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Hello, foodies…

Thursday is Thanksgiving—or, as I like to call it, National Foodie Day! What are your plans? Are you going somewhere for the holiday? Are you hosting everyone? If you’re the host, good for you! I hope you’ve already made a checklist for the big day—and it includes what you can start doing tonight!

For example, consider doing your grocery shopping today or tomorrow to avoid the rush on Wednesday. Try to go very early in the morning or very late in the day—studies show that’s when stores are the least busy! Be sure to stock up on wine, liquor, or beer if you plan to serve it. Borrow tables and chairs, if necessary. While you’re running errands, have hubby or the older kids give the house a quick cleaning. (Try bribing them with pie.) Tomorrow night, set the dining room table. Here’s a refresher on how to set a “proper” holiday table, which is bound to impress and sure to make Thanksgiving seem that much more special. You can buy every piece of this tablescape on QVC.com.

Let's start left to right. I prefer to put the napkin on the left to make room for a place setting. To make the pumpkins above, I just cut a small slit in the pumpkin top and put a small piece of card stock in the slit. If you'd rather not go the fruit route, get creative with card stock. Go to your local craft store and get turkeys, leaves, and peel-and-stick stickers from the scrapbook aisle. It'll cost pennies, but make a big impression.

The forks are located to the right of the napkin. The salad fork (which is slightly smaller) goes on the far left and the dinner fork goes right next to the plate. Chargers, speaking of plates, go on the bottom. (These are optional.) The dinner plate is stacked on the charger and topped with a salad plate.

To the immediate right of the plate is the knife. Make sure the blade faces inward. Then, the spoons come next. Put the teaspoon next to the knife and soup spoon on the far right.

The bread plate (with a bread knife) should be placed above the napkin and forks to the left of the dinner plate. Right above the dinner plate is the dessert fork.

The glasses are last...you're almost done! The water glass is the farthest one on the left, the wine glass is just to the right, and the cup and saucer are last. If you're pressed for space, keep the cup and saucer off the table until dessert.

Here's another view of the table. Notice the centerpiece in the background? It's a cornucopia from Bethlehem Lights and I love it because it's low profile. Never put tall flowers or decorations on your table that prohibit you from seeing your guests. It will feel distracting and disconnected.

The serving bowls in the background are all part of that gorgeous Lenox set. Because the table is a dark color, we chose a light-colored runner and napkins. But, let the colors of fall be your guide.

Now, you may be thinking: this is fine for adults, but what about the kids? What can I do to keep the kids entertained so the adults can sit and chat? First thing’s first—give them their own table that’s near—but not right next to—the adult table. Supervise them during the meal, but then have crayons or colored pencils at the ready so they can color this Thanksgiving picture!

Colleen, a designer on the ITKWD team drew this cornucopia. Isn’t it terrific? Parents, grandparents, just print this out for each child and it’ll keep the kids busy for a few precious minutes—maybe even an hour. Depending on the ages of your kids, you can even put glue sticks, buttons, and pipe cleaners on the table so they can make the picture even more special. Inevitably, when the arts and crafts get “old,” pop in a favorite movie.

Foodies, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. For your blog question today, tell me what dish you’re most looking forward to this holiday. Is it the turkey, the stuffing, the sweet potato casserole, or the green beans? How about the pumpkin pie? There’s no In Kitchen with David this Wednesday but I will be joining you with my gift favorites from 9pm ET to midnight ET. Join me!

Keep it flavorful!
—David

P.S. Make sure a stop to your local food pantry is also on your to-do list this week!