Thanksgiving ~ The Food! The Wines!

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I usually tell all about my food and table settings but this year I went to my friends' house to share their wonderful celebration. I didn't take a lot of pictures, to respect their privacy, and no recipes because I was not the chef. I'll mix in photos of how Mo and I shared the day, glorious though cold, with walks around the neighborhood.

The hosts were my friends I often mention, of the minimalist grey home decor and tropical garden. Over the years they have picked up some of my design ideas, changing things like throw pillows throughout the seasons. Instead of bright orange for Fall they used oatmeal linen with burlap piping and wool tapestry the color of dried yellow corn for pillows,with  hints of tarnished copper for the festive day.

Table setting.

These friends are healthy eaters, so the food was wheat free, mostly; dairy free, mostly; soy free. Post-Paleo/ semi vegan [because there was, after all, a turkey!]. Everything except my contributions and the wines, was from Trader Joe's.

MENU

 starters/ hors d'oeuvres

an exquisite cheese platter [we call this antipasto, even if it's not classic Italian antipasto]. Goat milk brie, dried cherries, interesting crackers, hot pickles, and spreads. Classic salami, provolone, Swiss/ Jarlsburg, and for me, a favorite, white cheddar with dried cranberries.

And also these delicious small savory ''pizzas": cauliflower crusts [ordered online?], one with fig chutney and goat cheese , the second with a caramelized onion spread, the third added to the cheese board for the spreads, like carrot and squash and others. These little hot ''pizzas''were amazing! Light but so flavorful!

Wine for this course was a rose, no info or sauvignon blanc here  Featherstone Vineyards. 

Main course:

Free Range Turkey with gravy

Whipped mashed parsnips

Roasted, caramelized Brussels sprouts with apple wood smoked bacon

Stuffed mushrooms [spinach, goat cheese.]

My stuffing [ cornbread/ sausage/ apples/ chestnuts]

my Creamed onions, because I love them.

Wine was Etude pinot noir  here

Dessert

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with coconut milk  whipped ''cream'' topping.

This is an exceptional dessert, very light and sweet, with light pumpkin flavor and cinnamon. 

Nicer than classic!

I had hoped to go back today for leftovers! I always love Thanksgiving leftovers. But my friends were off to the city for the weekend---what is more exciting than NYC at Christmas. Yes, I was a tad envious but so grateful to have have shared the holiday with my children and good friends.

More Thanksgiving walks with Mo. Thanksgiving is the height of autumn here, what leaves we have are finally starting to change. Note how green the grass is!

One favorite moment was walking down the again wind blown and barren  beach path and smelling fresh cranberry sauce simmering on someone's stove. Mmmm.

Even though I was not the host/ hostess this year, I was tired! Haha, all that lovely wine. Today I walked on the beach, then Mo and I had a sunny if chilly hour on the deck, as I sewed on Muddy Water's / Parmateer Point's binding.

I have a big etsy order to fill! Yay! But after car shopping this week then the holiday, I needed a quiet day. How about you?

love,

lizzy

gone to the beach.....