Thanksgiving Tips for the Kitchen & the Table

Four little entertaining tips, and Blake's magic with flowers

Today I’ve got a collection of tips that aren’t so recipe-focused, but that I hope will help you have a more enjoyable holiday. Perhaps because this year I’m not doing the cooking, I feel less attached to the food and more to the feelings and other details of my Thanksgivings growing up… the table leaves unfolded, everyone dressing up a bit, the bracing air outside, even the white noise of a football game playing on the TV. Right now, this is what I remember more than any side dish that wowed the table. I hope you all have a delicious day off coming up. —LV

Illustration by Allira Tee for Start Simple

Four Last-Minute Tips for Swifter Entertaining

1. Sharpen (or Hone) Your Knife

A sharp knife just makes prep work easier. If you’re someone who finds slicing and dicing to be tedious rather than meditative, all the more reason because a sharp knife will speed it up. There’s probably not time to have them professionally sharpened now, and I realize not everyone is interested in doing it themselves, so I’ll leave you with this quick tutorial on how to hone your knife. When I hone, I do 5 strokes on each side, then 4… all the way down to 1. It only takes a minute and will get you a noticeably sharper blade so easily.

2. Ready Your Tupperware

You know you’re going to need it! Make sure each vessel has a lid, clear out and wash the ones lingering in the fridge, and maybe grab some extra reusables from the grocery store if there’s time. Thinking through the food storage in advance is the best way to prevent blowing through a lot of single-use plastic.

3. Stock Up on Bubbly Water

In my Thanksgivings and Friendsgivings, the wine usually flows pretty freely. This is always a lot of fun in the moment, but the next morning pretty much everyone wonders, Why did we do that? One easy way to pump the brake a bit is just to set several bottles of bubbly water out on the table. When it’s there, most people want to drink it.

4. And Remember: the Good Gossip Happens during Dishwashing

Not every host agrees, but I think it’s simple good manners to help with dishes at big meals like Thanksgiving, especially if you weren’t involved in the cooking. But — and again, maybe this is just my family, but there’s only one way to find out — a better reason is that the dishwashing is when you get the best gossip! The guards come down; a confidential tone prevails. So if you’re more a guest than a cook this year, get in there and grab a towel.

Any other tips along these lines that you find to be useful? Please share!

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Blake’s Way with Flowers at the Table

My friend Blake West Adair Bachman is one of the most generous people I know and a terrifically inventive cook. Because of his background in studio art, interior design, and floral design, he also knows how to make every single moment of a meal extra sensory. Even for Tuesday-night takeout, he tweaks the lighting, sets out nice glassware, incorporates some gorgeous fabric in the form of a napkin or tablecloth… and there are always flowers. Blake was generous enough to share a few of his tips.

Find Flowers Close to Home

If you have flower beds of your own, start there, with roses, lilacs, irises, or whatever is in your yard. If you have the space—a yard, patio, or some space on a fire escape—consider potting flowers that can be brought inside when you’re entertaining. Those can also be cut from to build arrangements. Similarly, find local and in-season flowers at your farmers’ market. Flowers from the grocery store can be used to supplement if needed.

Focus on what’s in Season

As with produce, lead with what’s seasonally abundant. “Start with several bunches of the same type of flower, and steer clear of mixed bouquets,” Blake says. One big bunch of peonies will be more striking than a few different things scattered about or combined in one vase. Flowering herbs like oregano and basil, and edible flowers like nasturtiums, add texture and fragrance to the table, too. Peak-season fruits and vegetables can also stand in as a colorful table decoration, like a bowl of citrus, pears, or vegetables like squash and eggplant. Opt for small or unusual sizes and shapes — honeynut squash, clementines or tangerines, small crab- or Pink Lady apples — and leave the stems attached to boost the visual interest.

Use Your Own Glassware to Display Them

There’s no need to build a big collection of vases, because everyday water and juice glasses, and repurposed containers like jars and even medium-sized coffee tins, are perfect for creating your own arrangements. The thinking here is that shorter glasses, cups, and vases keep the arrangement below eye level. For table arrangements, Blake thinks of vases in three sizes, and as they get bigger, you can increase the stem length (as well as the number of flowers):

• Small: This is the size of a juice glass, or a can of tomato paste. Use it for a few smaller garden roses, flowering herbs or lavender, or a small handful of tulips cut short enough that they shoot upward.

• Medium: This is about the size of a water glass or a soup or soda can, and it’s great for larger roses with some of their leaves still attached, or irises, daffodils, anemones, and ranunculus.

• Large: This is a wide-but-not-too-tall container or vase, roughly the size of a 28-ounce can of tomatoes, and perfect for three to five stems of hydrangea (“one of the easiest flowers to arrange”), as well as lilies, flowering foliage, and geranium.

Photo by Cara Howe for Snacks for Dinner

Opt for Organic Arrangements

First things first, cut flowers with caution. It’s like salting food: you can always trim more, but once you’ve made a cut, you can’t trim less. And then as you add flowers to a vase, begin by aiming to create an organic-feeling arrangement. “Try and go a little wild with the composition,” Blake says, because organic movement always feels natural and looks arresting. And for “filler,” use smaller baby (“spray”) roses, geranium leaves, or mint or other leafy herbs.

Food Takes Precedence

Extra-fragrant flowers like lilies or hyacinth should be positioned a safe distance from the table so as to not interfere with food. At the table, Blake prefers shorter arrangements because they stay below eye level—his rule of thumb is “flowers low, candles high.” If you’ve got tall arrangements, place them at one end of the table rather than in the center.

Food Is a Decoration, Too

“Butter, olive oil, little bowls and glass jars of condiments, water in glass bottles or carafes, and wine all mix with the more literal and sometimes functional table decorations,” he says. To that end, the shapes and contrasts of your crudités, rustic crackers, bread, and spiced nuts and snack mixes can certainly be thought of as decoration, particularly when they can be set out on the table early on, before it’s time to sit down to eat.

And a Quick Lighting Tip

At the table, Blake is always thinking about how he can uplift and amplify the texture and warmth of candlelight. This means avoiding cool lighting altogether, such as that created by fluorescent or many LED lights that give off a bright white or bluish hue (check the labels on your lightbulbs to know for sure). Then create patches of gentle warmth around the surrounding tables and corners of the room with lamps, and utilize a dimmer switch on any overhead lighting that might be needed. “The warmer the better,” he says. The reason why candles and low, warm light are both so common at restaurants is because the light feels flattering and comforting.

—Reprinted from Snacks for Dinner by Lukas Volger, published by HarperWave, Copyright 2022

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Lastly, I hope everyone is keeping the victims of the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs — plus their friends, families, and the broader community — in mind. It rattles and infuriates me how such senseless tragedies continue to happen, especially when they happen right inside the few sanctuary spots where LGBTQ people can go to feel free, welcome, and safe. I made a donation to Inside Out Youth Services, a locally based nonprofit organization that works with youth to build community and create safe spaces, which I encourage you to check out.