by heather | fun finds
With the holidays are quickly approaching, the social calendars start to fill up. Thanksgiving family get togethers, work holiday parties, friend’s dinners and Christmas parties….and before you know it, a New Year’s party!
Here are some clever gifts as a way to say thank you to your party host!
1. Corkcicle (Oprah’s Favorite Things 2012) $25
2. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Pillow – Paper Source $20
3. Lucero Vinegar & Olive Oil Set – Williams-Sonoma $25
4. Wine Holiday Cocktail Napkins – Pier 1 Imports $5
5. Dinner: A Love Story: It All Begins At The Family Table – Book by Jenny Rosenstrach – Amazon $18
6. Bamboo Cheeseboard Set – Apratment48 $38
7. The Microwave Is My Friend Dish Towel – Perpetual Kid $12
8. Godiva Chocolate Box (Gold Ballotin, 19 piece) $30
9. Wooden 6 Pack Beer Tote – Uncommon Goods $32
10. Agave & Honeysuckle Soy Candle – Taigan $28
11. Doodles at Dinner: 36 Tear-Off Placemats – Amazon $9
12. Mari Vase – Crate & Barrel $25
Are you throwing a party and planning to be the hostess with the mostess? Check out the “Hostess With The Mostess” website for some great tips and ideas!
by steph_egan | creative tips
Do you have plans to travel over Thanksgiving? And if so, is it by air?
Like I mentioned in a previous post, we’ll be flying North for the holiday (and I don’t know why..) but every year I’m amazed at how crazy flight prices are. I should be used to it… we’ve spent many of the past Thanksgivings flying into Boston from places like San Francisco, Charlotte and Phoenix, but there’s still sticker shock each time I start my search. I always try to make an effort to book our flights well in advance, but sometimes plans are up in the air (pun may or may not be intended) until we get closer to the holidays.
So if you still have plans to make, here’s a little guide I came across from a recent news story… listed below is the average round-trip airfare from the top 20 origination markets over the holiday. You can use this number while you’re shopping for flights… Travelocity calls it “the price to beat”:
New York City: $376
Washington, DC: $366
Los Angeles: $415
Denver: $349
Chicago: $372
San Francisco: $436
Boston: $392
South Florida: $300
Philadelphia: $407
Dallas/Fort Worth: $360
Seattle: $424
Minneapolis St. Paul: $371
Phoenix: $328
Atlanta: $334
Portland: $328
Orlando: $279
Tampa: $293
Detroit: $377
Charlotte: $352
Raleigh Durham: $376
Houston: $411
Indianapolis: $388
San Diego: $410
Pittsburgh: $352
Milwaukee: $356
Of course you can always save a little money by flying on Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following, and Tuesday, Nov. 27th…. OR! by entering to win a FREE turkey.
by Mandi | recipes
I love decorating my house with pumpkins during this time of year.
But what I love the most is using them to make fantastic deserts! You can read a previous post I wrote about to cook or to carve here.
This past weekend the mister and I took all of my pumpkins and put them up to the challenge. What is the best way to cook the pumpkin and what pumpkin type works best. There was a CLEAR winner!
The Blue Pumpkin cooked in the crock pot. It worked PERFECTLY! Here is how we did it!
1. Cut the pumpkin into fourths, this makes it much easier to handle.
2. Remove all of the stringy insides including the seeds.
3. Leaving the “skin” on, wash the pumpkins really well with warm water.
4. Add about 1 – 1 1/2 inches of water into a crock pot, add the pumpkin and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.
5. Scrape out the pumpkin and set aside to cool. The pumpkin will be very soft and easy to scrape out.
PIE TIME!
We let our pumpkin cool for about 2 hours and then were ready to start baking. I went to my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for the recipe and it did not disappoint! Here is the recipe online – and note, you can now use your own pumpkin instead of the canned mess!
Add a little cool whip to the top and you have a masterpiece – our friends were very impressed last night!
What goes great with pumpkin deserts? Turkey of course. Make sure you qualify for our Turkey Giveaway!
