#PasstheGiving: Evite's Table of Traditions

TABLE OF

TRADITIONS November 2016

Holiday Planning Guide For the ultimate Friendsgiving, Evite brought together 8 bloggers to share twists on traditional dishes and decor.

Come grab a seat and #PasstheGiving!

CONTENTS 4 FALL INVITATIONS

Get any fall-friendly activity started with our new invitations.

6 DECOR

Make guests feel right at home with our bloggers’ decorating tips, from setting the table to giving the room a cohesive theme.

10 SIDE & MAIN DISHES

Get inspired by our bloggers’ twists on traditional recipes, from sweet potato casseroles to leg of lamb.

20 DESSERT

Top off the menu with a twist on an oldtime dessert, such as a cranberry spin on strawberry shortcake.

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Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Twist The best part of Thanksgiving isn’t making the meal -- it’s spending quality time with the ones you’re most thankful for. To keep the stress low and spirits high, Evite is proposing these 3 no-stress twists on the traditional Thanksgiving gettogether.

Spark New Traditions with Our Menu for Thanksgiving with a Twist

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New takeS on SAY Hello TO Fall Welcome the season with this string lights design, perfect for an evening event.

Invite guests >

Hello Fall

PETS IN COSTUMES Make Thanksgiving fun for the whole family -- pets included.

Invite guests > Pet Turkey Costume

Fall Brunch Did someone say brunch? Invite the girls for pumpkin-spice everything at a brunch outing.

Invite guests >

Fall Mimosas 4

old traditions Friendsgiving Gather your favorite friends for a Friendsgiving get-together.

Invite guests > Friendsgiving Birch

POTLUCK Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with friends by hosting a potluck-style feast.

Invite guests > Fall Friends Giving Potluck

Be thankful ‘Tis the season to be thankful.

Share the gratitude at a dinner party.

Invite guests > Eat Drink Be Thankful

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DECOR

I’ve always found myself drawn to the Bohemian style in regards to decorating. This is why I want to incorporate my love for the unconventional, non-bourgeois, and spirited style in my home decor on Thanksgiving. It perfectly conveys everything I want my home to be: vibrant, warm, serene, and characteristic.

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...it’s the people in our lives that are true blessings!

HilLesha O’Nan I am a lifestyle blogger and vegetarian who is passionate about photography, fashion, beauty, home improvement, traveling, cooking, and wellness. Follow along on my site, To the Motherhood.

How to Have a Bohemian Thanksgiving The “Bohemian” style can easily be achieved in various ways, including but not limited to incorporating colorful prints, feathers, painted pumpkins, faux antlers, florals, greenery, vintage glass, and repurposed wine bottles as candle holders. Just let your imagination run free!

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. It’s the time of year that my family, friends, and I can spend together and take note of the varying things we’re thankful for despite our conflicting schedules. This is my definition of feeling blessed.

Alexandra Stoddard, author and interior designer, perfectly reminds us of areas in our lives where we should truly feel blessed: “We’ve paid for our speeded-up lives with a loss in the quality of our time. Our chronic lack of time has robbed us of the ability to understand that the truth of living is found in the experience of being, and that life cannot be put on hold while we’re trying to produce more.”

HilLesha’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is Floral Thanks (Premium).

I couldn’t agree more, since it’s effortlessly easy to be thankful for possessions, but it’s the people in our lives that are true blessings!

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SETTING YOUR TABLE

It is our close friends that have become our family, those that we rely on, that our children adore… our tribe. Thanksgiving is about saying thanks to them for all they do -- the pick-ups, the sleepovers and more. We want to make them feel special.

Table Setting Traditions & Tips Communicating Thanks: The Jar of Thanks

Natalie Mayhew As the creative director of Fern & Maple, I bring my expansive vision and imagination to events for both adults and children – or as I like to put it, creating parties for “for bigs and littles alike.”

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To create a “Jar of Thanks,” I write the date, location and the friends that joined us that year on the outside of a jar.

Inside, I keep the thanks that we gave each other that year, our special memories. On the day we get together, we give out small cards and ask each person at the table to write a message of thanks to the others around the table. Each thanks is then put it in a box on the table, and during dinner, we draw thanks out of the box and take turns reading them out. This means you rarely read your own, a fun twist for the kids that sometimes makes saying thank you a little easier.

Feeling at Home The only thing we ask of our friends (and each other) is that everyone brings one contribution that reminds them of their own Thanksgiving or that represents themselves.

Have Fun with Layers For an elegant and stylish look, use layering, from table linens (or the absence of), to placemats, chargers and plates.

You can even look to incorporate small individual serving dishes for each guest. I’ve used a small dish of olives for pre-dinner snacking and individual sweet potato sides.

Remember, elements don’t need to match perfectly. In fact, a mix & match of textures and elements can be stunning. I kept the natural wood of the table, layering it with a velvet runner, cotton linens, china, brass, metal, glass in different textures and even a modern acrylic frame.

Don’t Forget Comfort

Set the Table Early A tradition I maintain every year is setting the table the night before Thanksgiving.

Honestly, sometimes I’ve even set it a couple of nights before and made small changes over the next couple of days.

Soft, comfortable seating is a must. It doesn’t have to be the chair itself that is comfortable -- you can use cushions, faux fur or throws over chairs. It can also really add to your look and ambiance, so don’t feel you have to limit your decor to the table setting.

Now that I’ve taken my time setting the table, I’m ready for our celebration of friendship. With a lot of good food and wine, I can’t wait to sit down and enjoy!

It’s just so much more relaxing and gives me time to really think about where I place everything, giving me time to change things.

Decorating Traditions & Tips Go with a Palette You Love Don’t be scared to try out a table setting that isn’t traditional. You don’t have to use browns and oranges for Thanksgiving or fall.

Bring Nature Indoors Unexpected foliage can really add to the table setting. Layering different colors and leaf styles creates depth and richness.

Thanksgiving is about saying thanks to them for all they do -the pick-ups, the sleepovers and more.

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SIDE DISH

I decided to take all the different things I like with sweet potatoes and combine them into one totally awesome, yummy sweet potato dish.

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Individual Sweet Potato Casseroles with Maple Syrup, Candied Pecans, and Marshmallow Meringue I have a confession: I love sweet potatoes. I order them all year round and consider them a special treat from my favorite restaurants.

Although there are several steps to this recipe, it’s very easy and many of the steps can be done ahead of time.

The first step is to cook the sweet potatoes.

You can peel, cube and boil them or you can wash, prick and bake them 400 degrees F. Either way is totally fine. Cook them until they are very tender when pricked. Cool completely.

TIP: You can cook the sweet potatoes and store them in the fridge as early as two days ahead of time.

When you are ready to bake them, combine the insides of the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the milk, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together slowly until blended. Spoon the mixture into your individual casserole dishes or ramekins.

Amber Burrahm I’m an average girl with an unusual number of interests. I love creating beautiful things and I believe it’s possible to live beautifully on any budget. Follow along on my site, Snippets of Design.

I love sweet potatoes. I order them all year round and consider them a special treat from my favorite restaurants.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Top with candied pecans or nuts as desired. (You can find my easy recipe for Sugar Roasted Pecans here.)

Create a marshmallow meringue and pipe it onto the casseroles. Bake another 12-15 minutes to toast the peaks.

Take them out of the oven and enjoy!

Tip: If you would rather not hassle with the meringue, you can stick with the oldie-butgoodie, mini marshmallows.

Amber’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is Turkey Dinner (Premium).

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

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SIDE DISH

This side dish remind me of my grandmother’s sweet potato recipe. Her recipe always had apples and pecans in it so it was a little bitter form the apples and yet still so sweet. I loved all the textures and flavors so she inspired me to created my own version.

One of my favorite things about this time of year is getting to come together with my family. Be it family that lives far away or family that lives nearby, it’s just nice to spend special holidays together. Even growing up, I was making memories with my grandparents and aunts in the kitchen, watching them cook and helping out wherever I could. I want my girls to have those same memories of growing up.

Sure, we’ll do things our own way -- like taking my grandmother’s yam recipe and putting my own favorite spin on it.

This season, Evite is all about building traditions old and new, whether you’re starting from scratch or finding a way to make a longtime family tradition your own. This is exactly what I hope to do with my girls in putting our own spin on my grandmother’s yam recipe!

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I hope one day my girls will be just as inspired by their favorite dishes to create their very own versions.

Ingredients • 3 medium sweet potatoes • 4 tablespoons butter • 1/2 cup of brown sugar • 1 teaspoons allspice • 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries • 1/4 cup pecans • 1/2 cup mandarins Then you will add in the pecan, cranberries and mandarins and cook for another 4 minutes until cranberries just start to pop open.

When I think about the holidays, it’s all about coming together and creating lasting memories. From enjoying our favorite foods to creating new family traditions, I just want to spend as much time with my family creating these memories together.

I hope one day my girls will be just as inspired by their favorite dishes to create their very own versions.

Kristin’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is Thanksgiving Foliage (Premium).

Kristin Lesney-Ruiz I’m Kristin, a happy wife living a happy life, and a loving mother to three beautiful little girls that are growing to take on the world! I am also the founder and creator of OurOrdinaryLife.com.

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MAIN DISH

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. I look forward to fellowshipping with family and friends around good home cooked food.

Over the years, I’ve had to come up with some of my own traditions. I try to stay true to the traditions I experienced growing up as a child. After moving away and starting a family of my own, I kind of fused some of our traditions together. I love to host Thanksgiving dinner in my home every year.

There have been a couple of years where we traveled home to be with family and each chose a dish to prepare. My two favorites have to be baked macaroni and cheese and baked sweet potato pies!

Jen Lawerence I’m a Marketing professional, however I eat, sleep and live my BRAND! In every conversation I make sure that people know what I do. In addition to my many titles “I am JenOni”, as well as a full-time working mom, entrepreneur, and wife, raising my four children: a second grader, a teenager in high school, and a freshman & sophomore in college.

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My family is Jamaican and we tend to prepare authentic Jamaican Food for Thanksgiving, with a turkey or whole roasted chicken. Think rice & peas, curry goat, stewed chicken, jerk chicken, steamed vegetables, salad, pound cake and rum cake. My husband’s family is Southern and my mother-in-law taught me to cook “Soul

Food” so my baked macaroni and cheese skills and my scratch-baked sweet potato pies are inherited from her. My mother-inlaw makes a tasty leg of lamb that I fell in love with years ago. This year, I decided to put a twist on her recipe and create one of my own.

Ginger, Lavender & Rosemary Leg of Lamb Ginger, lavender, and rosemary are three of my favorite essences. I can eat crystalized ginger by itself. I just love the taste! I have always loved lavender; I eat those Choward Violet Mints. I know it’s probably an acquired taste for some, but I can’t get enough. I had a brainstorming session with my sister on what seasonings I could use when preparing the leg of lamb. This bright idea was born in that moment and I couldn’t be happier. The spices blend well together and it was my first attempt at this recipe. I will now add my special twist on leg of lamb to my Thanksgiving menu.

Since moving to a city where I don’t have much family, I have made friends that I consider family. I celebrate with them and we try to connect on a regular basis. I love being able to host a Thanksgiving dinner opened up to my friends and family to enjoy.

I am looking forward to this Thanksgiving holiday and can’t wait to start cooking. It brings me joy to prepare a meal and bring together the people that I hold dear.

I started to browse through all the Thanksgiving Evite options and fell in love with a few. I did pick a favorite that I will use to invite everyone. Check out the Evite website for some cute Thanksgiving invitation ideas.

Jen’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is Give Thanks Letters (Free).

So, who’s coming over to your house for Thanksgiving dinner? Do you normally host dinner every year?

I try to stay true to traditions I experienced growing up as a child. After moving away and starting a family of my own, I kind of fused some of our traditions together.

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SALAD

Cornucopia Salad is something I prepare several times a year because it pairs really well with pretty much everything. It’s nice to have something that’s so simple to throw together, yet always seems to be a favorite among all of your guests. I’ve even prepared it for the days after Thanksgiving and thrown leftover turkey into it.

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Cornucopia Salad

Wendy Byde I’m a lifestyle influencer with a passion for storytelling. I love sharing about crafts, recipes, entertainment news, motherhood, family travel and more on my site, Over the Top Mommy.

I reside in Southern California and enjoy every moment with my family to the fullest! I hope you’ll follow along on this adventure I call “life.”

It’s kind of like a new twist on an old tradition.

I do love to include a salad in our own Thanksgiving meal, but my “go-to” salad is the “Cornucopia Salad.” It’s kind of like a new twist on an old tradition. My salad combines baby lettuce, green apples, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, feta cheese crumbles, and candied almonds and the combination of the flavors is so delicious.

Just combine the following ingredients and toss it together in a light olive oil-based dressing!

Ingredients for salad • 6 cups lettuce of your choice, washed (Tip: Used bagged lettuce to save time.)

• 1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped • 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained (I use 2 cans) • 1/4 cup dried cranberries • 1/2 cup raw almonds, sliced • 1/2 cup Feta cheese crumbles (blue cheese also works with this recipe) • 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped • 3 tablespoons sugar • Juice from 1 lemon Ingredients for dressing • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 1/4 cup olive oil

Wendy’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is Fall Friends Giving Potluck (Free).

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BEVERAGES

You don’t typically think of sangria for the holidays. Usually, you think of something like a hot toddy, or a party punch recipe if you’re serving guests. However, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to mix up this holiday sangria recipe and create a new tradition.

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On a holiday like Thanksgiving, I love having a festive punch available for guests to sip on throughout the day. While it’s always a good idea to open a bottle (or 5) of wine, it’s an even better idea to mix it up into a holiday sangria recipe!

Holiday Sangria

My recipe combines a light red wine with the seasonal flavors of apple and cinnamon. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

My recipe combines a light red wine with the seasonal flavors of apple and cinnamon. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

Mix it up the night before so the flavors have time to blend, and then add the sparkling juice just before serving to give it the fizz that everyone loves.

For a pretty punch bowl presentation, I added a few apple slices with cloves pressed into them. I used Red Delicious apples for this because they’re so large and firm, and hold up well.

Christina’s favorite Thanksgiving Evite invitation is In All Things (Premium).

Ingredients • 1 bottle (750 ml) Pinot Noir, chilled • 1 and 1/2 bottles (750 ml) Sparkling Apple Juice, chilled • 1 cup apple flavored whiskey (Jim Beam Apple) • 1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps (Goldschlager) • Sliced orange, lemon, and apple Combine wine, whiskey, schnapps, and fruit in a container and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, pour mixture into a punch bowl and add chilled sparkling juice.

I hope you’ll give this one a try. It’s really tasty and puts a new spin on an old idea for the holiday!

TIP: Don’t have a punch bowl? Any large vessel will do. Think soup tureen, large mixing bowl, large cylinder vase, or apothecary jar.

Christina Nease The most important thing about parties & entertaining is the guest list! Next, it should be delicious, beautiful, unique, and fun. Calling on my years of experience, I’ll show you how to pull it all together with style at my site, Celebrations at Home. Cheers!

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DESSERT

This dish is bright and fun, adding a pop of color to your Thanksgiving table. It is easy to make, which means less stress and more fun. My kids love this dessert, even if sometimes they are in it just for the pound cake!

Thanksgiving is such a great time of year.

Fall is so busy and it is nice to take a few days to settle down and celebrate while spending quality time with family. And while our family is very small, that is something I am used to. Raised by my grandmother, Thanksgiving usually meant a trip to my great-grandmother’s house, and every year we enjoyed a quiet but fun dinner together.

Cranberry Pound Cake This dish was created as a spin on strawberry shortcake -- and also because it is easy.

Honestly, Thanksgiving can lose its appeal when you are stressing out all day over food! My goal for desserts is to make it easy to make, something the kids can help with, and also something everyone will enjoy.

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This dish is bright and fun, adding a pop of color to your Thanksgiving table.

For this recipe, you don’t need much.

Ingredients • 1 pound cake • 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries • Cranberry juice • 2 1/2 cups sugar • Whipped cream To start, if you want to be ambitious and make your own pound cake, go for it. You could even make this a day ahead of time if you want to spread out the timing. Otherwise, you can easily buy pound cakes at the grocery store or at the bakery.

As for the cranberries, start by heating up 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and then place on a drying rack. I actually allowed my cranberries to heat up a little, so a few popped, but honestly they are so tasty and tender by the end of the project, it doesn’t matter. I also re-poured the syrup from the pan over the cranberries on the drying rack to make them extra sticky!

Once the cranberries are dry (after about an hour), they are ready to be rolled in sugar. If you need to wait longer, that is fine too -- just pop them in the fridge and roll them in sugar when you are ready.

Now, to make the cranberry sauce, use about 1 cranberry juice and 2 cups sugar. Add in your bag of fresh cranberries and simmer until tender. I found myself making a sort of “cranberry slurry,” allowing the cranberries to soften and mashing them with my mixing spoon. I love fresh cranberries, so I wanted a rich, chunky sauce for the cake.

At this point, you can assemble your dish!

Top each slice of pound cake with the cranberry sauce, add whipped cream on top, and garnish with the sugared cranberries.

Marysa Nicholson I am a mom of two very active little girls, ages 4 and 7. Our family loves getting outdoors and traveling, including hiking, camping, kayaking, and enjoying nature. You can follow along our adventures at anationofmoms.com

Happy Thanksgiving from our little family to yours!

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Now it’s your turn to #PasstheGiving.

What new traditions will you bring to the table? Get them started at Evite.com.

Happy Holidays!

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