Thanksgiving - Petite Haus

Angelina November 19, 2019 Thanksgiving

A Tartan Thanksgiving Table

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Happy Thanksgiving! Joining many of my blogging friends for the We Gather Together Thanksgiving Blog Hop! If you are coming from, Calypso In The Country, welcome!

I love setting the Thanksgiving table mainly because I love the Woodland Spode dinner plates! This year I used tartan chargers (you can get them here) and tartan napkins and I love how it turned out!

I used pinecones that we picked up from some various hikes in the mountains – let me tell you about these! To get all of the spiders and bugs out of them you have to roast them in the oven! Oh the smell was horrific! I am never doing that again! But they do look good, don’t they!

My favorite part about the Woodland Spode plates is that they have so many different dinner plates – we tried to purchase all of them, no, really! We have scoured estate sales, eBay, HomeGoods looking for them! Yes it is a lot! We did not buy any fish plates though, as fish didn’t seem very Thanksgiving like to us.

Mr. Fox is one of my favorite plates.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year we are going to do something different… Mexican food. We always host Thanksgiving AFTER Thanksgiving, usually that Saturday. So we thought, well by the time people come visit us, this is their THIRD Thanksgiving. Maybe people are sick of Turkey and potatoes? So we’re trying something new this year. We will see how it goes!

Of course I still want pecan pie and my favorite appetizer…

Spread the love and visit these wonderful other bloggers sharing their Thanksgiving tables! Next in the hop is, Thistle Key Lane!
A big shoutout to Amber At Follow The Yellow Brick Home for organizing the hop!

Follow The Yellow Brick Home A Stroll Thru Life Common Ground Our Southern Home Decor To Adore County Road 407 Botanic Bleu Let’s Add Sprinkles The Crowned Goat Rosemary and Thyme Virginia Sweet Pea My Thrift Store Addiction First Day of Home Celebrate and Decorate Calypso In The Country Petite Haus Thistle Key Lane White Arrows Home My Wee Abode Lora Bloomquist Bluesky at Home Panoply Belle Bleu Interiors Katherine’s Corner Debbee’s Buzz Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Follow:

Angelina November 17, 2019 Appetizers and Sides

Caramelized Onion, Apple and Gruyere Appetizer Bites

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

This recipe that I’m sharing today is our #1 appetizer for Thanksgiving. When we pull it out of the oven… it gets gobbled up immediately!

People who arrive late to our Thanksgiving feast often don’t get to try this wonderful appetizer as it is already gone!

Yes, the onions here look a little burned, but I assure you they do not taste overdone! They are PERFECT! I’m drooling wishing I were eating these right now!

Recipe for caramelized onion, apple, and gruyere tarts – printable recipe here

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb. yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 lb. tart apples, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick (I usually use Granny Smith, but I have made it with Honeycrisp which was really nice too!)
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 oz. Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
2 Tbs. minced fresh chives
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 package frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbs. water

Directions:

In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let the filling cool to room temperature.

Position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the apples and sugar and stir to coat the apples. Cook, stirring, until the apples are just starting to caramelize and have softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onions and stir in the cheese, chives, thyme and the pepper.

Cut the puff pastry into 2-inch squares and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the squares about 1 inch apart. Brush the pastry squares with the egg mixture and place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each square. Season lightly with additional salt and pepper.

Bake at 400F, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the pastry is crisp underneath and golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the tarts cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or warm. Makes 32 tarts.

A helpful HINT:

If you can, use Trader Joe’s Frozen Puff Pastry! It is made with REAL BUTTER. Pepperidge Farm’s puff pastry is made with oil and it just doesn’t quite have the same taste as puff pastry made with real butter. Trust me.

Follow:

Angelina November 13, 2018 Thanksgiving

Traditional Thanksgiving Table Setting

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

A traditional Thanksgiving table setting. Traditions. Isn’t that what holidays are about? This year I’m participating in a Thanksgiving Tablescapes, Dining Rooms and Kitchens Blog Hop. Perhaps the start of a new tradition.

This hop was arranged by Amber at Follow The Yellow Brick Home. If you are coming from Laura at Decor To Adore, welcome! Don’t you love her tartan tablecloth?

What is your Thanksgiving tradition? My husband and I started hosting Thanksgiving in 2012. He loves to cook and is good at it. I like to bake, however he still bakes the pecan pie! We also usually hold Thanksgiving not on Thanksgiving, due to work schedules.

While I am not the chef, I do love to set the table! Every year I’ve used Spode Woodland plates for Thanksgiving and this year is no different. I’ve placed my Staub pumpkin cocottes on each place setting because they are just too cute. Although we don’t have enough cocottes to use on Thanksgiving day – we usually have about 30 people over!

I embraced the warmer colors of Fall for this traditional Thanksgiving table setting. Harvest wheat and pumpkins decorate the center. Tom the Turkey always sits in the center with his two pheasant friends next to him.

Mini turkey place card holders sit in front of each place setting. The place cards themselves were design by my Mom using antique ephemera.

We bought these pheasants years ago at Williams Sonoma. I noticed the local WS still has one – but it is listed NFS! Apparently they liked it too.

I’ll have to change this table when the actual company arrives… we have to cram everyone in and somehow squeeze 30 people in here! But it was fun setting up this traditional table!

thanksgiving table setting

I’d like to invite you to enter into a Holiday Prep giveaway I’m cohosting. We are giving away a $150 Target gift card. Get the details here.

Next up on the hop is Janet at Rosemary and Thyme. She always sets such beautiful tables – you won’t be disappointed! Below are all of the wonderful bloggers participating in the hop!

Follow The Yellow Brick Home| Poofing The Pillows| A Stroll Thru Life| Our Southern Home

Decor To Adore| Petite Haus |Rosemary and Thyme|Botanic Bleu

My Thrift Store Addiction| Let’s Add Sprinkles| The Painted Hinge| Belle Bleu Interiors

Art and Sand| Virginia Sweet Pea| Debbee’s Buzz| White Arrows Home

The Crowned Goat| Lora Bloomquist| Beauty For Ashes| County Road 407| Decorate and More with Tip

Or you can see all the bloggers here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Follow:

Angelina November 9, 2018 entertaining

Thanksgiving Tablescape with Pumpkin Cake

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

A Thanksgiving Tablescape in nontraditional colors. I know I shared this table earlier this Fall, but I made a few tweaks and a cake! Next week I’m sharing my traditional Thanksgiving table as part of a Thanksgiving table blog hop! It’s fun to compare and contrast the two looks.

Fall table

The cake I made was this pumpkin bundt cake (recipe here). green and white Fall table

If you remember, the table from a few weeks ago had white pumpkin cocottes on top of each place setting. I removed those, added some candles and a cake. Fall Thanksgiving table #tabledecorations #tablescapes #tabledecor #tablecenterpieces #tablesettingideas #falltablesettings #farmhousetablesettings #autumntablescapes #casualtablesettings #beautifultablesettings #uniquetablescapes #neutraltablescapes #thanksgivingtablesettings #dinnertpartytablescapes

Now you can see what green plates were hiding below – these beautiful majolica plates!

Fall table with pumpkin spice cake

Yes, we eat off of our antique and vintage china, as pictured below. I recommend not using any knives on it so they won’t scratch the dishes!

Fall table with pumpkin spice cake

I love dining by candlelight, especially in the Fall and Winter. I pulled out my new candlesticks for this table!

Fall table #tabledecorations #tablescapes #tabledecor #tablecenterpieces #tablesettingideas #falltablesettings #farmhousetablesettings #autumntablescapes #casualtablesettings #beautifultablesettings #uniquetablescapes #neutraltablescapes #thanksgivingtablesettings #dinnertpartytablescapes

Now it took me a while to find a candle that actually fit these candlesticks. These candlesticks are made in France, so of course the candles don’t come in standard US sizes. I went to lots of different stores trying to find candles that would fit. I ended up having to cut a larger candlestick to size in order to fit. Fall table with green and white

To set your Thanksgiving tablescape, you can try some new things: maybe use non traditional colors. Use your antique or vintage china. Dine by candlelight.

Fall pumpkin spice cake

SaveSave

Follow:

Angelina November 19, 2017 entertaining

5 Tips on How to be a Great Thanksgiving Guest – Thanksgiving Etiquette

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I’ve made a list of some great tips for proper Thanksgiving etiquette as a guest – perfect for the big day later this week!

Arrive on time – As you may imagine, your host is going to be running around like a chicken, err, turkey with their head cut off. Don’t add onto the pressure by showing up early and making them entertain you too. I know it is fashionable to show up, well, fashionably late, but this is the one time I would say do not do that! The host has things baking in the oven and with this meal timing is everything!

farmhouse thanksgiving decor

Bring Something – Even if the host says not to bring anything, a small hostess gift is still appropriate. You can bring a little bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, a candle, a Starbucks gift card, a little box of chocolates. Something small. If the host didn’t ask for a specific dish, don’t bring one. But everyone loves flowers, and most people like drinks. Whatever you do, do not bring a casserole. If you do decide to bring a dish of yours without asking the host, make sure that you bring all of the ingredients and utensils you need to assemble and serve it. Also assume there is no space in the microwave or oven available for you to heat it up.

Farmhouse thanksgiving

Notify your host of dietary restrictions beforehand – Before the big dinner day, if the host has not asked about dietary restrictions, politely mention if you are pescatarian/vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/food allergy etc. Do not mention it on the big day and then proceed to sulk about how there’s nothing for you to eat and also be annoying about it. No one wants to hear about your paleo/gluten-free/meat-free/carb-free whatever diet you’re on with every bite that you are having! If they offer you their famous pumpkin cheesecake, just smile and have a bite or take a tiny serving and shove it around your plate… unless you are truly allergic! Catch my drift? There’s a right way to be polite about your dining preferences and a wrong way.

Farmhouse Thanksgiving

Keep Your Phone Tucked Away – You are not invited over for a feast so we can all watch you sit on your phone. One of the major themes about Thanksgiving is sharing and being together – so be with everyone that’s there and keep your phone away! We are there to chat with you in person, not to watch you chat with others online in front of us!

Help out – Ask the host if they need help. This includes before, during, and after the dinner is served! Be astute – if the crackers are running low in the dip tray, say “do you want me to refill the crackers?” or after dinner, offer to rinse some dishes. Assisting with cleaning up the mess is literally the best thing you can do as a guest to help your host! The host will be exhausted and having to clean up the mess can be daunting.

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Follow:

Angelina November 12, 2017 Christmas

Decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving – In a Subtle Way!

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Ah yes, the never-ending debate. Should you decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving or save it until after the pumpkin pie and turkey are gobbled up?

I have a tip for you on how to introduce Christmas decor before Thanksgiving without being obtrusive.

Just introduce a little greenery here and there. Above, I have some boxwood topiaries. You may have spotted in the background a garland too.

Adding a garland is a nice subtle way to introduce Christmas decor subtly before Thanksgiving without being offensive!

I recommend putting up a garland that isn’t full of poinsettias and bright reds. Pick something more natural. Faux or real.

Then I decided to put the turkey in the center of this breadboard. The topiaries are a bit more Christmas (although frankly, I use them year round!).

The turkey is clearly Thanksgiving.

I have always decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I find that it takes me such a long time to put out all of my decor that I want to enjoy it just a bit longer.

I confess I usually start putting up my Christmas decor around Veteran’s Day weekend. But I take it down pretty much on New Years. I know some people leave it up longer.

I find decorating early helps me when I go shopping as there are many Christmas sales and open houses on Veteran’s Day weekend. I want to know what I have so when I go shopping I don’t buy things that I already have and that aren’t cohesive.