Thanksgiving – Page 8

When the smell of the Thanksgiving turkey is wafting through the house and you have a boatload of people who are starving, it’s really helpful (and maybe even life-saving) to have some easy appetizers on hand to ward off their hunger pains and keep them from nibbling on the “real food!” Hungry guests aren’t happy guests, so let’s fill them up!

A relish tray is pretty standard for an appetizer, but I thought I’d share some other ideas – three easy, fast and inexpensive appetizer ideas with you today! Oh, I forgot to mention these are all sooo yummy, which to most of us is the most important part of any recipe! These recipes include sweet, salty and savory – wait aren’t those three of the food groups? 😉

Candy corn and salted peanuts. Mix half of each in a dish, stick in a spoon and you’re done! You won’t believe how delicious this is! I’m not really a candy corn fan, but mixed with peanuts, it’s just the right amount of sweetness! Grab a bag of candy corn on sale in the post-Halloween candy deals right now!
Sugar and spice pretzels.
1 (16 oz) bag pretzel twists
⅔ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour pretzels into a roasting pan. In a medium sized bowl mix together vegetable oil, cinnamon and sugar. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice to stir.

Picture from Kraft
My Favorite Cheese Ball & Crackers
8 oz. Cream cheese
1 Cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/4 Cup Green onions, diced
Chopped Walnuts of Pecans

Soften Cream cheese. Add all ingredients, except nuts. Stir to combine. Place on waxed paper or saran wrap. Wrap paper around to roll into a ball. Refrigerate until firm. Roll cheese ball in chopped nuts. Serve with a variety of crackers.

Aldi’s has had cream cheese on sale for .89 the last several weeks. Grab several and keep it on hand for the holiday season. You can be ready to whip up a cheese ball at a moment’s notice!

I hope this will help your Thanksgiving guests to be happy and satisfied while dinner’s cooking!

With love from my country kitchen,

Two weeks from yesterday I have will have the privilege of hosting Thanksgiving for my family. There will be at least eight of us here, with the possible addition of other non-family guests. I’m excited about getting to host this holiday that is the beginning of a wonderful season of the year!

Though I’m not having twenty or forty people, like many of you may be hosting, I’m still trying to plan out my preparations in these weeks before so I can enjoy my family and not be scurrying about the kitchen all day. Here’s what I’m working on getting done before Thanksgiving week arrives. Maybe this will give you a few ideas of things you can do beforehand, so your stress level will be diminished!

House:

Clean summer dust off windows
Wipe down baseboards
Polish hardwood floors
Have sofa upholstery professionally cleaned
Wipe out fridge and freezer
Get rid of any unnecessary containers in fridge so there will be plenty of room for all the food
Clean oven
Wipe down cabinets

Table Prep:

Iron linens – napkins and tablecloths
Clean/polish silver
Plan centerpiece
Purchase any candles needed
Make place cards

Food Prep:

Plan dinner menu
Ask guests who have volunteered what items they’d like to bring
Purchase any pantry items that aren’t perishable
Purchase/order turkey
Bake cookies and freeze
Make pie crusts and freeze

Those are the things I’ve thought of so far. My mind will wake me up at night sometimes, with a thought of something I need to add to my list. It’s good to have a pad and pencil by my bedside for those nighttime ideas!

Who else is hosting Thanksgiving at their house? How do you prepare ahead of time?

Stay refreshed,

Category: Thanksgiving

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