Being Thankful Reviewed

Celebrating Thanksgiving

Give Thanks every day (image courtesy of pixabay.com)

Instead of spending this morning reviewing a product, I choose instead to review being thankful instead. This emotion is not something that can be purchased but instead is a choice that we make every single day, not just on Thanksgiving Day. Well, at least that is what I think. It is a choice whether we realize it or not. 

For me, every morning when my eyes open I humbly say a prayer of thanksgiving for being on this side of the dirt for at least one more day. I do look at each day as a precious gift and promise each morning to try to make the best of that day as is humanly possible for me to do. 

Sometimes our lives seem to be filled with obstacles that could make us choose to be bitter, sad, angry and lost. Holidays, often times, bring our negative emotions closer to the surface. We find ourselves being depressed due to the loss of someone close to us that won't share the holiday with us. Perhaps we are far away from home and family and are heart broken with the thought of being alone during the holiday. I know those feelings well, more than I like to remember. I can empathize and sympathize with all who feel that way as Thanksgiving approaches with Christmas not far on the horizon. 

There was a time in my life when I wasn't sure that Thanksgiving, in particular, would ever be a happy time for me again. At the time my life was forever altered just two days before the holiday. I feared that this time of the year would forever be darkened by that horrible event. I realized the following year that it would only be darkened if I let it. I could sit around and feel depressed or I could make the choice to look for the people and things in my life to be thankful for. It wasn't hard to see hundreds of reasons to feel grateful and thankful. I made up my mind that year to always look for the good and wonderful things in my life.

So, this year as every year, I am most thankful for my beautiful family. My children, my grandchildren and my loving husband fill my life with joy every day. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food on my table. I am thankful for good health and an abundance of friends. I am thankful for each day that my eyes open. There are people who are not on this earth to share the day with me this year but I am thankful for the time that I did get to share with them and I know that they are here in spirit and will always be in my heart. I won't be saddened by the things that are lost but will be happy with what is here and look forward to what is to be found. I am thankful for it all.

For those of you who are reading this, my wish is that your Thanksgiving will be filled with joy and happiness. Actually, my wish is that you find something to be thankful for every day. Just remember to look, it shouldn't be too difficult to find if you open your heart.

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Thanksgiving Blessings

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving.  May you find a few minutes today to reflect on your many blessings and each in your own way give Thanks. 

I have been very blessed and thank God for my faith, my family, my health, and the love He has surrounded me with.

May You and Your Family have a Blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Blessing Postcards by mbgphoto

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How to Create a Positive Environment for Your Thanksgiving Dinner

It's the Time of Year we Gather to Give Thanks

In a cynical and often condescending world, it's easier to descend into typical family battles that tend to swallow up the purpose of our assembly: to give thanks and acknowledge and remember those who have been there for us through it all. It's cliche, but 'when push came to shove,' who did we turn to, and who loved us unconditionally?

We live in divided times, and many families who reunite for dinner rest at polar opposites in their beliefs, likes, dislikes, tolerance levels, and education. These differences are fast becoming the virus that devours the most important reason we take the hand of the person next to us at that dinner table: love. Again, call it cliche, call it corny, call 'love' overly simplistic, but John Lennon got it right, 'all you need is love.'

So how do you survive a Thanksgiving Dinner with people who sit at the opposite of your beliefs? Like any assembly, setting ground rules is the best place to start. Here are 10 ways to create a positive environment for your Thanksgiving Dinner:

1. Let everyone know there will be no discussions about Politics, Religion, or Current News Affairs.
2. As the dinner host, have the evening planned in advance: Plan to play games before and after dinner. If it's a larger gathering, have teams set up to play against each other for a grand championship.
3. Do not turn on a TV set. If a sporting event is on that the entire family wants to watch, then go ahead and gather around the 'game' in front of the TV if need be. But don't allow any News shows or channel flipping to take away the fun of the game.
4. If someone in the family breaks the rule about conversation and starts into a diatribe of their opinions and beliefs about an issue, as the host, politely remind them about the rules and do not engage them in a discussion about their point. Remember that no minds or opinions will change in one night anyway, so keep the evening and dinner on a strict track of fun.
5. Have music playing in the background in as many rooms as possible. Best of all, if you know the favorite songs of the people attending, plan ahead and have a CD compilation of everyone's favorite song! When the song for that special someone in the house begins to play, turn it up, walk over to them, kiss them on the cheek, and let them know, 'We did this for you.'
6. If you're hosting a large gathering and certain people are best not sitting beside each other, use name/place tags on each plate to direct people where to sit. 
7. Toast the Senior members of the family. Often, seniors feel excluded, unwanted, and unappreciated, and no matter how ornery they are or aren't, give them a few minutes of special thanks. You'll make their day.
8. Go out of your way to be friendly and especially to be kind. Set the tone. Set the pace, and you may be surprised how everyone follows.
9. Find reasons to smile and laugh. Laughter and smiles are much more infectious than anger and fear.
10. Lastly, remember a famous quote, 'When given a choice to be right or kind, always choose Kind.'

 Have a joyous Thanksgiving <3

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the Review This Blog over the past year.  We, the writers of Review This, truly appreciate you and wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

My Photography

One of the things I am very thankful for is my hobby of photography, so today I thought I would share with you some of the photographs I have taken over the past year.

This photo was taken at my backyard birdbath where a Robin stopped for a drink on a cool November morning.  Birds are one of my favorite things to photograph.

Here us a hummingbird that I photographed at a feeder in my backyard.

I love to visit local parks and photograph all of the beautiful wildflowers that are growing there.

The photo above was taken at a local park where I went for an outing.  The colorful boats on the shoreline caught my eye.

The bandstand in the photo below stands in Forest Park in St. Louis where I took my granddaughters to see a musical at the Muny Opera.

Sometimes I only need to go into my own yard to capture the beauty in nature.  The raindrops on these Pink Primrose make a pretty photo.

 Sunflowers are always a favorite photograph of mine.  I visited a local sunflower field several times this summer.

I will leave you with several fall photos from my neighborhood.  Fall is my favorite time of the year.

May You and Your Family Enjoy the Beauty this Season has to Offer.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

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Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

After days of cooking in preparation for Thanksgiving, it seems like no matter how well we plan or how many years of experience we have, there are always leftovers.  I hate throwing out leftovers, but I very much enjoy having a recipe on hand that makes good use of leftovers.  After all, few of us really want the exact same meal several days in a roll, so having a recipe for a totally different meal is simply awesome.

Cheeseburger Soup Recipe 

Cheeseburger Soup Recipe by Mbgphoto

I want to start with a recipe that sounds delicious!  Not only will it make good use of our leftovers, but most of us don't need or even want a very heavy meal on the days immediately following Thanksgiving and soup is more than sufficient.   

This Cheeseburger Soup recipe by Mbgphoto is the perfect recipe for leftover turkey!   It gives us a great alternative meal for what is otherwise plain turkey.  I do love turkey, but after a day or two of eating it, I am ready for something different and Cheeseburger soup is most definitely different.

Curry in a Hurry

Susan Deppner offers another fast and easy recipe that uses the leftover turkey.  What I really love about this recipe is just how fast it is to prepare.  I looks like in less than 20 minutes, you could have a delicious meal without having to spend any more money for the meat. 

This also helps you make good use of that leftover apple from the fruit basket!  This recipe makes me doubly happy because it uses double the leftovers.

 

A Variety of Recipes for Leftover Turkey

For a real variety of salad and sandwich recipes for your leftover turkey, please visit AllRecipes.com.  Turkey sandwiches are my husband's favorite creation to make with turkey leftovers.  I have no doubt he will find several suggestions in this group of recipes that he will want to try this year.

A Delicious Fruit Salad with Leftover Fruit
 

I have personally committed several times about how much I have having a fruit basket for the holidays.  It is so easy for guest to grab a healthy snack between meals if I have a fruit basket available.  However, I inevitably have a few pieces of fruit left over, which means it is time for me to make a fruit salad.

Tossing the leftover cut-up pieces of fruit in a bowl together is perfect for leftover fruit.

 

More Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

If you have a published recipe that would be great for Thanksgiving leftovers, we would love to have you share it with us.  Please leave the link to your recipe in the guestbook below.



Recommended by Our Readers!  (Thank you for sharing with us!)

Healthy Vegetable Soup with Cannellini Beans and Optional Chicken Sausage

 

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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Here's My Mom's Stuffing Recipe

For those who don't know, it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.

Growing up, early October was always a time when we planned to be together as a family.

For me, heading to my mom and dad's house with the kids was a wonderful weekend: Time with my brothers and their families, as well as a great time with mom and dad.

Since mom and dad are both passed on now (I still can't believe I'm typing that!) I miss and treasure those memories to the core of my being.

I must say, I'm looking forward to dinner tomorrow with the kids. Unfortunately, it won't be with all the kids, as I have seven (4 sons, 2 stepsons, and a stepdaughter). I only use the word "Step" to respect their mom. My stepkids have been a part of my life for 40 years - I consider them my kids, but I hold back on that declaration out of respect for their mom. Being a mom myself, I understand that 'feeling.' - the feeling of being 'the mom.'

Anyway, I digress!

So in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to share my mother's turkey stuffing recipe. It has long since been my recipe; I just made it today for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

My Mother's Turkey Stuffing Recipe:

Ingredients for My Mom's Stuffing Recipe:

• Celery
• Onion
• Stuffing Bread OR
• Regular Bread Cut-Up with Spices
• Spices if adding on your own: Sage, Poultry Seasoning,
• Sausage (I use breakfast sausage)
• 3 Tablespoons of Rice (Basically a handful)

How to Prepare Mom's Stuffing:

1) In a bowl, add cut the bread up into chewable cubes (sometimes you can get stuffing bread already cut up)

2) If you don't have cut-up stuffing bread and need to make your own stuffing bread, here's what to do:

• In a large mixing bowl, cut bread (any bread that is your favorite, although heavier bread is better) into cubes
• Add Sage - be liberal with the Sage - I add about two or so tablespoons, depending on how big the turkey is and how much stuffing there is
• Add Poultry Seasoning - probably about 2 tablespoons

3) Fry the sausage separately - I buy breakfast sausage - and, after cooked, cut the breakfast sausage into bite-sized pieces

4) In a Frying Pan, in Butter:

• Fry one chopped onion
• Add one entire stock of celery (chopped into bite-sized pieces)

5) Add the celery/onion fried mixture and the cut-up sausages to the bread/sage/poultry seasoning bread mixture

6) Add the rice to the bread mixture

Mix it all together until it sticks together nicely. 

It should look 'wet' and be compacted together.

By the way, what's the secret ingredient to stuffing that makes it stuffing - it's the Sage! But that's been a flavor I've been used to my entire life when it comes to stuffing!

If you've never added Sage, give it a try - by the way, that's ground sage! You can find it in the spice aisle of your local grocer.

NOTE:

I prepare this the night before, put it in a ziplock bag, keep it in the fridge, then stuff the turkey in the morning <---- Mom taught me that trick too.

My number three son, Joshua, loves this recipe as much as I do, and that alone makes me so happy! Thank you, Joshie, for being a kindred stuffing lover!

Happy Thanksgiving to all - These times haven't been easy, so it's essential to live in the moment and enjoy spending time with the ones you love.

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Planning the Holiday Table Review

With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas just around the corner, planning the holiday table is a part of our world. Place settings, centerpieces and serving dishes all need to fit somehow on the table. So we'll review some of those tips for planning your own holiday tables.

Holiday Table Planning with Buffets

If you are like me, your holiday table will be overflowing with lots of family and probably some friends as well. My Thanksgiving includes a sweet elderly neighbor as well. With this many people, the dinner table has to be extended to it's fullest and side tables have to be added as well. So setting my holiday table means lots of dishes, silverware and glasses.

The Stylish Buffet

Yes, I have been accused of not leaving room for the food. But, I make use of buffets for the food
instead. 

On my table, I keep the rolls and butter, relish trays and other small extras on the table. The buffet holds the main course and all the sides dishes. I have gotten many tips to creating a great buffet table from The Stylish Buffet. It's worth checking out.

Creating Tablescapes for the Holidays

When I plan my holiday table, I like to think in terms of tablescapes. Hm, never heard of this term? You're in luck then. I did an article for Cooking for the Holidays just to explain tablescapes and how to use them for your holiday meals. 

Don't worry, this isn't about a new etiquette that's expected. Instead, it's about the fun of arranging your holiday table with variation in height. This creates a more visually appealing table for you and your guests. 

Holiday Centerpieces for the Table

Holiday Centerpieces

Decorating for Events has given us great ideas for creating our own holiday centerpieces. She makes use of simple things to create a charming, yet beautiful arrangement for the table. 

Although this page shows Christmas ideas, you can easily adapt her tips for any holiday. It's the color schemes and little extras that will transform her suggestions from Christmas to Thanksgiving. Add in fall colors, like yellows, browns and oranges and accent with Thanksgiving items like a turkey salt and pepper shaker set.

 

Planning the Holiday Table

You have your menu set and all your guests invited. Now is the time to get planning your holiday table. These are just a few of the many options to help you plan. So don't panic, relax instead. Your beautiful table will soon be filled with your many family and friends to share the holiday meal with you.







Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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Happy Thanksgiving from the Staff of Review This

Happy Thanksgiving 

from the staff of

Review This

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving in the USA.  On behalf of the Review This staff, i would like to take this time to thank our readers.  We truly appreciate your support and wish you all a blessed holiday season filled with love and joy.

Fall in Missouri

This is the Day the Lord Hath Made Card
by mbgphoto

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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

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Thanksgiving Greetings

Thank you, God, for all the Beauty in Nature.

Today, November 24 is the day that we in the USA celebrate Thanksgiving.  It is a day when Americans take time out of their daily lives to be thankful for all that has been given to us.  

For this Thanksgiving Day review, I would like to share with you, through my photographs some of the beauty in our world for which I am truly thankful.

The Moon

I love photographing the moon.  Here is a shot I captured back in September of the full moon.

 Special Times with Family and Friends

I am very thankful for my family and friends and the special times we spend together.  We recently all got together for a bonfire at my brother's.

Birds

As any of you know that follow my reviews, I love to watch and photograph birds.  Here are a couple of my recent bird photos.

Flowers

I am always amazed by the intricacies of the many varieties of flowers God has placed on this earth.  

Photo Walks

I love to take walks just to capture the beauty around me on my camera.  Here are some of my latest photos from these adventures.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!  May you be blessed with a thankful heart.

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Reviewing Vegan Holiday Cookbooks

Jennifer Katzinger Vegan Holiday Cookbook

As a vegan cook, the holidays are especially tricky. Most holidays including Thanksgiving, usually center around a big meat dish. Here I'll give you my reviews of the vegan cookbooks I've used throughout the holidays.

Some are better than others, of course. Some give you menus to work from while others have given me ideas to get me started on my own menus for the various holidays. Whether you want to serve a full vegan holiday dinner, or just need some good ideas for vegan dishes for your guests, you can find the recipes and ideas you need in each of these vegan holiday cookbooks.

My Favorite Vegan Holiday Cookbook

Gluten-Free and Vegan: Celebrating the Year

My favorite, the one that I turn to most often, vegan holiday cookbook is by Jennifer Katzinger titled, Gluten-Free and Vegan: Celebrating the Year with Simple, Satisfying Recipes and Menus. I've reviewed it more extensively in an article for Cooking for the Holidays site, so I'll just summarize here.

Author Katzinger is a long experience vegan chef, but she's a baker by love. Her desserts are amazing. She shares her vegan and gluten-free versions of traditional holiday desserts. It's her Thanksgiving menu, with all of the simple recipes that I turn to most often to celebrate this holiday. Appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts are all combine to make a great Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Herbivore Holidays

The Happy Herbivore Vegan Holiday Cookbook

Lindsay Nixon has made a name for herself as the Happy Herbivore. She has many cookbooks on the market, but her Happy Herbivore Holidays and Gatherings: Easy Plant-based Recipes for Your Healthiest Celebrations and Special Occasions is one of her best in my vegan opinion.

I was delighted at how easy her recipes are. Since I'm basically a lazy cook, I needed simple, yet tasty recipes. She has a wealth of them. And she doesn't require exotic ingredients in her recipes. That sure helps if ethnic markets are not close by.

Fair warning here. If you are already a Happy Herbivore fan and have others of her cookbooks, you will discover that she recycled many of her other recipes. But, these are organized for those big holiday celebrations.

The good news is that all of my non-vegan friends and relations enjoyed my vegan menus. Even my son-in-law didn't feel the need to rush to McDonald's for a McRib sandwich or two! Now that is a true compliment to the Happy Herbivore.

Planning Your Own Vegan Holiday Menus

But I Could Never Go Vegan

If you want to plan your own menus for the holidays or just looking for interesting vegan recipes, I have a favorite cookbook for you. But I Could Never Go Vegan, by Kristy Turner, is it. Forget boring standard fare, Turner gives you an amazing collection of unique and interesting recipes.

Avocado and Kale Florentine is one of those unique and interesting recipes. I've included it many brunch menus. Talk about a hit! Author Turner has plenty of these hits. Her vegan Cheesy Veggie Stromboli is usually part of my vegan Thanksgiving dinner. Savory Corn Cheesecake makes a stunning presentation of your holiday table.

Whether you want a full menu to make a vegan holiday meal, or just looking for something special to add to your table, any of these cookbooks could be your answer. Each one holds a special place in my cookbook collection.

You can always find more cookbook reviews at Review This! Books. 

 

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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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