If you need a quick recipe for cranberry relish, one that doesn’t require cooking, and one that you can make in two or three minutes, then go to Wanda’s site for a delicious recipe: Cranberry Relish

I like having recipes that are delicious and easy at the same time. When I’m having to clean house for company plus cook a dinner, every minute counts! LOL

If you’re looking for some different ways to use left-over turkey, I’ve seen turkey enchiladas, turkey tacos, turkey pita tacos, turkey taco salad, and turkey taco soup. Of course, there’s the traditional turkey pot pie and turkey salad which are always good. My favorite when I was growing up was my mother’s and grandmother’s turkey salad. They would put apples, celery, pecans or walnuts, mayonaise, salt, and pepper in it. It was so yummy, either in a sandwich or just by itself. My mouth is actually watering right now…I sure wish I had some.

If you’re short on time &/or energy, this sounds like a great recipe. My mother used to use canned sweet potatoes, and she would make delicious mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. I guess you could put marshmallows on top of this instead of the brown sugar mixture if you preferred. Here’s the easy recipe from Southern Living, November 2006 by Jean Ellard, Birmingham, Alabama.

1. 3 (40-oz.) cans cut sweet potatoes, drain the syrup
2. 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3. 1/2 cup butter, softened
4. 1/2 cup milk
5. 2 large eggs
6. 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
9. 1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
10. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
11. 1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine first 7 ingredients and beat at medium speed until smooth. Spoon into lightly greased 9 x 13 dish. Mix last 4 ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top of sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Here are some great ideas about house cleaning during the holidays:

• Don’t stress about it! Put on some of your favorite music. Music speeds up cleaning and makes it more fun.
• Don’t let clutter get out of control! Spend 10 minutes a day putting things back where they go.
  
• Prioritize your rooms! Clean the room that is most used by guests first. (probably the living room) Then move on from there.
• Handle mail one time! As you look through your daily mail, either recycle it, put bills in their place, or put it in a basket for things that need your attention. Don’t waste time going through your mail two or three times.
  
• Kill germs! The last thing you want is to catch a cold or get sick during the holidays. Sanitize telephones, doorknobs, remote controls, light switches, water faucets, refrigerator and microwave door handles, flush handles on toilets, anything that more than one person touches.
  

I’ve bought several cans of pumpkin at a super sale price, so I’m looking for recipes that use pumpkin besides my traditional pumpkin pie recipe (which is a favorite of mine). I came across some recipes that sound delicious. The second recipe calls for a can of pumpkin pie mix with all the spices and sugar, so I’ll have to add my own since I have cans of plain pumpkin. Here are the recipes:

Pumpkin Spice Cake (with frosting) from Wanda at Apples-Zeros

and

Pumpkin Pie Cake from Lori at My Wooden Spoon

and

Pumpkin Spice Frosted Snack Bars from Elizabeth at Mom Cooks

It’s fun to work together as a family on a project. When our son was in kindergarten, he had a homework assignment: the whole family had to decorate this white cardboard, cut-out turkey shape that was about ten inches tall. So all of us, even teenage sister and dad helped to decorate the turkey, coloring it with markers, gluing on ribbon, odds and ends of stuff out of my sewing box, colored cereal, and small pieces of old jewelry. We had so much fun! Years and years later, we still have that turkey and he’s always a part of our Thanksgiving decorations. And the funny thing is that the cereal is still on there. LOL

My friend, Wanda, over at apples-zeros.com used to be an art teacher, and you can tell because she is so creative. Here’s a neat idea she has for making a homemade centerpiece that everyone in the family can help make. This would be something that you could save and use from year to year by storing it in a box in the attic. Just click here .

When I used to teach first grade, we would make a great big turkey mural out in the hallway every year. It made the bland wall come alive. I would have the kids trace around their hands on different colors of construction paper (red, orange, purple, yellow, brown, and some green). I had a turkey head that I used every year and would just make a new body for it every year with all of the hand cut-outs. This idea could make a neat door decoration at home, too.