A Happy Thanksgiving

If you want to make easy Thanksgiving crafts, the choices you have are really endless when you take the time to think about what you have in mind and then experiment around with different things you have around the house to create your easy Thanksgiving crafts. If you are not especially creative in this area, just go on the Internet and search for "easy Thanksgiving crafts". You will find all sorts of ideas to try. We'll give you a couple here to try.

Thankful Wreath
For school-age children, it is fun to make easy Thanksgiving crafts that explore the reason for the season - giving thanks! First, you need various colors of construction paper. Cut out various leaf shapes from the paper. You can find templates for these leaves at www.enchantedlearning.com. Have your child write things on the leaves that they are thankful for. Then cut out the inner upper half of a paper plate to form a half circle. Just below the bottom of the half circle, write the words "I Am Thankful For" and then have your child glue the leaves all around the cut-out. Then you can hang the thankful wreath wherever you want to!

Turkey from Hand and Footprints
Another easy Thanksgiving craft include this one. What you will need is brown, orange, red, and yellow construction paper, scissors, a marker, a pencil, and some glue. Trace your child's footprint on the brown construction paper. Do not trace their individual toes. Then, from the other colors, trace around their hand with it laid out and fingers slightly splayed. Make at least 6 of these, if not more.

If your child is able to, have them cut out their hand and foot prints. Cut two strips of the brown construction paper and fold accordion style for the legs. Use the yellow to make some feet for your turkey. Cut out a small triangle for the turkey's wattle. Now it's time to put your turkey together!

The heel of the foot print will be your turkey's head. Arrange the hand prints behind the turkey and glue into place. Draw a face onto your turkey and glue the red wattle just below the eyes. Glue on the feet to the legs and then the legs to the body. After the glue is dry, you have another of the many easy Thanksgiving crafts we have found that can help you commemorate your child's growing - especially if you do this craft from year to year! Don't forget to write the date and your child's age on the back!

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Is it your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner this year? If so, have you started planning? Planning a dinner, even a Thanksgiving dinner, is a lot easier said than done. That is why it is important that you start planning early, you will find that there are a number of benefits to doing so.

Here a just a few...

Benefit 1:

Preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner in advance will help to ensure that you have all of the supplies, including the decorations and food that you need to have. If by some chance you didn't get everything you needed, you will be able to notice it before the day of your dinner.

Benefit 2:

Depending on the size of your Thanksgiving dinner, food and drinks could get fairly expensive. That is why it may be a good idea to start buying these items ahead of time. Whenever you happen to be in a store and you see something that you could use at your dinner, you are advised to get it, especially if that item is on sale. Purchasing food and drinks for your dinner while they are on sale, is a great way to have an amazing, but low-cost dinner.

Benefit :

Decorating for your Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, not all retail stores carry a large selection of Thanksgiving decorations. Buying your decorations eary is extremely important because, in addition to carrying a limited number of decorations, most retail stores do not replenish their holiday items. Essentially, this means that when the decorations are gone, they are gone.

Benefit 4:

Around the holidays, you will also find that many people already have plans for the holiday, so the sooner you can invite your dinner guests the better.

With just a little early planning, your Thanksgiving dinner will be a success!

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Good as a breakfast, a dessert or an evening snack!

Ingredients:

6 croissants, cubed and toasted
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/8 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients and put the bread in last. Spread evenly in a casserole dish and sprinkle top with some extra brown sugar and cinnamon. A few slices or cubes of butter on top will help it get a nice brown layer on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.

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Everything is better AuGratin and this delicious side is no exception!

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Instructions:

Mix together carrots and onions in a pot. Add enough water to cover, and a dash of salt if desired. Bring to a broil. Cook until tender, but still firm (about 5 to 10 minutes) Drain. Spread a layer of carrot and onions in the bottom of a baking dish. Next layer about half of the cheese. Layer more carrots and onions, then the rest of the cheese. Melt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine in a saucepan.

Gradually add flour to the butter and blend well until smooth. Slowly add the milk and continue to stir until thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the sauce over the layers of carrot onion and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

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Turkey Time Thanksgiving Trivia
By Terry Kaufman

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it is time once again to start preparing for the fall season. Besides dreaming of succulent turkey and the trimmings, this means readying holiday dinnerware, organizing cookware, polishing silver, and searching for new and exciting recipes and great holiday trivia!

Liven up your Thanksgiving holiday with Turkey Trivia #1 - Turkey Facts, and Turkey Trivia #2 - Cranberry Facts.

Turkey Trivia #1 - Turkey Facts

The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans who taught the Pilgrims how to survive off the
environment.

There are many thoughts how the turkey got its name. One such theory was that Christopher Columbus thought the bird looked like a peacock and since the East Indian word for peacock was "tuka," this bird's name transitioned from "tuka" to "turkey." Makes sense. And on the other hand, when a turkey is scared,instead of saying "gobble, gobble," it makes a "turk, turk, turk" sound. No brainer here. Take your choice.

Wild turkeys occasionally spend the night up in a tree.

A female turkey is called a hen while the male is called a tom.

A hen does not say gobble, gobble. Instead, they say click, click. That must be some sound fest when both sexes are simultaneously striving for attention.

A mature turkey has approximately 3,500 feathers.

Wild turkeys can run 25 miles per hour and fly up to 55 miles per hour. However, commercially raised turkeys cannot run at all, or fly.

The heaviest turkey ever weighed toppled the scales at 86 pounds.

A turkey can have a heart attack if it becomes overly startled; turkeys living near an area where the sound barrier was broken dropped dead from the shock.

Turkeys have a fantastic sense of hearing but have no external ears. Hmm! Are the ear holes hiding somewhere under those 3,500 feathers? Only the turkey knows for sure but he is not telling.

Turkey Trivia #2 - Cranberry Facts

Did you know...

The Pilgrims called today's cranberry a "craneberry" because its blossoms looked like the head and bill of a Sandhill crane.

Cranberries were carried aboard American whaler and mariner sea crossings in an attempt to prevent scurvy.

Many people believe cranberries live on water alone, but fascinatingly enough, they are grown on vines in bogs originally created by glacial deposits. A fence is installed around the entire growing area of a bog, in an attempt to prevent the cranberries from drifting away. They are covered with a layer of sand which acts like a blanket. Cranberries can survive only in these stringent conditions.

If undamaged, a cranberry vine can survive more than 150 years.

If you drop a load of cranberries on a declining slope, the firmest and freshest berries can bounce as high as 4 inches while going downhill. Soft and bruised berries will not bounce, therefore separating themselves from the quality fruit.

Fruit nibblers beware! Raw cranberries are sour and bitter. Be sure to stir in some sort of sweetener; mixing in sugar or honey should help considerably.

As well as bouncing, cranberries can float using the same internal air pockets that help propel ripe cranberries off the ground.

Terry Kaufman is Chief Editorial Writer for Niftykitchen.com, Niftyhomebar.com, and Niftygarden.com.
©2006 Terry Kaufman Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Kaufman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Turkey-Time-Thanksgiving-Trivia&id=344937

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