A German Friendsgiving 2019 + A GIVEAWAY

Today is not just any Friendsgiving. Today is a German Friendsgiving and I have been giddy and excited to share it with you for quite some time.

This has been a special year and I am very thankful for so many beautiful moments, people and places. I decided to get to know my own country a little better and explored not only my own region but also went to places I have not been before.

That is why this year’s German Friendsgiving was inspired by that but also by the way the colors change here in the fall and teach us how beautiful change can be.

The Friendsgiving table

Setting a table to me is not just an act of designing. It is not just textures, colors, and materials. It is a soft reminder that God created us for community and therefore sharing life together. And life is beautiful. Yes, it is hard too but that is why we have community. That is why we share it. To me setting a table is creating an atmosphere.

This year I wanted it to be simple and cozy. I wanted it to feel like a walk in the fall when all the leaves have changed and show their most beautiful colors. I wanted to bring it back to simplicity and decided to just go to a local flower shop and pick out a few flowers and greens put them together like a bouquet you pick on the side of the road.

I ordered the table runner on Etsy and used my old candleholders that I still love so much with simple white candles.
I used my antique plates I got from my grandmother many years ago and matched them with plates I have been collecting at the pottery market for years. The glasses are also from an antique store and make the most beautiful sound when you clink them.
All this to say use what you have and do not think you have to have „the perfect table“. Simply be intentional with what you already have in your home. And usually less is better.

• 

• 

The Food

Last year was all about the Atlantic ocean but this year was earthy and warm and cozy which I wanted to reflect in the menu. Which is why I decided to cook a German inspired Friendsgiving menu. This menu even included what we Germans call „Griebenschmalz“ on bread. Now, „Griebenschmalz“ is lard with greaves and you spread it on bread and eat it. Trust me it is delicious.

The German Friendsgiving Menu

STARTERS
„Griebenschmalz“ on Farmers bread
FALL IN A BOWL
Roasted butternut squash and apple brandy soup
SOMETHING GREEN
A simple garden salad with and apple cider dressing (recipe coming soon)
THE ROAST
Maple and hazelnut encrusted pork roast
Mushrooms and chestnuts with za ’atar
(from the Ottolenghi „Simple“ cookbook)
CAKE
Spicy chocolate cake with mascarpone cream and berry confit (from a cooking workshop I attended recently)

• 

• 

The Community

This has been such a special Friendsgiving. We just took the whole afternoon to relax, to eat, to talk and to be thankful. All the while, the sun was setting and the light in my apartment changed. It was beautiful and it was how it should be. Friends feasting around the table encouraging one another, laughing together, letting time pass and being in the moment, being thankful for the season we are in and excited about what is ahead.

I just want to encourage you again to invite some friends. Share a round of thankfulness accompanied by food, good music and being in the moment; no phones allowed.