Oh my GOD that was a fun Thanksgiving. Technically a "friendsgiving," I suppose, although Pinterest has made me so tired of that word that I cringe even writing it. We couldn't go to Ohio or New York for a variety of reasons, so a few of our East Coast-transplant friends decided to drive up for LA for a full weekend of celebrating. (They only stayed through Friday, but then the whole group of us ended up driving back down to Southern California to celebrate Thanksgiving Take 2 with my parents, who were stopping through on their way back to New York, so we kept the party going. Right now I'm sitting at the kitchen table in my dad's apartment in Pasadena while my kids eat Einstein's bagels on the couch. It's nice.)

The thing about this particular group of friends - Kendrick, myself, Paige, Francesca, and Francesca's brother Mookie - is that we've all known each other for so long that there is virtually nothing that any of us could do that would come as a shock to the others. We've seen each other through some of our very hardest (and wildest) years, so I could probably wander through the house naked wearing a frog on my head, and no one would think that was especially out of character (it wouldn't be, except I'd much prefer, say, a kitten to a frog if we're talking animals being worn on one's head).

So, for example, when Francesca decided that we needed to have a 1970s Keith Richards-esque dress code for the day (mostly because she had just bought sparkly silver bellbottoms and wanted an excuse to wear them)? We were all on board that boat in about two seconds flat. Full-on dance party to Bohemian Rhapsody? You better believe it. And when, for no apparent reason at all, I decided that doing the limbo sounded like a good idea and came out holding the long stick that has inexplicably been sitting in the corner of our garage ever since we moved in, just waiting for a perfect Limbo Moment?

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we're hosting a whole bunch of friends for a whole bunch of meals, which takes a little forethought. I don't want to be standing in front of a stove making heavy meal after heavy meal, so what I decided to do for tonight's dinner was pull a little inspiration from the warmer months. You know how during the summer it’s so easy to feed guests, because you can just whip up a bunch of salads, throw them in bowls on a buffet table, and call it a day? I did sort of a wintry twist on that idea, with heartier versions of the pasta salads and potato salads I like to make when it’s hot out.

For décor, I think a retro vibe is always fun when you’re hosting friends – and is a nice alternative to the fussier setups we so often see during the holiday season. I’ve always been a big antique/flea market/thrift shop comber, and one of the things I always keep my eye out for are serving bowls from the ‘50s. My grandmother had a bunch of the Pyrex ones – I’m sure yours did, too – and I love them; the retro flowers, the faded pastel colors, the mod stripes and spots, all of it. I have this picture in my head of my kids, years from now, “borrowing” (a.k.a. “taking and never returning”) my serving bowls to use in their own homes because they remind them of their childhood.

Here’s a little surprise, though: the bowls you see here aren’t actually antiques at all; they’re brand-new pieces created by Vintage Charm™ Inspired by Pyrex® to evoke the old Pyrex opal glass bowls from the ‘50s and ‘60s. I seriously cannot believe the degree to which they got the look of these things right, down to the colors and patterns and even the weight. (And FYI, if you’re looking for a fun gift, the sets of three also come in the cutest little hatbox-inspired containers.)

Summer entertaining is all about keeping things simple - plastic utensils, easy recipes on the grill, et cetera - but once the weather cools down and the party moves inside, more focus gets placed on the food, the décor and all those small-but-significant details you add to make your guests feel special. But that doesn’t mean you have to get all fussy. (I can’t do fussy.)

So I thought I’d show you some pictures I took of the setup for an intimate dinner I held for a few friends. The party wasn’t for any especially good reason – just that I wanted to give them an evening of good food and good drinks. But I also wanted actually spend time with my guests and not messing around with a stove, so I made sure that everything I set out was not only one of my all-time go-to (meaning unscrewupable) recipes, but also something I could make well in advance.