Welcome to the Progressive {Potluck} Thanksgiving Dinner
Blog Style!
This delightful concept is the brain child of Diane via Home Sweet Homemade.
Having been mesmerized by Diane's artful creativity for quite some time now I was totally flattered when she asked me to participate in her Thanksgiving event and jumped at the opportunity without giving it a second thought.
Hmmmm. I really need to work on that whole impulsiveness thing. To be honest, it is a bit ironic that I agreed to be a part of this fabulous Progressive Dinner series.
Let me put it right out there,
I am not a cook.
Since I am being totally honest here I will have to confess that our Thanksgiving dinners usually comes in a box and the food is all heat and serve.
Shame? Not much. We've done it that way for so long that I don't even think about it. Besides, it works for us.
Last year we changed it up a bit and spent the holidays at the Galena Territories where we had the dinner delivered by the Pilgrims.
Now THAT was a whole lot of fun and something I am sure we will be doing again. The food was already hot when it arrived and it was fabulous.
I uusally love to set the table and transfer everything into my own serving dishes so it
at least LOOKS like homemade but this was in our vacation getaway and I don't have a
fully equipped kitchen there like I do here at home. Plastic containers ruled.
I have to believe, though, that there are other non cooks out there too.
Women who identify with me.
Women that start hyperventilating at the thought of having to prepare a turkey.
I know it isn't rocket science. Hey, even Rachel Zoe tackled it with a certain degree of success.
:)
For me, though, the day is more about family and fun than cooking and cleaning up.
My contribution is more about setting the table and decorating the house with some Thanksgiving flair.
I like to change it up from year to year but some of my favorite elements seem to resurface every third Thursday in November.
Such as these brown transferware dishes.
and this prelit wreath that I like to hang in front of the oversized mirror in the dining room.
There is something so enchanting about those mini sparkling lights. I like adding them to floral arrangements and I always added a lighted garland of leaves to our statue of Puck.
A Fall vignette in the kitchen window
and simple understated Thanksgiving touches are, I think, a terrific way to tell your guests you have been looking forward to the holiday and their visit.
I find these Fall home embellishments so much more fun than preparing the meal.
So you can see why I started questioning why as a non-cook I had agreed to participate in a Progressive Dinner. I didn't want to be the only lame post with some old underwhelming recipe in a line up of gourmet cooks. I knew I was definitely out of my league but I still wanted to be a part of the fun. So the more I thought about it the more I realized I should just embrace my cooking challenged self and as I thought about our past Thanksgivings I realized there is more to our meal than what comes in that box. I actually do supplement it with a dish or two that the kids have come to associate with Thanksgiving.
My dishes and recipes are definitely not exotic or gourmet but I figured that my very easy recipe might be a perfect suggestion for all the other non cooks out there sweating the upcoming holidays.
I found my unbelievably simple recipe in a Bread cookbook that I bought at a used bookstore or garage sale years ago. I was suckered in by the tempting if not creative title...
Easy Pumpkin Bread
(I haven't made it yet this year and I have never stopped to take a photo of it in past years so these photos I found via The Dutch Baker's Daughter) The concept is the same but the images are not mine.
1 1/2 c. each granulated sugar, and firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 c oil
5 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp each - cloves, soda
1 tsp each - nutmeg, salt
3 c flour
2 c pumpkin
Combine sugars in large mixing bowl.
Beat in eggs, oil and 2/3 c water.
Mix well.
Add next five ingredients.
Add flour gradually, stirring until well blended.
Add pumpkin and mix well.
Pour into 4 greased cans ( I like to use family size Campbell soup cans or something of similar size so when the bread is sliced it makes a 3-4 inch round slices)
Fill the cans 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
Cool and serve or cover to store.
Freezes wonderfully.
Fool proof and easy.
Plus it makes the house smell fabulous and any unknowing guest would think I was a regular Martha.
Gotta love that.
So raise your glass to a fun stress free, easy clean up holiday and Cheers to us non- cooks whose Thanksgiving dinner is delivered in a cardboard box. We may just be the smart ones here.
:)
Be sure to refer to the menu at the top of this post for all of the scrumptiousness and holiday inspiration that will be occurring all week.
To view yesterday's post from Diane with a great artful place card idea click here.
To see tomorrow's post visit Laura at White Spray Paint.
Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours,
xoxo,
P
