Thanksgiving Food and Decorating Ideas

"Give Thanks" banner made with paper.
A kitchen hutch is a great place to display Thanksgiving decor and dishes.
The Thanksgiving Table prior to being set. I love the mix of rustic and refined.
An easy centerpiece using a wreath, pumpkin candles, and two overlapping table runners.
Grocery store bouquets and a mantel display in warm fall colors.
My Favorite Apple Pie Recipe from The Lion House cookbook
Ingredients for Apple Pie: Pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie (I use frozen Marie Calendar Crusts); 4 to 5 cups tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced; 1/2 cup water; 3/4 to 1 cup sugar; 1 to 2 T. flour; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1/8 tsp. salt; 1 T. lemon juice; and 2 T. butter. I use these Leaf Shaped Cutters from William Sonoma to dress up the pie crust.

My adorable helper, my daughter Madeline. She even does dishes.
Steam or simmer apples gently in water until they wilt and begin to become transparent. (This is a partial cooking only so that the apples will cook thoroughly in the pie.)
Combine the sugar and other dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread half over the pastry-lined pie pan. Lift apples from cooking liquid into crust using a slotted spoon. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Sprinkle pie filling with lemon juice and dot with butter. Cut leaf shapes using a cookie cutter or cutter like the ones shown from William Sonoma. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake on lower shelf of oven at 425 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes, or until nicely browned. (I cover the edges in foil for the first 25 minutes of baking so they won't burn.)

Note: Apple pie is only as good as the apples it is made with. Tart juicy apples are desirable, and some judgment is necessary as to amounts of sugar and thickening when sweeter, less juice apples are used. (I used half apples from my backyard tree and the other half tart, green apples.



A "Thankful Jar" is an idea I got from my friend Chantelle Brown. The idea is to leave the jar out for everyone to write down things they are thankful for on slips of paper. The jar is then passed around the table, where everyone draws out a slip to read at the table. I think it takes some of the pressure off from going around the table and saying what you are thankful for, but has the nice same thought behind it!I found these cute chalkboard jars for $10 at Pier 1 Imports. I thought I'd give mine to my mom after the dinner as a take home gift. I'll post more ideas tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving Baking!!