is guaranteed to make over-stuffed Thanksgiving tummies feel better.
At all times you will want to have a good red, a good white, and a good sparkly wine on hand. Here are a few of our favorite picks.
Of note: Cupcake Prosecco is the perfect sparkly for every day, but if you’re having a celebration, you may want to invest in a good bottle of Veuve.
You want to be sure you have something for everyone. Always have Coke and Diet Coke on hand. This will take care of the people that don’t drink, the people that need a jolt of caffeine, and, heaven forbid, people that mix things with Coke. On that same note, having a variety of juices is great for kids, non-drinkers, and people that love cosmopolitans. Also, stock up on fruits commonly used as garnish with emphasis on the lemons and limes.
A shaker and jigger are the absolute musts, and, if you’re looking for something new, might I suggest looking at the W + P collaboration with West Elm? I want one of everything!
Hope this helps you prepare for company. On a personal note, we just made a liquor store run and are now stocked up for the weekend. Bring on the in-laws! Cheers!
When I was little, one of my earliest memories is helping Woo-Woo (my grandmother) make pumpkin pies before each holiday. She would make the dough a day in advance and then spend a morning making enough pies to feed our huge family as well as numerous neighbors that would pop in or get a special delivery Thanksgiving day. She was so patient teaching me how to form the dough (despite the fact that I always wanted to overwork it), and I will always remember how super-cozy her kitchen smelled the rest of the day.
When I was 9, we moved to Tennessee and our church was preparing for it’s annual end of summer social. Naturally when I heard that there was a baking competition I wanted to make Woo-Woo’s pumpkin pie. Little did I know, it was (at the time) a contest for all the blue-haired ladies of the church. So there my pie went on the table with all the ladies’ entries and, after a blind taste test by the judges, guess who won? The only thing I really remember is that I couldn’t wait to get home and call Woo-Woo! But I was thinking about that the other night and thought, in the spirit of giving, I should share the recipe for Woo-Woo’s *Award-Winning* Pumpkin Pie with you… Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbls. molasses
2 eggs (well-beaten)
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
unbaked pie shell*
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1.) Preheat oven to 450°
2.) Mix ingredients & cook in an unbaked pie shell at 450° for 10 minutes.
3.) Reduce heat to 350° and cook for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when stuck in the filling.
* This time of year, I tend to keep store-bought pie shells in the freezer, but if you’re looking for a great crust recipe, I’d recommend Emma’s on A Beautiful Mess.
Today, we discuss one of my very favorite parts of the holiday party season: Planning the menu. The first year we hosted Thanksgiving, I completely geeked out on the research. (Full disclosure: I have a slight obsession with buying cookbooks from the 1940s & 50s that introduced the ‘modern housewife’ to planning a menu for new-fangled nutritional needs.) All that to say, I thought I’d offer a simple set of things I’ve learned along the way from vintage cookbooks, Williams-Sonoma, and Martha Stewart. (You can also find some other favorite links and recipes on my Pinterest board: The Belle’s Thanksgiving Game Plan.)
Well, she may if no one shows up, but for holiday parties, guests are usually kind enough to RSVP.
Have something for your guests to snack on while they chat. The traditional choice is, of course, wine & cheese. But not too much.
A good rule is 1.5 pounds per guest. (Of note: For smaller birds, try 2 pounds per guest. The smaller the bird, the smaller the bone to meat ratio.)
It doesn’t take nearly as much time to roast a turkey as some people think.
Start with the turkey, breast down, at 400°F for 45 minutes. Then, flip the bird and roast at 325°F until it your thermometer reads 180° when inserted into the deepest part of the thigh. (Be careful not to let the thermometer touch the bone.) The juices should be clear, not pink.
The basic idea is you want to seal in the juices in the beginning and then slow roast it the rest of the way.
A good estimate of cook time is: 2.5 hours for a 10 pound bird and add 15 minutes for every 2 pounds after that. (Here’s a really helpful
2 Words: Pumpkin. Pie. (My *award-winning* recipe to follow!)
Also, might I recommend another choice for those (like Husband) that hate pumpkin. How about these little Caramel Apple Bundles?
Alright ladies, we are 7 days out from the big day. If you’re hosting for the festivities yourself and wondering what you should be doing this evening to help you get ready, I’m here to set your mind at ease. You should be Pinteresting, of course!
7 days out from any holiday party, I like to gather. Gather some visual inspiration on Pinterest, gather some new recipes, gather supplies (table linens, candles, etc.), and then, I make a ToDo List. It looks something like this…
As you might assume, tomorrow we’ll talk recipes. Until then, here’s a little bonus…
Click here to see The Belle’s Thanksgiving Pinboard!
Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is next Thursday! Are you hosting your first Thanksgiving and wondering what you should be doing today, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, to get ready? Finalizing your guest list. Make sure you know who will be at your table and also any special needs they may have. For example, my guest list for any party usually looks like this…
Joe Schmo… peanut allergy
Bella Boo… baby (soft veggies + Cheerios)
Linda Smith
Riley C. Riley
So on… & So forth
Tomorrow, we’ll start to get the house ready!
Coming Soon: Tips, Tricks, & Recipes for the holiday entertaining season.
Today I heard Halloween referred to as “anti-feminist Christmas” by the wife of one of my favorite composers, John Mackey. (As a side note: Follow him on Twitter… he eats at fabulous places.) Needless to say, this made my mission to find the best Halloween costume for the woman-with-a-brain even more significant. So tonight, I’m sharing the “Look” of one of my personal heroes: Martha. That’s right–THAT Martha.
What better antidote to the run-of-the-mill sexy Uncle Sam costume than an entrepreneurial innovator that has changed the way Americans cook, clean, and craft.
Lesson 1: If you’re gonna go, go all out. No one builds a billion dollar empire by throwing a costume together at the last… well, you get the point.
Lessons 2 & 3: Pay attention to details, and go through the pleated short phase early in your career.
Lesson 4: Once you’ve gotten over your mom-jean phase, start working out like a boss. Your physique is not something to take lightly. A few years ago, she was pole dancing on national television before most housewives knew pole dancing at the gym was “a thing.” Now I’m willing to bet sister is doing hot yoga in between tapings for Martha’s Cooking School.
Lesson 5: Two words: Power Sexy. God didn’t just give you those abs, honey! You earned them. So why not work it? Climb up on that ladder in your red stilettos and let those firemen look at you adoringly for the rest of the day. It’s not about being sexy, it’s about knowing that at the end of the day, you’re the one that signs the checks. You are in control, you own the company, and your name is on the bottom of those gorgeous enameled, cast-iron casseroles. (*Seriously, my enameled, cast-iron–an older version of this–probably gets used 4 nights a week. Love. It.)
Lesson 6: Finally, master the art of the hair flip + pursed lips. It lets people know that while you will do them the honor of answering their offensive or insignificant question, you are still in complete control of the situation, and they should watch themselves. Ladies like you have earned the right to be discriminating with your time.
What’s the verdict? Is it a good thing?
Looking for another alternative to those expensive bags of store-bought candy? This one is simple and yummy! I first saw these little guys on pinterest, and I just had to try them. I used the large pretzel sticks, one and a quarter cup white chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons shortening. I slowly (slow is key) melted the chocolate, adding the shortening a little bit at a time. (The shortening is what thins the chocolate enough to dip the pretzels smoothly.) After letting the chocolate cool and set, it’s time to add the faces. I used black icing but on pinterest I saw that you could use mini chocolate chips if you’d like.
I also found it super fun to package these little guys. For a party, I used a little mason jar, fruit netting and twine. Then, for a couple of friends, craft paper and orange yarn.
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Although, I should probably warn you there is one serious side effect of this craft. I will be singing this song all weekend…
I miss the White Stripes. [ sadface ]
At my house, we didn’t celebrate Halloween. That house that handed out Jesus flyers with your Tootsie Rolls? That was us. So pardon me if I don’t really see the point in dressing up as a sexy nurse or a sexy pirate or a sexy Big Bird. Big Bird? That’s right: Big Bird. However, in thinking of what I, as a well-educated, well-read adult female in a mutually beneficial relationship, would consider dressing up as for a night filled with tricks, candy, and six year-olds dressed up as prostitutes it finally came to me…
That’s right, this powerful symbol of early-90’s womanhood may just be the perfect costume for you. And what better woman to emulate? Taking charge of her life after rehab (or as Lisa taught us to call it: The New Boarding School), she is a woman with fabulous style and a great career, not to mention numerous intelligent men surrounding her. In 1992, chose to keep an illegitimate pregnancy and become a single mother prompting criticism from the then vice president. And in 1997 she battled breast cancer, sparking another controversy when she chose to smoke medical marijuana and talk about the sizes of fake breasts. What powerful She-model shouldn’t garner a little criticism in the public arena now and then? Murphy Brown was pivotal in leading women in the direction of independence, and if you want to do the same, this is your look. Lucky for you, there are only a few simple steps to find Murphy’s signature style.
Lesson 1: There is no such thing as too much teasing. Here in the South we say, “The closer to Jesus, the better we like it,” and obviously Murphy took that heart.
Lesson 2: Button that collar all the way up. Unless you’re celebrating ‘Ladies’ Night with your girlfriends, there’s no reason to show so all that decolletage.
Lesson 3: Of course, if you were up late watching reruns of Miami Vice, you could always pop that baby.
Lesson 4: Garish sweaters will ensure that you never go unnoticed at the office. Better yet? The incomparable sweater vest. I’d suggest doing as Murphy’s done in the picture above and accenting the most random color in the palette and using it in your accessories (Read: Big Earrings).
And finally, when you’re all worn out after a long day of being the most powerful woman in the room, pop your Keds up on that marble-topped table and turn on that ghetto blaster. After all, you deserve it!
You can now be assured that in Thursday’s 9am meeting no one will be picturing you as a sexy nurse. You can thank me later!
