The Thanksgiving Turkey ~ Part I of Thanksgiving Recipes

CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ~ Photo by Julie on Flickr.com

I absolutely love Thanksgiving and all of the Thanksgiving dinner recipes!  For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been a family gathering time.  

My mother and I always prepare our traditional Thanksgiving recipes in anticipation of the family members flying, driving or riding in for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We never know exactly what to expect or what will happen when everyone is together, but we know what we will eat.


Preparing for Thanksgiving

The week before Thanksgiving, I go to the grocery store with my list.  The holidays are probably the only time of the year that I really enjoy grocery shopping.  Not because of the food I am buying, but because I know that food will be prepared for the holiday celebration and the people who make it all worthwhile.

My Grandmother & Brother ~ Holidays Past

Sometimes things get hectic and I get a little stressed, but I do try very hard to make the holidays easier by adhering to my own advice offered  in my article, Ten Ways to Make the Holiday Easier.

I want to enjoy the time I get to spend with my whole family and I want to have wonderful memories to reflect on throughout the years.  I also want them to enjoy the holidays in our home and to have fond, pleasant memories of time well spent.


The Main Course

When I was growing up, my grandmother and mother prepared the Thanksgiving meal.   Now, my mother and I cook the dinner.  Occasionally, my sister or one of my sisters-in-law will arrive in town early enough to help.  That is always guaranteed to be amusing and entertaining!

It is my job to prepare and cook the turkey.  I try to beat everyone else out of bed so I can shower and dress for the day.  By the time I am in the kitchen to start washing the turkey, Mom and Dad are usually here to chat with me while I get started.  Once the turkey is in the oven, Mom joins me and we work together for hours of cooking, laughing, cutting up and sometimes just talking.  It is a fabulous day.  I have always maintained that it is my favorite day of the year.  Sure, we get tired, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I share my recipe and tips for How to Bake a Turkey here:  Cooking for the Holidays


What's Next

Now that we have the turkey out of the way, be sure to join us here again next week.  We will be sharing the side dishes and desserts for the Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes Menu on Review This!


Be sure to check out additional Thanksgiving tips on Traveling Food - Holidays and Potlucks

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Traveling Food - Holidays and Potlucks

Autumn Welcome by Stephanie Marrott

As soon as Halloween passes, I begin to think of travel in a slightly different way.  I think of traveling with food.  I do not entertain for the Holidays and I am not a good cook.  On Thanksgiving, I either travel up the road to the Mister's mom and dad's home for the day or I travel back home to Indiana for my huge family reunion.  Combining "bring a dish" with a one to ten hour road trip is often challenging.

When I go up the road for Thanksgiving, the Mister's mom prepares a mini-feast. We tend to help with the things she's preparing and help with cleanup. And we try to bring a little something along to add to the meal.  When I go back home, the family meets together and we gorge ourselves with good food and conversation.  

My dilemma is being able to prepare dishes that will travel well or that can be prepared very easily once I arrive.  The biggest dilemma is that I am not good in the kitchen.  I have to have reliable recipes that even I can't mess up. 

I am thrilled that this year I have a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle recipe to try.  Our favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles.  I can usually bake cookies without incident.  This year, I will likely bring these little treats along.  

Last year,  my Snickerdoodle Cookie Pie was a big hit. It begins with packaged cookie mix and ends in a nice and thick "pie" shape.  The Mister asked me to make this over and over.  It was easy enough that I was happy to oblige. 

Harvest by Stephanie Marrott

The Mister and I eat quite a bit of baked yams, drizzled with a tiny bit of maple syrup and sprinkled with a pepper spice called "hot shots".   I'd love to serve our yams at a gathering but could not figure out the logistics of travel and oven issues. I believe I have found the solution with this  mashed yams in the slow cooker recipe. A slow cooker will allow me to serve my "hot dish" at the family reunion potluck.   

Finally, I can't think about potlucks without craving a 7 layer salad.  I always use the lettuce, frozen pea, and mayonnaise recipe. But you can substitute ingredients to suit your tastes. This year, I may use spinach instead. 

Wherever you go and whatever you do for the upcoming holiday season, I wish you safe travels and plenty of good food and good company.

Written by Dawn Rae

Disclosure: In affiliation with AllPosters.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPosters products.  

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Handmade Harvest-Time

Pumpkin Coasters on Etsy

It's Harvest Time, the time of year crops are traditionally harvested. This coincides with Autumn, the season of colorful leaves, cooler nights, pumpkins and apples, and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The term 'Harvest' came from England and was the name for the season between summer and winter until Autumn began to be used in the 16^th century. In Britain the season is usually considered to be from August through October and in the United States from September through November. The term 'Autumn' is also interchangeable with 'Fall', used mainly in America. Unlike the other three seasons, there does not seem to be a common word for this season in all the Indo-European languages. Autumn and Harvest-Time are my favorite terms to use.

Autumn Themed  Crafts

Acorns

Custom Crochet Fall Acorn Beanie

Autumn is a favorite time of year for crafters and the Indie-artists in the fields of art and photography because the lovely harvest-related colors of orange, brown, red and yellow lend themselves to beautiful creations. 

Since acorns are plentiful in the Fall, this crochet acorn hat is perfect for the season.  A leaf and a small acorn adorn the top of the hat, and are attached to the stem of the acorn. Made in super soft cotton yarn, the hat is available in sizes from newborn to adult large.

Place your order for an acorn hat with Monica of Costa Mesa, California.  You can find her in her Etsy Shop "Ruffle Stitch Kids." These hats make a great gift for all the 'nuts' on your list and is perfect for those Fall photos. 

Pumpkins

Pumpkin Potholder and Matching Dishcloth

Pumpkins are also perfect for a harvest time decor as seen with this set of pumpkin potholder 
and dishcloth combo.

In addition to sprucing up your Fall home decor, this pumpkin set makes a unique hostess gift when invited out to dinner, especially during the Harvest-Time season.  Or nice for a wedding gift for a Fall wedding. 

More Ideas for Handmade Harvest Time

• Sylvestermouse shows us a collection of beautiful beaded cross-stitch kits with lovely Thanksgiving designs to stitch up for the most popular 'harvest holiday' – Thanksgiving Day!

• Wednesday-Elf found some really fun and practical handmade harvest-related designs on Etsy by clever crafters who love to create in Autumn themes.

When you think of 'handmade harvest-time', you may consider crafts as the only field that's considered handmade. Not so, in my opinion.

Pumpkin Muffins by Mary Beth Granger

• I consider cooking a handmade 'delicious delight', as you can see in this yummy pumpkin muffin recipe by mbgphoto.

• And 'gardening' gives us all that wonderful homegrown food. You don't need to have a farm or even a large garden plot in your yard. As Dawn Rae shows us, you can also grow and harvest your favorite foods like squash and tomatoes in a simple container garden on your apartment balcony.

Enjoy the colors of the Autumn Leaves as you 'trick or treat' for Halloween and plan your Thanksgiving feast in a multitude of handmade ways from crafting to cooking to planning your next garden for Spring.

Have an Awesome Autumn and Harvest-time.

(c) 12/02/2014 Wednesday Elf. Updated 9/27/2019

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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