Fun Friday: Thanksgiving Edition

I originally made today's post on food safety for Thanksgiving and then I realized that food safety, being less fun and therefore not appropriate for Fun Friday, could wait. Instead, here are some fun holidays goodies I found this year to get the Thanksgiving atmosphere just right.

First, the music. You may already have your ipod filled with holiday music, but if you're holding out until after Thanksgiving to listen to those Christmas tunes, then you may want something to set the ambiance. That might be anything from jazz to country, but in our home, we're fans of folk. This year Mumford & Sons will certainly be in the mix at my house: 

If you're a fall fanatic like myself, then you will love this idea. Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com, these colorful leaves are dipped in wax, preserving their color through the season and beyond. Cluster a group and suspend them in front of a window to greet visitors. Stands of monofilament keep them from falling a second time.

What you will need: colorful leaves, bleached beeswax (BLBEES -- $6.99 per 8 oz. by Enkaustikos -- fineartstore.com), double boiler, monofilament (34568437 -- $4.19 -- createforless.com), and clothespins.

This next idea comes to you from Sweet Verbena (an awesome blog for you crafties). For a light dessert, mix spice cake (or yellow cake) mix and a can of pumpkin (no liquids or other ingredients) and bake. These tasty muffin/cupcakes have a hint of pumpkin flavor and are incredibly moist, a perfect addition to your feast! Click the link for more information or other great ideas involving everything from the kitchen to your closet!

This is currently my favorite idea for a day of Thanks and food. Combine the two! This idea comes from Beauty and Bedlam. Before preparing the meal, give visitors a small piece of paper and have them write what they are thankful for. As you're rolling your crescents, put one written thanks in each one. As you eat, you can learn what people around you are thankful for--it's like homemade fortune cookies, but even more fun!

If this last idea from The Pastry Affair doesn't have your mouth watering, then you must be sleeping. Here we have the greatest dessert on the face of planet earth... A pumpkin spice latte cheesecake. You heard me correctly. You will need cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger, and espresso powder for this beaut. For the detailed recipe, click the link above.

And there you have it. Your thanksgiving will be fail-free. Happy Friday!

Sandy Hayden