5 Tips for Hosting the Holidays + Thanksgiving Day Cocktail

I'm both relieved and sad that I'm not hosting Thankshiving this year. If my memory serves me right, I've hosted the last three years. This year, however, I just can't. Between being a homeowner and having random shit malfunction around the house and having traveled SO much the last month, hosting just seemed like biting off more than I can chew. So, this year will just be us. Hubby, and Lennox and I. And hoping for a close couple friend of ours to join us as well. 

Although we aren't hosting an extravagant dinner this go around, there are still some basic rules to keep in mind if it's your year to set the table. 

1. Plan your menu in advance

Nothing will keep you more organized and focused. If you're anything like me, you might be tempted to make evetything on Pinterest. Don't do it. Select an appropriate amount of dishes and commit to them. 

2.  Don't be afraid to go non-traditional 

Listen, turkey sucks. Like idk whose idea it was to make this dry ass bird an annual Thanksgiving tradition, but they wouldn't be invited to any party of mine (sorry if you like turkey). If it's not a State Fair-esque turkey leg on the menu, I'm likely not interested. That said, it isn't uncommon for me to stray from tradition and serve something unconventional. Most of the time, I'll still have turkey as an option for those stuck in their bubble, but this year, I'm planning dirty rice stuffed Cornish hens... because I have no desire to have 18lbs of leftover turkey. 

3. Don't do it alone 

Enlist help. I'm really bad at this because I love things to be a certain way. But listen when I say... ENLIST HELP. Every year, my husband "helps" by walking into the kitchen and asks when the food will be done. My dad is my kitchen co-pilot. And my mom is the on-the-spot dish washer which is the most underrated job of all. I couldn't do it without them. 

4. Have takeout containers  

Unless you live with a bunch of human garbage disposals, you might have quite a bit of leftovers. To avoid eating dry turkey for a week that feels like the rest of your life, encourage your guests to take to-go plates. If you grew up in a black household, that likely reads paper plate covered in foil. But this is the Faux Fancy and we aren't sending guests away with a roll of foil and hefty plates. Get a bunch of styrofoam to go boxes from your local grocer and make transporting leftovers easy.  

5. Don't forget the cocktails 

You might need them throughout the preparing, but you definitely need them for dinner. Decide on a signature cocktail, but also have a mini bar as backup. 

On that note, I have a yummy cocktail recipe for you to incorporate into your turkey day! 

I don't have a name, but it's devine and husband-approved. 

Ingredients  

• 2 parts bourbon  
• 2 parts sweet vermouth  
• 1 sugar cube  
• Squeeze of grapefruit juice  
• Splash of grenadine  
• Maraschino cherry for garnish  

Pour sweet vermouth into glass with sugar cube and muddle. In a cocktail shaker, add bourbon, grenadine and ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into glass and add ice. Garnish with maraschino cherry. Enjoy. 

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! You have so much to be thankful for. Never forget it.  

xo,

Aquia

Cocktail Party featuring OTR: On The Rocks Cocktails

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me profess my love for a new Dallas-based cocktail company called OTR (On the Rocks). I first got wind of them on Instagram and saw they were doing a tasting at my local Spec's, so I told my husband to come with me and ask questions later. We sampled about 4-5 of their flavors and bought at least 1-2 each. Yes, they were that good. 

What is OTR, you ask? OTR Cocktails are premium, craft bottled cocktails that you simply pour and enjoy. They use quality ingredients (and little sugar) to bring pre-made favorites like an old fashioned or a cosmo to life with no effort on your part. 

I am a sucker for a craft cocktail so I literally jumped at the opportunity to work with them. OTR truly makes hosting so much easier. I've had my fair share of mixology parties and craft cocktail nights, but I end up bartending thus missing out on the libations (don't get me wrong, I love to make cocktails too). When I decided to have a small cocktail party for my favorite Dallas bloggers, I knew it wouldn't require more than prepping garnishes for our readymade cocktails. 

We tried (and failed) to sample each of the flavors, but one or two samples in, a few of us started to realize early on that they are not for the faint at heart...or liver. My personal favorite is The Aviation which is a blend of gin, lemon, violet and a touch of cherry (I typically stay 50 feet away from gin). We also cracked open the Old Fashioned, the Cosmo and the Jalapeño-Pineapple Margarita. I had jalapeños to garnish the margaritas, cherries and orange wheels to garnish the old fashioneds and lemon peels for the aviation. The garnishes are the fun part. It's what makes the drinks pretty. And pretty matters. :)

Check out the pics from our fun, intimate cocktail party below. And if you haven't already, check out my blogger babes Marrica of Flaunt Your Fro, Melody of Blingaholoic88, Eryn of Style Sew Me, Tanika of Alwayz Fashionably Late, and Chaunie of Southern Fashion Doll. More awesomeness to come with these ladies that I can hardly wait to share!

Shop my barware directly from this post!

OTR is on the move...fast. Check out their website and social media to find out where you can purchase near you!

xo, 

Aquia

 Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by On The Rocks. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting sponsors who keep content fresh on thefauxfancy.com.

Happy Birthday Lenni!

Dear Lennox,

From the moment you picked me, I knew you were a little off...er..."unique." The rest of your litter-mates were either wrestling one another or taking what was probably their 10th nap of the morning. You, however, were trying to get chose. As I tried to get a good look at each of your siblings, they all remained attentive to their respective activities, while you walked around the pin following my every step. It was as if you knew exactly what was about to go down. I conceded, finally, and picked you up, and you tucked your little head into my arm as if to claim your stake. I put you down in an effort to not make an emotional decision. Puppy picking is serious business -- a job that shouldn't be taken lightly. I tried to analyze temperament, color, ear shape of all of the puppies; but you were persistent. At this point, if I didn't choose you, it would've been like not picking the kid in the wheelchair to be on my team during field day. But, I assure you, I've never for a second, regretted it being you. I often joke that we got "the defective one" - slow to catch onto new tricks, and not to mention you shed, which was NOT what we signed up for when we decided on an hyperallergenic  goldendoodle. But defective or not, I'd choose you. Every time. 

Thank you for reeling in my short fuse, and teaching me just how patient love really is.

Thank you for not being a shoe chewer. I would've hated to end up in jail.

Thank you for eating those 5 pairs of panties that one time and consequently obliterating your crate with a poop + vomit combo for the books. It proved to me that your dad really does love me and I'm not in this [literal] shit alone.

Also, thank you for getting queasy from said panties a few days later and sending me into a state of panic, thus causing me to bite the $150 emergency vet bullet. Only for them to tell me you were fine and send us on our way with a receipt and and anti-nausea meds you only needed once. It taught me that you're tough as nails and a nice lesson on emergency savings.

Thank you for shamelessly loving me more than your dad, because I couldn't deal with it the other way around.

Thank you for failing every single guard dog test and showing me that while you can't protect me from strange sounds or potential intruders, you can and will force all 50lbs of you into my lap and be scared with me.

But most of all, thank you for redefining love for me. True, selfless, unconditional, unrelenting love. I'm convinced God gave us dogs to be examples of love. To remind us that love, in its purest form is patient. It's kind. It keeps no record of wrongdoings. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I'm convinced God gave me you - and all of your uncanny quirkiness - to remind me of His love. And for that I am eternally grateful.

Happy 1st Birthday, bug. Sorry about the hat.

Xo,

Aquia

BLOOM, the picnic

A couple of months ago, during one of my regular Target visits, I walked past all of their super cute picnic baskets and picnic accessories and thought to myself, I want to host a picnic. I immediately took my thoughts to Pinterest and dug deep for "pretty picnic" inspiration. 

Soon after, I decided I wanted to make this a picnic that celebrated black women. Those who are close to me, those I'm not particularly close to, but who inspire me from afar. And with the recent tragedies that have plagued both my African American community and my Dallas community, the timing couldn't be more impeccable. I dubbed it BLOOM, the picnic. B.L.O.O.M = Black Looks Outstanding On Me. 

I spent a weekend day warehouse hopping in search of discarded wooden pallets and the plan was to create a long ground table, around which we would sit with blankets and throw pillows. The day of the picnic the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, I'd loaded all of the pallets into a rented truck and minutes before I planned to leave, the sky parted and a tsunami literally fell from the sky. This was really happening. To me. Of course. We tried to wait it out, but it didn't seem to be getting any better and the grass was inevitably soaked. So a plan B was put into motion. "You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." Touché, Outkast. Duly noted. 

Although I didn't lay not one pallet, and we were robbed of natural sunlight for my pre-planned pictures, I couldn't have been happier with the turn out. We moved the party indoors and had the best food, the best wine, and the best conversation. 

I made my first naked cake garnished with fresh flowers! I totally impressed myself. I'll likely share a tutorial in the future. the topper is also a DIY project. 

Eventually, and hopefully sometime this summer, I'll get to have my pretty picnic. With my pretty pallet project. But it'll definitely have big shoes to fill.  

Photography by the super talented (who I get to call my little sister), Nolita Nouveau.