How To Make a Festive Feast For Two with Home Center Stores.

I decided to put together this post on how to make a festive feast for two in collaboration with Home Center Stores, because it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

There are so many things about December that make it so truly wonderful. It officially marks the end of the summer and the beginning of winter, and because it’s the end of the year, there is this underlying excitement of a new start being just around the corner. Even when it has been a good year, you’re still looking forward to what the next year beholds.

Even though I don’t celebrate Christmas, December has come to be my favorite time of year. I love the festive colors, flavors and feels. The warmth of the red, green and gold, the smell of pine leaves, the wrapped presents all around, the joy and cheer in every mall, and most of all, the festive menus make it the season to be jolly indeed…fa la la la lala.

What does one do, when one is the complete opposite of the grinch, and wants to go all out but has to spend the festive season without family, doesn’t have the time to plan and host a big party, and/or doesn’t have enough friends in town to invite over/visit, or -like me- simply just wants to keep things sweet and simple and spend the holidays only with their significant other? The answer is quite simple: one cooks up a festive feast for two, and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to making the table look as festive as possible!

For starters, I ordered a brand new dining table for Home Center Stores because (a) they had a sale on, so it was super reasonable, and (b) I hated my old dining table. I got my table within 4 days of placing my order and the delivery guys assembled it (along with the chairs) in 15 minutes flat.

Next, I got a whole bunch of festive decorations, and even a set of beautiful white plates with green and gold borders, which were perfectly festive but also elegant enough to use throughout the rest of the year. The great thing about Home Center Stores is that they’re so reasonable, so it really doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket or give me an ulcer to treat myself to new props and plates from there whenever I please.

Finally, the feast. This one is really for those of you who love to cook but are also always strapped for time. I ordered all the groceries online. The best part is that to make things even easier and to avoid leftovers, I decided to roast a chicken instead of a turkey, and for quicker and more even cooking, I spatchcocked it! Yes, I am the queen of shortcuts, when I want to be. Because the flavors of chicken are turkey are quite similar, one can easily be swapped for the other. The only main difference between the two (in my opinion), is that a turkey has far less body fat and is hence easier to dry out, which makes cooking chicken sound even more favorable!

To complement our roast chicken, I like to serve equally festive and comforting sides, such as rosemary roasted baby potatoes, balsamic-glazed heirloom carrots, sweet potato medallions, and a Brussel sprouts and pomegranate salad. The reason I turn the Brussel sprouts into a salad, is because it allows me to make that one dish ahead of time and not have to worry about absolutely everything needing to be fresh out of the oven all at the same time.