Thanksgiving Playlist

Are you already checked out this week? I am. I have visions of pumpkin cheesecakes dancing in my head, and I’m ready to get cooking and start feasting. So, instead of the other things I should be doing, I made a Thanksgiving playlist. It’s part songs about gratitude, part songs about fall and home, and part songs that I put on nearly every playlist (like Gold and Tumbling Dice). Listen while pouring your first cocktail or going back for seconds. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving playlist (listen here on Spotify)

I’ve Got Plenty to be Thankful For - Bing Crosby
Autumn in New York - Harry Connick Jr.
The 59th St. Bridge Song - Simon & Garfunkel
Shine on Harvest Moon - Betty Carter
So Glad That I’m Coming Home - Langhorne Slim
Nothing Short of Thankful - The Avett Brothers
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Having a Party - Sam Cooke
Sweet Potato Pie - Ray Charles & James Taylor
Multiply - Jamie Lidell
Gold - Interference
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Tumbling Dice - The Rolling Stones
Honey Come Home - The Head and The Heart
Winters Love - Animal Collective
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - Sufjan Stevens

Photo by Jen Causey

Thanksgiving Cocktails: Fall Bellinis

This next Thanksgiving cocktail recipe couldn't be simpler: bellinis made with either apple cider or cranberry puree. I've been serving some iteration of this drink at Thanksgiving for the past few years. In part because it's a crowd pleaser, and also because it's easy for guests to make themselves (freeing me up to work on perfecting the art of getting each dish hot at the same time).



You hardly even need a recipe. Simply pour a tablespoon or two of apple cider (the thick, dark, natural kind) into a champagne flute and fill it the rest of the way with champagne or prosecco. For the cranberry, I usually just make a little extra cranberry sauce (or buy some already made) and puree about a cup's worth. Then, just spoon a little of the cranberry puree into the champagne flute and top with champagne.

A few more Thanksgiving cocktail ideas:
The Clove Club's Hendrick's and pear cocktail
Cider Rum Punch

Last Minute Thanksgiving: Decor

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? I love having a house full of friends for Thanksgiving. One of my favorite parts is adding a few fall-themed decorations to make things feel festive. I'm partial to simple touches with items that I have on hand or that are easy to get (meaning they have them at the bodega around the corner!). Here's a few ideas:



Bittersweet branches, or even some branches from a tree in your backyard (if you're lucky enough to have such a thing) in the middle of the table. The pears are a pretty touch too, if you're doing a formal place setting.



Tea lights nestled in popcorn kernels. Equally simple and beautiful, and easy if you already have popcorn in your pantry. My friends did this in mason jars at their fall wedding and it was lovely.



Apples and leaves. I always buy too many apples for apple pie, so this would be a pretty way to put the extras to use. Most florists will sell you a small bundle of green leaves.



Personalized napkin rings. Use this free printable design to show your guests where to sit, or pile the napkins in a basket for a more casual dinner. I love the sprig of rosemary!

Or, of course, there's always gourds (warning: that link is hilarious but not for the easily-offended).

Last year's Last Minute Thanksgiving ideas:
Last Minute Pies
Last Minute Sides

Photos: gourds, candles, bittersweet, apples, napkin rings.

Thanksgiving Cocktails: The Hudson Sour

Somehow, November is halfway over and Thanksgiving is upon us. I've been making Thanksgiving dinner for friends for awhile now (see some of my prep tips here) and I don't change up what I serve all that much, which frees me up to focus on another fun part of the meal: cocktails. I'd love to share two of my favorites with you (today and next week), starting with my take on the whiskey sour: the Hudson Sour.



My friends and I mixed up this take on a classic whiskey sour during our Hudson weekend, hence the name. It blends bourbon, fresh lemon juice (none of that icky sour mix!) and cinnamon-infused maple syrup into a cocktail that tastes like fall on ice, both warming and crisp. We found the maple syrup pictured above in a little general store in Hudson, where the owner told us about his recent trip to the farm to visit the maple trees, making this drink all the more Hudson-y.



The Hudson Sour
This drink is easier thought of as equal parts lemon juice and bourbon, with maple syrup to taste. But I've listed the measurements out here to make a cocktail for one. Multiply as necessary and enjoy while the turkey roasts.

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. cinnamon-infused maple syrup (recipe follows)

Combine bourbon, lemon juice and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and pour over ice. Garnish with lemon zest and a bourbon cherry, if you like.

Cinnamon-infused Maple Syrup

maple syrup (I like grade A dark amber)
whole cinnamon sticks

Over low heat, combine maple syrup and cinnamon sticks. For every 1/2 cup of maple syrup, use one cinnamon stick. Bring the syrup very slowly to a low boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow the syrup to cool completely with the cinnamon sticks, it's even better if you allow this to sit for a few days before using.

(Thanksgiving) Weekend in Pictures

{thanksgiving nails, dc mug}

{rolling pie dough on the washer}

{traditional post-thanksgiving dinner viewing of Elf}

{day after thanksgiving strolling}

{christmas tree stand, chelsea}

{decorating the tree}

{megan hanging her new ornament, similar to the new jewelry on her left hand}

How was everyone's Thanksgiving weekend? Mine was full and lovely. After a six and a half hour bus ride to D.C. on Wednesday night we got to work making a pumpkin cheesecake and pie crusts until the wee hours of the morning. The next day was spent christening my friend's new kitchen (they had just moved in that week!) with its first Thanksgiving dinner. After a lazy day wandering around Old Town Alexandria, I came home to New York to get a Christmas tree with my roommates. Friends came over to help us trim the tree while drinking mulled wine and eating snickerdoodles. There was even a dramatic re-telling of the story of the Christmas pickle.

And then, just like that, it was Christmas. I have lots of Christmas-y things planned for Somewhere North, including a few gift guides and the 12 Days of Christmas. I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Let's be thankful for fall weather, the last of the leaves falling off the trees, cinnamon, and that perfect Thanksgiving bite (for me it's turkey + cranberries + stuffing). And honestly, I'm pretty thankful for blogs. Thanks for reading my ramblings, I have so much fun writing these posts for you!

Last Minute Thanksgiving: Pies

Somehow, every year, I spent a lot more mental energy than is necessary on a strange inner battle: the desire to have just the right amount of dessert at Thanksgiving. I'm the Goldilocks of the Thanksgiving pie table.



It's silly, really, because my sane, non-Thanksgiving-crazed self can definitely tell you that there is no such thing as too many pies at Thanksgiving. But every year, worried that there might be too many, I scale back my plans. Be ye not so stupid. If you're not sure if there will be enough pie, make one of these. I won't tell anyone if you use store-bought crust.

Easy Peasy
* Classic pumpkin pie is about as easy as it gets, and tasty.
* What would Thanksgiving be without pecan pie?
* Skip the pie and throw together a fall-spiced Pear Crisp.

Show Stoppers
* Swap out the traditional apple pie for this Apple Cider Cream Pie.
* French Silk Chocolate Pie, to die for. Every dessert table needs chocolate, yes?
* This Pumpkin Cheesecake has completely replaced pumpkin pie at my Thanksgiving table. Swap the topping for fresh whipped cream.

Photos by Blue Window Creative, Smitten Kitchen.

Last Minute Thanksgiving: Sides

Normally at this time of year (the days before Thanksgiving) I can hardly hold a decent conversation because I'm so distracted by all the Thanksgiving tasks floating around in my head. I've hosted Thanksgiving at my home for the past four years and tend to have a tight grip on the preparations, so by the Tuesday before the feast my mind is swimming with all the things I want to pre-chop, the pie crusts to be made ahead of time, and gee, I hope there will be enough wine.



But this year I'm taking a break from the craziness of hosting a large gathering and going to visit a friend in D.C. for a quiet, small Thanksgiving. So, with my mind unburdened from its usual pre-Thanksgiving crazies, I thought I'd give you some last minute recipe ideas just in case you're undecided or (like me) worried there won't be enough food. Let's start with sides.

Easy Peasy
* Roasted Brussel Sprouts. Add some cripy bacon and toasted pecans to be fancy, if you want.
* A super simple cranberry sauce with orange.
* I've served a version of this fennel salad every year and it's always a hit.

Show Stoppers
* I didn't grow up in a mac & cheese at Thanksgiving household, but this recipe was a welcome addition to last year's table.
* The Pioneer Woman's sweet potatoes have converted many a sweet potato hater. I usually cut back on the sugar a bit.
* Cornbread stuffing with a healthy dose of bacon fat. As Ina Garten would say, how bad can that be?

Photos by Braedon Flynn

Thanksgiving Table

Is it too early to start talking about Thanksgiving? I hope not, because I've definitely started thinking about it. I love hosting Thanksgiving dinner for friends in my apartment, but the one thing that's a little bit lacking is a table. It's cozy and fun with lots of people scattered around the living room feasting, but it would be so amazing to have a big table for everyone to sit at (and not have to balance plates on their laps!).

In my dream Thanksgiving, I'd have the Goliath Console/Dining Table. Would you believe that the dining table above collapses down to the size of a console?! Genius! (You can see a video here.)



Is it awful for me to wish that IKEA would come up with an affordable copycat?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning began with my apartment filling with smoke and the carbon monoxide detector loudly telling us to get out of the apartment right! now!

{megan's chocolate bourbon pecan pie}

After two thorough cleanings of the oven (tip for next year: clean the oven before Thanksgiving day), a minor freak out (not that everything wouldn't get done, but that it wasn't going to get done in the leisurely way I had planned - I have issues), and some major multi-tasking, the meal was perfect and the evening was lovely.

{coffee table turned dining table}

The first guest did, in fact, receive a freshly poured cocktail from a (finally) calm host. And let's just say that it was not the last of the evening. We're still working through the surplus.

{tv stand turned bar}

My friend Ian and his fiance Ashleigh brought their adorable white golden retriever puppy, Misty Bear, and she was definitely the guest of honor. It just felt so home-y to have a dog around. And she was super well behaved. The photo below is not begging, just hoping.

{the puppy, hoping}

{the best guest, misty bear}

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Thanksgiving prep

This Thanksgiving will be the fourth I've hosted for friends here in New York (I've hosted one other, in London, that went fine except for the part where the turkey was still frozen after four hours in the oven and I cried while asking the rotisserie chicken guy for the largest one he had) and my goal is to have everything nearly ready by the time guests arrive so I can calmly hand them a cocktail instead of thrusting a bottle of wine at them and resuming my freak out in the kitchen. And this year, I'll be giving up two hours of cooking time to head to the Upper West Side to catch a few giant balloons floating by.

So, to keep turkey day as stress-free as possible, here's what I'm doing in advance:

Tonight I'm...
- making & freezing biscuit dough
- making the pie dough
- making a compound butter to be squished under the skin of the turkey
- making the topping for the sweet potato casserole
- washing all the serving dishes & platters

Wednesday I will...
- make the pumpkin cheesecake
- make the chocolate pie
- make cheese straws 
- roast sweet potatoes
- prep the brussel sprouts
- slice fennel & seed a pomegranate for the salad

Which just leaves the turkey and lots of assembling/heating on the big day. And, hopefully, plenty of time to drink apple cider mimosas with my guests.

a helpful reminder, via craftily ever after.