pumpkin pie

What would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie? For those of us who LOVE this traditional dessert, we can’t imagine the holiday without the sweet, fragrant filling and flakey crust of pumpkin pie, so perfect with coffee after the Thanksgiving feast. 

The tradition started with the English settlers in Plymouth who brought their pie-making culture to America. The pumpkin, which was a new food for the pilgrims, was soon incorporated into the delicious pie form and gastronomical history was made. It did take a few centuries for pumpkin pie to evolve to what we now are all familiar with. 

I love to buy sugar pumpkins and roast them, as opposed to using canned pumpkin. It’s pretty easy, and I usually prepare it the day before. 

All you do is cut the pumpkins in half, remove the seeds and stem and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin flesh is tender, let cool. It’s easy to peel off the skin once cooled and then puree the pumpkin in a food processor. 

A little water may be needed to smooth the consistency. Here’s my basic recipe which also includes freshly grated ginger and nutmeg. Happy Thanksgiving!   

     

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 sugar pumpkin, baked, peeled and then puréed

1 (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

2.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

ciao! fabiana

Check out more fun pie recipes here.

more tablescapes & weekend happenings

I’m so looking forward to spending time with family for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I always want everything just right. Planning ahead is the best way for me to stay organized and stress-free, but if things don’t go exactly according to plan, that’s ok too. We always can try plan B, or C.

That’s why I really enjoy planning my holiday tablescapes way ahead of time. I like to set up different options, and then taking certain elements that I like and combining them to create the final table setting.

I came up with a few more options this weekend. Just playing around with a different selection of plates, glasses and napkins…

I really love these Baroque Wood Chargers that are from World Market. They really ground each place setting nicely and adds great contrast between the china and the table. These red stripe linen napkins are also a favorite of mine.

My black and white bistro chairs look nice with this setting too!

These darling black and white transferware Christmas plates are so sweet and remind me of the very snowy Christmases I spent growing up in Upstate New York.

Here’s a more glamorous option with fancy gold writing! I love this look too! By the way, all the greens you see on the table were foraged from a couple of my neighbors who don’t mind me taking a clipping or two! Especially from the huge eucalyptus down the street.

Did you happen to see a few of the tablescapes I set up last week? I also posted them on intagram. 
The ugly sweater party idea has been 
quite popular on pinterest too! 

LOL.

My family and I also had a pie tasting day to see what our favorite choices would be for Thanksgiving. Marie Callender's is our favorite go-to pie shop, and we usually get a couple of pies for Thanksgiving. This year’s winners  of the pie tasting contest were Pumpkin (of course) and Dutch Apple.

Marie Callender's has so many choices, and they're all amazing! A few of the other pies we tried were rhubarb (we were all quite curious about this one and were pleasantly surprised at how good the sweet and tart combination was) and blueberry (my youngest son's choice). Sorry  to say Pecan Pie was not one of the contenders this year, but it's always one of my faves.

It’s November, so pie for breakfast is one of our favorite things to look forward to in the morning! 

(btw, you can find the Give Thanks tea towels here.)

On Saturday, a big box arrived at the door from Oriental Trading, full of beautiful (and sparkly) Christmas goodies that I ordered! I can’t wait to integrate them into my holiday décor.

We're talking about copper lanterns and rose gold votives for starters. They'll look great with all the white, cream, green and metallic décor I have in mind for this year. And look! They have really cute sisal bottle brush trees too! In fact, after I saw how pretty these tall ones were, I ordered a few more sets to sprinkle around the house.   

I have about a week and a half until we break out our Christmas tree. It's usually a Black Friday tradition at our house to stay home and decorate the tree and eat yummy turkey leftovers! Here's our tree last year with just the twinkly lights on, pre-trimming. 

When do you put up your Christmas tree?

And if you're looking to start some Christmas shopping,
we're having a Pre-Black Friday sale right now on the Blog Shop.

We've got lots of fun Hostess Gift ideas and more!

20% off everything!

ciao! fabiana

9 gorgeous Thanksgiving tables

 

Hi friends. I’m so happy to be feeling better so I can visit with you here on the blog to share a few of my newest looks for setting a gorgeous Thanksgiving table.

 

Today I’m showcasing 9 favorite ways to set a Thanksgiving table, using napkins, placemats, runners and tablecloths exclusively by Pacific & Rose.

 

It’s so much fun to take a beautiful hand-printed tablecloth or runner and use it as the inspiration for the whole table.

 

What I’m sharing today are elegant, simple and not over-the-top tables that are easily replicated, and I’ll give you some behind the scenes tips for setting similar tables right in your own home.

ONE 

Let’s start with a dramatic look using complementary colors. This bold and wonderful pattern is called Gayatri Peacock. When I first saw it I knew I had to pair it with orange for fall, and I think it’s a Thanksgiving look few could ever forget!

 

Start with the Gayatri Peacock Tablecloth and Gayatri Peacock Buti Napkins, and then use a contrasting natural-fiber placemat, simple glassware, and wicker-wrapped water glasses, if available, to create a similar look.

 

Now we can come in with hits of orange through the tall taper candles in vintage brass candlesticks and adorable napkin rings. Of course, autumn leaves and pumpkins are the most perfect accents for this look!

Placemats and napkin rings are from CB Lifestyle.

TWO 

One of the most classic patterns in the collection is Belita. I just love all the soothing colors in this pretty pattern. For this table, I started with the table runner, and then used the matching placemats and napkins.

 

To showcase the lovely colors of Belita, I selected my go-to simple white farmhouse style dinner plates so the napkins would really pop at each place setting.

Late-season hydrangeas from the garden work so well with the colors of Belita, as do the soft muted colors of all the pumpkins.

 

 

THREE

 

The pattern of the season has got to be Umbria, and here I’ve used the Mustard colorway to accentuate the glorious sunflowers at the center of the table.

 

I grew dozens and dozens of sunflowers in my garden this year, and it all comes down to moments like this… displaying them at the table with table linens in similar hues.

 

Green mini pumpkins and eucalyptus leaves soften the look of the table and add seasonal charm to the whole room. 

Umbria Mustard is so perfect for a sunny Thanksgiving table look! Here I've layered placemats on top of the tablecloth for upscale style.

 

 

FOUR

Here’s a similar look, this time using Umbria Olive. I’ve again layered placemats on the matching tablecloth, which gives each place setting a lovely singular arrangement on its own.

 

Dried white hydrangeas and a collection of heirloom pumpkins add that Thanksgiving boost we need at this table. And what about these adorable pumpkin plates? They match so perfectly with the Umbria Olive linens.

 

Classic bamboo flatware looks amazing with the Umbria Olive napkins and placemats and adds that much-needed texture that I love incorporating in every table.

 

FIVE

Now for a real punch of color we have Lilibet Cranberry Mint. This is one beauty of a pattern, and this latest colorway is what we’ve been after since day one!

 

Don’t be restricted to muted fall colors for Thanksgiving. Here’s a great example of thinking outside the box and using what you love for your very own Thanksgiving table.

 

White mini pumpkins make a statement at each place setting, as do these stylish woven placemats. Unseen is a big basket of white hydrangeas and dried grasses at the center of the table, which brings this whole look together.

SIX

A fancier version of number four is seen at this table setting with the Umbria Olive collection. It’s all about accessories here to amp up the autumn vibes of this pretty pattern.

 

Elegant turkey place card holders from Arthur Court make a statement like no other… "It’s Thanksgiving!! Bring on the turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!"

 

SEVEN

 

Blue and white lovers of the world unite! We can make it beautiful for Thanksgiving! Do you recognize Umbria? This is Umbria Sapphire Blue, and with the addition of beautiful blue transferware plates, you can make it happen for Thanksgiving.

 

I’ve had these blue transferware turkey plates for years, but any blue and white plate would work for a table setting like this. Plain white china would also be lovely with Umbria Sapphire Blue.

 

All you need are a few seasonal accents like we’ve previously talked about. Wicker, raffia, brass, autumn leaves and pumpkins would all add autumn charm to a table like this.

 

EIGHT

Laura’s Garden is a unique pattern with soft salmon and green tones that are so inspiring for fall. Set an elegant Thanksgiving table with this pattern and accent with pretty matching flowers found at the supermarket!

 

Hints of pomegranate red make this pattern a lovely choice for the autumn holiday season. As you can see, the natural textures of the flatware and napkin rings soften the look of the table and adds so much character to this whole setting.

 

For tips of recreating this fan-fold napkin, check out the blog post HERE.

NINE

Turkey plates are one of my favorite collectables, and if you look closely, this plate has just a hint of green in the pattern. I paired it with two different mix-and-match green linens from Pacific & Rose.

 

We started with the Umbria Olive Table Runner and matched the Gayatri Green Napkins with it. I just love the freshness of this whole look!

 

You can take this approach too. Select your favorite dinnerware pattern for your Thanksgiving table and find a complimentary color you’d love to use for the backdrop aka tablecloth or table runner.

 

This approach makes table setting so much fun, and you end up this a very unique and beautiful Thanksgiving table.

   

Visit PacificandRose.com for more info.

ciao! fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

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it's thanksgiving week!

Thanksgiving dinner planning and prep

is in full force around here!

The cranberry sauce is the first thing I can check off the list. It’s one of the easiest things to make, so I do that first. A full bag of fresh cranberries goes into the pot with a little sugar, fresh orange juice and zest, freshly grated ginger and water. After it thickens on the stove for a while, I pass it through a food mill, to get it nice and silky smooth, and that’s it! I then put it in a pretty bowl and pop it in the fridge 'til Thursday. 

Tonight I’ll roast my two sugar pumpkins so I’ll be ready to make pies tomorrow. I’m buying one other pie, and making a few pumpkin ones. The kids will get to pick out their favorite pie from Marie Callender’s. 

As much as I love these cute turkey plates, this year I have the table is set with simple ivory Wedgwood china that I just love. (You’ll get to see the final table soon!) How does your family set the table? Is it formal, or buffet style? 

Here’s a handy table setting chart for reference.

I do like to interpret my own setting, 

but like to use this as a guideline.

Do you remember last year’s table

where I used these pretty pheasant feathers?

This year, I’ll be using these cute twig wreaths instead.

They add just the right rustic quality that

contrasts the fancy Wedgwood perfectly!

Here’s my Thanksgiving table from two years ago.

A vase of fresh fall leaves always adds so much fall charm!

I have a vase of them in my kitchen nook right now.

There's a nice neighbor who doesn’t mind

me clipping a few small branches every so often. J

A couple of the gorgeous heirloom pumpkins did get carved for Halloween, but the remaining ones will make their way into the dining room for a little extra autumn ambiance. 

Here’s a fun idea someone had! This won’t work this time around, since we’ll be having a fire going on Thanksgiving. I do love that tile surrounding this fire place, though.

Here’s a simple place setting from Joanna Gaines. I really like the look of the eucalyptus branches that’s so popular right now. It adds a fresh, modern look to the table.

And Thanksgiving leftovers will get new side to go with those faithful turkey sandwiches… These stuffing waffles look amazing! All you do is cook leftover stuffing in your waffle iron ‘til it’s crispy and top with hot mashed potatoes and gravy. How can that be bad?!  

And yes, we're all anxiously waiting for that moment the turkey comes out of the oven... Oh, the aroma!

ciao! fabiana

other photos:

1. Southern Living

9. tumblr, unknown source

10. Magnolia Home

11. Kroeger 

12. Traditional Home