Over the river and through the woods...

...to Grandmother's house we go! We are a hustle and bustle of activity, packing for our trip and awaiting hikes through the pines and four-wheeler rides along the river. Not to mention (drool) the abundance of casseroles and pies that accompany any decent Southern Thanksgiving.
In celebration, I decided to make these handprint turkey sweatshirts for Big B and little b. I saw this version (The Crafty Crow) and decided to alter it slightly--mine are hand-sewn with embroidery thread, I ommitted the button eyes, and added beaks and colorful wings. The entire project, for both shirts, took less than 2 hours.

DAY-BEFORE-THANKSGIVING SHIRT TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Collect these materials: solid-colored shirt, needle and embroidery thread, paper and writing utensil, a piece of autumn-y fabric slightly larger than your child's hand, felt scraps
Step 2: Trace your child's hand onto the paper
Step 3: Pin the fabric onto the inside of the front of the shirt, right side up
Step 4: Pin your child's handprint template onto the front of the shirt
Step 5: Hand-stitch all the way around the handprint
Step 6: Remove any excess fabric from inside the shirt
Step 7: Pull the shirt away from the fabric behind, and cut the handprint out just inside the stitch line, taking care only to cut the shirt
Step 8: Hand sew a beak and a wattle
Step 9: Embroider legs

This year I will have the privilege of dining at Papa's Grandmother's Thanksgiving table for the ninth time. I can't say enough how blessed I am to be a part of this sweet family. As with most large families at Thanksgiving, each smaller family within the group contributes one or two dishes, making for a feast of delicious porportions. Here are my contributions this year:

ROASTED SAGE BUTTERNUT SQUASH

INGREDIENTS:

one large butternut squash
4 slices of bacon
4 sprigs of sage
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and cooking spray. Halve the butternut squash and peel it, scooping out the seeds and stringy centers. Cube it up into 1" or slightly smaller cubes. Place in a single layer on the tray. Chop the bacon and sage coursely and sprinkle them evenly over the butternut squash. Drizzle the olive oil over the whole lot of it and add salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, then stir it all up and check for tenderness. Roast about 10 minutes more. YUM.

FRESH CRANBERRY MUFFINS (adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 generous cup chopped fresh cranberries (I used a food processor)
2/3 cups milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare muffin tins (grease or spray with cooking spray), preheat oven to 400°. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, stir well. Stir in chopped cranberries. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, orange zest, vanilla and egg. Pour into well in dry mixture and stir until just moist. Spoon batter into muffin pans (fill each cup about 3/4 full) and bake15 minutes or so. Muffins should spring back when touched lightly in the center. Remove muffins from pan immediately and cool completely on a wire rack.

Happy Thanksgiving!