Falling Slowly

Gobble Game Plan Day 1

Ok, as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I suggest we ease into it. There is plenty to do and I do better when I get organized.  It can be stressful especially if you are serving as a holiday hub for family and friends. Preparing your house to receive guests, planning, and executing a fantastic holiday meal, and working in some quality time with your kids for some holiday traditions and great memories is a tall order. Even if you are not expecting a full house this year, there can still certainly be a lot to do. I want to help if I can by sharing some of the recipes, we have enjoyed year after year as well as some activities and treats that ensure we focus on what is important. Now, I know what you are thinking. You already have your holiday traditions that have probably been around since the Mayflower landed in Plymouth. I get it. We do too. There are certain items we do not deviate from or there will be problems. I do not intend on adding unnecessary drama to your holiday by suggesting such a move. I just want to provide the specifics of some recipes that have been tried and true in our holiday gatherings that people have consistently enjoyed. There also may be some items that you are not as attached to. You always have your essentials, but you may be bored with some of the extras. Nothing wrong with trying a new side or dessert occasionally, again, provided it does not incite violence. That, plus some focused holiday fun for the little ones should offer up a little something for everyone.

To get things kicked off, I want to talk about appetizers. We do not really eat anything special for breakfast on Thanksgiving. We are not eating pop tarts or anything, I just mean we have not really had a Thanksgiving breakfast tradition thus far. Maybe something to work on perhaps. Let me know if you have a yummy tradition. Anyway, the focus is all on the ‘big meal,’ which we usually have as a late lunch around 1 or closer to mid-afternoon, around 3 or 4. Either way, the inevitable football watching crowd likes to snack and you do not need them in your way. Put food out for the natives so they do not get restless and whiny. Now, do not go to a lot of trouble. Keep your eyes and effort on the main event. Here are some suggestions for some easy, crowd pleasers to keep your friends and family happy and out of the kitchen.

1. Charcuterie board: There are all sorts of options for creating a great spread and with the combination of savory and sweet, it will surely have something for everyone. Here is a link to just one idea that includes all the basics of a well-balanced board. I have not included this in the “Delicious Testimonial” section simply because we all make our own for the most part. Grab items your family loves and it will be a hit.

Charcuterie board: Recipe here

Delicious Testimonials

1. (a) Killer Pecans: During one of my many trips for work, I discovered a great market and bakery that I ended up going to almost every day. They carried Killer Pecans; a specialty food company focused on various types of seasoned pecans. I have tried the original killer pecans, the smokin pecans, and the cinnamon pecans. They are amazing. There are plenty of other products. They offer gift boxes or tins too so this can be a great idea for you to enjoy or give to others. I insert this as 1 (a) because these can be stand-alone snacks or a great addition to your board above.

check out the Killer Pecans site here

2. Captain Rodney’s cheese bake: This dip is addictive. It is creamy, cheesy, includes bacon and is topped off by Captain Rodney’s pepper glaze. It is a great go-to appetizer during the holiday and tailgating season (whenever that returns). Add some crackers or Fritos and watch this appetizer disappear quickly. You know that person who keeps asking if you need any help? Here is their assignment.

Captain Rodney’s cheese bake: Recipe here

Captain Rodney’s pepper glaze: Buy it here

3. Spicy Chex Mix: This one is an original. Not mine but my mother in law’s. She makes it every year much to my delight and I wanted to share. It is another super easy snack option to have available but just know, it too is addictive.

Recipe:

3 cups each of corn Chex, rice Chex, Crispix, stick pretzels and goldfish.

½ cup butter

¼ cup Worcester sauce

2 teaspoons each of garlic salt, onion powder, and seasoning salt

cayenne pepper to taste

Mix cereals, goldfish, and pretzels together. Melt butter and pour over mix. Mix spices and stir into mix. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.

4. Ham and swiss sliders: This is one of my favorite finger food recipes. I wanted to add this as an option in case your crew eats the big meal later in the evening, and they need a heartier option to grab. You can leave these as is or cut them into smaller bite size sandwiches.

Ham and Swiss Sliders: Recipe here

There are a great many wonderful appetizers out there, but this list focuses on a couple that are super easy taking into consideration all the other culinary feats you are juggling. Also, if you are not hosting, hopefully these posts still provide some options of things you can offer to bring to the host coordinating the big day.

One of my favorite features of the season is the beautiful fall foliage. I imagine the backdrop in Vermont or anywhere in the New England area is just beautiful this time of year. I have always loved nature and while we may not have scenery quite like our neighbors in the northeast, there are some beautiful trees in our area. Of course, the leaves are falling this time of year and they are everywhere. To add in a fun activity for the kids we started off by doing a nature scavenger hunt. My kids love doing stuff like this and I love that it gets them outside. There are all sorts of versions online you can find but I just made this one up that we did:

Nature Scavenger Hunt

1. Green leaf
2. Red leaf
3. Yellow leaf
4. Cool critter
5. Pinecone
6. Acorn
7. Cool rock
8. Cool stick
9. Something orange
10. Spider web

This gets them to notice the different shapes, sizes and colors and we end up with an interesting assortment. I gave them a Ziplock bag to put their finds in except for the cool critter. I just told them to come get me and we can go observe nature in action together instead of bringing it in my house. I was hoping we would see a pretty caterpillar or butterfly. Instead I started digging a little at the base of a tree and we found what I thought was a large worm. Further inspection revealed it was actually a baby snake. That makes number four this year. We let him be and marked that one off the list.

Another activity we did is collect various leaves and see what animals we could make out of them. I like the imagination and art in this activity. I have provided the link to an article below that has several easy crafts you can do with leaves. The leaf animal activity is the fourth one in the list. I loved it because my boys love animals and they enjoyed seeing how you can make different animals out of leaves. Ok, I know our attempt at a donkey is sad, but the fox is ok and my oldest decided to try an alligator. Again, this inspired some imagination and we had fun with it. I just used regular glue to put these guys together and it worked great.

Leaf animal craft

An easy treat to go with our exploration of leaves are these rice crispy treats. Kids love rice crispy treats and for a fall twist, you just need some food coloring and a leaf cookie cutter.  

Leaf treat Recipe here

If you and your little ones love to read books, I suggest Turkey Trick or Treat. It is a cute book for kicking things off right after Halloween. The farm animals want in on the candy and the Turkey leads the charge to fool the neighborhood. One by one, they all see through his not so great costumes. Silly Turkey. Treats are for kids.

Get it here

Leaves fall off deciduous trees gradually as a means of self-preservation. The cells in the leaves freeze during winter rendering them useless for photosynthesis. They brace for the harsh climate by eliminating everything except their strongest parts such as their trunks and branches. Dropping the leaves is a necessary step in survival and in making room for new growth.

As we ease into cooler temperatures and the Thanksgiving holiday, I think the leaves falling all around us can be a gentle reminder not to let our plates become so full that we end up overwhelmed and ineffective for the things and people that are most important. Slowing down or dropping something might even make you stronger. I certainly think we have seen some evidence of that during this pandemic. “Falling Slowly,” is a beautiful song by Glen Hansard. If you have not heard it, I suggest you check it out. There is a version on YouTube of him singing it with Eddie Vedder that is great too, although the video is a bit shaky. You should add it to your Thanksgiving playlist, which I hope you have. If not, you can check mine out on Spotify as a start. For now, enjoy the trees doing their thing.

Thanks for visiting Mockingbirdmom.com.

Upcoming: Tomorrow – Thanksgiving side dishes and much more!