Just added to my inspiration files: this festive Thanksgiving dessert buffet by Amy Atlas, one of my fave food stylists on the planet.  I love that this display doesn’t take itself too seriously… in fact, it kind of makes me want to bust out the finger paints and make those turkey/handprint decorations I used to love making as a kid!

These itty-bitty caramelized pears would work just as well in a more sophisticated setting… in fact, I’m stashing this idea to use on a holiday dessert buffet I’m designing for a client’s party in December.

These turkey cookies & pilgrim cupcakes are so whimsical… I guarantee that adults will “gobble” them up as much as kids. (sorry, couldn’t resist that one!)

I love the look of orange parrot tulips grouped in tight bunches down the center of the table, & kept low enough to allow my guests can see each other!  The zinnias and berries on the right are an unexpected combination, and lend a wonderfully old-fashioned charm to the table when arranged in a simple pitcher.

This petite arrangement of poppies, tulips, & ranunculus is dramatic and elegant, and I love the idea of using a jewel-toned wine glass as the vase.  I definitely want to scatter tons of gilded votives at the base of the flowers to cast a warm allover glow.

Just looking at ranunculus makes me happy, and this ombrè arrangement fades from light to dark, creating a wonderful sense of movement.  The weathered urn reminds me a bit of an overflowing cornucopia… the perfect touch to an abundant Thanksgiving feast!

Images: Top photo: Sunday Suppers; all others from Brides.

I’m so looking forward to the holidays this year… it will be the first since A & I got married (last June) so we have an expanded family to celebrate the season!  Of course, we’ve had to face the newlywed dilemma of how to spend time with both of our families during the holidays, so for Thanksgiving we’ve invited everyone to spend the day in Austin at our {very cozy} house!  This post kicks off my hostess brainstorm session, from menu to decor to choosing wines, and we’re starting with the tabletop.  I’m leaning towards keeping things simple yet seasonal, since I want to leave plenty of room for the breads, gravies, & other edibles that will inevitably show up.  These are some ideas I want to incorporate, although I don’t yet know how the details will play out:

I want to place a special, personalized touch at each place setting… it’s a simple way to make my guests feel special, as well as show them where to sit.  The ideas I’m considering:

Anyone else have great ideas for a modern & elegant Thanksgiving table? Please send them my way, and you just might see them show up in the post-holiday pictures!  Stay tuned for musings on menu, seasonal decor, & even a Thanksgiving playlist.

Images: Couch, Style Me Pretty; Tablecloth, Crate & Barrel; Runner, Z Gallerie; Candles, Pottery Barn; Apples; Place Settings from Martha Stewart.

Today’s inspiration board is inspired by the warm shades of a ripening autumn pear: green with blushes of rosy amber.  Embrace these November days by throwing on a scarf & heading outdoors for brunch under a grove of trees or a picnic on a sunny patch of grass.  Use natural earthy tones that shimmer & shine when hit with warm sunlight: think tweedy fabrics, a caramel tart, spicy cider, & the rustic worn wood of a gorgeous old barn.

Images: {Row 1} Elizabeth Messina for Sarah Drake; Girl in Field, Philip Newton {Row 2} Harvest Table, Martha Stewart; Bride at Table, Style Me Pretty; Pear Tart, Canelle et Vanille; Envelope, sugar paper {Row 4} Cider, Brides; Tissue Poms, A. Hana Designs via Snippet & Ink; Barn, Brides.

We’re wrapping up the week with a few mouthwatering reader responses to the BIG question:

What signature dish are you contributing to this year’s Thanksgiving meal?

I was so delighted with the creative and outside-the-turkey answers I received (no cream of mushroom soup here!) and I can’t wait to share my favorites.  We’re kicking it off with Jessica’s Butternut Squash Lasagna, which is oozing with some of my very favorite fall flavors.  Jessica says, “It is tasty, yet unassuming! (Lasagna for Thanksgiving?!)  It has sentimental value as well because the first year I made it was my daughter’s first Thanksgiving!  The creamy, white bechemel sauce adds richness.”  And by the way, do follow the instructions at the bottom re: “Blending Hot Liquids”… I’ve definitely experienced an exploding blender, and believe me: it’s not a pretty sight.  Thanks Jessica!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

8 – 10 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before adding to food processor.  Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

*Adapted from recipe by Giada de Laurentiis

Just added to my inspiration files: images from an apple orchard-inspired wedding … these bright shades would add a dose of rustic cheer to autumnal gatherings.  I love how, instead of using the more predictable shades of wheat & rust, sweet pink & poppy red were incorporated to provide a modern twist on a harvest theme.

Images: Elizabeth Messina Photography

Last week we celebrated A’s birthday with a road trip to the Dallas Arboretum.  It was a breathtakingly perfect October day, sunny and crisp, & the gardens were in the middle of their annual Great Pumpkin Festival.  We spent the afternoon enjoying the fall vibe & strolling through the chrysanthemums & mums in full bloom (there are over 22,000 on the grounds!)  Really, nothing beats soaking up the beauty of nature… although our massages at Exhale Spa & dinner at Craft that evening were definitely a close second!  A few snapshots:

About 2:15 on a Thursday afternoon.  Clouds silently racing one another across a faraway autumn sky on the other side of an office window that doesn’t open.  An irresistible compulsion to bust loose, to tell the boss we’re running out to have a prescription filled to throw on something woven in a mill in Scotland and catch the next train to… to anywhere there are leaves falling from chestnut trees, and excuses to wear tartans and high leather boots, and a wry fellow against whom we can lean when the chilly air pushes in through the canvas roof of his old convertible.

Fashion this season is a breath of fresh air.  Buckets of garden roses or pansies scattered blithely on skirts.  Enthusiastically oversize plaids on schoolgirl woolens.  Earthy tribal prints for stalking Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.  Green-hued garments for eco-minded green thumbs (visual pun intended).  Everything you could want for a perfect weekend of freedom.

Today I’m embracing fall with a cozy cashmere scarf, steaming cup of tea, and a cider-scented candle… Happy November everyone!!!

Text from Vogue, Nov. 09, Point of View.  All photography by Kate Powers.

I don’t typically go for recipes that use food-coloring… there’s something a bit icky about such artificial alterations.  But since tomorrow’s Halloween, a bit of icky-ness is allowed, and these “scary apples” (from MattBites) are way too impressive to pass up.  Says blogger Matt:

Black glossy cinnamon-scented candied glass enveloped small apples, twigs became their handles, and a few shockingly red candied apples only made their black counterparts more ominous. It was halloween on a silpat, a spooky forest that completed my cocktail.

I love this dark & mysterious tone for Halloween… a bit like Snow White’s poisonous apple which, when bitten, will cause “the victim’s eyes to close forever in the Sleeping Death…”

Get the spooky recipe.

Farm-fresh, seasonal food is extra luscious at this time of year, & I love designing a menu & table that tastes & looks like the colors of fall.  Hence my fascination with these exotic Kumato Tomatoes spotted on Sunset Produce’s site, in autumnal shades of brown tinged with crimson.  How gorgeous is this “Kumato Caprese Salad,” a seasonal riff on my summertime favorite?  The contrasting layers of fresh mozzarella & dark tomatoes lend such drama to a first-course presentation.  Get the recipe.

Take inspiration from the unique hue of the Kumato to add other dark & delicious finishing touches to the table: decadent truffles & dramatic flowers in similar shades of reddish brown (maybe we could even call it aubergine?)

Image by Janne Peters, via housemartin.#mce_temp_url#