The best Thanksgiving Seating Arrangement

photo by marin

Thanksgiving is not only a day for thanks, but it is also a day of lively conversation and laughter, as well as delicious and tasty food. Thanksgiving meals are a great way to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy their company. If hosting a Thanksgiving get-together, the seating arrangement is important and should not take too much effort. Included are some tips to get you started and get the table settings perfect and ideal for everyone.  

First thing make sure you have enough chairs and dining tables for every guest to eat and a place for the food to sit. Can all of the guests sit at one table, or will there be a place for the adults to sit, and then the children at their own table? Sometimes this can cause a problem as children may be different ages and not always get along. Teenagers can often want to sit at the adult table, and not with the younger kids.

If there are more than two tables being used have a head of the table or a close friend, someone trusted, that can be a counter host for those tables. Meaning if somebody wants an extra biscuit, then there will be somebody to give it to them.  The best thing to do is to make sure that there is a place where all food can be reached and put aside and stay out of the way.

Another thing to consider when having a seating arrangement are the couples, meaning husbands and wives, boyfriend and girlfriend, and of course, family members. Often people seat these groups together or next to each other. One way to do this to step out of the box is by splitting up the couple and having them sitting across from each other, creating an ability for them to mingle and speak to other relatives and guests

Ultimately the goal as a host and creating a seating arrangement is to make sure that all guests are happy and enjoying themselves with no limitations or constrictions. Make sure there is enough leg room and arm room so people don’t bump in to each other.

Now, the truth is, if you have a southpaw in the family, that too is important to take into consideration. Putting a southpaw person towards the head of the tables may be better. This will prevent them from bumping elbows with a right handed eater.

All in all it is important to remember to keep everyone happy and make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. The distant cousins that never got along, they’re probably not the ones to sit next to each other. Keep in mind what is best for everyone when making a seating arrangement. If needed get seating cards, and help your guests see where they will be sitting.

Wines Perfect for Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is not completely about the feast but also about the drinks and beverages that are served with dinner. No matter if the dinner is being held at home or an exquisite dining room, a bottle of wine can make the meal. For those younger guests there are also a variety of beverages. A few great beverage choices are listed below to have with Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Ali d'Oro (2009) is Italian for wings of gold, which describes the taste of this delicious dessert wine.  Made from a later harvest Traminette, this hybrid based on Gewürztraminer gives not only a delicious taste but a boastful fragrance to the nose. This wine is perfect to serve with dessert and runs about $30 for a 375 ml bottle. This can be paired with dessert or consumed on it’s own for a lustful apricot and honey taste to fulfill your sweet tooth.

Duckhorn wine company brings a delicious and aviary themed label including Golden eye to the spotlight this Thanksgiving for dinner however the delicious Rosé is the perfect zinfandel to have for this holiday season. It’s a vivid bright red that offers a strawberry flavor and a delicious tasting wine to be paired with dinner. A red wine can be served with the meal or consumed on its own.

A Col Solare red wine is not only a beautiful partnership between Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Washington State’s Chateau Ste, but it too is a delicious wine. This vintage bottle is a full blended classic of cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. This wine will give a fruitful and acid taste that blends well together and pairs well with any type of foods such as the centerpiece of turkey and a deliciously rich cranberry sauce. It runs for about $75 whole sale, but may be purchased for less possibly online or at a local wine shop.

With only 150 calories per serving a delicious 100% juice, pomegranate and apple cider is the best bet for children and non drinkers at this Thanksgiving dinner. This is a great product as it has no added sweeteners or preservative and of course contains no alcohol content. With its pasteurized apple juice which is grown from fresh apples, filtered water of and course the luscious and bitter taste of pomegranate this product is sure to leave the taste buds popping.

So no matter the age group of the dinner guest there is something to drink for everyone. Between these four wines and the delicious cider, everyone is bound to have the perfect drink with their excellent Thanksgiving dinner.

Two Easy Make Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Side dishes are as important as the main dish for Thanksgiving dinners during the holiday season. Often people may be going to their families for these events or to a company Thanksgiving and be asked or offer to bring a side dish to go along with the turkey or ham. Though some side dishes require a lot of preparation some side dishes can be made beforehand and taken with. Below are simple recipe options that can be taken this holiday season to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit & Cranberries
All that is needed for this recipe are some essential items such as cranberries, red grapefruit, minced scallions, and butter lettuce, and baby spinach. To add some spruces to this recipe add some hearts of palm sliced up in to bite size pieces and pine nuts. This recipe is rather easy to follow as it takes about a half an hour to prepare. This recipe can be stored for up to 2 days, so it is the perfect thing to make before Thanksgiving Day. To find all of the directions to this recipe go to Eatingwell.

Marinated Mushrooms are a great make-ahead dish for Thanksgiving this year. While many enjoy the taste of mushrooms by themselves these marinated beauties not only bring a fancy taste to an already great Thanksgiving dinner but also bring a bunch of flavors to the dinner plate. With only seven ingredients needed and forty minutes for prep and cooking, this side dish can be made up to a day before Thanksgiving. Throw it in a favorite decorative dish, and serve once needed.

 Pear and celery salad is not only a tasty and nutritious side dish, but also is a great make-ahead side dish. The items needed to make this recipe are honey, salt, ripe pears, cheddar cheese, chopped pecans, slice celery and cider or raspberry vinegar. Of course to make this salad butter head or romaine lettuce is needed to make this a true salad.  To see the exact directions to mix this salad together and make it a make-ahead side dish visit Delish.

These dishes are easy side dishes for Thanksgiving as they can be stored in the refrigerator for later, or used as a side dish during the main course. Both recipes are also healthy eating for those who are trying to maintain their weight and stay healthy during the holidays.

Stop Shopping Last Minute for Thanksgiving

Every year another Thanksgiving rolls around, and that means it is time to go grocery shopping to make sure all the items have been purchased for the ideal Thanksgiving meals. Whether this is for Thanksgiving brunch, lunch, or dinner there can often be an item that has been forgotten from the store. Included below are tips to avoid last-minute Thanksgiving grocery shopping.

Make an ideal grocery list before going to the grocery store. This might sound like an easy task, but even then sometimes items can be not written down or forgotten completely. So really sit down and buckle yourself to making the grocery list of your dreams. To start, simply think about what it is you plan on serving for Thanksgiving dinner.

Following a recipe for ingredients helps cut costs at checkout.

Following the recipes of the entrees being cooked will not only help give you an idea of what is needed from the grocery store but will help you to avoid overspending and having to go back for last minute Thanksgiving grocery shopping. Take a look at every one of the recipes, write down what items are needed (not measurements).

Once you have written down these items, take a look in the pantry and the refrigerator to see what items you already have. If you have any of the items needed for these recipes, cross them off the starter list you have created. Next take a look at what is left on the list, this is exactly what you need for your recipes this Thanksgiving, and only this.

If you plan on buying any pre-made items, place these on the starter list as well. Next place down any beverages that will be purchased, this can be great wines to serve, milk or soda pop for the kids. No matter what items are purchased pre-made, place these all here. Now that you have written down your first draft of the grocery list, it’s time to get it rewritten and organized. If you are a consistent shopper at your grocery store you know its layout. Make this grocery trip a short and easy one as well.  Put the items in your list into sections.

Putting the groceries into sections by frozen, dairy, packaged and produce will help to avoid running back and forth from aisle to aisle.

The final step of this process is going to the store and getting the shopping trip over with. So if you have a mobile app that will hold your grocery list, use that now. If not, remember to post your grocery list on your fridge to grab before you go. Stick a post-it on the horn of your car, so you don’t forget before driving away.

Now that you have your grocery list ready, know exactly what you need, go to the store. Not only will not have a single worry about having to have do any last minute grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, but the whole process will be eliminated and you will have nothing to worry about this holiday season.

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?