You will love these strategies for hosting memorable gatherings without the stress.
I’ve got everything from cooking shortcuts to decorations that transition through the seasons to your perfect playlist!
This post is sponsored by Honeysuckle White. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Now that Halloween is behind us, it is time to start thinking about all of those upcoming holiday gatherings. Hostess duties can often feel stressful and overwhelming, don’t they? That is why I’m excited to be partnering today with Honeysuckle White to share some fresh ideas for hosting your next gathering without the stress.
I learned that if I wanted to connect with my friends and family that I often had to be the one to step up to bat and offer to host. I have discovered, over the years, that so many people feel intimidated by hosting and are often self-conscious of things like undone house projects, their limited cooking abilities, or not feeling like they have that perfectly sized space for the ideal gathering.
The thing is, our own intimidations rob us of precious moments with those we love and the people that REALLY and GENUINELY love us will always, always be thankful to you for creating space in your home and day for them.
That is, truly, why I am excited to share that Honeysuckle White recognizes how precious our time is and wanted to take out that intimidation factor by providing a brilliantly easy turkey product that will make gatherings so much easier on busy moms.
Even better?
You can order it right through Amazon.
And, ladies, I KNOW we all have Amazon ordering down pat! (*ahem*)
Say hello to the world’s easiest holiday dish, the NEWS Honeysuckle White Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast “Turketta”, inspired by the flavor profile of porchetta!
I gave ordering one of these a spin and really was surprised how well-seasoned and easy this was to execute for my Friendsgiving gathering this week.
In your package (that arrives right on your doorstep!) you will get one of these beautiful roasts that serve approximately 4-6 people. The packages arrive frozen and you can thaw it for an ASAP gathering or you can tuck this in the freezer for a future meal.
The bird is perfectly seasoned, boneless (no carving- woot, woot!), and requires just a simple quick sear on the bottom and baking.
This isn’t the only option you can have delivered. They also are offering Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast, a Honeysuckle White Fresh Traceable Whole Bird Turkey, & the Honest Turkey Whole Turkey.
Even better, for a limited time offer, MomAdvice readers can get 15% off using my coupon code 15MOMADVICE.
I can really get behind this company and the work they do with farmers, especially after having the opportunity to tour one of the farms.
The company is committed to raising their turkeys without growth-promoting antibiotics and no added hormones or steroids.
They also are committed to supporting independent family farmers to provide family farm-raised turkeys.
I don’t know if you know this, but my great-grandpa was a farmer and that is why that commitment and their true love for these families really warms my heart.
Now that you have the turkey covered, here are a few other ideas for a simple gathering of great friends and great food!
Send Out a Small Invite
I have done loads of large gatherings, but I find the best gatherings are often the intimate ones with just a couple of close friends so you can really catch up.
A friendsgiving need not be a large gathering and the invitation does not need to be a formal one.
Text invitations are perfectly acceptable, especially during such a busy season.
Also, allowing mamas to bring kids is a blessing to the mom (who won’t have to cook) and to you (to get to love on your friend’s beautiful kiddos especially since your kids are tweens/teens and you now have to FORCE YOUR LOVE on them).
Keep the Sides Simple
Roasted vegetables are an easy side that can be prepared a day in advance.
In fact, storing your carrots and potatoes in water overnight will yield a much crisper roast than if you cut them up immediately.
Toss your prepared vegetables in olive oil, kosher salt, and your favorite dried seasoning (I’m a thyme girl!) and roast them at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.
Love perfectly roasted potatoes?
Cut baby potatoes in half and put the cut side down on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with aluminum foil and is lightly greased. You will get a perfect roast every time AND they are so good that my kids call them mom’s french fries.
It goes without saying, but lining the cookie sheets with tin foil or parchment paper squares is also an excellent way to cut down on dishes!
Skip the Baking
Thankfully, there is no need to bake since we have so many delicious options for desserts that are already made and available for purchase at our local markets.
You can still make these purchased desserts feel really special though with quick homemade touches.
Spicing up your whipped cream, adding crunchy toppings, or adding details with pie cutters or an embossing rolling pin (made from refrigerated pie dough) are all fun ways to make pies feel special and more homemade.
This post offers 5 strategies for making store-bought pies feel special that I think you will find REALLY helpful for the holidays and even an idea for packaging up mini pies as a parting gift at the end of the night.
replicate my table with this easy tutorial
Think Evergreen When It Comes to Home Decorating
In the blog world, evergreen content is king. It means that we really focus on creating timeless pieces that can be shared over and over again and always feel relevant.
This is the SAME WAY we can approach our decorating. Purchase or DIY things that are neutral and can be used over and over again throughout the seasons. A bit of faux greenery, a roll of kraft paper (DO buy this– it’s such a affordable investment for decorating and gift wrapping), white plates, and loads of candles are perfect for ANY occasion.
Adding simple seasonal touches, like the small bundles of sage I gathered with cotton twine feel very Martha-y, but cost only a couple of bucks to pull off.
Stop pulling out and storing seasonal bins and buy a few items that you can use over and over and over again.
You can’t imagine the stress you will relieve yourself of!
Set the Mood
Before I go, I have one more fun fact for you…I used to be a glorified D.J. for my college’s radio station.
Music is essential to me like breathing and food.
Growing up, I played the violin, sang in the choir, did musical theater, and had parents who were crazy about music too.
I am also the one that hogs the microphone if you karaoke with me.
To me, a solid playlist for special occasions is oh-so-necessary.
Don’t have time to make one?
How about if I shared mine with you!
Also, as a thoughtful introvert, I have included three goodbye songs at the end that you can feel free to boot those up after the meal when you just need to retreat to your Snuggie and Netflix.
Hopefully they catch on..I know, “CLOSING TIME,” is a very, very subtle exit song!
I have embedded it here for you so be sure to bookmark this awesome post and give me a follow for more fabulous dinner music.
