Produce Centerpieces

I hosted thanksgiving for the first time this year.  It was really fun.  I got to invite one of my best friends and her husband and they hung out with my family.  Overall, it was a a very successful holiday.

One thing I love about throwing a party is that I get to decorate the house.  So, for Thanksgiving I used fresh produce as the inspiration for the centerpieces and then made a little crafty project for the "Thanks" part of Thanksgiving.

I made these candle holders out of rutabagas and large apples.  Because it was thanksgiving I made them a couple of days in advance and they held up really well in my spare refrigerator in the basement.  Even the apples did not brown noticably.  If you want to be extra sure they don't brown you can always cover the exposed flesh of the apples with a little lemon juice.

The first thing you must do is gather your supplies.  In my case it was apples, rutabagas, votive candles, a large knife, a small pumpkin carving knife (left over from Halloween), and a melon baller.

I used the size of the votive candle as the template for the initial cut with the pumpkin knife.

I then carved out the hole with the melon baller.

You have to really work hard to get the core of the apple out (and I never knew this but rutabagas are hard), but it can be done.

After carving out the whole apple so that the candle fits inside I just stuck the candle in it and put it away for the day of.  Really it was quite simple.

What I love is how beautiful it came out in the end.

Be sure to check back in a day or two for the post on how to put a little "Thanks" in Thanksgiving.

So what did you do for thanksgiving centerpieces, or do you let the food do the talking?

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