Allstar Ashley Berger of Sweet Pea Lifestyle is a self-described magic maker, which certainly comes in handy this time of year. The consummate hostess doesn’t blink at throwing a holiday party for 150, stoking the conversation so it never falters (just ask about her Sip & Spill jars), or generously sharing her know-how with us mere mortals.
When Berger started Sweet Pea Lifestyle, she was home from college and cooking for her family in Asheville, North Carolina. Those close-knit meals quickly grew into Sunday Dinners that included her immediate family as well as her grandparents and anyone else who pulled up to the table. Soon Berger was fielding questions about how she made a dish or how she came up with a tablescape. She’s been collecting followers ever since.
Over the last year, Berger has cataloged her weight loss journey on GLP-1s, and, as such, her approach to the holidays has shifted a bit. Let her sage advice, threaded with true Southern hospitality, guide us all to a very merry but healthier festive season.
Tell us about some of your favorite holiday traditions.
We host a cocktail party every year. My parents and I have been doing it for 15 years. We invite our nearest and dearest, which is really about 150 people. It started when my brother was at college, and he wanted to see everyone and they wanted to see him. We’ve lived in the same house, in the same community for my whole life. It’s an open house the day after Christmas and people just stay. It’s so much fun that people plan their holidays around it. We do Jingle Juice, which is a really fun, citrus-forward cocktail. For the first time last year, we did it booze free. We offered the booze on the side (in a cute vintage tea pot) so it was DIY. We have a lot of people who are sober and we want to be welcoming of everyone.
It looks like you have an amazing collection of dishware, serving dishes, tea pots, etc. Do you like to mix and match patterns when entertaining? Where do you find all these treasures, do you thrift them or were they passed down?
It’s a combo of all those things—some things were thrifted—I love estate sales—and a lot were passed down. The majority of things were from my great-great aunts Elrich, Hulda, and Boogie. They were my darling grandmother Toni’s aunts and they loved to entertain.
I always say to mix-and-match and shop your home first. If you can make things work, great. Otherwise, buy something neutral that goes with every time of the year and then purchase things like on-theme, festive cocktail napkins. You don’t need a lot. I also love the conversation-starter aspect of the thrifted pieces and found treasures.
You’ve been open about your GLP-1 journey. What’s your best advice for staying healthy without sacrificing joy during the holidays?
My biggest tip is you can have a bite of that. You can have the whole cookie, you just don’t need the whole tray. Being on GLP-1s, you can’t eat that much; you have to make choices. Like on Christmas, we do a big brunch, and I know I’m going to have my grandma’s egg casserole and grits (December 25 is the only day we ever have that casserole). So I just take small amounts. Her casserole is from the School House Bed & Breakfast in Rocheport, Missouri, and she loved it so much she wrote it on the back of the brochure.
Does entertaining look different now that you’re focusing more on health? How so?
We always have a huge spread on my parents’ table. It’s a big rectangle—I’m the 5th generation to sit around that table—and we fill it up. Last year was my first year on GLP-1s, and I did a protein tower with chicken and shrimp. It was on a three-tiered tea tray and so festive. I grilled up chicken, then I cut it into cubes. I purchased cocktail shrimp from The Fresh Market and it was tail-free, so no one was trying to find a place for their shrimp tail mid-conversation. Whenever I host, there’s always a veggie and fruit tray so that there’s something for everyone. I also make little dips, like ranch, chimichurri, and hummus, too.
The holidays can be stressful, especially with packed schedules and family gatherings. Any tips on how to keep a level head when hosting?
I’ve realized that you get to say no. If there’s something you’re doing just because you’ve been doing it that way forever, ask yourself if you have the capacity to do it and if you want to do it. You get to decide, you get to be the change. As someone who is single and doesn’t have kids, the holidays feel a little different. I think being cozy at home, spending the day really simply is wonderful. I do make things ahead, like the sides. We usually do the same turkey dinner on Thanksgiving and on Christmas. I make all my side dishes two weeks before Thanksgiving and I double them (for Christmas) and freeze them.
How has your definition of “being healthy” evolved?
I reach more for protein and vegetables first rather than indulging. If I’m going to a cookie exchange, I make sure to eat on the way over (I’m a big fan of a traveling chicken cutlet). Last holiday season, I didn’t feel like I had to make all the things that we normally have. I did an English roast dinner, which is different from mashed potatoes and big sides. You’re having peas, carrots, you’re roasting potatoes. These aren’t cream-of-soup casseroles that sit really heavy on your belly. It was fun and exciting.
Is there something you always have at the ready in case someone stops by?
I always have pimento cheese and a homemade ranch dressing, which is typically mayo, sour cream, chive-and-onion cream cheese, and a packet of ranch seasoning. But instead of the sour cream, I whirl up cottage cheese so it’s protein-packed. I always have cut-up vegetables, so if someone stops by, I just create a quick plate. It’s also a two-fer recipe because you can save half and add milk and it becomes a dressing.
You are a list maker. How does this make entertaining, especially during the holidays, easier?
It makes it so much easier. I use what I call a “game plan,” and everything is on one sheet of paper. I handwrite the game plan, and I draw where people will sit around the table. I know some people don’t like assigned seating or place cards, but I know if my mom and I sit next to each other, we’ll talk the whole time. Also, if you come to my house, you’re not allowed to sit next to your partner. Assigned seating makes it so people know where to sit. I’ve also started writing a little note inside for each person just because.
I just hosted my 20-year high school reunion, and I made a conversation starter called a Sip and Spill Jar. It’s a large mason jar filled with all kinds of questions. You pass it around the table; if you don’t want to answer it, you don’t have to. You can ask it and just pass it on. For each dinner party I host, I create a new set of questions. You’re never lacking for conversation, and it keeps people at the table longer.
Credit: Allrecipes / Andy Lyons
Which recipes are you excited to make this holiday season?
I really want to do the English roast again. I loved that. I’m also excited to change up my granola recipe and use more warm spices and gingerbread flavors. Last year I gifted all my friends what I call a Handmade Hamper. I make everything for the hamper: granola, Chex Mix, homemade vanilla, homemade hot honey, my spice blends, and sugar plum syrup for adding to bubbly or sparkling water. Last year I also made homemade firecrackers, but I left out the red pepper flakes so everyone can enjoy them. This year I’m also making beeswax candles. It was so cute all packaged up, and I thrifted the baskets.
This isn’t necessarily holiday-focused, but your Instagram post on Loaded Corn Bread Night is something I’m definitely going to carry forward.
It was so good. The majority of it I made a week or two in advance, froze, let it thaw, and stuck it in the oven. It was one of my easiest gatherings. It’s great for family coming in, too. Also for the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Chaolupa Nachos are great. It feeds a crowd and the leftovers are just as good.
What would you say is your kitchen superpower?
I think my kitchen superpower is cooking efficiently with love. I love to be efficient. If I’m doing one task that I’m going to do again, I’ll do it all at once. Like, if I’m going to chop onions for one recipe, I’ll chop onions for all of the recipes at once. If I’m making sides, I’ll make them all at once and freeze them. I’m all about using time wisely—but putting extra love in.
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