{Friendsgiving 2017} Food and Fun with Friends

*This post was created in collaboration with Honey Baked Ham, but all opinions and the excuse to use my fancy silverware is all my own. Thank you for supporting Southern State of Mind sponsors!* #honeybakedpartner #ad

Today I am sharing a look at a “Friendsgiving” dinner we hosted over the weekend. Last weekend really kicked off our holiday festivities and it seems that it won’t be slowing down until January. ‘Tis the season! 🙂

This past weekend, we invited some friends over to gather around the table for a casual family style dinner with the kids. This really is such a fun time during the holidays to just be thankful for great friends and family, good food and wine and all of the blessings in our life. 

I had fun setting the table and preparing a meal and we even managed to play a fun kid-friendly game together. Since I won’t be hosting an official Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year, I really enjoyed being able to host a more low-key “Friendsgiving” instead. 

| SIGNATURE COCKTAIL | 

We started the evening with a fun cocktail perfect for fall! It was easy to put together with only two ingredients. I used an apple slice as a garnish and served in our copper mugs.  

Recipe: 1 part Salted Caramel Vodka, 2 parts Apple Cider 

| TABLE SETTING | 

For the tablescape I had fun using metallics with green and navy.  I shared my vision for the formal dining room last week, so someday soon we will be eating in there. But for this, we kept it casual in our kitchen dining table with the kids at the kitchen island.

 

| MENU | 

• Honey Baked Ham
• Honey Baked Turkey
• Spinach Salad
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We kept the menu easy! When I say simple, I mean SIMPLE. We decided to do a true Thanksgiving type meal and served Honey Baked Sliced Ham and Honey Baked Roasted Sliced Turkey Breast. I love that the food was ready to serve so I could focus on conversations without stress! All I added was a fresh spinach salad with goat cheese and sliced strawberries along with roasted sweet potatoes. 

The Honey Baked Ham was a hit and it really helped make the prep easy and allowed me to enjoy the night. I don’t know if that was the best part though…because can we just say leftovers?!?  

Plus, doesn’t it look so pretty on the table? 

| DESSERT | 

We ended our meal on a sweet note with a Honey Baked Ham Carrot Cake. This is great because you can buy ahead and keep in the freezer to pull out the day of your gathering. Carrot Cake is my all time favorite dessert so I was thrilled to be able to pick this up with one stop over at Honey Baked Ham when I picked up the Ham and Turkey. 

Plus, it looks so pretty sitting on the table! 

 

 

|  WHAT I WORE  | 

A few weeks ago I shared my tips for getting ready for the holidays and one big thing was having outfits picked out before hosting. I am loving this dark green cardigan right now and it was perfect paired with my stretchy winter white cords. 

Corduroy Pants  |  Green Cardigan   |   Black  Cami Top    |  Camel Wedge   |  Green Earrings  |  Leopard Clutch

| ENTERTAINMENT | 

You can definitely add this to the category under fun for kids of all ages. I was sure to grab a thing of whipped cream at the market with the hopes that we would pull it out with the kids. If you haven’t played Pie Face yet and you have kids under the age of 7 (or grown ups that are kids at heart) I highly recommend this for a fun family gathering. Be prepared for a mess but lots of laughs. 

I am thrilled to have officially kicked off the holiday season with a Friendsgiving. Let the holidays begin! 

xoxo-

Heather