The silver lining for us unfortunate New York City transplants with no family nearby, I suppose, is that we get to create our own quiet traditions!  With some modifications and a twist to the traditional meal, I hoped to recreate the warmth and festive feeling of this holiday.

Menu:

– Butternut Squash & White Bean Puree with Bacon Sage Croutons

– String Beans “a la Marc”

– Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts

– Roasted Figs with Home Made Honey Ice Cream

It’s hard to imagine that the star of a meal would be a side. But try out Big Girl Small Kitchen’s Butternut Squash & White Bean Puree with Bacon Sage Croutons and I think you’ll agree with me. A dish with such a nice sweet / savory combination and great crispiness to break up the puree, what’s not to like!

 

As another side, I wanted to make a lighter version of another Thanksgiving favorite, the String Bean Casserole.  I loved this String Beans a la Marc recipe from BGSK – the nice garlicy notes went very well with the bird of the evening.

And now, the Thanksgiving bird! I decided to pardon a turkey and make a zesty & refreshing Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts (at this point, I might as well rename my post, a Very BGSK Thanksgiving…!). 

To end the evening just right, we gave thanks to the wonderful fig & honey. I made some beautiful roasted figs which accompanied the nice vanilla bean in Maison du Miel’s Honey Ice Cream so well (especially with a hint of richness added by butter used for roasting the figs).

Menu / Floral Design:

Using rich burnt orange palette, I created a menu with paper punched fall leaves & a petite fall arrangement with Mini Calla Lillies, Roses, Waxberries (too cute, like mini lychees!).