10 Ways to be a Great Thanksgiving Guest

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I love cooking with family all day in the kitchen, a table full of family and friends, and so many of my favorite foods in one meal (gravy! roasted green beans! stuffing!).

That being said, hosting Thanksgiving won't be in my future anytime soon, and I'm more than happy visiting family and pitching in with their traditions. Given that most of us will be traveling the country and being guests for the holiday, it's worth sharing some etiquette tips to keep in mind.

Here are my top 10 tips for being a great Thanksgiving guest...

1. Arrive relatively on-time.

No need to be perfectly on time. A spare 5-15 minutes can be a blessing for the host who is rushing to put on nice clothes after a long day of cooking. Any longer than 15 minutes though and you're officially late. 

2. Dress for the occasion.

It's a holiday...dress like it! Jerseys are great pre-dinner, but make sure you bring a blazer and button-down shirt to change into. 

3. Never show up empty-handed.

Even if your host tells you to just bring yourself, you should bring a lovely gift for your host/hostess. I love the idea of bringing a great homemade pancake mix or muffins for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast, but a lovely olive oil or vinegar is a welcome treat as well.

4. Do not take oven real estate.

The oven is a precious resource on Thanksgiving, and your host has likely planned out each oven time for each and every item. This means you showing up with a carrot dish that needs "just 15 just as delicious at room temperature.

5. No phones during dinner.

Before and after the meal, feel free to Snapchat and Instagram away. As soon as you sit down to dinner, your phone should be turned off and away!

6. Offer to help the host.

Ask the host if you can stop by early to help set the table or chop vegetables. Sign up for dish washing after dinner! Any extra steps you take show the hostess you appreciate all of her work.

7. Ask before you buy wine.

A great host will tell you what type of wine to bring, so that your job is easier and so that the wine goes with the food. If your host doesn't specify, ask what type of wine they want to serve at dinner.

8. Inform your host of any dietary restrictions.

As a guest, it is your responsibility to let the host know if you have any dietary restrictions. Z and I always try to give friends plenty of heads-up about our no pork/shellfish rule. You should let the host know as soon as possible, ideally when you accept the invite. 

9. Behave at the table.

I'm not against talking about politics or religion at the table, but as a guest, you should be on best behavior and not engage in any heated discussions.

10. Send an immediate thank you; follow up with a handwritten note.

A quick thank you text the night of will let the host know you had a great time. A handwritten thank you note the following week is still the best gesture of appreciation. 

Watermelon Granita

Happy almost 4th of July! With barbecues and sunshine just around the corner, it's only fitting to offer you a recipe today that is perfect for the 4th of July holiday weekend.

This recipe is actually inspired by a trip to Italy a few years back. In Rome, I fell in love with espresso granita, a slightly sweetened frozen espresso slushy. It was the perfect way to get my caffeine fix for the day while staying cool.

Granitas have a great icy texture, and for Independence Day weekend, a fruit filled treat that you can eat by the pool sounds lovely. I made this version with watermelon and mint, riffing off of last week's salad. 

I love love love the color here--it's a bright pink color that screams summer get-togethers and events. 

There are lots of other things to love about this dish: it's dairy free and gluten free, low in calories, plus, you can make the granita up to 3 days ahead of time! 

Watermelon and Mint Granita

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

9 cups seeded, cubed watermelon

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup mint, finely chopped

1/3 cup sugar

Working in two batches, puree the watermelon in a food process or blender. Strain the pureed watermelon into a bowl, making sure to get all the liquid out. Stir in the lime juice, mint, and sugar. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. 

Place mixture in the freezer. Every 30 minutes for about 2.5 hours, use a fork to break up the ice crystals and scrape the mixture until it has a coarse texture. Scrape one last time before serving, and spoon into bowls.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate Affogato

I really hope you are not already sick of holiday recipes, because this recipe is truly great. Even if you have already had your fair share of peppermint bark or peppermint mochas, you just need to make space for one more chocolate and peppermint treat. Fair warning though, once you try this hot meets cold peppermint affogato, you will probably want it every night for dessert.

Things I think to myself at the grocery store: When does a favoritism towards peppermint ice cream turn into an outright obsession? When I buy if four weeks in a row, five weeks in a row...when I worry that McConnell's will stop making it post-holidays, so I buy three tubs at the grocery store? And what type of person becomes obsessed with peppermint ice cream?

Please note you might start to think these things as well if you try this recipe.

I'm particularly partial to McConnell's peppermint ice cream. It's refreshing, without being too herbal like some mint ice creams. Plus, it has a nice pink color that I find festive. Z is now addicted too.

This hot chocolate is a mix between American-style and French. I use both cocoa powder (Dutch processed cocoa will give you more flavor) and chopped up semi-sweet chocolate. The better the chocolate, the better the hot cocoa. And don't skimp on milk. Use at least 2%, but full-fat is best. It's the holidays!

Peppermint and Hot Chocolate Affogato

Serves 6

3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa

2 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons super fine sugar (feel free to add more if it's not sweet enough for you)

2 cups milk

Pinch of flaky sea salt

1 pint McConnell's Peppermint Stick ice cream

In a pot over medium-low heat, combine the cocoa, chocolate, sugar, and 1/2 cup of milk. Stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Add more milk, and then heat until hot and chocolate melts, stirring frequently using a whisk. Do not let it boil! Add in the pinch of sea salt.

Meanwhile, place one scoop of ice cream in a small bowl or ramekin. Repeat with 5 other bowls. 

When hot chocolate is ready, ladle hot chocolate over the ice cream (about 1/3 cup hot chocolate). Serve immediately. 

Holiday Gift Guide: Cookie Lover

For the cookie monster in your life, bring them delicious treats all year long with these great cookie-themed gifts!

1) Send them crazy cool ice cream sandwiches thanks to CoolHaus {link}

2) Holiday cookie plates the cookie monster who could use a break from baking {link}

3) I'm obsessed with Milkbar cookies, and now you can make them at home too! {link}


4) Who wouldn't love a set of these adorable tea party inspired cookie cutters? {link}

5) The ultimate decorating tool for beautiful sugar cookies {link}

Molasses Spice Cookeis

Welcome to Day Two of Cookie Week here on Hilary Stone Soup! All week I am showcasing some of the best holiday cookie recipes around.

No holiday cookie collection is complete without a perfectly chewy molasses spice cookies. This recipe doesn't disappoint! It has a great chewy texture, and the warm spice combination tastes delicious. It's rare for me to make a cookie that comes out looking absolutely perfect, but these cookies always do! They are sure to impress anyone.

I personally love these cookies with vanilla ice cream. I love the idea of making homemade ice cream sandwiches with these spice cookies and some high-quality vanilla ice cream. Think of how much your office would love you if you bright these in to the holiday office party!

Molasses Spice Cookies

From Cook's Illustrated

Makes 22 cookies

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed 

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark molasses

Adjust oven rack to middle position, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup sugar for rolling in a cake pan.

Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium low and add egg yolk and vanilla, then beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds.

Add molasses, and again beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Reduce speed to lowest setting, add flour mixture, and beat just until incorporated. Give dough a final stir with spatula to make sure there are no flour pockets. 

Scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms to create a 1 1/2 inch ball. Drop ball into cake pan and roll in sugar. Set on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges begin to set. Cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone, about 11 minutes. 

Cool cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer cookies to wire rack. 

Enjoy!