After Thanksgiving Breakfast

Once the big meal is over, you are sure to have some leftovers. Here are a few ideas on how to use them and other fall ingredients for breakfast the next day.

   If you have leftover cranberry sauce, it can be used to make this delicious Cranberry Coffee Cake .

Still have a lot of apples in your fruit bowl? Try this Puffed Apple Pancake

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Cake is a great way to use your spices,extra canned pumpkin and maple syrup. This one is a definite crowd pleaser.

  Maple Walnut Muffins are delicious on a chilly fall  morning! 

These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are on the menu year round at our house.  Quick and delicious!

Quiche is a great way to use extra pie dough and any leftover veggies you may have. You can substitute any vegetables you like for the broccoli in this recipe.
  

This fritatta is an easy breakfast, again, using any veggies you have on hand.
 

Chocolate Chip Pancakes are always a fun breakfast and very filling!

I hope you find these recipes helpful! Enjoy your weekend!!

Thanksgiving Dishes

The big day is just a week away! Today I want to share some of our favorite things to make for Thanksgiving,including a soup a few sides and plenty of desserts.
   Butternut Squash Soup is one of my fall favorites. It can be made ahead and freezes well. It is a great way to start any meal and also makes a perfect lunch on a chilly day.

    Acorn squash is a vegetable that is often overlooked because many feel it is too difficult to prepare, it isn't..I promise. This recipe is can also be made ahead( 1 day) and refrigerated until ready to bake.

   I usually roast carrots with a little olive oil,salt & pepper, and it is an easy,delicious,no fail way to make them.However, for special occasions,I prefer to make them this way.Wonderful flavor that perfectly compliments the Thanksgiving meal.

   What is a meal without mashed potatoes? I switch between two favorite recipes in our house. The first, is from Ina Garten which is a buttermilk recipe that is incredible! The other is a garlic sour cream recipe that is equally delicious. Whichever you choose, you will be deliciously happy!

   Very often,recipes call for fresh herbs. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere warm, you may still have some in your garden,however,if not, you may wind up paying a pretty penny for them at the market. This is how I preserve the herbs from my garden. I make herbed butter, which freezes well and is ready anytime I need it . A few days before Thanksgiving, I take a few from the freezer and slather them on our turkey. They add amazing flavor !

  Without fail,every year I make this  spinach dish from Ina Garten.
So delicious!
  

When it is time for dessert,I serve a variety of goodies to my family. Here are a few of our favorites.

Oatmeal Buttercotch Cookies

Cranberry Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Nut Cups

Coconut Custard Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Cinnamon Mocha Tart

Apple Pie

Lastly, here is the recipe I use if you are interested in making your own pie dough.
 

I hope you have a chance to try some of these recipes that we love so much! Check in tomorrow for some  day after Thanksgiving breakfast ideas!

November Reading For Children

I've always enjoyed reading with my boys. When they were younger, I'd  make sure their rooms were filled with favorite books, and change the selection with the seasons. For me,one of the greatest joys of motherhood is to curl up with a cozy blanket, a great story and my children. They are a bit older now, but my younger guys still indulge me every so often and let me read aloud with them. Naturally, the books are more age appropriate and it doesn't happen often, but I will take it whenever I can get it!

   Today,I wanted to share some favorites that were always part of our November reading. If you love spending quality time with your children, there is no better way than opening a good book.

Freddy was always a favorite character in our home. He is a little boy who loves sharks,and every illustration in this series has the word "FIN" hidden somewhere for the reader to find. In Thanksgiving Turkey Trouble, Freddy gets a part in a play that he did not want. It is a sweet story about rising to a challenge,and definitely one of our fall favorites.

This book has been a longtime favorite of mine. I remember my elementary school librarian reading it with such enthusiasm and  I was immediately enthralled by it. I'd long forgotten about it until I had children of my own, and was thrilled to find a copy at a local bookstore(pre amazon days). It takes place  near a cranberry bog in New England where a young girl named Maggie lives with her grandmother. As Thanksgiving approaches, someone is attempting to steal grandmother's prize cranberry bread recipe ,but it may not be who they think it is. It is a charming book by Wende and Harry Devlin which includes the cranberry bread recipe at the end of the story. I just love it!

Another story we've always enjoyed is Thanksgiving with the Tappletons by Eileen Spinelli. Thanksgiving Day starts out like any other, until a series of silly mishaps causes a change in plans. This is a sweet story sure to bring some giggles along with it.

I think this is probably on everyone's Thanksgiving reading list and rightfully so!  This book is a classic and my family has enjoyed it for years, I mean, how can you go wrong with Snoopy and friends?

They've also added another sweet little Peanuts Thanksgiving tale that kids are sure to enjoy. In this story , Joe Cool is hosting Thanksgiving this year! It isn't the classic tale, but still fun for little ones.

 

My family has always loved the Big Red Dog! Norman Bridwell's beloved Clifford is hoping to spend Thanksgiving with his mother. He braves cars,trains and lots of traffic to make it happen. Be sure to check out Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit
  and  Clifford's Puppy Days Thanksgiving Feast 

 The Night Before Thanksgiving is a playful look into all of the fun that comes along with family celebrations. Natasha Wing has a wonderful "Night Before..." series and we've always enjoyed reading them together.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie is a silly story, filled with repetition so that children can easily join in. They are also always shocked by how many things this old lady can ingest and what the surprise is at the end.

Patricia Reilly Giff 's Polk Street School series offers some wonderful chapter books for children. Turkey Trouble was a favorite of ours and we read it every November. Amazon still has some copies available, and if you can get one, you should. Her stories are always funny and uplifting. 

The Berenstain Bears were always a favorite in this house.,with lessons about fairness,sharing,love,sibling relationships and so much more ! My boys loved reading about Big Paw, a story that teaches children to not judge others based on appearances.

Stan and Jan Berenstain have also written so many other Thanksgiving/Fall stories that children have enjoyed  for years. Here are a few of our favorites. Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving All Around

Give Thanks

Harvest Festival

We hope you are able to enjoy some of these wonderful children's Thanksgiving stories with your little ones. Happy Reading!

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