Autumn is a beautiful season, the colours, the weather, the comfort food and Thanksgiving. More importantly it is beautiful to see people give thanks for all the blessings in their life.
Thanksgiving is Monday October 12, 2015, a perfect time to get together with loved ones and give thanks. What are you doing to celebrate Thanksgiving? Here are some great ideas the whole family will enjoy.
Family Traditions:
Thankful Tree: Work together as a family and make your own Thankful Tree. Trace and cut out 
handprints on construction paper as well as a tree. Everyone then writes down what they are thankful for on the handprint cut outs and tapes it to a tree branch.
Thankful Handprint Pumpkin: All you need is a large pumpkin and some paint to make this Thankful Handprint Pumpkin. Paint one han on each family member. Press hand onto pumpkin to leave print. Start with the largest hand and end with the smallest hand leaving each family members handprint inside the others.
Family Fun:
Thanksgiving Bingo: Turkeys take a long time to cook, why not entertain little ones with a game of Thanksgiving Bingo.
“Handy” Thanksgiving Wreath: This craft teaches children to be thankful all year long, not only at Thanksgiving. All you need to make your “Handy” Thanksgiving Wreath is construction paper, scissors, and a writing utensil.
Recipes:
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Children will love making these easy and delicious Mini Pumpkin Pies.
Ingredients:
- 1 Package refrigerated pie crust
- 1 can (15oz) pumpkin
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
This Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash is the perfect side dish for any fall dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled/seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
10 Thanksgiving Hosting Tips:
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Here are 10 Thanksgiving hosting tips that will leave you THANKFUL!
- Clean House and Fridge: While you are cleaning the house getting ready for guests, don’t forget to clean your fridge. You will be preparing and storing food so it will make things easier to have a nice clean organized fridge.
- Guest List: Nail down the guest list before planning your menu. Are there any dietary restrictions; gluten, dairy, nuts etc.
- Figure out the Details: Once you know how many guests are coming you will need to make sure you have enough dishes, glasses, cutlery, and chairs! Ask to borrow things you might need instead of spending the extra money.
- Menu Plan: Plan your meal and shopping list ahead of time. Look through recipe books or online to figure out what you want to make. Collect all recipes and make your shopping list.
- Don’t forget about the Kids: There will lots of time between appetizers, dinner and dessert so have some activities ready for kids. Also make the kid’s table fun. Cover the table with butcher-block paper and have crayons on the table so they can draw.
- Be Prepared: Look over your recipes and see what you can do ahead of time to speed up the prep process.
- Cook the Turkey Ahead of Time: It may be a crazy thought but here are the benefits of doing so:
- No pressure of whether the turkey will be done on time, overcooked or undercooked.
- You can have that messy turkey carcass cleaned up before guests arrive.
- You can have the turkey all carved and displayed on a platter ready to be warmed whenever you need it.
8. Cooking a Turkey: Here is an easy to read chart of how to cook a stuffed or unstuffed turkey https://tinyurl.com/pw65na4.
Happy Thanksgiving!