Every Thanksgiving table should include a centerpiece to add to the festive feel of your dinner. It’s quick and easy to make a Thanksgiving table decoration from fall flowers, pumpkins, gourds, and greenery. You can create a beautiful Thanksgiving table decoration in very little time and for very little money.

FLORAL PLATTER CENTERPIECE

Here is a simple centerpiece that you can arrange on a tray or platter in just a few minutes: You will need a small potted ivy or mum, a few small gourds or pumpkins, several miniature pumpkins, a few apples, and some fresh or dried greenery such as moss, leaves, or parsley, and of course the platter or tray in which you will place your arrangement.

Place the mum or ivy on one side of the platter and place a gourd and two small pumpkins next to the plant. Make sure you water the plant, but sparingly so as not to overrun or spill the water onto the other items on the platter. Arrange the miniature pumpkins around the platter and place the apples randomly to give a splash of color. Use small apples of both red and green colors. Place the leaves and/or greenery between the apples, gourds, and pumpkins. This makes a wonderful centerpiece that will make your Thanksgiving table a thing of beauty.

HARVEST GLASS BOWL WITH FLOWERS

To make a Thanksgiving centerpiece that includes all the symbols of fall, you will need the following:

- a small glass tumbler

- one very small pumpkin that has had the top cut off and the insides scooped out

- six or more small gourds

- a few dried leaves (preferably in various colors)

- a dozen or more fall flowers such as mums

- a cup of fresh or dried cranberries

- shallow glass bowl

After you have gathered your supplies, place the tumbler inside the pumpkin and fill it halfway with water.

Arrange the flowers in the tumbler and place the pumpkin in the glass bowl. Place the bowl containing the pumpkin and the flowers on a cutting board or large glass plate on the table. Arrange the leaves, gourds, and cranberries in a random fashion around the pumpkin. Add a few small candles if you wish. You will have a beautiful centerpiece in just a few minutes of your time.

CRANBERRY CENTERPIECE

Create another easy Thanksgiving table decoration with only a clear glass vase (any size you desire), two pounds of fresh or dried cranberries, and a large bunch of pink or white carnations. Cut the carnation stems so that the flowers will be just above the top of the vase and remove any leaves. Place the carnations inside the vase and pull the flowers away from the edge. Drop the cranberries into the vase and then fill with water. This is a very easy and inexpensive centerpiece that will look beautiful on your table.

It is quite easy to make a memorable centerpiece with very little time and money. Use your imagination and add lots of colors and textures to create a centerpiece that will create the perfect Thanksgiving atmosphere.

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When guests are invited to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at your house, you may want to create festive and beautiful Thanksgiving decorations to transform your home into a wonderful autumn landscape.

Thanksgiving dinner is usually set around a formal dinner setting but if you are having a lot of guests and don’t have enough seating, you can set up a buffet table. Start off by using natural items you would find in the fall months. Go outside and collect changing leaves, pinecones, twigs with berries still attached and any other element from nature that you might think you can use in your decorations.

Press the leaves in books ahead of time so they have time to dry out before Thanksgiving Day. Create a thrilling cornucopia by spray painting all of the vegetables the same color; burgundy, silver, or gold. Your cornucopia can be used as your table’s centerpiece or for a decoration on another flat surface.

Use your leftover Halloween pumpkins in your Thanksgiving decorations. Bring a Thanksgiving scene to life on the front of your pumpkin by using paint with stamps or stencils. Cut a hole out of the top of the pumpkin and use it as a vase to hold gold or orange mums or carnations or daisies.

Instead of using pieces of paper for place cards, create variety by using mini pumpkins or gourds. Write the names of your dinner guests on the mini pumpkins or gourds to mark each table setting. Create an interesting and beautiful autumn garland by using autumn leaves, small pinecones, nuts and berries.

Drape the garland around the room for a festive Thanksgiving atmosphere. Plan a few fun games and activities if you are going to have kids at your dinner. Surf the internet for ideas. Make sure to use plenty of Thanksgiving Day colors throughout your entire home. Oranges, gold, browns and burgundies are the perfect Thanksgiving Day pallet.

We found free Thanksgiving party games, word find, word search, coloring pages and party ideas at Thanksgiving Party. Plus, they have a nice selection of decorations, party supplies and favors.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Free Party Games to help complete your event.

Here it is – that time of year when everyone’s thoughts turn to food! I’m thankful that at our house, we have plenty of food, but sometimes I am not so grateful that I am the one who usually gets to cook it!

So I am always on the lookout for simple, tasty recipes that are also easy on the budget. Here are a few of my family’s favorites:

Corn-Rice Casserole

 
• 1 1/2 cups minute rice (uncooked) 

   

• 2 cans cream-style corn 

   

• 1 small onion, chopped 

   

• 1 medium green pepper, chopped 

   

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine 

   

• 8 oz. jar Cheez Whiz 

Melt butter in large saucepan and add onion and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add other ingredients and cook on low for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Pour into greased 2-quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

 
• 2 16-oz. cans sweet potatoes 

   

• 1/4 cup butter 

   

• 3/4 cup sugar 

   

• 1/2 tsp. salt 

   

• 2 eggs 

   

• 1/2 cup milk 

   

• 1 tsp. vanilla 

Topping:

 
• 1 cup brown sugar 

   

• 1/4 cup butter 

   

• 2 tsp. cinnamon 

   

• 1/4 cup flour 

Drain sweet potatoes and mash. Add other ingredients and mix well. Pour into ungreased 9″ square baking pan. Mix all topping ingredients till crumbly. Spread on yams then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Tip: You can make this the day before. Just refrigerate till you are ready to bake.

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This one is perfect for supper the night before Thanksgiving.

Harvest Time Soup

 
• 1 1/2 cups water 

   

• 1 cup cubed potatoes 

   

• 1/2 cup chopped carrots 

   

• 1/2 cup chopped celery 

   

• 3/4 lb. process cheese spread, cubed 

   

• 1 cup ham, cubed 

Bring water, potatoes, carrots and celery to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till vegetables are tender.

Add cheese and ham; cook, stirring till cheese is melted.

This makes about 4 servings, but it could easily be cut in half or doubled.

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Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution:

“It is therefore recommended … to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor …”?November 1, 1777

(adopted by the 13 states as the first official Thanksgiving Proclamation)

About The Author

Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the “1 Frugal Friend 2 Another” bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name.

Visit http://www.cynroberts.com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course “Taming the Monster Grocery Bill”.

editor@cynroberts.com

The first time you host Thanksgiving dinner at your house there are so many things to consider. After a week of preparing delicious side dishes and baking scrumptious Thanksgiving pies carving the turkey may be the farthest thing from your mind. However, when you remove your perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey you will be faced with the inevitable turkey carving.

If you ask advice from friends and neighbors you will get as many recommendations as you have friends. To ease confusion here are four recommendations on carving the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.

Recommendation One: Remove the roasted turkey from the oven 20 minutes before you are ready to serve. The turkey will remain hot and this resting time will allow the juices to incorporate into the turkey meat. Otherwise the turkey juices will flow all over the platter.

Recommendation Two: Be sure to choose a platter large enough to hold the turkey and any garnish you will serve next to the turkey. If you are serving a small group and plan to rest carved turkey on the platter be sure to leave ample room.

Recommendation Three: Remove stuffing from turkey cavity before carving. The stuffing can be placed on the platter with the turkey or in a separate serving dish.

Recommendation Four: If this is your first Thanksgiving plan a practice turkey carving session. Use a small roaster chicken and carve as you would the turkey.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She has put together a special Thanksgiving report that gives you 73 recipes to use with your leftover turkey as well as a special holiday ice cream cookbook that includes favorites like pumpkin pie ice cream and pecan pie ice cream. She has also put together a holiday planning guide to help you have the most enjoyable Thanksgiving ever. You can find all of these at http://www.turkey-leftovers.com

Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner is no easy task and I am sure the Harvest of 1641 was no exception for the Plymouth Pilgrim Colony. You think you have your work cut out for you, they had 90 Indians show up and the feast lasted three days. There are many things that you need to know about preparing a large feast even you are only have 9 Indians show up at your house.

You will first need to decide all the side dishes and number of people so you have enough and it is best to error on the side of too much rather than running out. You do not want to get scalped by any of your guests, additionally if they bring some food to the meal such as the Indians did at the Harvest Feast which was essentially the model for the Thanksgiving Holiday, then you need to make sure they do not forget. By the way the Indians brought venison to the first feast.

One of the most important things to remember when cooking a turkey is that frozen turkeys can take up to twenty four or more hours to thaw out. So you really have to have the cooking time, plus the thaw out time figured out correctly. Also if you have some little kids and you are going to put them at a different table, you might consider paper plates. It saves of the wrinkled fingers doing all those dishes and it really does help prevent breakage. Please be thinking about a strategy in serving your Thanksgiving dinner, write it all down and have a plan.

Lance Winslow

Got an email from “Online University” with the Subject: “Get a degree in as little as a few months.” Wow, with a name like Online University, it must be good.

I often eat at places called “Restaurant” and I shop at places called “Store” so why not go to an online university called “Online University.”

When potential employers see my resume they will pick me! Harvard, Yale, Online University!

“Wow! He got his degree online! To the top of the pile!”

Much better than Through-the-Mail University or I-saw-it-on-TV-at-3-in-the-morning-University. I want to go to Online University because the girls are hot. Especially the girls from Omnicron Sigma (Online Sorority.) They have their own webcam and everything!

At Online University, I get personal attention with a 17 to 1 student to faculty ratio in the chat rooms.

And the lounges are cool because they have online billiards and online ping pong where I can make online friends and maybe meet on online girl to have online cyber sex.

Choose a college based on these 3 things:

1 – The name. Go to the most highly regarded school you can. It’s like wearing Prada or Nike Air Jordans. “Online University” is the equivalent of Rustler jeans. It’s bootleg. It’s not even Wrangler jeans.

2 – The people. Ideally, you want hot chicks and guys who won’t date rape you. And for you girls, you’re going to hate the women no matter what campus you go to, so this doesn’t matter. Just pick a place where the guys won’t date rape you or your boyfriend.

3 – The location. If everything else is equal, go to a warm location, you moron. Why spend years freezing your ass off going to class when you can be warm? When you visit the campus, imagine it’s February and you’ve passed out outdoors. When you wake up, is your face frostbitten and covered in snow? Or is your face warm from that beautiful yellow pee your buddies tinkled on you? If it’s both, then consider a new school.

Online University. Gimme a f*cking break.

Here’s the commercial for Online University:

Slacker dude with long hair and a skateboard and bloodshot eyes: “Yeah, so I got a my undergrad at Online University. And with that under my belt, I have Law Schools knocking down my door! Thanks to Online University, I have so many choices! I can’t decide! Should I go to Law School at Ham Radio University… or Text Message College?”

Stooooooooooooooopid.

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