Buckets of Thanksgiving Ideas: 2 weeks till Thanksgiving

Sunday, November 14, 2010

2 weeks till Thanksgiving

Oops a little late - I was sick with a tummy virus - yuk! Glad it was this week and not next!

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Two Weeks Till Thanksgiving Check List

Check your equipment - do you have enough tables and chairs for all your guests
Dishes - Are you using dishes or buying paper plates ( I have to be honest - the best gift I ever gave myself was to buy the really nice Thanksgiving Paper Plates and cups for our dinner) Make sure you have enough plates, salad plates, dessert plates.
Silverware - polished forks, knives and spoons or nice disposable ware.
Glassware - water glasses, main drink glasses
Linens - tablecloth, napkins - make sure you have what are you are using
Centerpiece - What are you using for centerpiece, napkin rings etc.

Here is a great article on picking your turkey.
http://www.debtproofliving.com/DPLResources/EverydayCheapskate/VisitorEverydayCheapskate/tabid/275/smid/663/ArticleID/5332

1 comments:

MaryBerry BoutiqueNov 20, 2010 12:07 PM
i love all your buckets of holiday blogs! i just showed you off on my blog!:) check it out at maryberryboutique.blogspot.com
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About Me - Virtually Known as "Mrs. Bucket"

My husband and I have been married 36 years in June - amazing to me that he still loves me! He is a trooper. We have 5 children, 4 daughters and 1 son. We have 5 grandson's. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have traveled a lot and lived in several places. Grateful now that we have sunk our roots back home.

When our last daughter got married I had to re-define my world a bit. I have been doing the mom thing for so long, I feel like a fish out of water. I decided to join the blogging world. So many great people in this blogging world. I have made some great friends and maybe along the way I can help someone else, as much as so many have helped me.

Please come and visit me in my little blogging rooms that are centered around my interests listed abovePretend we are sharing lemonade if it is summer and a hot chocolate if it is winter!

My Fall Bucket List

I love this idea that is on this website.

40 Fun Ideas for Your Fall Bucket List

Here is my Bucket List for Fall

(I have copied quite a few of her's because they are great ideas!)

DONE 1. Take time to witness the leaves turning brilliant colors -notice the golds, russets, and browns. (Apparently this activity is called leaf peeping.)

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~Albert Camus

2. Jump into a pile of freshly-raked leaves.

3. Go for a walk and take in the clean, crisp autumn air.

4. Wear a funky hat. Chase it when the wind blows it off your head.

5. Enjoy the sound of leaves crinkling and crackling underneath your shoes.

DONE 6. Make caramel apples.

DONE -7. Decorate my house for fall

DONE -8. Collect golden autumn leaves and use them to decorate your dinner table, windowsills, or any other surface you choose.

DONE 9 - Buy some autmn lights and string them with garland around my windows.

DONE 10 - Make a fall cloche

DONE 11 - Be a part of the fall party blog carnivals

DONE 12. Go to your nearest apple orchard and look for the best apples to take home. (This will be in my own yard!!!)

13. Bake an apple pie–with a flaky, light, delicious crust–from scratch.

DONE 14. Get a large tub of water, fill it with apples, gather a fun group of people, and go bobbing for apples.

DONE 15. Build a bonfire and roast marshmallows. Make S’mores.

DONE 16. Select your favorite park, arboretum, or nature preserve and go on an autumn hike.

“It was one of those perfect English autumn days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.” ~ P.D. James.

17. Go on a hayride. Choose between horse and buggy or a truck-driven hayride.

DONE 18. Visit a pumpkin patch and choose several pumpkins to take home. (In my garden)

19. Make pumpkin cupcakes.

DONE 20. Roast pumpkin seeds.

DONE 21. Carve your own Jack-0-Lantern.

DONE 22. Attend a Fall Festival.

DONE 23. Make a Fall Wreath and hang it from your front door.

24. Enjoy some apple cider. Get yourself a warm mug of cider and sit out on the porch or balcony when it’s cool out.

25. Get some nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, and cloves, and make Fall potpourri. Add pine cones, twigs, and dried flowers.

26. Smear peanut butter over a plain unpainted pine cone and roll it in bird seeds. Hang it in a tree with a bit of yarn and watch to see what birds it attracts.

DONE 27 - Decorate my front porch for fall and halloween

DONE 28. Decorate your home for Halloween.

DONE 29. Organize a Halloween party.

30. Go trick-or-treating.

31. Watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.

DONE 32 - Gather seeds from garden for next spring

DONE 33. Listen to your favorite Halloween songs:

DONE 34. Get a big bag of fresh Brach candy corn - make some treat bags and gtive them away .

DONE 35 - Make 13 days before Halloween for our grandsons

DONE 36. Make a scarecrow (here’s a good tutorial).

37 - Dress up for Halloween

38. Have a Fall movie night marathon.

39. Set an elegant harvest table of Thanksgiving. Make a classic Thanksgiving meal. Remember to go around the table and have each person give thanks for at least one blessing they’ve received this year.

40. Watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”, in which Charlie Brown hosts a Thanksgiving meal in which he serves each of his friends the following:

Two slices of buttered toast,
Some pretzel sticks,
A handful of popcorn, and
A few jelly beans.

http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/2010/09/08/autumn-bucket-list/

Here is another resource:

www.cometogetherkids.com

Recipes 2010

Nacho Casserole

1 can(s) (10 3/4 ounces) Cheddar cheese soup, 1/2 cup(s) low-fat (1%) milk, 1 jar(s) (16 ounces) mild or medium-hot salsa, 1 bag(s) (7 ounces) Doritos, Taco meat, 1 can(s) (16 ounces) fat-free refried beans, 2 jalapeñño chiles, thinly sliced,1 cup(s) shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. In 13" by 9" ceramic or glass baking dish, stir undiluted soup with milk; spread evenly. Top with half of salsa and half of chips. Carefully spread beans and taco meat over chips. Top with remaining chips and salsa. Sprinkle with chiles and Cheddar.

2. Bake 20 minutes or until hot.

Hot Sausage Dip

1 package sausage, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 bottle salsa,

Brown sausage, mix with softened cream cheese and tomatoes. Heat through. Serve with corn chips.

Artichoke Dip

1 8 oz pkg softened cream cheese, ½ cup mayo, ½ cup parm cheese, garlic cloves, 1 can Maria’’s artichokes in water,

Mix and bake at 350° for 20 minutes

Cranberry Salad

2 cups water, 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry jello, 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed, 1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 8 leaves lettuce , 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened, 1 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup white sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Boil the water and combine with the strawberry flavored gelatin mix in a medium bowl. Mix in the strawberries, cranberry sauce and pecans. Transfer to a 2 quart mold. Chill in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Place the molded gelatin mixture on a serving plate and surround the base with lettuce leaves.

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and lemon juice with an electric mixer until well blended. Use this mixture as a topping for each serving of salad.

Green Bean Casserole

2 (10.75 ounce) cans Cream of Chicken soup, 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 8 cups cooked cut green beans, 2 2/3 cups French's®® French Fried Onions

Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-qt. casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 min. or until hot. Stir. Top with remaining onions. Bake for 5 min. more.

Yams

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 pinches ground cinnamon, 1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Boil sliced sweet potatoes in water until tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, blend the potatoes until creamy. Stir in the butter, brown sugar, orange juice to taste and a dash of ground cinnamon.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the miniature marshmallows over the top and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until golden

Thanksgiving Planning Guide

Three weeks ahead:
• Prepare your guest list; confirm how many people will be there.
• Find out if your guests have any special dietary needs.
• Place a rental order, if necessary, for tables, chairs, glasses, plates and flatware.Two weeks ahead:
• Decide on your final menu and collect the recipes you'll need. Select some dishes that taste good at room temperature, so you won't have to worry about your hot entree getting cold, or your cold dessert melting.
• Assign cooking projects to family members who offer to help.
• Order your fresh turkey, or buy your frozen turkey and put it in the freezer. If buying a whole turkey, plan on one pound per person. If you're buying just the bone-in breast, plan on 3/4 pound per person.
• Order or pick up beverages, or delegate this to your non-cooking guests.
• Shop for non-perishable goods now. You can buy flour, sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, canned pumpkin, packaged stuffing and cornbread mixes, rice, and fresh or frozen cranberries, all before the crowds descend.
One week ahead:
• Shop for hardier vegetables like butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and turnips.
• Buy heavy cream now; it's hard to find right before Thanksgiving.
• If necessary, wash and iron linen or polish silver. Dig out your turkey roaster and platter and any serving dishes hidden away in closets or high shelves. Decide what serving dishes you need for each food entry.Three days ahead:
• If you have a frozen turkey, clear a space in your fridge and put the bird in now to defrost.
• Clean the house, or put non-cooking household members in charge.
• If you're having a lot of guests, you may want to set up the table(s) and make sure you have enough space and chairs.Two days ahead:
• Make pumpkin pies or pumpkin cheesecake, rolls, breads and cornbread for stuffing. Refrigerate pies; you can always warm things up again before serving. Apple or pecan pies don't do well in advance, though; the crust doesn't stay flaky and crisp.
• Make things that can sit for two days in the fridge, like soups and cranberry sauce.
• Assemble casseroles (like sweet potato or green bean); they can be stored uncooked in the fridge and baked on Thanksgiving. One day ahead:
• Set the table now so you won't have to worry about it later. • Set up a coat rack with extra hangers.
• Do any remaining baking, including apple or pecan pies.• Buy your salad greens and perishable vegetables. Wash lettuce leaves now, dry well, and store by packing them in paper towels in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• If you ordered a fresh turkey, pick it up from the butcher.
• Calculate your cooking time (and cooking order) for tomorrow.
• Figure out what can't be cooked along with the turkey in the oven, either in terms of temperature or space. Plan to cook those things before or after the turkey is done, or on the stovetop while it's cooking; better still, make them today.
Thanksgiving DayFirst off:
• Prepare stuffing for the turkey (if you're stuffing the turkey) and/or the dressing to cook on the side.
• Prepare your vegetables for cooking-clean, peel and chop. Cover the ready-to-go vegetables and put them in the refrigerator. Boil potatoes and mash them; they can be reheated just before serving.
• Stuff the turkey and get it in the oven according to the schedule you calculated yesterday.Then:
• After the turkey is in the oven, you should have a little time to relax away from the kitchen.
• Just before the turkey's done, begin cooking fresh vegetables, and get anything else that needs to go into the oven ready (stuffing, storebought rolls, etc.)While the cooked turkey is resting:
• Put a foil tent over the turkey. You now have about an hour to do the remaining cooking.
• If you have a pan of stuffing/dressing on the side to bake, put it in now.
• Warm whatever needs to be warmed, including mashed potatoes, rolls, soups and casseroles.
• Cook frozen vegetables.
• Make the gravy.
• Put all the food on the table or buffet. Don't hesitate to press guests into service to put food in bowls, open wine bottles, fill glasses and dish up the cranberry sauce.

Get a plate and eat! Don't spend the meal running back and forth to the kitchen and end up missing out on the Thanksgiving feast you've created.

My Other Holiday Blogging Rooms

Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

2 weeks till Thanksgiving

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Recipes 2010

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