Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us here at
Ma, What’s For Dinner?
Getting your kids to eat what you cook!
Three years ago today…
We rushed to Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles.
We were well over a month away from our due date.
But something seemed very wrong.
Luckily after yet another emergency C-Section…
Cooper arrived and completed Team Fitz.
And after a few days in the NICU he came home on Thanksgiving day.
He is truly a blessing.
So happy happy 3rd birthday…
To the funniest…
sweetest…
biggest troublemaking…
best snuggling…
most all around awesome…
3 year old ever!
You make every day brighter, Cooper.
I love you!
Happy birthday, Super Coop!
Have you ever promised your kids something…
Then hoped they’d forget about it?
That doesn’t work with my oldest.
Nope, can’t put anything past Keegan.
He NEVER forgets.
So a few months back when he asked for a specific hair style.
One that I wasn’t so much a fan of…
I got sick of arguing.
I said OK…
But not till after school pictures.
So this week, guess what I had to hear all week?
Yup…It’s haircut time.
Keegan’s way.
So here he is.
Wait.
Kid’s sporting a hawk.
Not a faux hawk.
But a Mohawk.
My mother in law is going to freak at Thanksgiving.
As are all the other parents in his class.
Because guess what?
They all want the hawks too now!
I must admit…
He does look kinda cute.
And he reminds me of one of my favorite characters from back in the day…
Remember this guy?
Any big surprises at your Thanksgiving table this year?
More fun things to do while the kids are off school.
This week and next we have no less that 3 shortened days and 3 days off.
Ahh???
What’s a mom to do?
Get your craft on, and learn something in the process.
Like what?
Like…
What would Thanksgiving be without the Native Americans?
Well we wouldn’t have Thanksgiving.
We wouldn’t be here.
We’d all have starved to death during those horrible winters in Plymouth Plantation.
But now we have corn, and squash, and turkey.
Phew…
So here’s an ode to those wonderful people that showed the Pilgrims how it’s done.
Tee Hee Tee Pee Tents
Prep Time: 5 minutes Craft Time: 20-30 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED:
Toothpicks
Sugar Ice Cream Cones
White cake frosting
Various colored writing frosting
raisins
dried fruit
fruity cheerios
MnM candies
Jelly beans
Frost your cones with an even light layer of frosting. Turn the cones upside down on a paper plate. Next stick 2-3 toothpicks out of the botton (now the top) of your tee-pee.
Let the kids decorate their own. Using the writing frosting decorate the sides of the tee-pee. Let them stick on candies, fruit, and cheerios on as they see fit.
Voila…the teepees the first pilgrims came upon before their first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans, ok so that’s not totally historically accurate at all but I’m going with it for now.
Is it just me…
Or are there a ton of shortened school days coming up?
And not just short days…
But boatloads of days off too!
What’s a mom to do?
Get your craft on!
Here’s one of our favorites…
Turkey Tom Foolery!
Today we’re making turkeys…
fruity turkeys…
apple turkeys…
Fun turkeys your little ones can make in a flash and eat even faster.
Here’s our recipe for
Apple Turkeys
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Craft time: 20-30 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED:
Apples (for the turkey body)
toothpicks
pretzel sticks
fruity cheerios
raisins
dried pineapple
dried apricots
marshmallows
WHAT TO DO:
After positioning your apple on its side. On the bottoms of your apples, stick 4 toothpicks to give your turkey some legs to stand on. You can stick a raisin or marshmallow on the bottom of each leg for his feet.
Next let your kids decorate the turkey’s feathers. Stick 4-5 toothpicks into the top/rear part of your apple (away from the stem). Your kids can thread the toothpicks with raisins, dried pineapple, dried apricots or cheerios to make the turkey’s feathers. Top each feather off with a big raisin or a mini marshmallow to keep things in place. In between each feather you can add a pretzel stick for added color.
We used big marshmallows or big pieces of dried fruit for the turkey head. You could even cut some construction paper and color a turkey head if you like. Get creative, have fun, happy turkey day!
So we’re getting close…
Can you believe that Turkey Day is less than 2 weeks away?
Crazy!
So let’s rev up and get ready…
Roasting a moist and juicy bird is no easy feat.
Sure Mom made it look like a snap all those years but when you’re suddenly faced with tossing your own bird in the oven for the first time you realize that you actually have no idea how to do this!
Have no fear…
I have mastered how to create the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey.
This method delivers the perfect bird every time.
Crisp skin.
Juicy moist meat!
You barely have to carve this thing.
It pretty much does all the work for you.
Trust me…You’ll never roast another way again!
First up…
Stuff it.
No, not not with stuffing.
With lemon…
and herbs…
and onion…
and garlic…
Cut ‘em up and shove ‘em right up in there.
Next put some butter underneath the skin.
Carefully separate the skin from the breast meat and slide some pats of butter on in there.
Add in some herbs too, rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme.
Not too many, just enough for the flavor to sink in.
Trust me, you’re going to love it.
I use about 3 T or so, broken up into smaller pieces.
Leave it out to soften for an hour so, make it easier to get in there.
Sprinkle the outside of the bird with S&P and you’re ready to rock.
So let’s cook this thing.
Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.
Yup, I said it, 475.
When it’s hot and ready to go, put your bird in a covered roaster and toss it in the screaming hot oven for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a top for your roasted just get it good and covered with some aluminum foil…I find this is key!
After 20 minutes knock back your heat to 250 degrees.
Yes, I said 250.
We’re going to slow roast this bad boy and make it super tender.
Cook the turkey at 250 for 20 minutes for each pound. So if you have a 12 pound turkey you cook it for 4 hours, a 15 pound turkey would be at 250 for 5 hours.
This is the final and most important step.
Let your turkey rest on the counter for 20 minutes before carving.
It will continue cooking while all the juices soak into the meat. You don’t want those yummy juices all over your cutting board, right?
After 20 minutes just to be sure you should check it with a meat thermometer. Just stick it into the breast. It should read 170 degrees.
That’s it, you’re all set, and now you’re a Turkey All Star! Get ready for the perfect bird.
One word of warning.
This method works best on birds that are LESS THAN 20 pounds.
If you have more people to feed my feeling is roast a 20 pound bird, then roast an additional turkey breast.
Or get a ham.
Or a rib roast.
Just saying.
That will satisfy them all.
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