Flying home for the holidays isn’t always feasible but it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the food feast. Last year, Steve and I weren’t able to make it home for Thanksgiving and decided to cook a traditional Thanksgiving feast for just the two of us! It was our first married Thanksgiving and neither of us had made Thanksgiving food before so we knew it would be a fun challenge.
From grocery shopping to prepping our meals, we had a great time through it all. Our families were missed but it was great to experience cooking the feast as our first married Thanksgiving together.
Our menu for two included;
- turkey
- mashed potatoes
- stuffing
- gravy
- cranberry sauce
- green beans
- apple pie
We searched online for recipes and did not cut any of those in half to make the amount smaller. The smallest turkey we could find was 13 lbs and we had no idea what we were getting into!
On Thanksgiving day, we started prepping the Turkey around 10am. From there, we made an apple pie from scratch, picked up some cut up bread and made the rest of the stuffing with stock and vegetables. The gravy was made with the leftover Turkey juice while we sautéed some green beans. The mashed potatoes were made by boiling the potatoes but we did buy the cranberry sauce in a jar from Trader Joes.
Our apartment is on the smaller scale at 700 sq ft and we don’t have a dining table – just a counter top with high chairs. For those who also have a small place and might only have a countertop to eat at, here are some things we did to make it have more of a proper table feel.
Thanksgiving Dinner Without a Dining Table
- Lay a white tablecloth over the counter – I folded mine in half due to the size
- Choose fall colored place mats and napkins
- Learn how to fold cloth napkins
- Use a napkin ring – our friends got married earlier in the year and I loved the name tags at our tables so I took them home!
- Set out a full set of utensils (even if you only plan on using a fork)
- Put the turkey on a plate – even if you don’t line the plate with greens for extra decor, moving the turkey onto a plate will make it seem more presentable
- Set out a table runner – in my case, I lined some eucalyptus down the “center” of the counter
- Use floral decor – Have a bouquet around with eucalyptus or some greens? Throw it on the napkin ring or even around your pie
- Cake stand – I have a wooden cake stand but put the pie on it to make it stand out from the food.
- Stack plates – even if you only use intend on using one plate, the imagery of 2 plates with your napkin on top will make the table seem full.
No matter where or how the feast is held or who you’re with, hope everyone enjoys their time!
-Michelle