By Joseph Devine

If the pilgrims of the Mayflower could see us today, I think they would be proud of their descendants. Thanksgiving is a time of family and food, two things to be thankful for, even in the modern world. Even though making a good dinner is only a small part of this important holiday, it is big part of the fun. Usually most families meet at one of their relative’s house, make a turkey dinner complete with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, greens, finishing it off with pumpkin pie. This is the menu that everyone expects. However, why not surprise your family this year with something of a hint of that traditional meal, but with a modern and interesting twist.

Let’s start with a traditional desert (since it is always fun to start off with something sweet), and make it into an interesting addition to your holiday extravaganza. How does Banana Sour Cream Bread sound? Banana bread is one of those American classics that seem to make an appearance at every holiday, every bake sale, and every social event. Its popularity makes it a great place to start your experimenting. Banana sour cream bread uses all the same ingredients as banana bread, so you can use your own favorite recipe, plus one container of sour cream. This gives your banana bread an extra kick of flavor, with a very moist and savory texture. To make it even more delicious, line your pan with a dusting of sugar and cinnamon, giving it a fairy-like sheen as it comes out of the oven.

Now, you are going to need to wash down this savory desert with a homemade drink (because even the drinks need to be home-style on Thanksgiving Day). Why not use your cranberries for a better purpose than cranberry sauce? Making a cranberry punch will accentuate your other dishes without overpowering your cooking delights. My favorite recipe for cranberry punch uses cranberry, white grape, and pineapple juice, plus ginger ale, and a pint of orange sherbet ice cream. The ice cream gives the punch a little more thickness and mass to keep them coming back for more, while the ginger ale gives it the bubbles and fun all punches deserve.

And finally, the turkey. The turkey is not only the main dish; it is the center piece of the table. Try baking your turkey with a cornbread dressing. Cornbread is as traditionally American as anything else. To make this dressing, bake your turkey, and when you take it out of the oven, smother it with butter. After it cools, take your favorite cornbread recipe and paint the turkey with as thin or thick of cornbread batter as you desire. Your family is guaranteed to love it.

By Jane Bullard
Posted by Gary Harouff
The most remarkable and true Thanksgiving Day of my life came unexpectedly. It entered my heart and mind in a strange new place from home, children, brothers, mother, and turkey.

About five weeks before that most remarkable and true Thanksgiving Day, I had joined my husband at the beginning of what would become ten years living in Geneva, Switzerland. Thanksgiving was our first holiday far from home that first year of ten.

We had coffee together that morning, and talked for a short while before my husband left for work like every other working person in Switzerland that day. Offices were open, of course, and routines hummed along. There was a small contingent of Americans. They seemed well-adjusted being foreigners there, and I had not gotten to know any of them well.

Looking through large windows onto a beautifully kept garden, I could see a gray November Thursday. In our beautiful apartment, empty of everything but decorated rooms and me, I decided to return to bed.

Aches of aloneness and longing to be somewhere else ran in fierce circles around my heart. Turning inside my head were images of our children, young grandson, and other family around a Thanksgiving table in the hours ahead. They had not yet waked up yet, awaked, in America, but they would get up to a holiday, together. Selfishly, I did not think of how it was also different for them, because we were far away. I could only think of my longings for home. I could not yet imagine their longings for us.

The day, therefore, seemed cruelly empty and odd. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I should feel happy. I could not feel happy, for in another sense, it was not Thanksgiving Day.

I returned to bed and got under the covers.

Rather than continue gazing at the ceiling. I made a move, reaching for my Bible on the table next to me. I turned to the Psalms, where I knew there were words to pour out my feelings. I needed the words to express the inexpressible feelings of displacement that frightened me.

Who else is there who can understand and bear all our feelings, except God? The scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). In a changing life in a changing world, there is constancy with Him.

I noted the date and “Thanksgiving Day” in pencil along the margins of many psalms* of praise. For example:

“O God my Strength! I will sing your praises, for you are
my place of safety” (Psalm 59).

“For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the
earth, I will cry to you for help…For you are my refuge, a high tower” (Psalm 61).

“I lie awake at night thinking of you-of how much you
have helped me-and how I rejoice through the night beneath
the protecting shadow of your wings. I follow close
behind you, protected by your strong right arm” (Psalm 63).

“O God who saves us. You are the only hope of all mankind
throughout the world and far away upon the sea…” (Psalm 65:5).

“Let everyone bless You, O God, and sing Your praises, for You hold our lives in
Your hands. And You hold our feet to the path” (Psalm 66:8).

I read aloud, and the more I read the more tears of relief flowed, and I enjoyed, in a new way, the first of many thanksgivings on hard days over the next ten years and during wonderful surprises in them, too.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20, 21).

*Scriptures are from the Living Bible translation.

Barbara J. Feldman, Author

Also called a Horn of Plenty, the cornucopia has evolved into a iconic symbol of Thanksgiving and abundance. The original ancient Greek cornucopia was a curved goat’s horn overflowing with fruit and grain It symbolized the horn possessed by Zeus’s nurse, the Greek nymph Amalthaea, which could be filled with whatever the owner wished. Today’s traditional Thanksgiving cornucopias are often filled with a mixture of small pumpkins, gourds and fruits that symbolize the harvest. They are sometimes accented with whole nuts or dried berries, perhaps as a nod to their pilgrim beginnings during the festival of Thanksgiving.

Although Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, not all of the United States looks exactly the same when celebrating Thanksgiving. While we think of a traditional Thanksgiving as a chilly fall or even winter day, some parts of the country are experiencing balmy weather. We may think of Thanksgiving as a time to cozy up next to a fire wearing our favorite wool sweater, but in some states Thanksgiving revelers get out of their pools to check their turkey on the grill! So why not have your Thanksgiving cornucopia reflect your own personal Thanksgiving celebration?

If you live in California or (or any coastal state that experiences warm weather at Thanksgiving) why not have your cornucopia reflect that? A beautiful cornucopia spilling out citrus fruit would be spectacular. Just round up a selection of your favorite fruits like lemons, limes and oranges. Using small toothpicks you could anchor the fruit to a floral oasis and then to each other to prevent them from rolling out of the basket. Build your cornucopia one piece at a time until you achieve the overflowing look you want. To garnish the arrangement, consider using smaller citrus like kumquats and lemon leaves tucked between the fruit. This will give it a more finished look. One of the benefits of using this kind of centerpiece is that your guests can disassemble it to snack on during or after the big meal!

No one ever said that a Thanksgiving cornucopia had to only be edible. If you live in a warm Southern state there are spectacular flowers that are still in bloom at Thanksgiving time. Consider filling your Thanksgiving cornucopia with a selection of magnolia blossoms, orchids or other indigenous flowers from your area. The effect could be breathtakingly beautiful with a little effort. Just remember the look of a cornucopia is always one that is slightly overfilled.

Creative Southwestern Thanksgiving celebrations have featured cornucopias filled with Native American artifacts (as a nod to some of the first Thanksgiving participants) or even cornucopias filled with red rock and cactus as a reflection of the surrounding landscape. The beauty and ease of this type of cornucopia is that you can fill it with whatever reflects your own personal Thanksgiving celebration.

If you live in the Midwestern States or the “Bread Belt” of the country, consider making a Thanksgiving cornucopia that reflects that. Using frozen bread dough shaped over a colander, you can form the horn of plenty. Bake following the package directions and then fill your cornucopia with dinner rolls your guests can eat during the Thanksgiving meal!

By using a little creativity and whatever you have on hand, you can put together a very special Thanksgiving cornucopia that is a reflection of your own personal gratitude. And isn’t that really what Thanksgiving is all about?

For more Thanksgiving centerpieces, crafts, games, and coloring pages visit Thanksgiving Centerpieces.

Author: Michelle Cardello

The season of thanks is upon us, and we want to capture those family memories in a way they will always be easily recalled, for life’s good times always slip quickly away, like sand sifting through an hour glass. One fine scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving is to create a recipe memoir, which tells the history of your family’s thanksgiving in the form of recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Here are some tips on how to organize your Thanksgiving recipe scrapbook memoir material.

Gather all the recipes you want to include in the memoir and any photos or ephemera you want associated with the presentation. Take your time with this phase of the operation, no matter how anxious you may be about completing your scrapbook ideas for Thanksgiving before the holiday. You will feel terrible if you omit one Thanksgiving scrapbook idea and then find it after you have completed the memoir / scrapbook.

As you gather recipes and photos for your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving, make some notes about each one. In fact, buy a special journal just for these notes and keep it for other scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving.

How does reading about the recipe make you feel? What special memories does it evoke? Are there any family tales or funny stories associated with the recipe? Is it hand-written or typed? Write down your thoughts as they cross your mind. Make a rough sketch of your pages so you will know what will go where and what supplies you will need to fulfill your Thanksgiving scrapbook ideas.

Decide on a format for your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving. One effective scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving is to organize the material as if it were a cookbook to be passed down to future generations. You are creating a family heirloom just as priceless as any other, and maybe even more so because of the specific effort involved. If you wish to use a cookbook format as your scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving, consider dividing the book into different sections just like you would find in a real cookbook; one for appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. Instead of an appendix, list the names of those whose recipes you have included.

Do not scrimp on materials for your scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving. You want your memoir to last, and it won’t without purchasing fine quality materials. Don’t be afraid to try something different for your scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving. What about chalking, paper piercing or punch art for your cookbook/scrapbook memoir?

If you decide to go with chalking as one of your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving, practice adding and blending colors on a separate sheet before applying chalk to a cutout to get a feel for blending techniques. Chalking is a very inexpensive scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving and is a very effective way to adorn a page with color. Use a light touch for a soft look and a heavier application for more intense color. Opt for photo-safe decorating chalks, which contain concentrated pigment and are acid-free. Use them carefully and if they break, save the pieces because they still can be used for other scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving.

Paper piercing is another technique to consider for your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving. Using a template, a piercing tool and pad, you can create a unique presentation for your cookbook / memoir. Designs can be either flat or raised but the results are endless. Many themes and styles are available and piercing can add texture or be combined with stenciling or embossing for additional enhancement of your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving.

Punch art also offers a myriad of possibilities for your scrapbook ideas for Thanksgiving. You can use it to decorate the borders or headers of your cookbook memoir to accentuate its Thanksgiving theme. Set your own stage with the colors of the season; orange, burgundy, gold and brown. Punches are very versatile and they can be made into many shapes and sizes, only limited by the confines of your imagination. Some of the more common punches are standard geometric shapes, hearts, stars, spirals, leaves and bears. Like the words to that old song, when it comes to punches for scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving, anything goes.

So consider your cookbook / memoir scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving as something your family will treasure for many holiday seasons to come. Get inspired to make it a unique creation that will bring pride to any bookshelf in your home. Let your imagination run free and wild while remembering to have a happy, healthy and memorable Thanksgiving holiday.