REPRINT - November 1, 2002

Greetings Dear Sisters!

Welcome to the first of two, big, THANKSGIVING issues of HEARTH AND HOME. Each one is chocked full of holiday ideas! I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed putting them together! I’m so looking forward to the holidays! Aren’t you? Hang on to your hat! Here we go!

(NOTE: The second THANKSGIVING issue is scheduled to be sent on November 15, 2002.)


“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” (Psalm 95:2)

HOUSEHOLD TIPS:

*To keep track of whose cup is whose write each person’s name in ink on wide rubber bands and place them around each person’s cup. This helps avoid each person using more than one cup and it aids in ending the spread of germs. Take the rubber bands off when doing the dishes and they’re ready to be used again!

*When kneading bread or making cookies on your kitchen table, place masking tape over the seams of the table. This will prevent ingredients from getting lost between the table’s leaves and make cleanup a breeze.

*Kitchen sponges come out clean when thrown into the washing machine along with your other kitchen rags. Dry the sponges in the dryer.

*Most pie recipes instruct you to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil when it begins to brown. Before you begin baking form a foil ring around the cold pie edge, then when the edges begin to brown simply set the already formed ring in place.

*To polish silver, add one tablespoon of ammonia to your silver polish. You’ll get a super shine, plus it prolongs the shine well into the new year.

*Use a pencil eraser to take black heel marks off your linoleum.

*Murphy’s Oil Soap is a great stain remover for almost any stain. Spray on garment, rub, and then wash as usual.

*To remove paper stuck on wood moisten the paper with olive oil and then, rub it off.

*Clean piano keys with a piece of silk moistened with rubbing alcohol.



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This tip came from one of our readers in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

“I use oven cleaner for my drip pans on the top of the stove. Mine are white and always getting stuff in the pan...and it’s a big mess. I spray oven cleaner on the dry pan after washing and let it sit.... then the "stuff" is easy to come clean.”

Thanks for sharing, Cindy!

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If you have a household tip that you'd like to share please send it to Rebecca Knox at: proverbs31heart@yahoo.com

Be sure and put "Household Tip" on the subject line. Thank you!



“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”(Philippians 4:6)

DOLLARS AND SENSE:

The average American often feels overwhelmed by debt and doesn’t know where to start or how to go about getting rid of debt. It’s a misconception that the more money you earn the easier it is to save. Here is how you can save over $7000 in just one year cutting a few things from your grocery bill. They are painless, simple and add up over time. If you don’t think that cutting out one bag of potato chips or one soda will add up, look at the numbers at the end of a year. If you’re trying to save so you can be a stay at home mom or for a down payment on a house, pay off some credit card debt or just have some emergency money, here are 13 ways to do it without depriving yourself.

By eliminating one $2 bag of potato chips (not all...just one bag) from your grocery bill each week you can save $104 per year. Cutting out one six-pack of soda will save another $104. A weekly $4 box of granola cereal adds up to $208 a year. If you eat out one less time each week at $30 a meal, you can save $1,560 and ordering one less delivered pizza at $20, can save you $1040 per year. Similar annual savings can be realized by cutting out weekly purchases of fruit rolls ($130), daily gourmet coffee at $2.50 per cup ($910), a daily liter of soda ($365), snack cakes ($455), one cup less juice per person in a family of four ($546), 3 lbs. less meat a week ($390), and by eliminating a $4 lunch five days a week ($1040).

(This article was taken from New Millennium‘s “HOME CARE HINTS AND TIPS”-Winter 2002)


If you have a dollar-stretching tip to share please send it to Rebecca Knox at: proverbs31heart@yahoo.com

Be sure and put "Dollars and Sense" on the subject line. Thank you!

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FUN FACT: Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

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THANKSGIVING PLANNER

WEEK ONE OF NOVEMBER:

*Begin holiday organization.

*Invite your guests for Thanksgiving dinner. A cheery phone invitation or a written invitation is always welcome.

*If you’re ordering a fresh turkey, do it now; if you’re buying a frozen turkey you have time, but don’t wait until the last minute. Start watching those sale ads now.

WEEK TWO OF NOVEMBER:

*Make up Thanksgiving dinner menu. At the same time compile your grocery list. You can pick up the dry goods and staples for your meal now. It’s easier on the budget and makes shopping faster later. Check off items on the marketing list as you purchase them.

*Plan your Thanksgiving table setting and centerpiece early. Check your silverware, plates, and serving dishes to be sure you have enough for the number of guests you are inviting.

*Name cards can also be completed ahead of time. As a family sit down and find verses with a thanksgiving theme. Take a blank 3” x 5” index card, fold it in half, and stand it on the table. On the front write the name of the person who will sit at that place and inside write a Thanksgiving scripture. When everyone is seated, each person then reads his verse.

WEEK THREE OF NOVEMBER:

*Make any last-minute arrangements for Thanksgiving. If you’ll be going out of town, ask a neighbor to collect your mail and newspapers. If you are cooking, finalize your menu and entertainment plans.

WEEK FOUR OF NOVEMBER:

*Special holiday events will be happening Thanksgiving week. Decide which event you want to attend as a family, then schedule one special event for each child individually.

FOUR DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

*Start defrosting a large (15 to 20 lbs.) frozen turkey in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

*Prepare the serving pieces, plates, flatware, glasses, etc.

*If using cloth napkins or tablecloths, iron them now.

*Make the cranberry sauce; a couple of days in the refrigerator will give the flavors time to develop.

*Cut and cube bread for the stuffing now, and set the cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet to dry.

ONE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

*Pick up the fresh turkey and purchase perishables.

*Prepare the stuffing. Refrigerate overnight.

*Make the giblet stock for gravy.

*Assemble and bake pies.

*Peel the potatoes; refrigerate in a pot of cold water.

*Make side dishes that require baking and reheat them tomorrow; or assemble them today and cook them right before dinner tomorrow.

*Set the table tonight or first thing in the morning.

THANKSGIVING DAY:

*Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and cook as desired. (Some people...like me...even prefer to slow cook the turkey overnight.)

*Make mashed potatoes and bake or reheat side dishes.

*Prepare coffee, but do not brew until about twenty minutes before it is to be served.

*Prepare iced tea and other beverages early and refrigerate.


“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving...”(Colossians 4:2)

TO MAKE:

Edible Cornucopia Favors for Thanksgiving


Very simple and fun. Kids will enjoy helping.

1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave oven or double boiling pan.
2. Dip the wide opening of a sugar (dark) ice cream cone about halfway into the melted chocolate chips, set on wax paper to cool.
3. Fill with candy (Maybe some candy corn or mallow creme pumpkins for instance?)
4. Also put a little paper inside, asking guests to think of what they are thankful for. Then have volunteers share.

APPLE CANDLE HOLDERS

Take large apples and core out enough to hold a votive candle. Squeeze lemon juice around the cutout area and then insert the candle. The apples can be set on your holiday table in front of each person’s place or down the center of the table with autumn leaves, pods, grapes, pears, corn, eggplant, and even squash and nuts. When the candles are lit, you’ll have a beautiful harvest display.

If you don’t have votive candles, use tall tapers or whatever you have available.

(This idea can be used for Christmas with red and green apples.)

ORANGE SHELLS

Here’s a simple, decorative way to serve your sweet potatoes or yams. Cut oranges in half and remove fruit and pulp. Add the fruit to your holiday punch or let the children enjoy it as an extra treat. Prepare cooked sweet potatoes or yams and spoon into the orange shells. For an extra touch, flute top edges of orange shells with a knife and top with miniature marshmallows. Place in oven until the marshmallow melts. Nestle oranges around turkey on platter.



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FUN FACT: The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighted over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs, and took six hours to bake.

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LET‘S TALK TURKEY:

*To store a fresh turkey, loosely cover it with waxed paper or foil. Keep the turkey in the coldest part of your refrigerator and cook within three days.

*You can special-order a turkey from your favorite market. Give them the weight you want and request that it be fresh, not frozen. Pick it up the day before Thanksgiving. You now have a fresh turkey that is ready for the oven.

*Fresh or frozen, don’t forget to remove the giblets and save them for gravy stock or for use in stuffing.

*After cooking the turkey, it may be stored three or four days in the refrigerator or frozen and stored up to three months.

*The majority of turkey’s fat can be found in it’s skin. Be sure to remove the skin from leftover turkey before adding the meat to the dish you are preparing.

*Make homemade turkey stock. Put the turkey carcass in a kettle with cold water and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming the foam off the top. When the stock is done, strain it and refrigerate. Remove fat from the surface before using.

*Keep a frozen turkey in the freezer until a couple or three days before you want to cook it. Whole turkeys can be kept frozen for one year, turkey parts for six months.

*The refrigerator is the best place to thaw your frozen turkey. It keeps meat cold while it defrosts. Place the bird on a rimmed baking sheet, and let it thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator. Allow five hours per pound to thaw.


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Interested in finding out more about cranberries? Check out The Cranberry Institute at www.cranberryinstitute.org. Everything you ever wanted to know about that tart little berry can be found on these pages that are chockful of fun facts. There are lots of recipes, too.

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RECIPES:

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
syrup

In a bowl, combine the baking mix, brown sugar and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, pumpkin, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with syrup. Yield: 1 dozen.

PUMPKIN WAFFLES

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Stir together pumpkin, eggs, milk, and butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cook according to the directions for your waffle maker. Serve immediately with berry or maple syrup, fresh berries, or ginger whipped cream.

CORNISH HENS WITH POTATOES

4 Cornish game hens (20 ounces each)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large red potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices
4 bacon strips, cut into 1-inch pieces
Lemon-pepper seasoning and garlic powder to taste
Minced fresh parsley

In a large skillet, brown hens in oil. Place the potatoes in a 5-quart slow cooker. Top with the hens and the bacon. Sprinkle with lemon-pepper and garlic powder. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender. Thicken the cooking juices if desired. Sprinkle the hens with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

(Great served with green beans and French bread.)

SWEET POTATOES IN ORANGE SAUCE

1. Bake 6 medium sweet potatoes in oven until almost tender (about 45 minutes) at 375 degrees.

2. Peel and slice potatoes into a lightly buttered casserole dish.

3. Blend together and pour over top of potatoes:

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons cornstarch

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



MOLASSES COOKIES

(Only 41 calories per cookie!)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

In a mixing bowl, beat oil, molasses, 1/4 cup sugar and egg. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; add to molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in remaining sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and surface cracks. Yield: 5 dozen.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

In a large bowl

BEAT: 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Gently stir in 1 tub (8 oz.) thawed whipped topping. Spoon into 1 prepared graham cracker crust.

REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until set. Makes 8 servings.



FOR THE CHILDREN:


Bible Verse Hunt: Make a list of the Bible verses that you feel relate to Thanksgiving. Just list the Bible references and put enough space for them to print out the verses too. If you have enough people you can make teams with two people in each team. One can write out the Bible verses and the other person can look up the Bible verses. Just as in the "Mixed Up Bible Verses" make sure you have pencils with erasers on top and Bibles to hand out to each participant. This can either be a game or activity which ever you prefer.

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Q. Why did the turkey cross the road?

A. To prove that he wasn’t a chicken.

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Well, Ladies, that’s it for this time! Until next time I pray God’s blessings upon you, your family, and your home. May He be with you and guide you as you seek His will for your life this Thanksgiving season. God bless you!

Love and ((((Hugs)))),
~Rebecca