I Could Use Another Week Before December

I hope all of you (at least my U.S. readers!) had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I had a great time - enjoyed the company and the food!

I know that many of you have already been out shopping like crazy with all the sales (like Kim) - I have successfully avoided them - LOL!  I may try to take advantage of the Cyber Monday specials today though.  And several of you have your homes all decked out for Christmas now (like the queen of Christmas decor - Teri Lynne!).

What have I done so far to get ready for Christmas? 

~nothing~

I just can't seem to get my head into the whole thing until Thanksgiving is over.  And since I host and do all the cooking for the Thanksgiving meal myself, I need recovery time after that.  So I might be ready to think about it all sometime later this week.  Is that a crime?  I already feel so far behind and it's not December yet!  If you could just squeeze another week in right here for me, that would be great!

Oh don't worry - it will all get done.  Of course, much of it will happen at the last minute and there is likely to be stress involved!

What about you?  Are you one of the sickeningly organized people that has already decorated, shopped, and planned your Christmas or have you avoided the pre-Christmas prep until now like me?

I hope you know that I do love and enjoy the Christmas season - in fact, I will soon be annoying my hubs with the Herb Alpert Christmas CD that I grew up listening to (grew up with the record, not the CD)!  LOL!  Don't be scared - I do also have better tastes in Christmas music!  :)

Ok, enough of this post!  Obviously I have a lot to do!

Oh and you might want to check out my post on Wednesday - it's my 500th post!  Woo Hoo!  I do believe it involves chocolate and I do believe it involves a chocolate giveaway ('cause that's how I roll - hee,hee)!  :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The First Thanksgiving" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Wordless Wednesday: Handsome Landscaper

Sorry ladies...this handsome landscaper is not available!  He's all mine.  :)

 

To enjoy more Wordless Wednesday photo posts, stop by 5 Minutes For Mom!

Have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving Day!  There will not be a Chocolate Friday this week as I will be recovering from hosting the Thanksgiving meal!  But Friday 12/4 will be Dessert Friday - maybe you can take some pics of your Thanksgiving desserts and link them up the following Dessert Friday!

Tea For Two-sday ~ Giveaway Winner

Happy Tea For Two-sday friends!  Thank you to all of you who entered the Golden Moon Tea giveaway!  Glad you enjoy tea!

The giveaway winner is...

Renée aka Mekhismom

Congrats Renee!!

I always feel the need to console those of you who didn't win - LOL!  So I wanted to let you know that there is another Golden Moon Tea giveaway that you can enter!  My friend Katie over at Frugal Femina is hosting a giveaway for a tin of Golden Moon Tea and her giveaway ends 11/26/09 - you still have time to enter!

Have a lovely Tea For Two-sday!

Thankful

Thanksgiving is just 3 days away!  I do enjoy Thanksgiving for the special time with family and for all the delicious food.  But I don't believe it's right to just give thanks 1 day a year.  We should be doing it daily!  Whatever trials we may be facing, there are always blessings from the Lord to be thankful for - every single day of the year.  Some days it's harder to see them, but they are there just the same.

Just a few of the things I am thankful for:

The Lord from whom all blessings flow
Husband
And son
Never-ending joy
Kitchen to cook in (especially dessert!)
Family & Friends
Um...Chocolate - LOL
Laughter  :)

I do hope you all have a week full of blessings and thanksgiving!

Subscribe so you can keep stopping to smell the chocolates with me!

Don't forget - today is the last day to enter my Golden Moon Tea loose-leaf tea giveaway!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate Friday is here again!  Seems like it came quickly this week.  Whether your week went quickly or slowly, you really should have some chocolate today!

My friend Jill sent me a link to a recipe that I had to try!  I made it for a church potluck.  It's a copycat version of Cracker Barrel's Cherry Chocolate Cobbler.  Yum!  Just click the link for the recipe.  It's best served warm and really good with a nice big glob of whipped cream on top!  Or you could try some ice cream with it.  I really liked it, but I would like to try it with dark cherries next - I think that might be even yummier.

 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Cherry Chocolate Cobbler

Well I shared my chocolate, so don't you think you should share your chocolate??  You know the drill - link up your chocolate posts below with MckLinky!  I'm sure you've got a chocolate post hiding somewhere.  You don't even have to write a new one - dig one out of the archives to link up!  See how easy-going I am?  And if you don't have a blog, share your chocolate thoughts or recipes in the comments! 

And I have a question you can answer in the comments today!  I'm really curious - have you ever made any of the recipes from my blog?  If so, which one(s) did you try?  I would love to know!

Have a fabulous chocolatey Friday!

Take A Truffle Break

I have been receiving several e-mails telling me about certain events or promotions going on and wondering if I'll post about them.  Well, when one comes along telling me about free chocolate - I stop and listen - LOL!  And when that free chocolate involves Godiva, I listen really well!  What kind of chocolate-loving blogger would I be if I didn't share free chocolate with you?

Drooling?  Yes, me too.

How about a little truffle trivia?
    *  Approximately 17 million Godiva Truffles are sold each year.
    *  Approximately 47,254 Godiva Truffles are consumed each day.
    *  1,969 Godiva Truffles are consumed every hour.
    *  33 Godiva Truffles are consumed every minute.
Um, wow.  I had no idea, but I need to get in on that action.  :)

Now I know you don't all have a Godiva location nearby - I am sorry about that.  But if you do, here's what's happening today (Thursday 11/19):  To celebrate “Truffle Month”, Godiva invites you to take a break and unwind from your busy work day with a delectable treat on November 19th (that's today!!) during “Truffle Break.”  Stop by a Godiva boutique nationwide between 5:00 and 7:00 PM (I know where I'm going!) and receive a complimentary truffle from the new Legacy Truffle Collection.  To further sweeten your day, Godiva is also offering $5 off purchases of $25 or more all day.  Get an early start on your holiday shopping with Godiva’s decadent offerings, and surprise your favorite truffle lover with a Legacy Truffle Collection gift box.

The Legacy Truffle Collection is a special collection to celebrate the last 60 years of Godiva truffles.  Sounds elegantly yummy!

Check to see if you have a Godiva boutique near you on www.GODIVA.com - I hope you do!

OK, don't be sad if you can't get to Godiva.  I have another way for you to try to get free Godiva chocolates!  Godiva has started a new site called idratherhavechocolate.com for you to share your stories of those "I'd rather have chocolate!" moments in your day.  People can vote on the posts and the post with the highest average votes for the day wins free chocolate - more than 100 pieces of Godiva chocolate!  I know you have those moments - you might want to go enter one now!

Whew - did my chocolate duty for the day!  :)

If you can't get ahold of any Godiva chocolate, then I suggest you find some chocolate, any chocolate and have your own truffle break today! Speaking of chocolate - tomorrow is Chocolate Friday on my blog, so stop by for yumminess and link up your own chocolate posts!

Have a wonderful day and maybe I'll see you at Godiva!

P.S.  If you like loose-leaf tea, you might want to check out my Golden Moon Tea giveaway!

Wordless Wednesday: First Cozy Fire of the Season

Crisp Fall weather and the first fire of the season.

Buster thinks this fire is too close. 

Buster thinks this fire is too far away.

Buster thinks this fire is juuust right!

For more fun Wordless Wednesday posts, stop by 5 Minutes For Mom!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tea For Two-sday ~ Golden Moon Tea Giveaway

**Giveaway closed.**

Welcome to Tea For Two-sday!  The weather is getting a little chillier (here anyway), so it's the perfect time to sit down and enjoy a cup of hot tea!

What kind of tea are you drinking today?  How about a little Golden Moon Tea in your cup?  According to their website, Golden Moon Tea is dedicated to offering outstanding, whole-leaf teas of the greatest quality and finesse.  They only use tea leaves processed by the orthodox method of processing and taste and cup each shipment of tea to ensure product quality.

Golden Moon Tea generously offered to give one of my U.S. readers 5 free samples of loose-leaf tea (any flavors except Jasmine Pearls)!  There are many flavors and types of tea to choose from.  One of the flavors of oolong tea is Sugar Carmel Oolong - sounds delicious to me!  I love caramel and it would go well with chocolate - hmmm...I might just have some chocolate around here somewhere.  :)

To enter the giveaway, just hop on over to Golden Moon Tea, come back and leave a comment telling me what flavor or type sounds best to you.  That's it!  The giveaway will remain open through next Monday, 11/23 and I'll announce the winner (chosen randomly from the comments) next Tuesday.

Disclosure:  I will be receiving 5 free samples of my choice of Golden Moon Tea.  I am not receiving any other compensation for this post.

I hope you are enjoying a little tea break right now.  Have a lovely Two-sday! 

Giveaway Winner And Making My Home Sing ~ Planning

Remember the fabulous Paperspring giveaway?  There is a winner!  The winner is...

The Real Me (Kim)

(I know, I know - I promise you that I went to Random.org and put in my comment numbers and it came back with #1.  I personally think that Kim has found a way to hack into the Random.org site, but that's just me.  LOL!  :)  She is my friend so I can talk about her like that...)

Congratulations Kim!!

Now the 25% discount for Paperspring.com is over, but my U.S. readers can still get a 15% discount on all products through the end of the year!  Just use code "stop4C15" when checking out.  And they always offer free shipping!



I love joining in with Nan at Mom's The Word for Making My Home Sing!  I thought it was about time I get back to making my home sing since Thanksgiving is approaching!  Hubs helped make it sing by renting a Rug Doctor this weekend.  So nice to know that carpet, rugs and couches are nice and clean!  Just in time for Thanksgiving guests!

I was doing my planning for Thanksgiving.  Once I have the menu planned, I schedule out what to make on which day in order to get everything done in a timely manner with the least amount of stress.  Believe it or not, that means I will be preparing some things Monday thru Thursday next week!  We eat in early afternoon on Thanksgiving day so our travelers have plenty of time to relax after the meal before driving back.  That doesn't leave much time on Thursday to prepare food, so the more things that can be made ahead of time, the better!

As I was spending time planning out which dishes to cook on which days, I realized something.  If I didn't do all that planning for the meal, things would not go smoothly.  Some dishes wouldn't even be made; things wouldn't be ready on time; I would be constantly stressed out.  Hmmm...so why would I think that keeping up my household would be any different?

Without planning my household duties - not everything gets done; things don't happen in a timely manner; I am constantly stressed out about it.  So I have some planning to do.  I'm still trying to decide just how specific I need to be and what will work best for me.  But I will start with a list of all the things that need to be done this week and split it up among the days.  We'll see what happens!

Do you follow a specific housecleaning schedule or do you just do what needs to be done automatically?  Do you just list out what needs to be done each day as it comes?  What system works best for you?

If you feel like making your home sing by cooking yummy stuff, you might want to check out all the recipes that were linked up last week for Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week at What's Cooking At My House, or Tidymom's Love The Pie party going on today, or the virtual Cookie Exchange at Frugal Creativity!

Go see what's making more homes sing at Mom's The Word today!

Have a great Monday!

The Nutella Challenge: Nutella S'mores Cake

Welcome to Chocolate Friday!  Another week almost done; another chocolate reward deserved - LOL!

I actually got a head start on my monthly Nutella Challenge post (have you checked out all the fabulous Nutella recipes linked up at bell' alimento?)  - so unlike me except for the fact that I just baked it and still have to take pics for this post and it's after 10pm!  I made the challenge so easy on myself this time - it's almost cheating.  I already have a S'mores Cake recipe that I like and my family prefers Nutella on our s'mores instead of plain chocolate so...I thought maybe I could just substitute Nutella for the hot fudge topping in the recipe.  Excellent decision if I do say so myself!

Nutella S'mores Cake

(adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe)

1 package yellow cake mix

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 jar (13 oz.) Nutella

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom only of 13x9 in. pan with shortening or cooking spray.

2.  In large bowl, beat cake mix, cracker crumbs, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds.  Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.  Pour into pan.

3.  Reserve 1/4 cup Nutella.  Drop remaining Nutella by tablespoonfuls randomly in 12-14 mounds onto batter in pan.  Use knife to swirl Nutella throughout batter.

4.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake.  Cool 15 minutes.

5.  Spoon teaspoonfuls of marshmallow creme onto warm cake; carefully spread with knife dipped in hot water.  Drop small dollops of reserved Nutella randomly over marshmallow creme.  Swirl Nutella through marshmallow creme with knife for marbled design.  Cool 2 hours.  Store uncovered at room temp.  (Once cut, store cake in pan, uncovered, with plastic wrap pressed against cut sides.)  When cutting cake, dip knife or server in hot water before cutting each piece to keep frosting from sticking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How does that sound?  Now one thing that I realized (after I made the cake of course!) is that the Nutella acts much different in the cake than hot fudge topping.  Hot fudge topping spreads out and sinks to the bottom.  Nutella remains in clumps unless you spread it out and it does not sink to the bottom.  My solution is to swirl the Nutella through the batter so you have even Nutella flavor throughout.  My cake had giant clumps of Nutella that surprised me in the middle of my piece of cake (not that I'm complaining about that - LOL).

OK - time for your chocolate posts!  I know you've got chocolate somewhere on those blogs - find it and link it up!  If you don't have a blog, you can always share some chocolate wonderfulness in the comments.  It doesn't matter if you call it chocolate, chocolat, cioccolato, Schokolade, or chocolade - we just want you to share it!  :) 

Have a fantastic Friday!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam (lots of yummy recipes there) and to Do It Yourself Day at A Soft Place to Land (lots of fun projects to check out)!

Woo Hoo - Another Paperspring Giveaway!

**Giveaway closed.**

You might remember that I reviewed some stationary and cards from Paperspring.com a while back and had a giveaway.  They really do have high quality paper products, like these cute cards I got for my blog:

And remember that my U.S. readers still get a 15% discount on their products until the end of the year (use code "stop4C15")!

Right now there's an unadvertised  Paperspring Friends & Family Holiday Event - you can get 25% off your order (and they always have free shipping!) through November 15th!  Just in time to order some Christmas photo cards or personalized stationary for a gift!  Just use promo code "psfriend" to take advantage of this great offer.

What could be better than that?  Why, a giveaway of course!  Paperspring.com has very generously offered to give one of my U.S. readers $60 credit to use on Paperspring products!!  Wow - thanks Paperspring!

To enter, click on over to Paperspring.com and look around.  Come back here and leave a comment telling me what you would use the $60 for or what your favorite holiday photo card is.  To earn one additional entry, follow paperspring on twitter and/or facebook (or tell me if you already do) and leave me a separate comment about it.  The giveaway is open through 10PM PST Sunday night, November 15th.  One random winner will be chosen from the comments and announced on Monday.

My favorite Christmas photo cards at Paperspring.com are:

and even though I prefer "Merry Christmas" instead of  "Happy Holidays", I think this card is really cute:

Enjoy a discount and get a headstart on your Christmas cards thanks to Paperspring.com!  Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Have a great Thursday and I'll see you back here tomorrow for Chocolate Friday!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Thanksgiving ~ Turkey Brine and Menu

Thinking about all the delicious Thanksgiving foods is working for me right now!  My friend Kim is having Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week on her cooking blog and today she's talking about the main dishes.

Well, the Main main dish at our house for Thanksgiving is turkey, of course!  For several years, we have cooked our turkey in a bag to cook it faster and keep it moister.  But a couple of years ago we discovered something new - brining.  Wow - what a difference!  It makes your turkey sooooo much juicier and gives it a good flavor too.  I think once you brine, you'll never go back!

Brining a turkey is soaking it in a salty solution overnight before cooking it.  The first year we did it, we just used 1 cup of salt and 1 cup sugar per gallon of water and dissolved it.  It turned out good, but I wanted a more interesting brining solution.  I used a new recipe last year and really liked it.  You can find it allrecipes.com - but I changed it slightly.  Instead of the 4 tablespoons of different spices, I used 4 tablespoons of herbes de provence.

The brine recipes mention putting the turkey in the solution and then in the refrigerator.  Are you kidding me?  Who has that kind of space the night before Thanksgiving?  Here's what we do: we get a new trash bag and put the turkey (after you've cleaned it out of course) in it, then pour the brine over, making sure it fills the cavity too.  Then we seal up the bag, sort of vacuum-packing it to keep the turkey surrounded by the brine.  We keep it in a cooler with ice overnight.  It's best to soak it for 10-15 hours.
***ETA 11/11: I have heard of some issues with using trash bags because they're not food-grade.  We now use a food-grade 5 gallon bucket to soak the turkey in.

Yum!  So good - can't wait to taste it - LOL!  Besides the brined turkey, we usually have some other meat like ham, or tri-tip.  I think this year we'll have ham.  And I do think I have figured out most of our Thanksgiving menu (still subject to some changes though), so I'll share it with you...

Appetizers:

• Lacy Cheddar Crisps
• Veggies and dip
• Crunchy Party Mix
  
• Holiday Cranberry Spread (from Mommys Cook)

Main Dish:

• Brined roasted turkey
• Ham

Side Dishes:

• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Slow Cooker Stuffing
• Roasted Spring Veggie Medley
• Pantry Cranberry-Apple Sauce

Desserts:

• Sour Cream-Apple Pie
• Pumpkin-Ginger Pie with Golden Marshmallow Topping
• Amaretto Cake
• Nutella Bites

That's about enough I think!  Man - you would think we were having 20 people over.  It is far less than that - we just like to have leftovers and send some home with everybody!

Are you hungry now?  'Cause I am!  Guess I've got to work on my schedule and figure out what things can be made ahead and when.  I'm tired already, but this is the way I like it!  And don't worry - sometime during Thanksgiving, I make time to sit and enjoy a Carolans Iced Cream-A-Cino!

You can find more great Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas at We Are THAT Family!  And you can find more Thanksgiving recipes at Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Appetizers

Today my friend Kim is kicking off Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week!  Link up your great recipes this week - she's even having a giveaway!  Yummy!  I could probably handle having about 3 Thanksgiving dinners so that I could try all the recipes I like.  I'll just have to settle for one and narrow down the recipes!

The first day is all about Thanksgiving Appetizers.  We always have a few munchies out as family visits before the big meal.  I have learned over the years though to keep the appetizers a little lighter so nobody gets too full.  I've tried a few different things over the years, but have decided to keep it fairly simple this year.

One thing that's a big hit is these:

Lacy Cheddar Crisps

The recipe is very simple:

Lacy Cheddar Crisps
1 and 1/2 cups (6 oz) packaged shredded sharp cheddar cheese*

Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese onto one sheet, then spread into a round with your fingertips so that cheese is more or less in a single layer. Repeat with remaining cheese, keeping cheese disks about 1 inch or so apart. (You should get about 12 wafers on a large sheet.)

Bake until crisps stop bubbling, 9 to 10 minutes, switching sheets after 5 minutes if they appear to be cooking unevenly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*The packaged shredded cheese works better than freshly grated since the packaged is less oily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll have to make a double-batch of those!  They go fast!

I think we'll also have a bowl of this yummy snack mix (that I'm munching on right now):

Crunchy Party Mix

This is a lighter version of a Chex Mix and is actually made in your slow cooker!  Smells soooo good!  You can find the recipe over at my healthier blog (Stop Eating All The Chocolates).

And I think we'll have some cut-up veggies with Ranch Dip.  But I'll just use my recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix to make the dip rather than buying a packet.

Other than that, hubs likes to get some really yummy bread, cut it up and have olive oil, fresh ground pepper and balsamic to dip it in.

That's about it for our Thanksgiving appetizers!  What are your favorite appetizers?  Now get yourself over to Kim's Cooking Blog and link up some yummy appetizer recipes or at least check out her delicious appetizer recipe!

Have a blessed Monday friends!

Would You Like Dessert With That? ~ Pumpkin-Ginger Pie With Golden Marshmallow Topping

This is normally Chocolate Friday, but the first Friday of the month we enjoy Dessert Friday so those poor non-chocolate desserts can have their moment in the spotlight!  :)  I have been sick and am still not feeling great, but I couldn't skip dessert!  So bring your dessert posts to link up today - it'll make me feel better!

Today I'm sharing a pie that we'll be having for Thanksgiving this year.  Don't forget that my friend Kim is having Thanksgiving Tried and True Recipe Week starting Monday!  I thought I would share my dessert a little early, but I'll be linking up at Kim's cooking blog next week.  *Now linked up to Kim's Dessert Day!

Notice that this pie has "Golden Marshmallow Topping."  Apparently that does not mean "Flaming Marshmallow Topping" just so you know (maybe you should read my fiery tale)!

I took this pie to a church potluck and it was well-received.  Most importantly, hubby gave it two thumbs up and said to make it again for Thanksgiving.  Thank you once again to my Pillsbury calendar for providing a yummy recipe!

Pumpkin-Ginger Pie With Golden Marshmallow Topping

Crust

1 single pie crust

Streusel

1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies

1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Filling

1 can (15-oz) pumpkin

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons grated fresh gingerroot (I just used ground ginger)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Topping

2 to 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place cookie sheet on middle oven rack.  Prepare pie crust in 9-in. pie plate for a one-crust filled pie.  In small bowl, mix streusel ingredients.  Sprinkle streusel in crust-lined pie plate.  

2.  In large bowl, mix filling ingredients.  Pour into pie crust on top of streusel.  Place pie plate on cookie sheet in oven.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees F.  Bake 35-45 minutes longer (mine took even longer) or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely on cooling rack, about 3 hours.  

3.  Just before serving, set oven control to broil.  Spread marshmallows evenly over top of pie, completely covering filling.  Broil pie with top about 5 inches from heat about 30 seconds, watching carefully, until marshmallows are lightly browned.  Marshmallows will brown quickly.  Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie. 

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft.):  Don't use a cookie sheet.  In step 2, during second bake time, cover edge of crust with foil strips to prevent excessive browning, and bake 35-40 minutes.  Remove foil before Step 3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I liked this pie better than a plain pumpkin pie.  Does it sound like one you'll try?  Mmmm...can't wait for Thanksgiving!

Now remember, it's your job to help me feel better by bringing your dessert posts to link up with MckLinky today!  You can use new or old posts, with or without chocolate.  Please bring me some dessert?  I look forward to "trying" them all - LOL!

Have a fabulous Friday!!

I'm linking this up to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap today - lots of good recipes there!  I'm also linking it to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - yummy recipes - and to Do It Yourself Day (does it still qualify if hubby helped put out the flames on the first marshmallow topping? :) ) at A Soft Place to land - so many great projects there!

Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Hosting Holiday Meals

Today's WFMW has a theme: holiday/entertaining tips.  I have hosted the Thanksgiving meal for several years and have learned a few things along the way.

Here are a few random tips if you are hosting a big holiday meal:

 ~ Plan the whole meal well ahead of time.  Schedule when to make each dish.  Consider what things can be made ahead and think about how long each thing takes to make.  Work backward from the time you want to eat to decide when to start each dish.

 ~ Purchase disposable containers so you can send leftovers home with your guests and they don't have to worry about returning any dishes.

 ~ Set the table(s) ahead of time.  That way when the food is ready, you can just set it out and call everybody over.

~ Be flexible about what time you plan to eat.  Give guests a general idea of the time, but don't be too specific.  It's SO hard to get everything ready at the same time!

 ~ If you have appetizers for early guests, keep them light.  You don't want everybody to be already full when sitting down to a fabulous big meal.

 ~ Skip the green salad and maybe even the rolls!  For my family at least, there are so many wonderful dishes being served that nobody wants to fill up on salad or bread.  I finally stopped serving salad and am considering stopping the rolls because they go uneaten and we end up with too many left over.

 ~ Jot down notes for your next big meal.  Were you wrong on any timing?  What dishes were a hit and what was hardly eaten?  Were you missing anything?  What worked well?  Seriously - write it down.  I always think I'll remember next year, but I don't!  :)

Are you hosting a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal?  What tips do you have?

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday posts, stop by We Are THAT Family!  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I Lit A Pie On Fire - How Was Your Day?

I decided to start this week off just telling what's going on around here - aren't you glad you stopped by?  :)

Yes, I did light a pie on fire Sunday morning.  Perhaps the time change wasn't a good thing for me!  I had spent Saturday evening making food for our Church Potluck (Potato Goulash, Caesar CousCous, Chocolate Cherry Cobbler, and Pumpkin-Ginger Pie).  The Pumpkin-Ginger pie called for a broiled marshmallow topping which I decided to do Sunday morning.  I put the pie on the very top shelf under the broiler and peeked at it a couple times.  Looked again and just saw flames!!  Well, I immediately turned off the broiler and turned on an exhaust fan, but then I just stared at the flaming pie - I did not know what to do with it!  It was a very sad kitchen moment for me.  I called my hubby, who came in, pulled the shelf out and blew the flames right out.  Happy ending?  Only the top of the thick layer of marshmallows was burned, so I was able to take it all off and start over - uh, on a lower shelf.  Turned out great!  Don't worry - if you catch on fire in my kitchen, I'm pretty sure I'll figure out a way to put it out...I think!  :)

Speaking of kitchens, and food - minus the smoky smell - (is that not a great segue - LOL) - did you know that my friend Kim at Homesteader's Heart is having a Tried and True Thanksgiving Recipes Week next week (November 9-13)?  Yum!  It will be hosted on her cooking blog - What's Cooking At My House.  Get your yummy posts ready to link up!  Here's the schedule: Monday - Appetizers, Tuesday - Sides, Wednesday - Main Dish, Thursday - Dessert, Friday - Thanksgiving Traditions.  See you there!   

A note for tomorrow - there won't be a Tea For Two-sday post.  I think I have to give the tea posts a break for a while.  I've been posting about tea almost every Tuesday for over 18 months!  You can look through some of the past Tea posts by clicking on Tea for Two-sday in the label cloud on my sidebar.

I hope all of you have a fabulous day today  - a non-flaming pie kind of day!

Hugs to you my friends!