First I must say what an absolute delight it was to read all your Holiday food traditions.  I was struck by both the incredible diversity and how many of us love the same things.  I really want to ask some of you for your recipes!  I love how important traditions are.  Sometimes it just isn’t the Holidays without that certain special food.

And the winner is:

Congratulations Christie!  Email your contact information to me at callimakesdo@gmail.com so I can get your gift certificate and coupons sent to you.

Today I give thanks for the fact that I have an elastic waistband on my pants… and that Gluttony is no longer punishable by law.

I am grateful for so many things today, for family, friends, home, and for all of you…  I wish you all, whether you celebrate this day or not… a Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.  ~Melody Beattie

Just in time for the Holidays the nice folks over at Hillshire Farms and Sara Lee are sponsoring a Giveaway right here on Make it Do.

You can win a $50 gift certificate to Walmart… plus coupons for free products from Hillshire Farms and Sara Lee! What could be more perfect for the Holidays?

This Giveaway is in homage to my dear Father-in-Law, who is affectionately known as Granddaddy or GT.

You see, every Holiday since I’ve known him, he makes up a big plate his favorite- Pigs in a Blanket.

I remember too well my first Holiday spent visiting my husband’s family.  GT beamingly offered me a Pig in a Blanket.  “Pig in a what?”  I said.  I had never heard of them before, and I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of them.  But in no time that plate of little pigs was gone.

GT always makes his Pigs in a Blanket using Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies and crescent rolls from a pop can.  He wraps up the Lit’l Smokies, bakes them until they are golden brown and serves them with honey mustard.

Yesterday, I decided to try these myself using my homemade Crescent Roll recipe.  (Don’t tell my father-in-law, but the homemade dough tastes so much better!) You can pick up the Lit’l Smokies at Walmart. They also have a low fat turkey version so you can feel better about eating that extra slice of pie.  To make the Pigs in a Blanket using my crescent roll recipe, I divided my dough in to thirds, and cut them into thin wedges (about 1″ at the bottom) to make each roll small enough to wrap around the Smokies.

I made a large cookie sheet full of Pigs in a Blanket for an after school snack… and the kids just gobbled them up.  See that lone Pig in the picture above.  I had to rescue it for the photograph…

So here’s how to enter:  Simply leave a comment telling me about your favorite Holiday food traditions.  Do you have a father-in-law who makes Pigs in a Blanket, too?  Or something even more unusual?  Or is it Eggnog, sugar cookies or English Toffee?  I want to hear what foods mean the Holidays to you.  Only one comment per person please.

The contest will close on Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 26 at 10:00 PM MST.  The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced on Friday morning.

Also, Sara Lee and Hillshire Farms are working on a larger giveaway at their site in December so, stay tuned for the details.

My thanks to Hillshire Farms and Sara Lee for their sponsorship and the Giveaway.

I’ve never been a fan of Cranberry Sauce.  That red jelly stuff from a can… (my sincere apologies if you like it.)  No thank you… Cranberry Sauce has never been my cup of tea.

That is, until I tried my Mother-in-Law’s homemade sauce.

And despite my prejudice, it was love at first taste.

Nowadays it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the delicious smell of cranberry sauce simmering on the stove.  And what would Thanksgiving turkey be without a big dollop of sauce on top?  Or best yet, turkey sandwiches on rolls with cranberry sauce the next day.

Making cranberry sauce is so quick and easy, there is no excuse for buying the stuff in a can.  And when I say it makes your house smell good, I mean I would still make Cranberry sauce even if I didn’t like how it tasted, just for the smell.

Here’s her wonderful recipe:

Kit’s Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz. package fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large Granny Smith apple
  
• 1 large Anjou pear
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• zest of one orange

Rinse cranberries and place in a medium sauce pan with sugar and water.  Cook over medium heat until cranberries start to pop, about 10 minutes.

Peel and cube the apple and pear into small cubes.  Zest one orange.

When cranberries start to pop, add remaining ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes or until apples and pears soften.

It’s hard not to like this Cranberry sauce, just look at the ingredients.

1.  Combine cranberries, water and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until cranberries start to pop.

2.  Peel and cube the apple and pear into small pieces.

3.  Zest one orange.

4.  Once the cranberries start popping, add remaining ingredients.

5.  Cook for about 5 minutes more over medium heat or until the pears and apples are softened.

The sauce will thicken as it cools.

I like it straight on a spoon.  But I can hardly wait for turkey…

One of the things that really seems to daunt home cooks is making homemade rolls.  But many recipes are actually quite easy, and there is nothing quite so good as hot rolls right out of the oven.

This recipe for crescent rolls has been a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving table for many years.  They are light and the crescent shape is elegant enough for a special occasion.

Here’s the recipe:

Mom’s Crescent Rolls

• 2 Tbsp. dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 beaten eggs
• 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Click here for the printable recipe on Tasty Kitchen.

Here’s how to make these yummy rolls:

1.  Combine warm water with 2 tablespoons dry active yeast.  One of the important tips to successful yeast breads is getting the liquid temperature right to activate the yeast.  Think baby bottle warm.  If you are unsure, check the temperature with a candy thermometer, it should be approximately 110-115 degrees.  Take a look at the picture above, the yeast is really bubbling and activated.

2.  In a separate larger bowl, combine one cup milk with 1/2 cup butter (one cube.)  Heat in the microwave until butter is melted.  You can also do this step in a small saucepan on the stove top.  Allow the mixture to cool.

3.  Stir 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 3 beaten eggs into milk/butter mixture.

4.  Add yeast mixture and stir to combine.

5.  In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add 4 1/2 cups of flour.

6.  Pour liquids into the mixture and mix until smooth.  If the mixture is too sticky, add up to 1 cup of flour until dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  (Dough will still be a bit slightly sticky, but manageable.  A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.)

7.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise until doubled.

8. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and cut into two equal pieces.  Form into two balls.

9.  Roll dough out into a 16 to 17 inch round.

10.   Using the back of a spoon, spread very soft butter onto the dough round.

11.  Cut round into 16 pieces, like a pizza.  (for larger rolls, you can cut it into 12 pieces.)

It should look like this:

12.  At the top of the triangle grab each corner and gently tug to stretch the dough.  Then start rolling toward the point.

13.  Place rolls on a cookie sheet, curving into a crescent, making sure the tip is carefully tucked under the roll (if isn’t tucked, the rolls don’t look as pretty when they are cooked.  The tip can even pop up and burn.)  This recipe makes 32 rolls and I use 3 cookie sheets.

14.  Cover each sheet with a clean dishtowel and allow to rise for one hour.

15.  Bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

16.  When rolls come out of the oven brush them lightly with butter.  This keeps them moist and delicious.

I’ve eaten four of them today…  that’s the only problem with these rolls, I can’t say no to them.

This gift idea that doesn’t cost much and is so easy to make.  It’s Peppermint Popcorn.  After receiving a bag for Christmas last year, my husband asked me to figure out how to make it.  I took the recipe for White Chocolate Popcorn, and simply added the crushed candy cane… and the result was festive and very yummy.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn (16 cups popped)
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

1.  Start by popping 1/2 cup of popcorn.  I use an air popper and 1/2 cup is the size of my measuring cup on the lid.  This makes approximately 16 cups of plain popped popcorn.

2.  Place peppermint candy canes or candies into a ziplock bag and using a rolling pin (or the like) finely crush.  This is a great activity if you have any pent up frustrations…

3.  In a heat proof bowl, carefully melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent scorching.  It took 1 1/2 minutes in my microwave.

4.  In a very large bowl (I was wishing mine was bigger!) start drizzling the white chocolate evenly over the popcorn, then quickly sprinkle the crushed candy all over the popcorn and stir vigorously to evenly coat all the popcorn before the chocolate starts to set up.

5.  Once it is evenly coated, turn the popcorn out onto waxed paper in a thin layer and allow to cool.

6.  When the popcorn is completely cool and dry, brake up into small pieces.

7.  Now it’s ready to be put into bags or eaten (my preference.)

I used a cellophane gift sack, which is the most economical way to package your popcorn.  But you could use a fun tin, gift box or colored Chinese take out box.

Since our kids were little, we’ve bought a game each year for Thanksgiving.  It was a tradition that came from my husband’s family.  His grandparents gave them a new game every year when they came for Thanksgiving dinner.

Since everyone is on a holiday from school and work, a new game is always a hit over the long weekend and perfect cold weather entertainment.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Blokus is pretty much our favorite game.  It appealed to our kids when they were as young as 5, and to my husband and I as well.  There aren’t a lot of games that can span that age gap (believe me!)

Blokus is strategic, competitive, and really fun.  My husband and son play to block their opponents, my girls and I play to keep our options open.  Does this say anything about Mars vs. Venus?

Either way you play, this is an addicting game.   The only drawback is you can only have up to 4 players, so someone always has to sit out…usually a parent.

Sleeping Queens is another family favorite.  Take one look at the box and you might think this game only appeals to the feminine members of my family.  Not so.  My husband and son enjoy it just as much as the girls.  Playing this game, you might be amazed that it was invented by a 6 year old girl!   I am.  It is clever and fun and one of our first choices for many a game night.  It can be played with 2 to 5 players which is perfect for our family.

And last but not least, is Qwirkle.  We got this game last year and loved playing it all through the Holiday season.  Game play is sort of like dominoes… or Scrabble, but Qwirkle can be played and enjoyed by young and old.

I am trying to decide what to get for this year’s Thanksgiving game.  I am thinking an oldie but goodie.   My childhood favorite was Clue.  My family also loved Rummikub and Uno.  My husband is sort of leaning toward Jenga.

I’ve also heard great things about Ticket to Ride and Quiddler.  If you have any games your family loves, let me know.  I’m running out of time to find something!

There are lots of ways to express gratitude.  But I sometimes I need an exercise, something visual, to help me really think about the things that matter to me most.

The answer this year was a Gratitude Tree.

It all started with a need to prune my Contorted Filbert Tree.  It was blocking the pathway next to our home.  Yay, I thought.  That’s one of the reasons I bought the tree almost 7 years ago, so one day it would need to be pruned, and I could bring the limbs in the house to decorate with.

I cut down the crooked limbs, removed the leaves from the branches.  And placed them in my favorite copper flower bucket.

These lovely branches were just perfect to create a Gratitude Tree.

Since Ben and I were home alone, he and I stamped some paper with leaf stamps and cut them out.  And began to write some of the things we are grateful for.  He wrote his family and our dog, Finn.  He is also grateful for his best friend Connor, his teacher Mrs. Pope, video games and Harry Potter books.

I, of course, am most grateful for my family.  My friends, good health, my home and food in my pantry are also at the top of my list.  But I found myself thinking about other things.  The little things (relatively)…  my sewing machine, warm showers, bread just out of the oven, Sunday mornings, and felted wool slippers to name a few.  I realized I could simply cover those branches in gratitude.

Who knew pruning trees could be so good for the soul?

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Snowman Hat update…. it took me long enough, but I have directions for making the snowman hat.  I’ve posted it with the snowman kit tutorial if you’re interested.

Yesterday, my girls and I were working on a few Christmas gifts for their friends.  One thing led to another and I found myself making yet another flower pin.  This time a Poinsettia.  I loved this project and ended up making two for my girls, and plan on making more.  They are perfect as a broach or as a hair clip.

Here’s what you will need:

• Small amount of red wool felt (I used scraps from another project.)
• Very small amount of green wool felt (also scraps)
• button
• pin or hair clip
• freezer paper
• template  here is my simple template, but I also found this wonderful template from Kaboose.  It has a few more petals than my simple flowers, but that might look even better, here’s the link: Kaboose Poinsettia Template

1.  Start by tracing your pattern onto the paper side of a piece of freezer paper.

2.  Cut out your template, and place it on your wool, waxy/shiny side down.

3.  Using an iron set to wool, iron on the template.  It will gently stick to your fabric.

4.  Using good scissors, cut out around the template.

5.  Peel the template away from the wool.  It doesn’t leave a mark.  Isn’t that cool?

6.  Repeat with the smaller flower.  I just set the button down to see how it would look.

7.  Cut a 1 1/4 inch circle out of red or green felt.  Cut two small slits in the circle, just wide enough to slip a hair clip through.  This is for the back of the flower, on which to attach the clip or pin.

8.  Using just the bottom flower, stitch the circle around the back of the flower.  I used white thread to show the stitching better in the photo… Yah, that was it.  It wasn’t because my machine was already threaded with white and I was lazy.  That wasn’t the reason at all.  I was just thinking of you.

9.  Somehow I missed taking a picture of cutting out the green center of the flower.  I cut my green with a fluted edge, which was a little tricky and requires good scissors.  You can also cut it in a circle, but in that case, I would choose a button with a fluted edge.  I was dying to try pinking scissors, but I don’t own any.  So I just cut the fluted edge out carefully.  Sometimes you just need to make it do.  The finished green center was a 7/8 inch circle fluted.

10.  Layer just the smaller top flower, with green center and button on top.  And stitch together going through all three layers.

11.  Glue the bottom and top flowers together using hot glue.

There’s a front and back view, with a hair clip attached.  I like that this flower is flexible, I can easily pull out the hair clip and I can slip in a broach pin to wear on a sweater, hat or scarf.

Here it is pinned on a sweater…

Thanks to an idea a reader told me about on Craftzine, I also thought this would make a perfect topper for a gift.  That way the wrapping is actually like giving another gift.  (Using cheap yarn is much, much cheaper than ribbon!)

It doesn’t get any better than this.  Especially if you love Pecan Pie and chocolate, like I do.

My Mom went in search for a recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie after a trip to New Orleans.  Somewhere along the way my parents had the most delicious Chocolate Pecan Pie at a restaurant (she can’t remember which one)… and fell in love.  After a long search, and some trial and error, she came up this family Thanksgiving favorite.

But first I have to show you this:

It’s my Mom’s cookbook that my sister and sister-in-law made for my Mom for Mother’s Day last year.  They devoted a whole chapter to my Mom’s Thanksgiving recipes.  That’s where we turned for the Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe.

It all begins with good quality semi-sweet chocolate.  I hate to say it, but it’s important not to skimp here.  Good chocolate makes the pie.  Cheap chocolate… not so much.  I usually use Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe.  (Which is on sale at my local grocery store this week, by the way.)  My Mom uses Semi-sweet baking bars or chips, which ever she has.

Break up the 4 oz. chocolate bar (or add 1/2 cup chips) with 4 tablespoon butter.  Now, a professional chef would tell you to melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler, stirring constantly so as not to scald the chocolate.  We are not professionals.  We do things the fast way whenever we can.  So carefully melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Take it out and stir it well.  Then back in the microwave for another 20 -30 seconds.  Do not over do it or you will scald the chocolate.  But it sure beats standing over the stove and stirring and stirring.

Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1 1/4 vanilla and 1/4 salt.  Stir until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, beat the three eggs.

Whisk into the chocolate mixture until well mixed.

Roughly chop the pecans.  You can leave them whole if you prefer.  I personally don’t like eating (or cutting) a pie with whole pecans, so I rough chop them.

Spread pecans into unbaked pie crust.

Pour chocolate mixture over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  Do not over bake. (A knife inserted one inch from the edge should come out clean.)

Serve with freshly made whipped cream.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

• 1 (4 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate bar (1/2 cup of semi-sweet chips works too)
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups pecan halves
• 1 unbaked pastry pie shell

Melt semi-sweet chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and beat in corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs.  Add to chocolate and beat until well incorporated.  Place pecans on bottom of pastry pie shell.  Pour chocolate mixture over the top of pecans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.  Serve with whipped cream.

Click here for the printable recipe posted on Tasty Kitchen.