THANKSGIVING RECIPES AND IDEAS.

THANKSGIVING THE TIME OF TOGETHERNESS AND GRATITUDE

Thanksgiving is the day of the year, when we think of others. We take time to reflect on what we have, the little things daily that make life pleasant and easier. We all need to look deep inside and be grateful for the health we enjoy, the daily tasks we do without much effort and the world around us that has a pattern and routine ,that work.
Be thankful for what we have, maybe not everything we want. What we want, is not always, what we need………………
The world is smaller, the issues are large as ever, the dreams trying to unfold daily. Take this year as the time you will make an effort to help others dreams come true. Help to educate children and see that the poor have food and clean water. Every little effort adds up. We all want a better and safer world for our children.

Here are a few quick idesa for the menus for Thanksgiving Day.

Starters……………………consider how many kids there are and have a few foods ready.
Baked hot potatoes. Cooked corn. Baked beans. Hot potato chips.
Falafel balls. Hummus and Techina. Olives . Pickled Cucumbers.
Have pitot, buns and whole-wheat breads on the side.
Make dips ready and a few sauces like tomato, mustard and grated cheeses.
The kids can create a plate to eat while they wait for the main courses.


CURRIED EGGS.
You can do these two days ahead. Boil twelve eggs hard. Cool and peel.
Make a sauce that you pour over the eggs and refrigerate for a day or two.
Slice two large onions thinly, three dried apricots, three cloves of garlic. Place these in pot with a few black peppercorns, three bay leaves, two teaspoons of apricot jam or honey, a few sultanas or raisins, a little salt and pepper, half a cup of water, half a cup of vinegar and two large teaspoons of curry powder. Let this cook slowly for fifteen minutes.
Pour this over the boiled eggs and cover with a lid. Refrigerate when it has cooled down. Great to serve on a bed of lettuce.

PUMPKIN FRITTERS.

These can be made a day or two ahead and served with apple sauce, caramel syrup and even a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin.

4 tablespoons flour. 1 egg. 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a little salt to taste.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the pumpkin. Beat the egg and add.
If not stiff enough, add flour . Drop spoonfuls in hot oil and drain Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Serve warmed up with the side dishes.

SIMPLY DELICIOUS FRESH SALADS.

LETTUCE AND CITRUS FRUITS..

Wash a variety of lettuce and drain in a lettuce spinner. Arrange on a large platter. Cut up citrus fruits, mandarins[ Peeled and in segments.] Grapefruits, oranges and kumquats.
Slice red onions, two teaspoons of pine kernels, chopped parsley and some mint leaves. Arrange on the lettuce. I grate Roquefort cheese over this. Add the dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and honey. Mix well and pour over the salad..

SPINACH SALAD AND NUTS
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I wash and dry spinach leaves. Chop of the stalks. Cube three firm pears, one apple, half a cup of chopped sugared pecans, two tablespoons of chopped almonds and grated cheddar cheese over this. Make a simple dressing and pour over as you serve this. You need to do this last minute as the pears and apples could discolor. A little lemon juice over them can prevent this happening. For the dressing use lemon juice, chopped parsley, olive oil and herbs, vegetable salt and a bit of black pepper. Mix well and pour over the salad.

DRINKS THAT ARE FUN TO HAVE.

HOT APPLE CIDER.
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Warm up some apple cider drinks and add little cinnamon and a few slices of lemon. Serve warm .



GREEN TEA TREAT.

Take two tea bags of Green Tea, five cloves, two sticks of cinnamon, some mint, lemon and geranium leaves.
Add a few slices of oranges, or kumquats, four cups of water. Mix in with a dash of honey. Warm all this up and pour into coffee mugs. Lovely aroma and satisfying drink….no liquor

DESSERTS…QUICK AND EASY.

If you have a large crowd, make it easy and delicious. Have bowls of chocolate sprinkles, 100 and 1000's, chopped marshmallows, chocolate crunch or chocolate chips, little marshmallows and lots of cut up fruits. Buy an assortment of ice creams and let every one create their dessert. The ready made ice creams make a great dessert platter and every one likes to choose what they enjoy eating.

Look at the blog of Thanksgiving last year and see some other ideas and recipes.
November the 19th 2008.

RONA'S SANE AND SENSIBLE IDEAS. FOR FAMILY VALUES THAT MAKE MEMORIES.

Make a gift packet for each child. A toy, chocolate and a wish ward. Write a message on the card for each kid.

Have some one to take photos of everyone there. Family photos, the generations of grandparents, kids and grand children, babies and the cousins. You will enjoy these over the years and love the growth and changes you will see.

Have a guest book with the date and year on it. Ask everyone to take a page and write name, birthday and address and email on it. Then a personal message and a wish list. The photos you take can be sent to the email and the birthdays can be placecd on Face book or on a birthday page on the Internet for everyone. You can paste a photograph on the page opposite the messages written in the Guest Book.

These are important memory makers.


Ask the kids ahead of time, if anyone wants to perform, play an instrument of entertain the family. A concert can be a lot of fun.

Celebrate being together and have a wonderful day

LOVE AND LIGHT RONA