My friend, Jane, has incredible taste and she happens to be a fabulous hostess.  When she invited a small group of friends for a Chanukah celebration, no one knew what to expect, since none of us celebrated Chanukah.  Jane made sure to tell us prior to the evening, that we weren’t expected to do anything special, just to come and enjoy the beautiful dinner she prepared for us.

First, I noticed the elegance of the table.  Jane didn’t dress the table with a lot of items, just a few beautiful elements that played off each other.  Her centerpiece was a wire and bead art piece which traveled across the table.  Her placemats mimicked the look with a silver wire design.  Jane also mixed her metals to bring in the gold of the chocolate coins and the silver of the table decor.  Of course, she brought in some blue with the small votives at each place setting.

The menu was full of home-made foods which looked beautiful but simple to prepare. 

To end the evening, we toasted champagne and mentioned how grateful we were to have each other in our lives.  I love experiencing my friends’ hospitality.  As always, Jane did an outstanding job creating a warm and loving atmosphere which we all cannot wait to experience again.

My friend Rachel has a saying…”It’s not Thanksgiving at Arina’s until the Golden Turkey Appears!”

She’s right, when the golden turkey makes its way to the kitchen, Thanksgiving can officially commence! Of course, I start displaying the golden turkey waaaayyy before Thanksgiving.  We change its placement in accordance to the party theme.  For cocktail parties, you’ll find it at the bar or appetizer table.  For family dinners, we’ll display it on the buffet section of the kitchen.  Sometimes, I’ll even place it in odd little nooks just to be funny, it’s a lot like an elf on a shelf except you can touch it, rub it, reposition it, bend it, and pretty much have fun with it! It’s quite the conversation piece.

We acquired this big bird at a garage sale and I probably paid $3 for it.  Ironically,  it has given us so much entertainment and fun that it has become one of our cherished family pieces. I know my boys will be fighting over who gets the golden turkey (HA! Probably not!).

I guess my point is, consider having one or two fun pieces that you traditionally display during the holidays. In addition to the  expensive crystal, fine china, or grandmother’s silver, maybe you too can find yourself a golden turkey!

Family at the Thanksgiving Table

Simple Thanksgiving Decor

Each year, my sister Anna, volunteers to host Thanksgiving and our family gathers at her home to celebrate the holiday. Anna is a wonderful hostess, I’ve said this many times.  She and I are always stealing each other’s ideas and recipes.  Unlike me, Anna does things very simply with a relaxed feel but always seems to WOW her guests.  She never seems to stress over the details.  Even the few times she’s asked me for help, Anna always seems relaxed and at ease while I’m running around stressing over pretty much everything.  Nevertheless, we always seem to pull off a great party and when working together, we make a good team.

During this particular celebration, her table was simple with red placemats and a bouquet of fresh flowers.  However, she added candlelight as her main decor element, creating a soft, warm, and quiet atmosphere.  She used different style and height crystal candleholders which were set on mirror tiles to reflect the light. She also placed some candles in her silver candleholders on the back buffet. Last but not least, she added some votives to bring various levels of height.  It looked so beautiful.

Candlelight Everywhere

This look was very minimal but definitely brought the WOW factor.

Smoked Salmon Appetizers

It’s no secret, our family is ALL ABOUT THE APPETIZERS… Anna always prepares a wonderful appetizer spread that is easy and festive.  Above are the smoked salmon appetizers which she serves at practically every function.  They are served on small pieces of bread, smothered in plain cream cheese and topped off with a generous slice of smoked salmon.  She finishes by sprinkling green onion on top and watches them disappear off the plate in a matter of minutes.

Veggie Plate and Hummus Dip

I’m always in charge of the veggie plates and dip.

Veggie Plate and Basil Hummus

This veggie plate featured my favorite basil hummus which I make for practically EVERY occasion.

I also love bringing my beet hummus which adds a vibrant color to an otherwise boring cracker bowl.

The dinner is typically traditional with turkey, cranberry source, her famous mixed roasted vegetables, and of course, mashed potatoes. Here’s my son and my parents enjoying her delicious buffet.

Last but not least, the dessert always comes from The Smoke House Market, which is a wonderful store in Chesterfield, Missouri. It is affiliated with Annie Gunns, which is a famous steak house in St. Louis, and sells many of their freshly prepared food creations. Their pies are in HIGH DEMAND during the holidays and since my niece worked there, we always had fresh pies for Thanksgiving… with a bit of vanilla ice cream on top.

All in all, my sister does a fantastic job with Thanksgiving. And I’m alway impressed with how beautifully and seamlessly she executes this annual celebration.

I truly enjoy working with Mary Tuttle’s, a beautiful home décor and fresh flower retailer in Chesterfield, Missouri.  I’ve worked for them for over seven years creating their marketing campaigns and developing their marketing strategies.  Walking into their store is like walking into a magazine.  Every nook is filled with inspiration on interior design and entertaining.

Each year, they are part of a tabletop event for a local St. Louis publication.  This year, they chose to create a holiday table with the centerpiece that didn’t include a Santa, Christmas Wreath, or Christmas Tree.  This year, their centerpiece was a bunny.  A cute stone bunny that was tied with a burlap bow, wearing a necklace of cranberries, nestled inside a tartan napkin filled punch bowl… and I’m not done yet…sitting on top of a cake plate covered in pine clippings. Yes, that was the centerpiece and it was DIVINE!!!

The tablecloth was a simple burlap and the place settings were all different, with primarily holiday themed Juliska plates in Country Estate Winter Frolic.  Even the wine glasses were different which added a casual feel to the table which still looked festive and holiday themed.

I love the new tartan napkins and beautiful napkin rings. And of course, a gold votive at every pacesetting is such a wonderful touch.

So for your holidays this year, step out of the box a bit and bring out those bunnies to create something unique and unforgettable! Oh, and most importantly, if you live in St. Louis, stop by Mary Tuttle’s and get inspired with a lot more creative ideas.

I have a wonderful friend named Rachel who is obsessed with Smitten Kitchen.  Rachel invited us to a fabulous bagel brunch at her home.  The bagels were from a famous local bakery where they make water bagels and we were excited to finally sample a few.  Rachel not only supplied the delicious bagels, but she also made several outstanding recipes from Smitten Kitchen and Dash and Bella.  First, she made Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms. They turned out delicious! Secondly, she prepared a Persimmon Salad which not only tasted fabulous but was also one of the most beautiful salads I have ever seen.  Rachel outdid herself and I had to share some photos as well as links to both the recipes. So, if hosting a brunch is in your future, the recipes in this post will be outstanding.

I’m shining the spotlight on my friend Rachel again.  Rachel is no stranger to fabulous parties, she organizes fun events which look effortless and always filled with delicious goodies.  For anyone who feels like it takes too much work or preparation to host a book night or craft night, you will love this post.  Hosting these types of mini-parties are very easy and don’t require as much work and planning as a typical party. When Rachel decided to throw a craft night, she asked all the guests to bring their favorite snacks. One guest brought a delicious white bean dip with pretzels.  Another brought home-made chocolate covered pop-corn… SOOO GOOD… and another brought yummy gourmet chocolates.  Rachel did an outstanding job of organizing a night out and creating a fun craft.  And since all the guests were more than happy to bring something fun, Rachel also made her life a little easier.