Entertaining

a big sur thanksgiving

November 18, 2018
edb designs Big Sur house

In years past Thanksgiving has been a large family affair, often gathered at an old inn or cozy restaurant.  This year it will be just four of us…and I’m cooking!  The tricky part will be gathering all of the ingredients for a simple turkey dinner with all the fixings in Big Sur.  It will also be our first Thanksgiving in our Big Sur home and we can’t wait! 

Dinner will be held without fancy China or pretty linens…a pared down, simple table. I’m going to make due with what we have at the house because there just isn’t room for a lot of stuff

edb designs Big Sur home
Plain white dishes, everyday glasses, and some pumpkins and pinecones make for a casual Thanksgiving table.

I brought a lot of the food up ahead of time and I’ll soon take a trip in to town (45 minutes up the road) to gather last minute items and anything I may have forgotten. I’m planning on making pumpkin bread, apple crisp, and with the weather finally cooling off, our holiday favorite hot wassail.   And of course turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and some veggies. 

edb designs Big Sur home
There isn’t a lot of prep room in the kitchen, so I try to make a lot of things ahead of time. There also is no dishwasher and the tiniest kitchen sink you’ve ever seen! Clean up should be interesting…wait isn’t that what kids are for??

The bar is fully stocked. Some greens in a vintage French pitcher from Dreamy Whites and a hand blown glass tree from Simon Pearce lend the bar a festive touch.

edb designs Big Sur home
The bar is set and ready! Here’s a little tip: A bottle opener attached to the side of the bar means you never have to go rooting through a drawer to find it!

Before my husband, daughter, and her boyfriend arrive, I like to set the holiday mood.  I’m not one to put up the tree or wreaths until after Thanksgiving, but a few touches here and there help to get us in the spirit of things.

edb designs Big Sur home
A few simple holiday decorations help to set the mood…
edb designs Big Sur Home
You can be sure my Holiday Nest candle will be burning! Hands down my favorite holiday candle of all time.
edb designs Big Sur home
The gas stove will be on first thing in the morning and adds so much coziness…

It may not be fancy, but we will all be together in this beautiful part of California and that is something to be thankful for.  Wishing you and yours a happy and safe Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

edb designs Big Sur home

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  • Paige Thornton November 19, 2018 at 3:53 am

    Elizabeth, It sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving with family. An intimate celebration in your new~fabulous “Big Sur” home. I love…the simplicity! Sending…Thanksgiving Blessings! 🦃

    • Elizabeth Burns November 23, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      Aw, thank you so much Paige. My daughter and her boyfriend were to fly in Wednesday night and we were going to pick them up about an hour north of Big Sur in Monterey. The weather was fog, rain, and wind and I was a nervous wreck. After many delays, the decision was made that they would get a hotel in Monterey and we would pick them up in the morning…they didn’t get to the hotel until 2:00 am. The next morning we heard on the news that Highway 1 (the only route to get them) was closed due to a rockslide. I was envisioning a Thanksgiving without our daughter! Long story short, we decided to venture out to see what we could find out. Thank goodness we did because the road was closed because of the possibility of slides and we were able to get through. It was a stressful several hours but all ended well and we had a gorgeous Thanksgiving Day! So grateful!
      Hope yours was less stressful! 🙂