Free Thanksgiving Printables Roundup

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away for my state side readers. If you happen to be hosting Thanksgiving this year, I've gathered up a collection of free Thanksgiving printables to help your holiday hosting a little easier.

Count Your Blessings Tree from Somewhatsimple.com

In All Things Give Thanks Printable by Happy Go Lucky

Free Printable Thanksgiving Collection by Yellow Bliss Road

Thankful Chain by Silverbox Creative Studio

Thanksgiving Tablescape by I Heart Naptime

A few free little lovelies to help with your holiday decorating and celebration.

Kids and Holidays-Thanksgiving

Clark is now old enough that he is getting really excited about holidays.  He can't hardly wait for Christmas, to be honest, I can't either.  I really want him to understand and appreciate Thanksgiving for what it is.  I think that it can be really easy to skip past Thanksgiving all together.  We are already singing Christmas songs before bed, watching Christmas shows on Netflix, and reading Christmas stories during the day.

Today I decided that it was time I stepped up and helped Clark understand the purpose of Thanksgiving. My husband sat down and explained the history of Thanksgiving, and then Clark and I discussed some of the things that he was thankful for.  We filled a cornucopia with blessings.  The first thing that he said he was thankful for was holidays.  Yep, we are filled with the spirit.

I've decided that for the few days leading up to Thanksgiving, that I am going to take a little time to do a Thanksgiving activity with him.

Today we colored a Thanksgiving coloring sheet (courtesy of HP).

Fruit arranged, and cornucopia hung by Clark.

We made our cornucopia's.

I love that Miles' hands are nearly as big as Clark's.

And a couple of weeks ago we made some simple handprint turkeys.

So what am I going to do over the next couple of days? Any suggestions?


I'm thinking that we will probably write up some thank you cards for his relatives before we indulge in our Thanksgiving feasts.

I've also been thinking, that for some people, the excitement of Thanksgiving is probably trumped by excitement for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It is strange how scoring a good deal can cause such a natural high isn't it?  I love it though, not the crowds, but the good deals.  Accuquilt is getting ready for Cyber Monday by offering great deals all week.  Hop on over and score some good deals for the crafters on your list. Accuquilt holiday deals.

Thanks

Source: kimboscrafts.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Autumn Flavored Round-Up

For those of you in the United States, Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away.  I'm sure that many of you are already slaving away making pies and the traditional Thanksgiving food.  I've always loved Thanksgiving, but to be quite honest, the pie is the only thing that I really get excited about.   So rather than doing a Thanksgiving food round-up, I'm sharing some treats that I've been drooling over on Pinterest. If you need something more than turkey and mashed potatoes, here are a few autumnal treats to try.

Source: adventurescooking.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Autumn Brittle

Source: blondiescakes.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinteres

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Apple Cider Caramels

Source: m.hersheys.com via Tricia on Pinteres

Reese's Bark: We made this yesterday, it was very easy.

Source: eat-drink-smile.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

Source: myfarefoodie.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Salted Maple Caramels

Source: lillyella.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles

Source: scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Thanksgiving Food: Coconut Banana Cream Pie and Cranberries

Photo Source: Nestle Very Best Baking

I am quite fortunate to be able to celebrate the Holidays with nearby relatives.  It is nice in many ways, one of which is that I am not responsible for making the entire meal on my own.  I am typically given the responsibility of a salad, pie, cranberries, ect.

I thought that I'd share a couple of my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving: Cranberries, and Coconut Banana Cream Pie.

Coconut Banana Cream Pie is another dish that I have grown accustomed of contributing to the Thanksgiving feast.  I found this recipe shortly after my husband and I got married, and have really enjoyed it.  Paired with a gluten free crust, this makes an absolutely delicious pie.  I always bring this to my Celiac Diseased side of the family (there are a lot of us, we are a medical researchers dream) , and it is always a large hit with the other gluten free feasters. The pie is so delicious though that my family members who aren't gluten free often sneak a slice.  I originally found the recipe in my Nestle Toll House cookbook, but it can be accessed online as well.  Find recipe here.

Photo Source: allrecipes.com Diva

I just don't think that there is an excuse to buy prepared cranberries.  Fresh cranberries, in my opinion, taste far superior, and on top of that they are extremely fast and easy to make.  For some reason my husband still likes to have a can of cranberry jelly at the table, mostly to bring back childhood memories, but he definitely enjoys fresh cranberries as well.

Last year I tried this recipe, with a few omissions, and loved the results. The recipe is Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire and can be found here.  It has a wonderful flavor, and the addition of some additional fruit and spices mixes things up just a little bit.  For the record, the omissions that I made with this recipe were the nuts and the dried fruit.

I hope that these recipes help put you in the holiday spirit.  Even if you aren't celebrating Thanksgiving this week, these dishes can really dress up any meal.


On the note of Holiday food, I am planning on hosting a Holiday Treat week.  I would love to have a holiday recipe link party, and celebrate the foods that remind us of the holidays.  If you are interested in guest posting please let me know.

I am also still open to any additional guest bloggers for Hip for the Holidays (starting next week).