Barefoot Contessa's Holiday Table Tips

It’s Thanksgiving I’ve already got too much to do. I love to have three table settings in my back pocket that I could pull together in no time with the ingredients from the grocery store. So if I go to the store and I think Thanksgiving orange tulips this is what I do. First check out the table with the waterproof runner to protect the table and then I put a table cloth over it, this one is modern damask which is a subtle mix of topes. It's a great neutral back drop. And then white plates, I'm using square ones which are also a little modern just plain silver cutlery, simple wine glasses and to compliment the orange flowers, orange napkins folded really simply.

The flowers themselves they go down the middle of the table just in drinking glasses. And was to them an odd numbers so for this one three but if you have a long table maybe five. And then plates of little orange crème tons in between the flowers and boat of candles scattered right down at the middle of the table, they really add sparkle. And the final touch is choosing these charming pumpkin cookies for my friend Eli as name cards. That looks like where I'm going to be sitting.

It’s simple, it's stylish and I think the orange always look so festive. Pumpkins, hello Thanksgiving pumpkins, it could be a great basis for table setting. So I like to mix them, I like the little ones and the littler ones. Oh, those are going to fantastic together. This table setting starts at the plain like cloth it makes such a great backdrop. An elegant gray plate just adds a little sparkle. Simple cutlery, plain but elegant glasses, really this is the table setting where less is more.

Put a nice gray check napkin to compliment the plates. Now, down at the center of the tables motives with candles and never use scented candles that compete with the flavor of the food and the over power of the aroma’s. And the thing that really makes this look like thanks giving is pumpkins right down at the middle in all different sizes. Then because it’s fun and everybody loves them at Thanksgiving, silver bowls of candy corn.

When you see this table setting you really know its Thanksgiving. And this is the easiest table setting of all, it’s going to give delicious things to serve with coffee and do them right down at the middle of the table. And I love this they're chocolate covered caramels with sea salt from France I'm going to get two boxes. This setting doesn’t even have a claw, I just use runners but in the usual way down at the middle of the table I put them across and then keeping it simple white plates, napkins to match the runners, simple cutlery, my everyday glasses and some little boated candles right down at the center just to add that sparkle.

So the interesting thing here is that the decoration is the dessert. So on beautiful pedestals and footed plates, I arranged beautiful red sickle pears from Clementine’s, bunches of grapes cascading over cake stands and some delicious chocolate salted caramels. It’s enough to make you want to skip the main course and they all came from the grocery store. So there it is I’ve got three easy Thanksgiving table settings and I get them at the grocery store, I’ve got Thanksgiving covered and I haven’t broken a sweat.