5 Tips for an Outdoor Thanksgiving Table Setting

Here we are, just one official week away from Thanksgiving. And with that, the hustle and bustle of family, friends, gatherings, travel, and food! To get you prepped and ready, we've put together a feature on setting the table for Thanksgiving. For this Thanksgiving table setting, we share a few simple DIY's that add a bit of magic to your gathering. Your friends & family will feel the warmth of the love you put into those details at the table.

Thanksgiving Table Setting | Photography Katie Beverly Photo | Menus by Twinkle and Toast

5 THANKSGIVING TABLE SETTING TIPS

Table Setting Tip #1 | Let's start with decor. Here's where you can DIY until your heart's content or add just a few special touches to the setting. Our DIY? A yarn banner hanging from each chair as a fall parting gift for your guests. Find out how to make them here, when I posted the yarn banner DIY.

Table Setting Tip #2 | Create a beautiful floral centerpiece (flowers by Taya of Compass Floral) using the color palate of fall. Head to your local flower stand, farmers market, or local flower shop to pick up colors that represent autumn oranges, reds, and yellows. A Thanksgiving table setting with flowers brings in such warmth. Isn't everything made just a bit better with flowers?

Thanksgiving Table Setting Tip #3 | Add blankets and pillows to each chair for guests to cozy up and keep warm. Simply "throw" blankets over chairs (which can always be mismatched for added fun!) to create a messy, yet inviting vibe. This also ties in a textural element to your decor in a very simple way. With a warm, inviting environment and blankets to stave off the chilly autumn air, your guests will enjoy the company, creative touches, and beautiful surroundings of the Al Fresco Thanksgiving table setting.

| Calligraphy Menus | Twinkle & Toast |

Thanksgiving Table Setting Tip #4 | Instead of food requests, ask a friend to help by hand-writing a menu for your table. The personalized place cards and menus can serve as souvenirs for guests to remember the special details of the evening.

Thanksgiving Table Setting Tip #5 | You can also bring in creative elements to the table with place cards, table runners, and placemats or chargers. Here we used leather strips, cut from your local fabric or upholstery shop, and wrote guests' names. As chargers, you can use pieces of wood or ask a friend who's handy to cut wood slabs for makeshift chargers. All of these small touches will create a very personal experience and your guests will love it!

Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup Recipe | Joy the Baker

1 medium pumpkin (perhaps a sugar pumpkin) and 1 medium butternut squash

1 cup leeks

2 small cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

5-6 cups vegetable broth

1/4-1/2 cup cream

2 teaspoons brown sugar

a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut pumpkin and butternut squash into 2-inch chunks, removing the inner seeds and fibrous bits. I roasted my pumpkin and squash with the peel on and removed the cooked flesh from the peel once baked. If you think it’s easier to peel the pumpkin and squash before baking, then go right ahead.

Slice the white flesh up until the green stalks of several leeks. Toss the pumpkin, squash, whole garlic cloves and leeks on a baking tray with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a fork inserted in the flesh of the pumpkin and squash meets no resistance.

Remove from the oven and allow them to rest until cool enough to handle.

When cooled, use a spoon to scoop the cooked flesh away from the squash peel and place in a large saucepan. Add the roasted garlic and leeks to the pan too. Add 3 cups of warm vegetable broth and using a hand blender, blend and breakdown the squash flesh with the broth. If you don’t have a hand blender, blending the chunky soup in a regular blender in batches should work too. Add 2 to 3 more cups of broth and blend until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Add sugar and nutmeg.

Cook soup over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Serve warm.