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During the holidays hosting can get increasingly more challenging. So I’m showing you how to make Friendsgiving and the holidays easy – so you can celebrate stress-free! I don’t know if you have read my About Me portion of the site, but in short my mission for A Table Top Affair is to empower each reader to have confidence in hosting. Not hosting a 500 person dinner with china and 6 piece place setting… just be comfortable opening your home and celebrating the everyday. Because the everyday happens… every day.
We get busier, the foods get more difficult to make, and your reputation is constantly on the line. You feel like people are judging every single move you make. So I partnered with the Company Club in Downtown Bentonville to bring easy to the holidays. I want to share it with you here!
5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do At Friendsgiving
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1. Plastic Silverware – use it!
Don’t be afraid to use plastic instead of silver or gold or copper or whatever real silverware you have. You can spruce your Friendsgiving up with a simple $5.00 purchase! Trust me it makes clean up super easy and your friends will totally be impressed with how this silverware looks on your table. There is a Hobby Lobby brand that comes in just forks that you can get, but personally I buy Target’s Spritz gold silverware in bulk. For $5.00 you can get 20 place settings!! (This is not an ad, I’m not an affiliate, and yes I do have a huge box full of boxes of this silverware for every party I throw!)
2. Let Linen Napkins make the statement…
While you might use plastic silverware, it is really the linen napkin that will make the statement. You can use plastic silverware, melamine plates, and mason jar glasses… but it’s the linen napkin that will really help elevate any table setting!
Pro Tip: Monogramming your napkins is a fun touch and some places will do it for $1-$2 a napkin!
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3. Use a fun wrapping paper as your table runner!
Yes, I said it. At this point in the blog post you are probably saying – this girl likes to do everything for easy clean-up. That’s not it at all… I am all about using what I have around the house and multi-purposing it. I’m also a big fan of not spending money where you don’t need to!
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4. Create some height.
I love putting a board on top of a flower box and creating some height on the table. That way I can still decorate under the board, and serve my Friendsgiving spread on top of it!
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5. Plate your Dishes
This is probably the question I get the most.
If your dishes are plated how do you serve the food?
Trust me… it makes a statement to have everything plated and with a couple of simple tips – your dinner party will go off without a hitch! When your guests come, ask them to grab a glass and app plate off the table when they are ready. At that point each guest will start to pick a place at the table which will make heading to the table for dinner that much easier later on in the party. Then when they are done with app plates, into the dishwasher they go! When you get ready for dinner have everyone bring both plates (salad and dinner plate). If they don’t want to use one of the plates, ask your guests to stack their un-used plate at the beginning of the line for food. That way all the un-used plates are off the table and you have clean plates to put back into the cabinet! See… easy peasy!
Easy Appetizers (and one dessert) for Friendsgiving and the Holidays:
Fancy Harvest Hummus
Holiday Hummus
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Burrata and Pesto
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Holiday Cran Apple Spritzer
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Turkey Cookies
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Presentation is key with food
1. Don’t forget the herbs.
You don’t have to eat the herbs, but they sure do add some beauty, freshness, and make any lame bland dish so much prettier. My favorite is flat leaf Italian Parsley. I always have some in my kitchen because it just helps everything so much prettier!
Pro Tip: Put your fresh herbs in a mason jar of water and stick in the fridge! They will last twice as long.
2. Always Put Something On Top
Whether it is coarse cracked pepper or a fancy pumpkin seed… Always put something on top. It adds personality to the dish and will give dimension to the food and trust me, and your friends at Friendsgiving will love it and I guarantee they say something about it!
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3. White is Right – – –
I love colorful dishes and dishes that have designs on them. But white is right. White dishes let the food shine and don’t compete with the colors you have going on. I will say that plain is better than designed or patterned, if you don’t have white. For instance, a solid gray bowl or wooden plate… those are great! Just try to stay away from super busy and crazy graphic plates and bowls.
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Hopefully those tips and tricks helped you out for your Friendsgiving that is right around the corner! I would LOVE to answer any questions you might have. Leave them below or tag me in a question on Instagram. Until next time, enjoy the holidays and invite people over. Just one person. You got this!
