HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Anastasia and the gang are taking today off 

to spend time with family and friends. 

We wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Over the river and through the woods,

To grandmother's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,

Through the white and drifted snow, O!

Over the river and through the woods,

Oh how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes, and bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.


Over the river and through the woods,

To have a first-rate play;

Oh hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ling!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day, Hey!

Over the river and through the woods,

Trot fast my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground, like a hunting hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day, Hey!


Over the river and through the woods,

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow.

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the woods,

Now grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving from Anastasia and the gang at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers! Enjoy your turkey and the fixings. We'll be back tomorrow with a new post.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Over the river and through the woods,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow!

Over the river and through the woods,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the woods,
To have a first-rate play;
Oh, hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ling!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the woods,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day. 

Over the river and through the woods,
And straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go extremely slow
It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the woods,
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

GIVING THANKS FOR SARAH JOSEPHA HALE, THE MOTHER OF THANKSGIVING

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States. Most people know that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. Governor William Bradford, the Pilgrim leader, hosted the feast and invited the Wampanoag Indians, but did you know the celebration lasted for three days? Also, the Pilgrims and their guests ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers—no forks.

Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. You probably knew that, but did you know that he was persuaded to do so by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book and author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? She spent nearly twenty years lobbying five presidents, members of Congress, and every governor of the United States before she convinced Lincoln that it would be a good idea to help unify the country once the Civil War ended. Her efforts finally resulted in success when on October 23, 1863 Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday in celebration of Thanksgiving.

And here’s something else you probably didn’t know: Even though we traditionally serve candied yams, pumpkin pies, and cranberry relish with our Thanksgiving turkey, none of those foods were present at the 1621 feast. Historians believe that lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup, honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese may have been on the menu that day. What we know for certain is that deer, fowl (but probably not turkey), fish, and corn were served. This information comes to us from the only two documented sources written about the celebration. One is a brief passage in a letter penned by Edward Winslow in December 1621. The other is from On Plymouth Plantation, written by William Bradford about twenty years after the event.

So whom do we have to thank for our traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving? Once again, none other than Sarah Josepha Hale. She wrote numerous editorials outlining various recipes that should be used for Thanksgiving, including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Why that menu? Perhaps they were among her favorite dishes.

TRAVEL WITH SERENA--GUEST AUTHOR BRENDA MAXFIELD STUCK IN THE SNOW

When Young Adult author Brenda Maxfield isn’t teaching, she’s holed up writing in her lake cabin and write, often with a batch of popcorn and dark chocolate nearby. Learn more about her and her books at her website and blog. Today Brenda stops by to tell us of a harrowing holiday experience that happened years ago and how she brought the memories of that experience into her latest Christmas release.

  

Over the Mountain Pass

Before living in the tropics, my home was in Central Washington State.  When Thanksgiving and Christmas came around, it was cold — often below zero cold. To celebrate both holidays, my new husband and I would load up our VW Beetle and head over the Cascade Mountains toward the coast where our parents lived.

We’d chuck our tire chains — now illegal — into the trunk and pray the ice and snow wouldn’t be bad enough to have to use them.

One particularly blustery night before Thanksgiving, our prayers were not answered. When passing over the mountains, we hit a white wall of snow, fog, and sleet. We slid to the side of the road to put on the chains. In the middle of the job, our flashlight went dim and we finished chaining up in the dark.

Wet and miserable, we climbed back into the car and started the motor. We crawled from the shoulder back onto the road when we heard a deafening metal clunk. The car jerked to a stop, throwing us against our seatbelts.

Cell phones didn’t exist during those years. We were stuck.

Fortunately, tow trucks troll mountain passes for unlucky travelers like us. One stopped and we found out the chains were wrapped and tangled around the axle. Could our rescuer fix it? No, but he could tow us to the nearest wide spot in the road to find a motel.

We quickly switched to Plan B: Spend the night in the mountains and pass most of Thanksgiving at a car garage the next morning.

We did finally make it to the coast. Thanksgiving dinner was over, the throng of relatives had thinned, and the dishes had been washed. However, leftovers were in the oven and had never tasted so good.

In my new YA short story Seeking Christmas, Courtney carts her little brother from the Washington Coast to Idaho. She travels some of the same roads we used to travel. She worries about the road conditions just like we did. But her greater worry is meeting up with the father who deserted both her and her brother years previously.

How could such a meeting possibly go well? And would she even have the guts to follow through with it?

I hope you’ll grab a copy of Seeking Christmas and enjoy this holiday story of forgiveness and redemption.

Seeking Christmas (an Ocean Mist short story Two):

The Christmas season has eighteen-year-old Courtney crossing the state line with her little brother Dennis to rendezvous with the man who deserted them years ago. Courtney remembers him only as the tall man who ran away. Dennis doesn’t remember him at all.

Courtney is furious, but Denny is curious. Will their meeting result in a happy Christmas memory or another miserable disappointment? 

Buy Link

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Anastasia and the rest of the American Woman editors are spending the day with their families, but they all wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and will be back tomorrow.

COOKING WITH CLORIS - CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE RELISH

The best Thanksgiving relish and super easy to make!

CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE RELISH
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 cans whole cranberries
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
1 lg. or 2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 cup chopped walnuts

Drain pineapple and oranges. Mix together cranberries and pineapple. Fold in oranges and walnuts. 

And that’s it! Could it get any easier?

COOKING WITH CLORIS - PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Don’t want to bother with the mess of stuffing a turkey but don’t want to serve boxed stuffing? Try pumpkin bread pudding this Thanksgiving.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onions
2 gloves minced garlic
1 stick unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 lg. eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
5 cups day-old French bread broken into 1” pieces

Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Mix together pumpkin and milk. Beat eggs and sugar. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Combine sautéed onion/garlic mixture, egg mixture, and pumpkin mixture. Place bread in large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture over bread. Add walnuts. Mix well. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until mixture sets.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Anastasia and the rest of the American Woman editors are spending the day with their families, but they all wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and will be back tomorrow.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - DO YOU HARA HACHI BU?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, also known as the start of the Great American Pig Out. Beginning tomorrow and continuing through Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and culminating with Superbowl Sunday, we Americans will eat and eat and eat. Most of us will gain weight, hence the New Year’s resolution most often made (and unfortunately, most often broken) to lose weight. Health editor Janice Kerr says we should all Hara Hachi Bu over the next three months and beyond to avoid the need to make that resolution we’ll all break anyway. -- AP

Hara hachi bu is Japanese for “eat until you are eight parts full.” It’s the philosophy of the people who live on the island of Okinawa, where the residents enjoy exceptionally long and healthy lives. Okinawans have the longest life expectancy in the world with 29% living to 100. This is roughly four times the average in western countries.

Hara hachi bu works because your brain needs about twenty minutes to realize that your stomach is full. If you eat until you feel full, twenty minutes later you’ll be about 20% over capacity. Keep this up at every meal, and you’ll continually stretch your stomach larger and larger, which in turn will require you to eat more and more food at each meal in order to feel sated.

Hara hachi bu is the basis for the traditional Okinawa diet, which emphasizes vegetables, whole grains, fruits, soy, and fish. Such a diet, high in antioxidants and with limited amounts of lean meats, has been proven to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and minimize free radical production.

Heart disease rates in Okinawa are 80% lower than in the U.S., and cholesterol levels are typically under 180, Rates of cancer are 50-80% lower. Hip fractures are 20% lower than those on mainland Japan and 40% lower than in the U.S. Dementia is rare. Conversely, Okinawans who adopted Western eating styles had about the same rates of heart disease as in the U.S., and a study of 100,000 Okinawans who moved to Brazil and adopted local eating habits, showed a life expectancy 17 years lower than in Okinawa.

So think about following the two main rules of the Okinawan Diet, beginning tomorrow. Your body will thank you, and you won’t have to make that yearly New Year’s resolution that we both know you won’t keep.

Rule 1. Eat to 80% full.

Rule 2: Eat healthy, non-processed foods as much as possible. making sure your diet is rich in veggies, whole grains, fish, and legumes.

I guess this means turning down a second slice of pumpkin pie tomorrow, readers, but why not give it a try? Who’s game? Post a comment to enter the drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is next week, and travel editor Serena Brower knows that many of you will be heading out by car, train, or plane to spend the holiday with relatives. Once upon a time, our ancestors traveled by another mode of transportation. How many of you remember this song from your childhoods? -- AP

Over the river and through the woods,

To grandmother's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,

Through the white and drifted snow, O!

Over the river and through the woods,

Oh how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes, and bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.


Over the river and through the woods,

To have a first-rate play;

Oh hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ling!"

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day, Hey!

Over the river and through the woods,

Trot fast my dapple gray!

Spring over the ground, like a hunting hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day, Hey!


Over the river and through the woods,

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow.

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the woods,

Now grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

I'll bet that brought back some memories! Tell us about your Thanksgiving memories for a chance to win a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE RELISH

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Cloris has a quick and easy cranberry pineapple relish dish that the kids can make while you’re busy preparing the rest of the menu. -- AP

CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE RELISH
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 cans whole cranberries
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
1 lg. or 2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 cup chopped walnuts

Drain pineapple and oranges. Mix together cranberries and pineapple. Fold in oranges and walnuts. And that’s it!

Wow! Couldn’t be simpler, right? Happy Thanksgiving! -- AP

GUEST KELLE Z. RILEY--HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Today we have a guest blogger sitting in for travel editor Serena Brower. Dr. Kelle Z. Riley is a world traveler whose home is wherever loved ones gather.  True to her Gemini nature, she has a real-life duel personality: Ph.D. scientist by day and writer by night.  A 2005 Golden Heart Finalist, her first book—a romantic suspense entitled Dangerous Affairs—was published in 2006.  Kelle believes in the magical power of storytelling to entertain, educate and enthrall both readers and writers of all ages.  When she’s not saving the world’s water supply, or kicking butt in a karate class, she can be found at her computer, spinning tales of love and happily-ever-after. -- AP

  

Hi Anastasia, thank you for inviting me to stop by the blog.  As you know, I'm often flying around the world for business, traveling to exotic places like Bangkok, Singapore, Sweden, Paris and more!  It is nice to "land" here for a few moments to reflect on life.  Maybe some time you'll invite me back and I can tell you about my travels.  Shoppers might enjoy hearing about the night market in Bangkok.  Those in need of some pampering might like to hear about the "fish spa" in Singapore.  But for now, I'm delighting in being home in the USA!

As I sit in a darkened, windowless meeting room today, my thoughts aren’t on project deadlines, profit margins or any of the issues on the corporate agenda.  Although it’s still too early for crooners to remind us “there’s no place like home for the holidays” or to hear the plaintive refrain of “I’ll be home for Christmas” on the radio, my thoughts are already turning to Thanksgiving and “home.”

But in an increasingly mobile world where jetting across continents becomes commonplace and jobs require moves every year of so, where distances between family members are measured in time zones rather than hours, what do we really mean when we say we’re going “home?”

Nostalgia may tell you it’s the house on the block where you grew up, the smell of mom’s special sugar cookies baking, the crunch of fallen leaves and dozens of other images from your childhood.  But those things are memories.  Visiting the old house—even if mom is still baking cookies—won’t turn back the clock and let you relive your childhood.

I believe the longing we feel for “home” is something else.  It’s not a place or a time.  It isn’t even family members gathered together under a single roof to feast on turkey and pumpkin pie.  The longing for home is a longing for connection.  Connection with those closest to us—spouses, children, parents, siblings, even our crazy cousins.  It’s also a longing for a connection to community—neighbors, those who gather at your place of worship, and humankind in general.  Humans are social creatures and we aren’t fulfilled unless we’re part of a community.

What a wonderful time we live in then, when we have so many options for interacting with our loved ones and communities.  If we can’t drive or fly home, we can call, text, check up on social networking sites or even write an old fashioned letter or card (the kind that requires a stamp!).  The possibilities to reach out and include far-flung family and friends are endless. 

There’s just one catch.  To really connect you need to focus on the person you’re reaching out to.  Focus on their voice (if you can hear it) or hold their image and memories of your times together in your mind (if you’re using social networks, texts or letters).  Don’t rush the “conversation” just because our communication devices allow it.  Rather, savor that moment with your loved one like you would savor a fine piece of gourmet chocolate.  Imprint the interaction on your mind, heart and soul.  When you do, faster than you can click your ruby slippers three times, you’ll be home.

Thanks for stopping by, Kelle! And do come back again soon. I’m sure our readers would love to hear about the night market in Bangkok and "fish spa" in Singapore. Remember, readers, post a comment this week to be entered into the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Don’t want to bother with the mess of stuffing a turkey but don’t want to serve boxed stuffing? Cloris suggests you try pumpkin bread pudding this Thanksgiving. -- AP

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onions
2 gloves minced garlic
1 stick unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 lg. eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
5 cups day-old French bread broken into 1” pieces

Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Mix together pumpkin and milk. Beat eggs and sugar. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Combine sautéed onion/garlic mixture, egg mixture, and pumpkin mixture. Place bread in large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture over bread. Add walnuts. Mix well. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until mixture sets.

Thanks, Cloris! This sounds like a great change from traditional stuffing, and I don’t have to shove my hand up that turkey! Readers, do you have a favorite stuffing recipe? Let's hear from you. Post a comment to be entered in this week's book givaway from our Friday Book Club Author.-- AP