10 Facts About Thanksgiving

10 Facts About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a very important day in the United States. There are many things that are especially related to the celebrations of the Thanksgiving Day. These include Thanksgiving turkey trivia, pilgrims, thanksgiving proclamation, thanksgiving as a national holiday and other things. Some of such facts are mentioned here which will not only help you enhance your knowledge about Thanksgiving Day but also make you enjoy this day with even more zeal.

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

2. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

3. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.

4. The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.

5. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.

6. The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'.

7. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.

8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

9. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer.

10. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

11. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast.

12. The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the presence of around ninety Wampanoag Indians and the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, was also invited there.

13. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

14. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795.

15. The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.

16. Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign in 1827 and it was result of her efforts that in 1863 Thanksgiving was observed as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer.

17. Abraham Lincoln issued a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.

18. President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.

19. Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

20. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States. But it was Thomas Jefferson who opposed him. It is believed that Franklin then named the male turkey as 'tom' to spite Jefferson.

21. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.

22. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.

23. When the Pilgrims arrived in North America, the clothing of the Native Americans was made of animal skins (mainly deer skin).

24. On December 11, 1620 the first Pilgrims (or Puritans, as they were initially known) landed at Plymouth Rock.

25. By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.

Help! My dinner is: Thanksgiving tips

Help! My dinner is: Thanksgiving tips

Avoid the holiday hassle and enjoy your time in the kitchen this Thanksgiving with some helpful tips to create the perfect dinner.

Turkey tips
You have the turkey, you’ve got the pan  now make the perfect bird.

Turkey tipsWhat is the done temperature for turkey?
Answer is turkey 165 degrees

When roasting turkey from the frozen state, how much time should be added to the cooking time?
Answer is roast turkey from frozen state increase cooking time by 50 percent

How much turkey per person should I plan to serve?
Answer for fresh turkey 1 pound of turkey per person

How long should I plan to thaw turkey safely?
Answer  thaw turkey 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds

Stuffing tips
Tradition says cook it in the bird, but others say the bird cooks better when stuffing is baked in the oven .

 What temperature should I use to dry out the bread?
 Answer is Stuffing 275 degrees

How much stuffing do I need when cooking it in the turkey?
Answer is 3/4 cup of stuffing, per pound of turkey

What combination of herbs is used?
Answer is stuffing thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley

Turkey gravy tips
It’s the topping to every Thanksgiving meal  but be sure to avoid the lumps and don’t make it too runny.

What should I use to avoid lumps?
Answer is whisk and strainer for lumpy gravy

What are helpful ingredients to thicken runny gravy?
Answer is Use cornstarch or flour to thicken turkey gravy

How would you make gluten-free gravy?
Answer is rice flour for gluten free gravy

If my gravy turns out too salty, what can I add to it?
Answer is Add potato to salty gravy

Mashed potato tips
It seems every family has their favorite version  with or without lumps, mashed by hand or whipped, and with or without seasoning, just avoid making it dry or too watery.

How many pounds of potatoes should I use?
Answer is 1 pound of potatoes for every 4 servings of mashed potatoes

What size chunks do I cut the potato into?
 Answer is 1 1/2 inch chunks of potato for mashed

How do I avoid gluey mashed potatoes?
Answer is Don't over mash the potatoes

Should your mashed potatoes turn out runny, try adding this quick substitute.
Answer is add instant potatoes to runny mashed potatoes

Cranberry sauce tips
Make it tangy or make it sweet, but just don’t make it from a can. No one truly likes it that way.

What ingredients do I use to make the sauce?
Answer is cranberry water, sugar

How long does it take to make?
Answer is simmer cranberries for 10 minutes

Do you serve it cold, hot, or at room temperature?
Answer is serve cranberry sauce at room temp

If I do use canned cranberries, what are some ways I can dress it up?
Answer is add spices, oranges to dress up canned cranberries

Dinner roll tips
No dinner plate would be complete without one, or two, homemade rolls.

How long will it take my bread dough to rise?
Answer is 45 minutes to an hour double in size dough

Where should I put my bread dough to rise?
Answer is warm spot for bread to rise

I have a bread machine, can I use it to make dinner rolls?
Answer is bread machine dinner rolls

Pumpkin pie tips
It’s the sweet treat at the end of the meal  so don’t let down your guests and family with a burnt crust or a mushy center.

What is the difference between canned and fresh pumpkin?
Answer is pumpkin + canned or fresh + difference

What size sugar pumpkin should I get if I want to use fresh pumpkin?
Answer is 5 lb. pumpkin makes 4 cups mashed

I have a frozen pumpkin pie, do I thaw it before baking?
Answer is don't thaw a frozen pumpkin pie before baking

How do I keep my pie crust from burning if the pie center isn’t done?
Answer is cover pie crust with tin foil

Sweet potato tips
It’s the savory sweet dish served during the meal  candy them with marshmallows, cover them in cinnamon, or just mash them down a bit.


What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?
Answer is taste difference + yams and sweet potatoes

What’s the best temperature to bake sweet potatoes?
Answer is 400 degrees for sweet potatoes

Instead of marshmallows, what’s a different topping to use on sweet potatoes?
Answer is pecan topping sweet potato casserole

At the grocery store, do I pick out large or small sweet potatoes?
Answer is pick a smaller sweet potato

Thanksgiving tablescape tips
Add the final touches to your meal with a table that’s fit to serve.

What’s the best wine to serve for Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer is riesling wines for a thanksgiving dinner

What’s the best beer to serve for Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer is amber ale beer pairing for turkey

How do I do an easy Thanksgiving tablescape?
Answer is easy thanksgiving tablescapes

Serve cranberry sauce at room temp

Serve cranberry sauce at room temp-The Cooking Light recipe was originally part of a leftover feature, so it uses 1/2 cup of leftover whole-berry cranberry sauce, but the recipe can also serve double-duty when made ahead. Make the Cranberry Sauce (from the back of the Ocean Spray fresh cranberry bag) today, then use 1/2 cup of the sauce to make the liqueur for the Cranberry Kir Royale. Serve the remaining sauce as a side to the turkey. When your guests arrive, strain the liqueur and add Prosecco.
Shopping tip: Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine that is crisp and has apple notes that are perfect with fall dishes.

More information

The inspiration: I am a fan of the Kir Royale at Le Fou Frog.


A flute of bubbly is a festive way to welcome the start of the holiday season. I’ve long been partial to the classic French Kir Royale cocktail featuring cassis, a black-currant liqueur, or Framboise liqueur. This recipe is from the November 2010 issue of Cooking Light and caught my eye because it uses a homemade cranberry liqueur instead of Cassis.

Cranberry Kir Royale

Makes 8 servings

Sauce:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries

Liqueur:

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup Cranberry Sauce

3/4 cup vodka

4 cups dry Prosecco or sparkling white wine, chilled

For the sauce: Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to pop. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely to room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. You should have 2 1/4 cups cranberry sauce; divide out 1/2 cup, and reserve the rest until serving.

For the liqueur: Combine 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in 1/2 cup Cranberry Sauce. Let cool. Stir in vodka; pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate four days.

Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a small jar; discard solids. Cover jar with an airtight lid; chill until ready to use.

To serve the cocktails: Spoon 2 tablespoons Cranberry Liqueur into each of 8 champagne flutes. Top each with 1/2 cup wine. Serve immediately.

Per serving, Cranberry Sauce only: 122 calories (1 percent from fat), trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 30 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 2 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Per serving (with liqueur): 173 calories (1 percent from fat), trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 12 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 7 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

Turkey Day: Seven Steps to Safely Deep Frying Your Thanksgiving Turkey

Turkey Day: Seven Steps to Safely Deep Frying Your Thanksgiving Turkey

Although there’s some debate about whether turkey was actually served at the first Thanksgiving, there’s no question that modern-day Americans are finding new and creative ways to serve up this traditional holiday favorite. One that’s been on the rise in recent years involves the use of turkey fryers. Deep-fried turkey started in the deep South, but has become something of a national craze in the past decade.


Unfortunately, this passion for deep frying has resulted in a rise in the number of dangerous accidents involving turkey fryers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, which are the number one cause of residential fires and fire-related injuries. Turkey fryers are playing an increasingly significant role, too, with the NFPA estimating they cause 1,000 fires annually.

“Every Thanksgiving, we receive reports of accidents involving turkey fryers,” said Mike Convery, chief claims officer and vice president for MetLife Auto & Home®. “Some of these stories are quite serious, too. For example, not so long ago, we had a customer whose overturned turkey fryer ignited his motorcycle’s gas tank. He suffered serious third-degree burns and endured months in rehab -- not to mention the total destruction of his home.”

Although using a turkey fryer can be dangerous, there are actions that can be taken to reduce the likelihood that an accident or injury will occur. Consider the following:

01. One major cause of turkey fryer accidents is that the turkey is not completely thawed, which can create a volatile situation. The National Turkey Federation recommends refrigerator thawing: allow approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of bird thawed.
02. Use your turkey fryer outdoors, away from buildings and any material that can burn. Never use turkey fryers on wooden decks or in garages. Make sure to place the fryer on a flat surface.
03. Never leave the fryer unattended. If you don't watch it carefully, the oil may catch fire.
04. Never overfill the fryer, and make sure to leave adequate room for the oil displaced by the turkey.
05. Never let children or pets near the fryer when in use. And, even after the food is on the table, remember: turkey fryers remain dangerously hot for hours.
06. Always use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when using a turkey fryer. And, even though they may look silly, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
07. If a fire breaks out, never use water to try to put it out. Adding water to a grease fire will only make things worse, quickly, and could result in significant fire damage, as well as devastating injury. Make certain you keep a fire extinguisher on hand, but if the fire appears unmanageable, call 9-1-1 for help, rather than fighting it yourself.

To help people learn more about fire safety in general, MetLife Auto & Home offers free materials, including a coloring book for children entitled “Learn about Fire Safety with the PEANUTS Gang” and a fire safety brochure entitled “About… Fire Safety.” Both are available by calling 1-800-608-0190. Fire safety information is also available at www.lifeadvice.com.

MetLife Auto & Home, a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates, is one of the nation’s leading personal lines property and casualty insurance providers, with more than 2.7 million policies in force. MetLife Auto & Home is a part of MetLife, Inc. MET, a leading global provider of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers in over 50 countries. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

Soldiers spend Thanksgiving with best substitution to family

Soldiers spend Thanksgiving with best substitution to family,It may not seem like there would be much difference between a military Thanksgiving and a civilian one. Many of the day’s traditions are the same -- turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, football.

But if you look closely, it’s unlikely you’ll find a family resemblance amongst the faces gathered at the dinner table.

For many military families, the closest they’ll get to the Thanksgivings they knew growing up is a phone call. They’ll miss out on Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie or Aunt Mary’s Secret Stuffing because they don’t have the time or money to travel “home.”


But they make up for it by surrounding themselves with the best resource a military family can have: good friends.

Between two deployments and being stationed 1,000 miles from home, my husband hasn’t been with his extended family for Thanksgiving for 10 years. And so this year, his first as a civilian, that was his request: Thanksgiving with his family.

But we certainly didn’t spend the last three Thanksgivings at Fort Benning alone.

Like many who are in the military, we celebrated with friends, developed new traditions and made the best of the situation.

Melissa Harvel’s husband was stationed at Fort Benning for four years and during that time they never traveled home to North Carolina for Thanksgiving because they had more time at Christmas.

“We would have three or four families come together” for Thanksgiving, she said in a recent phone interview, adding that they also invited single soldiers who didn’t have anyone to spend the day with.

One year she said there were a few single soldiers she had never met before who came because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. They knew someone going to Harvel’s celebration and tagged along.

“(For) new (soldiers), it is an eye-opening experience if you’ve always had your family there and suddenly you don’t,” Harvel said. Inviting them into her group was a way of showing the new soldiers how familial military friendships become.

One reason Harvel said she enjoys spending the holiday with her friends is that while they “always think of most of our friends as family,” they don’t bicker like family.

She also enjoys sharing the cooking and cleaning responsibilities with other families, especially because preparing a full Thanksgiving meal for her three-person family “would be a waste” and not financial reasonable, she said.

Jennifer Parker, the Fort Benning Community Spouses Club president, said that she and her husband used to host single soldiers for Thanksgiving when they were stationed at Fort Polk, La., and Fort Bragg, N.C., but they don’t have the opportunity to do that here.

“I miss it,” she said. Adding that she’s always looking for people who need a place to go for the holiday.

But she said it’s mostly junior enlisted soldiers who really can’t afford to travel home for Thanksgiving and her husband doesn’t oversee many in that group. Unit first sergeants usually make sure their soldiers aren’t alone on the holiday.

“They generally take care of their own,” Parker said.

Now stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., Harvel said they won’t be traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but plan to spend both holidays with friends they’ve reconnected with in their new location.

“We’ve been very blessed to be in the Army, to have this lifestyle and to know so many wonderful people,” she said.

Many more stores opening on Thanksgiving this year

Many more stores opening on Thanksgiving this year

For the first time, a host of big name retailers will be opening their doors at Midnight on Black Friday, heralding the start of a 23-hour shopping day.

1000 Gap, Blue Navy, Banana Republic and Athletic stores will start Thanksgiving sales as the clock strikes 12 on November 25, joining Macy's, Best Buy, Kohl's and Target in the new trend.

The move may be a desperate effort to boost flat sales, following a dismal October.

Black Friday madness takes grip as Macy's, Gap, Kohl's and Target announce midnight store openings.

In holiday seasons past, outlet malls were the first places to open in the wee hours of Black Friday.

Now a dogpile of mainstream retailers are fighting back and throwing open their doors even earlier.

Walmart will open at 10 p.m. while some families are just cleaning up their turkey dinner.

Macy's, Bealls, Target and others will open at midnight Thanksgiving Day in hopes of reaping bigger sales on the year's biggest shopping day, and the list of early-bird stores keeps growing. BestBuy will kick off Black Friday events by 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Not to be outflanked, some outlets are moving their opening hours earlier, too. Ellenton Premium Outlets, for instance, will have some stores opening at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

"It's a race to the bottom," said Doug Stephens, a retail consultant based in Toronto. "It's no secret that even giants like Walmart have been stacking up quarter after quarter of negative same-store sales performance. So, they're all jumping on the blowout wagon this year to a greater extent than last."

That tactical playbook gives retail stores a few benefits.

Opening early first of all gives stores a few more hours to generate sales, and helps a store generate more buzz leading up to the holidays.

But on another level, opening at midnight on Thanksgiving — or sooner — lets retailers press the one advantage they have over online merchants like Amazon: their physical storefront.

So here's a rundown of a few major retailers, and their plans for early openings:

Walmart, long known as a Black Friday Mecca, will open at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, then begin phasing in deals: 10 p.m. will feature toys, home and apparel bargains, then electronics deals begin at midnight. Other items will go on sale after 8 a.m.

BestBuy will kick off its Black Friday events at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving at many locations with what they call "cinematic events" for those in line. Then, officially, their doors will open at midnight.

The Gap plans to open about 80 percent of its stores, including The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, on Thanksgiving. For instance, the Old Navy at Westshore Plaza mall will open 9 a.m. Thanksgiving, close at 8 p.m. and then reopen at midnight.

Bealls will open stores at midnight on Thanksgiving, compared to 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year, and hand out 100 scratch-off game cards for a chance to win an iPad2 or a $250 gift card.

Target will open the bulk of its stores at midnight on Thanksgiving this year — compared with opening around dawn on Black Friday last year — and will take a much more organized approach to crowd control. At the moment of opening, Target managers will let in groups of 30 people at a time, then pause for a margin of safety, and then let in anther group.

Macy's will open most of its 800-plus U.S. locations at midnight Thanksgiving, compared with 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year.

Disney plans to open 150 retail stores at midnight on Thanksgiving this year, though plans at individual locations may vary. The Westfield Brandon location is scheduled to open at midnight on Turkey Day, and so is one at Westfield Countryside mall in Clearwater. The International Plaza store in Tampa will open at 6 a.m. Friday. (For those willing to travel to The Florida Mall in Orlando, there will be trivia contests to win a Muppet toy.)

The hhgregg chain of electronics and appliance stores plans to open at midnight on Thanksgiving this year, compared with 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year.

Thanksgiving dinner will cost more this year

Thanksgiving dinner will cost more this year,The cost of a Thanksgiving dinner will jump 13 percent this year, the biggest gain in two decades, as prices rose for everything from turkey to green peas to milk, the American Farm Bureau Federation said.

A meal for 10 people on the holiday, which falls on Nov. 24, will rise to $49.20 from $43.47 last year, the biggest increase since 1990, based on foods traditionally served including stuffing and pumpkin pie, the farm group said Thursday. Turkey was the most expensive and had the biggest gain, with a 16-pound bird up 22 percent at $21.57.

"Our informal survey is a good barometer of the rising trend in food prices this year," said John Anderson, a senior economist at the Farm Bureau in Washington.


Thanksgiving meal costs are up more than the pace of food inflation in the United States, where the government forecasts prices will increase 3.5 to 4.5 percent this year, the fastest since 2008. Rising commodity and energy prices boosted the cost of food eaten at home by 6.3 percent in September compared with a year earlier, according to data from the Census Bureau.

But, Anderson said, "The worst of the price inflation may be ending, and we should see a moderation in 2012."

At a time when global food prices tracked by the United Nations fell 9.1 percent from a record in February, U.S. consumers are paying record prices, including for hams, ground beef, bread, flour and cheese. World food costs are 68 percent higher than five years ago after adverse weather the past three years hampered global production gains.

Rising gasoline prices, up 28 percent in the past year, are an additional drag on consumer spending, according to Corinne Alexander, an agricultural economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The biggest reduction in disposable income from rising food prices occurs in the middle class, where consumers buy cheaper generic food brands and lower-quality meat, while eating out less, she said.

"Consumers are getting a double whammy," Alexander said. "It costs more to get to work, and they have less disposable income to spend on other things after they go to the grocery store."

Other Thanksgiving cost increases in the annual Farm Bureau survey include a 17 percent gain for a pound of frozen green peas, 16 percent for a 30-ounce can of pumpkin-pie mix, 15 percent for a half-pint of whipping cream, 13 percent for a gallon of whole milk, 9 percent for a 14-ounce bag of stuffing mix, 8.5 percent for 12 rolls, 2.9 percent for fresh cranberries and 2.2 percent for a 3 pounds of sweet potatoes.

The informal price survey was first conducted in 1986. A total of 141 volunteer shoppers from 35 states participated in this year's project. The menu for the dinner has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

"A dinner for 10 at under $5 a head is still a bargain," the Farm Bureau's Anderson said. "The average American household still spends less on food than any other nation in the world."

Your Most Expensive Thanksgiving Meal

Your Most Expensive Thanksgiving Meal: Food Costs Soar, Highest Jump in 20 Years

Activist Post

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and celebrate, but this year may be your most expensive Thanksgiving yet thanks to skyrocketing food costs and an overall increased demand for poultry. It now costs, on average, $49.20 to feed 10 individuals on Thanksgiving. Up $5.73 from last year according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost is about 22 percent more expensive than it was last year.

Last year, a 16-pound Thanksgiving turkey was priced at $17.70. This year, the same bird costs an average of $21.60. The price rise signifies the highest jump in 20 years.



Due to the increased cost of delivery, rising food costs, and the overall handling of food, supermarkets and other food sellers are increasing prices across the board. In fact the difference in price does not only apply to the Thanksgiving turkey. The cost of many other food items also increased from last year, including milk and other popular Thanksgiving food items:

1 gallon of milk went up by 42 cents since last year to $3.66.
Pumpkin pie mix: up 41 cents to $3.03.
Whipping cream: up 26 cents to $1.96
Cubed stuffing: up 24 cents to $2.88
16-pound turkey: up $3.91 to $21.57
Green peas: up 24 cents to $1.68
Dozen rolls: up 18 cents to $2.30
Sweet potatoes: up 7 cents to $3.26
Fresh cranberries: up 7 cents to $2.48
Pie shells: up 6 cents to $2.52
Misc. ingredients: up 12 cents to $3.10
Relish tray: down 1 cent to $0.76
Total: up $5.73 to $49.20

The rising price of food and the effects on the global economy

As food prices hit an all time high, violent protests have arisen in parts of the Middle East and South Asia. In 2008, similar protests were held across the world in response to the high cost of basic living. The difference, however, is that food prices are even higher than they were in 2008. Graphs, provided by the Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United Nations (FAO), show the spiking cost of food commodities. The food index count, which is an overall score reflecting the total price of the top 6 food commodities, rose to 215 in December of 2010 — up from 90 in the year 2000. Sugar spearheaded the spike, hitting only 2 points away from the 400 mark in December of 2010.

Thanksgiving is a time for family celebration, though it may also be a reminder to stock up on storeable foods and remove yourself from the grid and subsequent dependence upon supermarkets and the food industry. As prices continue to climb, it is increasingly more important to become self-sufficient.

Most Expensive Thanksgiving Ever?

Most Expensive Thanksgiving Ever? Super-savers Guide to Sky-high Turkey Prices,
Can you afford to give thanks this year? The American Farm Bureau Federation is predicting the average 10 person turkey dinner will cost 13 percent more than it did last year. Expect to shell out at least $50 bucks for the average 10 person turkey dinner. That's the highest price for the holiday meal on record.

Blame the centerpiece. The price of a turkey spiked this year. The side dishes aren't helping either. Just about the only thing that hasn't gotten more expensive is relish, according to the AFBF. Before you crack out the hot dogs for the holidays, there's still something to be thankful for: the year's best deals on groceries are actually happening now. Extreme couponers will tell you pre-Thanksgiving is the prime time to stock up on food for the year. "Don't settle for anything less than half off, and expect even better," advises Teri Gault, C.E.O. of The Grocery Game, a money-saving supermarket sweep site. "Sales change every week.
So by gathering over the course of weeks, you'll save more money, and you'll be ahead of the game, and have less shopping and hauling to do at the last minute."

With that in mind, before you plan your recipes for the holiday, scan major coupon websites like coupons.com and smartsource.com to print out the best clippings and plan your menu around what's cheapest. Here's a head start...

For the turkey:
Last year, a 16-pound turkey cost about $17.50. This year it's around four bucks more. To battle bird costs, turn to rebates, says coupon guru Chrystie Corns. "This year Butterball is offering a $5 rebate when you Buy 1 Butterball Frozen or Fresh Whole Turkey," she says. That means you can turn back the clock on your turkey cost.

Another trade secret? Stack the deals. Your local supermarket may be offering discounts on turkey, but so are manufacturers. First scour local supermarket clippings for "store coupons", and then check out websites for Hormel, Butterball and other major turkey brands to find discounts you can double up on at the register.


For the sides:
Stuffing, sweet potatoes, fresh cranberries and peas have all gotten pricier this year, according to the AFBF. So this year, let deals dictate your side-dish menu. Check for freebies at websites like Red Plum, where a list of giveaways at national chains are posted weekly. Another tech-smart trick: download the Red Laser app to your phone and use it to scan sides you really want to make. The app will pull up the price of your dish and then roll out a list of similar products by other brands that are less expensive.

Remember you've still got time before the holidays, so you don't have to buy all your groceries in one trip. "Be open to purchasing items at different stores," suggests Corns. "For example, this week Target has the best deal on Stove Top Stuffing priced at $.89 cents."

For dessert:
Since milk's gone up 42 cents this year, check out recipes that use powdered milk which can be cheaper and lasts longer. Butter and brown sugar are also heavily discounted for the holiday season, says Gault, so factor that into your dessert decisions. The AFBF says pie shells and whipped cream have added a few cents to their price point overall, but Gault says the biggest discounts for those two baking items are available now, so you may not actually feel the pinch.

If you've got the time, consider doing your baking from scratch. Making pie crusts and dinner rolls with a little flour and yeast may require extra work, but it'll knock down your grocery bill significantly. Because biscuits and pie shells freeze well, you can actually make these ahead of time so they're good to go the big day.

Thanksgiving and Turkey Recipes of 2011

Thanksgiving and Turkey Recipes of 2011

 It’s the time of the year again where families all around North-America reunite and celebrate together the autumn harvesting season with thanksgiving. If you’re receiving this year, it’s the perfect time to show your guests what the Paleo diet is all about and that healthy food is in fact also really tasty.The stars around thanksgiving are the meat and vegetables usually seen in North-America at this time of the year. Turkey, beef, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cranberries, mushrooms and apples are all standard fare.

What I’ve decided to do here is create a complete menu including the main thanksgiving turkey with the sauce, stuffing and cranberry sauce as well as another main of juicy rib roast, appetizers, vegetable sides and even a classic dessert, the pumpkin pie. All this in Paleo fashion.

Of course, simple olive, fruit and cheese platters are also welcomed by everybody to snack on, but the recipes included here will produce enough food to fill even the hungriest.Some thanksgiving recipes are already perfectly Paleo, but yet some needed to be adapted somewhat. The cranberry sauce presented here is a tarter version than the traditional one, but I think it’s an even more interesting taste to contrast with the turkey and stuffing. The stuffing, for its part, is made out of lean ground beef instead of bread and is absolutely amazing and tasty. Be aware that some of your guests will probably want to steal your recipe. Finally, the pumpkin pie is made on a nut crust and is lightly sweetened with some honey instead of being a massive sugar vehicle.

I hope that you and your family will enjoy preparing and eating those delicious recipes and that your house will become the favorite place to have a thanksgiving dinner for the whole family.

The Turkey 

The turkey is the centerpiece of most thanksgiving dinners and is at the heart of this November tradition. The wild turkey being native to the North-American forests, I couldn’t think of a better animal to feast on to celebrate the local harvest.

Of course, now that Thanksgiving has been commercialized and some of its essence lost, so is the traditional turkey. Now turkeys are selected for larger and larger breasts for more and more white meat, probably because of our global fear of fat. This means, unless you source some heritage turkey or hunt wild turkey yourself, that you’ll have to pay more attention during the cooking process not to end with dry meat. You’ll want to make sure not to overcook it and to baste it really often. A kitchen syringe is also a good idea here, to inject some juices into the meat itself.

It goes without saying that getting a turkey that as been properly raised and fed is really important not only for the advantage in taste, but also the health benefits of a better fat ratio and fewer toxins. The difference is worth the price.

Mushroom butter roasted turkey

The little twist in this roast turkey recipe is in the use of dried wild mushrooms to create a delicious flavored butter that will help cook the turkey and also be an integral part of the final sauce to serve with the bird. The sauce is created with the cooking juice so it’s very simple to prepare without even thinking about it.
Ingredients

Turkey

    * One 10-12 lb turkey;
    * Garlic powder;
    * Ground dried thyme;
    * Poultry mix or finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram;
    * 1/2 cup chicken stock;
    * 1/2 cup good quality and sugar-free BBQ sauce (can be homemade);

Wild mushroom butter

    * 1 1/4 cups dried wild mushrooms;
    * 1/4 lb room temperature butter or clarified butter;
    * 1 tbsp white wine;

Preparation

   1. Preheat your oven to 450 F.
   

2. Grind the dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder to a powder.  Mix that powder in a bowl with the soft butter or ghee and add the whine and mix again.
  

3. Clean and pat dry your turkey. Remove the organs if still present in the cavity. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan.
   

4. Cut the skin at a few places on the bird and place some of the wild mushroom butter between the skin and the flesh with a small spoon or a kitchen syringe.
   

5. Season the bird generously with garlic powder, dried thyme, the fresh herbs or poultry mix and black pepper. Also add the rest of the mushroom butter on the surface of the turkey.
   

6. Place a loose sheet of aluminium paper on top of the turkey and put it in the oven.
  

7. Reduce the heat to 350 F immediately after putting the turkey in the oven. Cook for about 18 minutes per pound. 3 hours and a half in our case. Season with salt and pepper after 30 minutes of cooking.
   

8. Baste the bird about every 20 minutes to make sure the meat stays moist.
  

9. You can remove the aluminium paper an hour before the end of the cooking process to obtain a golden and crispy skin.
  

10. Remove the turkey from the oven when fully cooked and set the turkey aside, out from the roasting pan and covered with the sheet of aluminium paper.
  

11. Place the pan on the stove top on a medium heat and deglaze with the chicken stock. Add the BBQ sauce.
  

12. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
  

13. Serve the sauce immediately with the turkey.

Cranberry sauce

Turkey is almost always served with a sugary cranberry sauce at thanksgiving, but this sauce doesn’t have to contain that much sugar to be delicious. Of course, cranberries on their own are very tart, but in this recipe a cup of orange juice is added for a nice orange test and to cut on the tartness. No extra sugar needed. As an added bonus, this sauce is so easy to prepare, you could probably do it eyes closed. This recipe gives a cranberry sauce that’s a bit more tart than usual, but you’ll probably end up liking it even more than the cranberry sauce you used to know.

At this time of the year, you shouldn’t have any problem finding fresh cranberries, but you can always use frozen ones in the case you can’t find any.

Ingredients

    * 1 lb fresh raw cranberries;
    * 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice;

Preparation

   1. Place the cranberries and orange juice in a pot and slowly bring to a boil, making sure to stir from time to time.
   2. As the cranberries cook, they will eventually pop. When all the cranberries have popped, the sauce is ready.
   3. Cool in the refrigerator and serve with your thanksgiving turkey.

Beef, celery, walnut & apple stuffing

Who says turkey stuffing absolutely has to be made out of bread? This version made with lean ground beef, celery, apples and walnuts tastes amazing and is way, way healthier. The ground beef has to be very lean not because we are scared of the fat in any way, but because the fat changes the taste and texture and creates something much different looking and tasting than a traditional stuffing. With the celery, apples and spices used, the aroma and texture will be very similar to the traditional stuffing. Cooked outside the bird, stuffing was traditionally called dressing, but now the names seem to be interchangeable. The usual spices used in a turkey stuffing are often sold in a mixture called a poultry mix and include rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram. Of course, the result will be much better if you chop yourself fresh herbs than if you buy a mix of dried a dried version of them.

Ingredients

    * 1 lb extra lean ground beef;
    * 1 tbsp cooking fat;
    * 4 stalks celery, diced;
    * 1 medium onion, diced;
    * 1 apple, diced;
    * 2 cups finely chopped walnuts;
    * 1 clove garlic, minced;
    * Generous amount of poultry mix or springs of fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram, very finely chopped;
    * Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

   1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
   2. In a large pan, sauté to ground beef and celery with the cooking fat for about 3 minutes. Make sure to crumble the ground beef to small pieces.
   3. Add the diced apple and onion and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes.
   4. Add the fresh herbs or poultry mix, minced garlic, walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. The meat should still be somewhat pink, it’ll finish cooking in the oven.
   5. Put the mixture in a baking dish and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven.