A little Thanksgiving children's project

I wanted something to keep the children busy for a bit on Thanksgiving afternoon, so I had them make turkey placemats.  Can you see them there?

I traced a luncheon plate on a piece of construction paper and a saucer on another, then filled in with turkey feathers.  I gathered stickers, buttons, and cut up bits of ribbon, yarn, and lace, putting them in pie pans on the table.  We used white glue, a glue stick, and hot glue to attach the various decorations.

The children were busy for at least half and hour and we had cute decorations for the table!

Recipes I'm thinking about making for Thanksgiving

Have I mentioned I love Thanksgiving?  No?  Well, it's just about my favorite holiday because it is all about family, friends, and being thankful.  There is some pressure to put on a good meal, but none of the overwhelming expectation of gifts and décor that comes with Christmas.

And speaking of food, here are some recipes I'm considering (and this list will increase!):

Layered Pumpkin Dessert

Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Maple Glaze

"Almost Like" Kings Hawaiian Rolls

 

Crumb-Topped Apple Slab Pie

 

 

 

 

Egg Nog Cream Pie

 

 

Salted Caramel Pecan Pie

 

 



 Nutty Pumpkin Pie Pudding

 

 

 





Thanksgiving table decoration?

I asked the girls to create thanksgiving table decorations.  They painted pictures, got out old thanksgiving placemants, and got out their stuffed animals to make a centerpiece.  Yes, we're pretty casual here.

 

So what do you think Elizabeth is holding here?

 

That's her stuffed dog dressed as . . . a turkey.  As in a cold turkey waiting to be roasted.  That's why it is pale, creamy white.  And then of course it has a mask with a comb on it.

 

LOL

 

[Ignore the pained expression on E's face--it was sunny out.]

Thanksgiving dinner is half cooked!

. . . and there is still a day to go!  I got some ideas from this handout on a blog I read.

The celery and onions are sauteed for the dressing and in the fridge now . . . .

The handout tells how to make your own brown-n-serve rolls, so I did that and they're in the fridge awaiting tomorrow's browning . . . .

The sweet potato casserole is ready to go into the oven (along with its tasty topping of s'more marshmallows) . . . .

One of my favorite "salads" is chilling . . . .

And the can of cranberry sauce is cold as well.

On the counter I have all the sugar and spices mixed for the pumpkin "cake" I'm making in the morning, the potatoes waiting to be boiled and mashed, and in the fridge is the small turkey.  You can see it next to the pink "salad."  In the freezer are two pies: cherry and Key Lime.

Can you tell I'm excited for my favorite holiday?

Activity Day for Girls

Today my partner brought a cute and easy craft for the girls to do.

She read a scripture from the Bible and a scripture from the Book of Mormon about thankfulness.  Next she wrote on a poster categories of things we can be grateful for.

Then she passed out the wood blocks, the 1/2 tongue depressers, and the precut scrapbook paper, along with glue sticks and bottle of white glue

Once the girls had put paper on their sticks they could write on the back of each one things she was thankful for.

The heads were flat wooden ice cream spoons with a cute bow tied on each neck.

Last, because of the danger, SHE hot-glued the "feathers" on the turkeys.  Each girl lined up her feathers in the order she preferred and that was the order they were glued on.

Thanksgiving 2011

What a great holiday! We had a fine selection of family here for bits and pieces of the week. Our family gets along really well and it all was a pleasant, intriguing, and fun week.
This picture shows a number of families: my mother with two of her three children, me with my husband and our three daughters, my brother with his wife and child, my dh with his two older sons, including the one who is living with us and the other one with his wife and her service dog.

I'm putting some pie pictures here because some of my Korean friends were wondering about pumpkin pie.
This is what the pumpkin pie looked like once it was cut:
It was a little chunkier than it was supposed to be because I used "homemade" pumpkin instead of canned. Here is a picture of what it was supposed to look like:
Sorta the same, right?? Haha, the taste was the same because I used the same recipe that is on the Libby's website. Mine just had a little more texture. :-)

I'm happy about the coming holiday!

Thanksgiving (a week from Thursday) is one of my favorite holidays for two reasons: little focus on commercialism and big focus on family and friends.

Bill and I are especially looking forward to Thanksgiving this year because his oldest son and new wife are coming to visit. I was trying to remember the last time I saw his ds and it was when he returned from Iraq with the USMC and that would have been about 4 years ago. W and his wife L have been married less than two years and although I have talked to her on the phone, we have never met. Dh says she is smart and well-spoken, and I agree.

The three little girls are going to love the visit because they always love to have company anyway, but in addition to W & L, they'll be bringing L's service dog, Sandy. We'll have to get some firm rules in place about not bothering the dog when she's working, but the girls will think their dreams have come true.

I'm already working on the Thanksgiving menu. It features turkey. :-)

Thanksgiving American Style

Menu:

Turkey
Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Cranberry sauce (two varieties, one homemade)
Peas
Homemade rolls
Pie (three varieties, one homemade)

It's 5:20 am and my oven is baking three pies. Much more great baking to come . . . .

How to have a cheap Thanksgiving

Haha, I think my only two readers are Australian and Canadian (and an occasional Korean for good measure) but I thought I'd post this anyway. I'm enjoying this blog which is called $5 Dinners. I haven't tried any of her recipes yet, but am getting ideas . . . .

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-your-plan-ahead-guide.html

Thanksgiving – Your Plan Ahead Guide
by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom on November 4, 2009

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the whole year. I love every part of it…

the colors of the trees outside
the piles of leaves in the street that await the leaf sucker-upper
the rock bottom prices in the grocery stores
the insane number of coupons that are released during November
the fantastic Thanksgiving deals that can be found matching up coupons with sale prices
the many fragrances that fill the house as the oven roasts the turkey and bakes the pies
Ahhh.

It will be a bit different for us this year. With a very small newborn, I couldn’t imagine preparing the whole feast, as I’ve done in years past! So we’ll be feasting with family. And if I can manage to whip up a side dish, I will!

I wanted to share a few reminders on how to reduce the overall cost of your Thanksgiving meal.

1. Plan. Rework the plan. Finalize the plan.

Make a plan. Dig through those recipe cards, browse the magazines. Make your plan. But only pencil it in!

Then rework your plan as time gets closer and you see things on sale, or another recipe you’d like to experiment with.

On Sunday before Thanksgiving, finalize the plan and get to work! By then, you’ll have seen all the products that are on sale, what the lowest prices are and you’ll be able to carve the plan into stone.

2. Prices.

From my experience in years past, the LOWEST prices on all the Thanksgiving favorites…like green beans, sweet potatoes, pecans and walnuts, cranberry sauces, etc…are found during Thanksgiving week. And possibly the week before.

It’s a tricky game to play, but if you have a plan and you see something on your list for 60-75% less than regular retail price the week before Thanksgiving, go ahead and get it. Or wait and hope it’s still on sale for Thanksgiving week. But if you wait, it might not be on sale the next week. Trust your instincts.

3. Coupons. Coupons. Coupons.

Over the next few weeks, there will be an insane number of coupons released both online and in the newspapers. Many of which are for the most popular products used during the Thanksgiving meal.

Clip them. Use them. Match them with the products on sale!

4. Turkey Prices.

Watch those circulars. I already see whole turkeys advertised in my store for $1.49/lb. But I know it will be half that price come Turkey Day!

Shop around. Pay close attention to all the store’s prices in your area.

How big of a turkey should I get? Rule of thumb: 1 lb. per person attending your feast. Depending on how much meat you need/want for leftovers!

And don’t forget…this is a great time to get an extra turkey, perhaps a smaller turkey breast, that you can cook up in the slow cooker and use the meat for multiple meals. Prices won’t be this low until Thanksgiving 2010!

Enjoy your feast! And revel in the fact that you spent as little as you could on your Turkey Day Feast!!!

What other tips do you have to share for saving $$$ on the Thanksgiving meal???

I laugh when I see the pre-made dinners the grocery stores offer, or more expensively, the restaurants. What the under-$50 dinners offer is so easy to make at home, and so cheap, that I shake my head that anyone would bother with them. I'd say if you were arriving in town on Thanksgiving Eve or Day to visit your aged parents, or if you had had lots of illness in your home, it might be a good idea. Otherwise . . . pfffftttt. I can make those kinds of dinners for about $15-18 and not even break a sweat. Anyone can. I do not make fancy Thanksgiving dinners, although I'd like to some time. NO appreciation for "special" meals here, so I seldom bother. Well, dh appreciates something a little special, but he is highly suspicious of anything new so it's hardly worth it.

So far I think our guest list includes my mom (of course, since she is staying here with us :-) ) and a young mom and her little dd. Her dh works for the Border Patrol and will be working. American Thanksgiving guest lists tend to be fluid with additions and subtractions up until we sit down to eat, so let's see who we actually end up with!