#festive table

This merry and bright Winter Sour is a seasonal take on the classic Gin Sour, beautifully evocative with its suave pine flavour and delightful bergamot scent. It is a delectable cocktail to sip with choice hors d'oeuvres to celebrate the Holidays! Happy Christmas, friends!

Ingredients (serves 1):

60 millilitres/2 fluid ounces (4 tablespoons) good London Dry Gin

½ ripe bergamot

1 egg white

1 ½ tablespoon Pine Needle Syrup 

8 ice cubes

Angostura bitters

Pour Gin in a shaker. Thoroughly squeeze the juice of the bergamot, and add to the shaker as well, along with egg white and Pine Needle Syrup. Close tightly, and dry shake (without the ice), about 30 seconds.

Add ice cubes to the shaker, and shake energetically until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass, and add a few dashes Angostura bitters.

Since Thanksgiving was a while ago, yet it is not a holiday for everyone, we decided to hold a festive table where everyone could submit a Jojo inspired food!

All the artists are mentioned under the cut~

When Euro Ceramics contacted me and asked me to do work with them on a blog post, I jumped at the chance because it was something different and it sounded fun to style a table around their beautiful dinnerware and glasses!

My friend Kim, who lives close by, has an outdoor space with the most fabulous table and I knew it would be the perfect setting for a unique and festive Thanksgiving table scape. Kim is an amazing stylist and always has great ideas and so many fabulous accessories and she agreed to help me with creating this fun table.

We used beautiful fabric for the table runner and added velvet pumpkins from her collection as well as some white candlesticks. The blues in the velvet pumpkins blended perfectly with the dishes and I absolutely love how it turned out! I think setting a pretty table makes the occasion even more special.

Even though we used a Thanksgiving theme for this table, these dishes from Euro Ceramics would be amazing for other times of the year and events. They would lend themselves to a festive summer them and would be perfect for Taco Tuesday! Just change up the napkins and add flowers instead of pumpkins and you have a totally different look! I absolutely love how colorful these dishes are…the possibilities are endless!

Euro Ceramics makes many other dinnerware patterns as well as glasses. They are all dishwasher and microwave safe and very reasonably priced. I’ve included some of my favorites patterns as well as some gorgeous velvet pumpkins in the boutique below. I think a set of dinnerware would be a great gift idea…so be sure to check it out!

The Ordeal of Relaxation

After my difficult journey over mountains and through the darkest, cruellest forest, I couldn’t quite believe that the sight before me was real. How could everything suddenly be bathed in sunlight? How could those beautiful pink and white flowers effuse so sweet a scent? And most importantly, how was it possible for a luxurious table filled with the finest foods to be waiting here? There weren’t even any guests—it had to be a test.

“Please, sit down and enjoy your meal,” a voice said, and as I turned around, I realised it belonged to the large, red cat who was looking up at me with a friendly expression.

“Just like that?” I asked. “There won’t be any punishment for eating what I did not pay for, no quest to settle my debt?”

“You’re only just returning from an arduous adventure; I’d say you’ve earned a peaceful rest and some delectable treats.”

It was still hard to believe, but I wasn’t going to argue against the fulfilment of my greatest wish.

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