Host a Chic Pizza Party

This past weekend I hosted a casual-chic pizza party for a small group at our home.  We had a great time catching up with our friends while enjoying delicious wine, homemade pizza and of course cheering on our beloved Washington Capitals! 

I loved that this small party gave me the opportunity to play hostess and (of course more importantly) the perfect excuse to tablescape!  In order to achieve a balance of casual and chic, I my table setting needed to be a mix of formal and informal.  A centerpiece filled with sunflowers paired with my new favorite navy and white Williams-Sonoma napkins provided the casual spring elements that helped to balance out the more formal crystal and gold elements.  Below I have shared a breakdown of both the table and menu details to show you how I achieved a party that was the perfect balance of both casual and elegant. 

Table Details 

• DIY Herb Bouquet Place Cards
• Pier 1 Dark Brown Rattan Placemats
• Reed & Barton Soho Crystal Highball Glasses
• World Market White Wine Glasses
• Williams-Sonoma Buffalo Plaid Napkins
• Pillivuyt Basketweave Dinner Plates
• Chilewich Dahlia Coasters
• CB2 Bronn Taper Candle Holders
• Centerpiece Flowers: Sunflowers (Trader Joe's)

The Menu

• Hors D'oeuvres: Sprouted Kitchen's Curry Roasted Almonds
• Entree: DIY Homemade Pizza
• Salad: Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing, Roasted Almonds and a slice of Clothbound Aged Cheddar
• Dessert: Blueberry-Lemon Whoopie Pies 
• Wine: Napa Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (Pictured) and Napa Cellars Zinfandel

Every aspect of the party was super easy to create/execute, especially since I had taken the time to have everything done ahead of time (everything cooked/made/set with the exception of assembling and baking the pizzas).  Being super organized is really the key to hosting a successful gathering.  Regardless of size, if you are collected, organized and adequately prepped for your party, hosting will be an absolute breeze!

Kitchen Knives 101: Everything You Need to Know

If you ask any professional chef what kitchen tools are most essential, kitchen cutlery will most likely rank at the top of their list.  Reason being?  There is so much in the world of cooking that can be accomplished with a good quality knife!  For today's post, I wanted to share my guide to kitchen knife 101 with you all.  I will run through the essentials for any knife block, my tips for basic knife care and a few of my personal favorite kitchen knives.  Kitchen knives are a huge part of cooking, so it's important to be empowered with the necessary information regarding the basics of kitchen cutlery to ensure that you are set up for culinary success!

Knife Block Essentials

• Paring Knives- knives with 3inch blades.  These knives give you the most flexibility for peeling, coring, cutting and shaping various fruits and vegetables.  I recommend having both serrated paring knife and straight paring knife.
• Chef's Knife- a large knife (either 6", 8" or 10" blade) known to be the most versatile.  Traditionally used for slicing firm vegetables, mincing garlic, crushing spices, etc.
• Slicing Knife- a blade that is at least 10" long and used to slice fruits very thin, as well as both raw and cooked meats. 
• Santoku Knives-  I recommend having both 5" and a 7" Santoku knife.  This style knife is thinner than a chefs knife, making it ideal for easily slicing those tougher vegetables and chopping produce with great precision.  
• Steak Knives- I recommend having at least 8 steak knives.  These knives are ideal for single use when cutting through tougher entree meats (such as beef or pork). 
• Serrated Knife (aka Bread Knife)- This knife has a long scalloped blade that slices easily and cleanly through hard crusts as well as tender crumbs.
• Honing Steel- this metal rod is used to realign or reset the knife blade after each use.  Note- a common misperception is that the honing rod is used for sharpening, when in fact it is not a sharpening tool.  
• Kitchen Shears- used for finely/precisely chopping herbs and even cutting up an entire chicken!  A good pair of kitchen shears is essential for any cutlery set.  

Caring for Your Kitchen Knives

• Always hand wash your kitchen knives (both blade and handle) after each use.  Never use the dishwasher to clean your knives as they tend to dull the blades and warp the knife handles. 
• Always dry your knives really well post wash and prior to storing.
• Have your knives sharpened a few times a year.
• Store your knives in either a knife block or drawer storage.  If knives bang into each other while being stored, the blades can become damaged. 

My Personal Favorites

• Shun Kanso Chef's Knife 8"- Attempting to chop up a butternut squash used to be a nightmare!  True story- I have actually broken knife blades in the process of dicing squash. It wasn't until this past summer, when I was introduced to the Shun Kanso Chef's Knife that I finally realized squash prep work didn't have to be that laborious.  This knife easily glides through even the toughest of vegetables and has made food prep an absolute pleasure!   
• Kyocera 4.5" Utility Blade Ceramic Knife - This knife has been featured in my August Kitchen Tools post and now again in this post because it really IS that fabulous!  Never in my life would I have thought that a knife would be able to slice tomatoes paper thin until I came across this knife.  When it comes to slicing soft produce with great precision, nothing beats this fabulous piece of cutlery.  
• Victorinox Serrated Paring Knife- This is another knife that has been featured as a kitchen tool of the month and for good reason!  It cuts like a dream, costs less than $10.00 and is the only knife I know of that can go in the dishwasher time after time without ever going dull!  

While this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything there is to know about kitchen cutlery, I feel that this post should provide you with a great knowledge base.  For those of you who might be looking to further your kitchen cutlery education, I highly recommend checking out these three resources:

• Williams Sonoma's Cutlery Buying Guide
• Sur La Table's "A Guide to Cutlery"
• Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook

Thanksgiving Tablescape Part 2: Accommodating Guest Overflow

There are only about a handful of occasions where my guest list exceeds my table's seating capacity and this Thanksgiving dinner party is one of those occasions.  So the question became, where to seat my overflow of attendees?  

I spent a lot of time researching various table options (fold outs, party tables, rentals, etc..) and in the end realized that the most practical option would be to convert my coffee table into a separate dining space for three.  This seating arrangement would not only keep the living room/dining room walkways cleared and seat my remaining guests perfectly, but also save me the added expense of ordering/renting an additional dining table.  Such a beyond perfect solution!  

A lot of thought went into designing this table and figuring out who would sit here.  I wanted to create a table look that was harmonious with the bigger table and felt just as thoughtfully put together.  In addition, I needed to decide on 3 individuals who would be best suited for this table.  After much deliberation, I realized that this table would be the perfect dining setting for my husband, brother and brother-in-law.  Why?  Aside from the fact that they are probably the three most easy-going members of my family, this table is situated in front of the living room television (aka prime seating for thanksgiving football watching!).  Yes, I know that sounds a little tacky to have the television going during dinner, but it will be on mute and most importantly, I want all of my guests to be comfortable and happy. 

Mini Tablescape Details:

• Tablecloth- Brown Kraft Paper (Wrapping Paper Roll)
• Placemats- Chilewich Dahlia Pressed Vinyl Round Placemats, Gold
• Chargers- World Market Rattan Chargers
• Centerpiece- Nate Berkus Gold Geometric Votive Holder Centerpiece
• Place Card Holders- Williams Sonoma's Dome Place Card Holders, Bronze
• Place Cards- Small Fall Paper Leaves (Available in Stores)
• Salt and Pepper Cellars- See here and here
• See this post for all remaining tableware details not mentioned above. 

Since this table still needs to remain functional up until right before dinner is served on Thanksgiving, I am not going to be able to leave this table set and ready to go (bummer).  The bright side is that I have taken the time to do a complete dry run, make sure I have all necessary table accessories and document how the table should be set up the night of the dinner.  

I am thrilled with the way this mini tablescape has come together.  With all of the Fall accents, it looks thoughtful and cohesive. Of course the added entertainment (watching football during dinner) is really what has me feeling most confident that these three guys will love their seating assignments.

Now it's time to get cooking!  Stay tuned for Friday's post, where I will be discussing my phase of Turkey Day prep.  Lots of great tips to help you get prepped and ready for serving up a delicious feast on Thanskgiving Day!  

Thanksgiving Tablescape

If I am going to be completely honest, offering to host Thanksgiving actually came about because selfishly I had wanted two additional dining room chairs to complete my table.  I knew that the only way I was going to be able to get those chairs would be by convincing my husband that there was a legitimate need for two additional chairs.  Of course what could be a better business case than volunteering to host Thanksgiving dinner for all of our family members!?!

I did end up getting the chairs, but HOLY MOLY!  I have definitely been earning those chairs over the past few weeks with all of the Thanksgiving prep work.  Seriously, hats off to everyone who is hosting and those who have ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner.  Pulling off a dinner of this magnitude is no easy feat and I have nothing but praise for all of you who have walked this path before me.  I have been planning this dinner for some time now and not kidding, I have needed every bit of that time to get all of my ducks in a row. 

Over the weekend I put the finishing touches on my Thanksgiving Tablescape and am thrilled to not only have this task checked off my to-do list, but also be able to share all of the details with you today!  I am over the moon in love with the way this table has come together.  It speaks to the Fall season and my personal style (elegant but not too stuffy).  Below I have compiled a list of everything I used to "scape" this beautiful setting with sources included for each item.

Tablescape Details:

• Placemats- Pier 1 Dark Brown Round Rattan Placemats
• Chargers- World Market Driftwood Chargers
• Dinner Plates- Pillivuyt Basketweave Dinner Plates
• Accent Plates- Williams-Sonoma Acorn Dinnerware Collection
• Steak Knives- Vagabond House Natural Antler Handle Steak Knife Set (or see here)
• Napkins- CB2 Uno Natural Linen Napkin
• Napkin Rings- Nate Berkus for Target, Gold and Gem Accent Napkin Rings
• Water Glasses- CB2 Marta Olive Green Double Old-Fashioned Glass
• Wine Glasses- William Yeoward Fanny Goblet
• Coasters- Chilewich Dahlia Coasters, Brass
• Candle Holders- CB2 Bronn Candle Holder
• Votives- Tiffany & Co. Rock Cut Votives
• Placecard Holders- Pinecones from Amazon.com
• Place Cards- Caspari Gold Leaf Place Cards
• Glam Pumpkins - See This Post
• Twig Balls- See This Post

For those of you who have been following along as I take you through all of my Thanksgiving preparations, you may have noticed that there are only 6 seats here and wondering where the additional 3 guests will be sitting.  Stay tuned for Wednesday's post!  I will be sharing my mini tablescape addition I will be using to accommodate my remaining 3 guests.  Great ideas to come on creative seating solutions that will still have every guest feeling like they've received the red carpet treatment. 

Turkey 101: Everything You Need To Know

Cooking a thanksgiving turkey is no joke.  Not only is the turkey the main attraction on Thanksgiving, but I am pretty sure that this is without a doubt the largest piece of meat that I have ever been tasked with cooking.  To be completely honest, this is actually the one item on my menu that I almost had catered.  I know I know, how could I do that??  Well, due to major space constraints in my home and primarily in my kitchen, plus the addition of house guests, there was really no room to brine the turkey (an essential technique that I will discuss in this post).  

However, as luck might have it, I ended up finding a pre-brined turkey for sale through Williams Sonoma, while shopping their friends and family sale.  Not only is the turkey 20% off and comes pre-brined, but it is shipped to your doorstep with a guaranteed arrival on Thanksgiving Eve!  Thus, solving every single one of my issues with cooking the turkey at home.  So now I will be cooking the turkey for thanksgiving and below my plan of attack complete with all necessary turkey cooking tools and how-to video guides from the experts.  

How much turkey?

Before deciding if you are even going to cook the turkey yourself or buy it pre-made, you need to know what size bird you are looking to purchase.  The Kitchen recommends roughly one pound per person (see here).  Personally, I like to have leftover turkey for soups and sandwiches the next day, so I will most likely be purchasing a bird that is between 15-18lbs.  

Brining Your Turkey

This is a technique that I highly recommend for anyone planning to cook their own turkey.  Brining is the process of soaking your meat in salt infused water to increase it's juiciness and enhance the overall flavor.  A basic brine is simply salt and water.  Brining a turkey on the other hand, consists of soaking the bird overnight in a brine made of water, salt, sugar, spices, herbs and citrus.  You can make your own brine (recipe here) or use a store bought brine.  Below are the essentials needed for brining your turkey.     

Here is what you will need to brine:

• Brining Blend (Option 1 or Option 2)
• Brining Bags
• Alternative Option: Urban Accents Brining Kit
• Large Cooler
  • If you don't have ample fridge space for storing your brining turkey overnight, using a large cooler is a great alternative. 

Prepping your Turkey for the Oven

1. First thing is first, preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and move your oven rack to the bottom tier.
2. Take your turkey out of the fridge or cooler to begin the process of brining it up to near room temperature. *Placing a cold turkey directly into the oven will cause it to cook unevenly.  You want to have your bird as close to room temperature as possible by the time you go to place it in the oven.  
3. Chop up an array of aromatic vegetables and herbs to create a mirepoix bed to cover the floor of the roasting pan.  I plan on using Celery (with leaves), Carrots, Onions, Fennel,  Thyme, Rosemary and Garlic (very similar to roasting a chicken).   Toss contents in 2-3Tbs of Olive Oil and place roasting rack on top of the mirepoix bed. 
4. Take your turkey out of the brining bag, rinse off the brine under cool water and pat dry with paper towels.  
5. Gently with your fingers, slide your hands under the breast skin of the bird to detach the skin from the meat.  
6. Using room temperature unsalted butter, spread 4-6 TBS of butter in between the skin and the meat of the breasts.  *See image below for reference from the Cook's Illustrated All-Time Best Thanksgiving Recipes. 
7. Generously salt and pepper the interior cavity of the bird
8. I am not a fan of filling the turkey cavity with stuffing (bacteria/salmonella risk…no thanks!).  Rather, I prefer to stuff the turkey with an array of aromatics: Lemon halves, heads of garlic cut in half, a Simon and Garfunkel Bouquet Garni (*Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme)
9. For the exterior of the bird, there are a million ways to bring on the flavor.  Right now I am torn between a traditional rub of salt, pepper and butter and a new technique I have discovered known as "Lacquering."
   1. If I end up going with a classic rub for the outside, I will be using this cheesecloth technique (soaked in butter and white wine) ala Martha Stewart to keep the bird hydrated throughout the cooking process. 
10. Once your bird is seasoned, its time to truss it using your kitchen twine.  See this video for reference.
11. Once your bird has been trussed, transfer to your roasting rack in your roasting pan
12. Add about a cup of stock to the pan just to get the flavors/moisture rolling
13. Place the bird in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees fahrenheit and continue to cook until your bird reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees fahrenheit.  *Allow roughly 13-15 minutes per pound. 
14. Once the bird is done, it is critical that you allow time for it to rest (gently covered in aluminum foil) prior to carving.  Carving up the bird immediately after it comes out of the oven will cause all of the juices to escape and your bird will be dry. 
15. While you are letting your bird rest, you can extract the pan drippings using a fat separator to make the gravy.  Love this recipe for gravy.  Sherry is must for any gravy recipe I am making.  It really takes gravy to another level!

Turkey Tools

• Roasting Pan with Roasting Rack
• Basting Tool
• Cheese Cloth
• Kitchen Twine
• Carving Board
• Fat Separator
• Large High Quality Chefs Knife
  • *Note- A carving set is a "nice" to have not a "need" to have.  A fork and good quality chef's knife will get the carving job done just fine.

While I think that I am pretty well equipped to cook this bird (especially since I will have my mom here - thank goodness!), I am always open to any ideas and tips you all might have/want to share for cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.  Please leave a comment or email me as I would absolutely love to hear from you!  Stay tuned for part 2 of Thanksgiving Day prep coming to the blog next week!  Have a great weekend everyone!