Thanksgiving is a holiday we celebrate to express gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation to God, family and friends. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and in Canada.

We generally think of Thanksgiving as an American holiday, due to the Pilgrims at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in Massachusetts. This celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that later were to become the United States. Thanksgiving was modeled after harvest festivals that were commonplace in ... Read More »]]>

Thanksgiving is a holiday we celebrate to express gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation to God, family and friends. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and in Canada.

We generally think of Thanksgiving as an American holiday, due to the Pilgrims at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in Massachusetts. This celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that later were to become the United States. Thanksgiving was modeled after harvest festivals that were commonplace in Europe at the time. The corn crop was gathered by the Pilgrims in the fall of 1621. Governor Bradford invited the Indian Chief Massasoit and ninety of his braves to celebrate their first harvest in the New World and ordered a day of feasting and thanksgiving.

But actually a thanksgiving for the annual harvest is one of the oldest holidays known to mankind, honoring the agricultural gods which goes back thousands of years, in one form or another, though celebrated on different dates.

The Romans honored Ceres, the Hindus and the Chinese observe the gathered harvest with a holiday. In ancient Egypt and in Greece, the harvest festival was celebrated with great rejoicing. The Anglo-Saxons rejoiced with a feast to celebrate the reaping of the harvest; the Old Testament includes references to harvest festivals where Moses gave instruction to the Hebrews to give thanks for the harvest with an 8 day Feast of Tabernacles.

It is hard for us to realize that the beginnings of Thanksgiving go back not only to the Old World but to the early world.

Long before the dwellers by the Nile dreamed of building pyramids, all people who grew grain gave thanks at harvest time to the beings who had given them their daily food for the hard winter months. Moreover, these ancient farmers sensed the changing seasons and in the cycle of seed, to plant, to seed again, the miracle of death and resurrection and turned their wonder at it into legends.

In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October.

The USA used to celebrate thanksgiving on October 3rd, or just over a week after the Fall equinox but President Abraham Lincoln declared in 1863, after Thanksgiving had become a national holiday, that all in the United States should ‘set apart’ and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heaven.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all ~

Annette Martin has been a consulting Psychic with law enforcement agencies across the world for more than 40 years.  Her cases have involved local, state and federal departments, including the FBI. Annette’s insight, which includes her gift as a Medical Intuitive while working on homicide and missing persons cases has been an outstanding tool for numerous police detectives.  Her successes have been many on an endless variety of cases that have also been filmed on TV shows such as Court TV’s, “Psychic Detective, Biography Channel’s, “Psychic Investigators,” Nancy Grace, BBC, Catherin Crier, Coast to Coast Radio and many more.

Annette is also a ghost detective who can see and talk to the ghosts. With this capability she has been on numerous TV and radio shows, such as Good Morning America, Discovery Channel, History Channel, CBS News, ABC, Travel Channel and many others. Clients have included movie stars, doctors, lawyers, journalists, TV and radio personalities, famous singers, writers, artists, teachers, genius engineers, CEO’s, TV producers, international diplomats and many more. http://www.annette-martin.com

Photo credit © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com

It’s Thanksgiving week and the house does not need to be organized in order to eat turkey.  As a matter of fact, the closet can be stuffed and so can the turkey.  I know you would love everything to be perfect but it doesn’t have to be.  Let it go, focus and what really matters and enjoy the preparation of Thanksgiving.

You have invited family and friends into your home to celebrate Thanksgiving and you have so many things to be thankful for this year. I say if any of your friends or family start snooping through your closets or even ... Read More »]]>

It’s Thanksgiving week and the house does not need to be organized in order to eat turkey.  As a matter of fact, the closet can be stuffed and so can the turkey.  I know you would love everything to be perfect but it doesn’t have to be.  Let it go, focus and what really matters and enjoy the preparation of Thanksgiving.

You have invited family and friends into your home to celebrate Thanksgiving and you have so many things to be thankful for this year. I say if any of your friends or family start snooping through your closets or even mention that you have a little clutter…no pumpkin pie for them!!!

I am asking you to relax, let it go, enjoy and put a smile of your face…company is coming and your house doesn’t need to be perfect!  Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends at Chic Galleria!

Author Michelle Lehman of Organizing Solutions “Clear the Clutter” Michelle is a Professional Organizer in the Tulsa area. Her articles have been featured in the Tulsa World, The Oklahoman, Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Post-Tribune.  Michelle appears on TheNewsOn 6 KOTV and Fox23 News This Morning giving organizing tips and recommendations.

Photo credit © Maureen Rigdon | Dreamstime.com

Bon Appetit!

Cornbread Chicken Dressing and Gravy

A Southern Favorite

By Kimberly Thompson

Preheat oven to 450° F.

INGREDIENTS

For Cornbread:

Note – if the cornmeal you use is not self-rising, add baking powder and salt as needed.

1 – 1 ½ Cups cornmeal or self-rising cornmeal mix

½ – 1 Cup self-rising flour

1 Cup ... Read More »]]>

This recipe is a Southern Favorite and a staple on our Thanksgiving table. It is a flavor-filled, moisture-retaining recipe that will have your family drooling, and it can be used as a stuffing for chicken, duck, or turkey. I’ve also replaced the chicken in the recipe with pork chops and had great results!

Bon Appetit!

Cornbread Chicken Dressing and Gravy

A Southern Favorite

By Kimberly Thompson

Preheat oven to 450° F.

INGREDIENTS

For Cornbread:

Note – if the cornmeal you use is not self-rising, add baking powder and salt as needed.

1 – 1 ½ Cups cornmeal or self-rising cornmeal mix

½ – 1 Cup self-rising flour

1 Cup milk plus water as needed

1 large egg, beaten

Mix all ingredients then add:

1 onion, diced

Dried celery powder OR fresh celery (diced) OR dehydrated celery

2 or 3 mushrooms, diced (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat pan you will bake cornbread in with a little oil or lard; pour at least one tablespoon of heated oil/lard into cornbread mix then stir in quickly. Pour cornbread mixture into pan and bake in a hot oven (450° F) for 20 – 25 minutes, until top begins to brown.

For Dressing:

INGREDIENTS

I large pone of cornbread, cooled to the touch

6 large eggs, boiled and diced

½ large broiler/fryer chicken, boiled until tender, and bones removed

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 small bunch green onions, diced

Chicken broth

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Crumble cornbread in pan with a fork and your fingers to make sure there are no big “lumps”. Add dressing ingredients and mix well with hands, using enough chicken broth to moisten and assist in mixing. Add seasonings and herbs and mix again. Smooth out top of dressing and return to oven. Bake until top is browned – this time will vary from oven to oven and the size of your pan – but at least 30 minutes.

For Gravy:

INGREDIENTS

Note: You may add onions to this, but you must add them while the roux is cooking. You may also add chopped boiled eggs to this before serving.

4 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons melted lard or oil

4 Tablespoons flour

Chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Place butter and oil/lard in a skillet, then stir in flour. Stir together well and heat until little bubbles form. (Add onions here.) Keep stirring for at least a full minute and let it brown slightly. Quickly add chicken broth while stirring. Continue stirring until mixture boils, then turn heat down to a simmer until ready to serve. Add eggs, salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste. Ladle over dressing.

Kimberly Thompson spends her days climbing underneath bridges as a certified bridge inspector and her evenings as a wife, mother, homemaker and gardener. Her passions for gardening and cooking have led to many experimental dishes in the Thompson household with considerably more smiling faces than failures. Kimberly has been cooking full time since the age of ten, for a family of five, and is also a published author (Tate Publishing).

If you are going out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday or even if you are hosting Thanksgiving, now would be a great time to do some refrigerator organizing. Try not to buy to a lot of food that will not get used in the next couple of weeks or that will rot in your refrigerator while you are away.

Maybe the next ... Read More »]]>

As I mentioned last week,  now would be a good time to get your menu started for Thanksgiving.  I would like to take it one step further and let’s make sure your refrigerator/freezer is ready for Thanksgiving as well.

If you are going out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday or even if you are hosting Thanksgiving, now would be a great time to do some refrigerator organizing. Try not to buy to a lot of food that will not get used in the next couple of weeks or that will rot in your refrigerator while you are away.

Maybe the next two weeks you could have a “clean out” the refrigerator and pantry menu.  Make meals out of what you already have at home to allow room for the turkey that will be in the refrigerator.  Just buy perishable groceries that you need such as milk, fruit and vegetables and use of what have already have in your pantry and frig.  Not only will you being using saving time at the grocery store you will be saving some money and I think we could all use a little extra money these days.

Before you head out of town, make sure to check your refrigerator. If you have any extra food that you know will not get eaten and it has not been open, take it to your local food pantry.

Author Michelle Lehman of Organizing Solutions “Clear the Clutter” Michelle is a Professional Organizer in the Tulsa area. Her articles have been featured in the Tulsa World, The Oklahoman, Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Post-Tribune.  Michelle appears on TheNewsOn 6 KOTV and Fox23 News This Morning giving organizing tips and recommendations.

Photo credit © Sandra Cunningham | Dreamstime.com

This Pecan Pie recipe is my Grandmother’s and very special to me!

PECAN PIE

INGREDIENTS

2 regular pie crusts (homemade is best, recipe follows) 3 eggs 1 C clear Karo syrup 1 C sugar 2 t vanilla 1/2 stick butter/oleo/margarine (real butter is best) 1 C chopped pecans, chopped fine

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter. Add sugar and mix. Add Karo and mix. Scramble eggs, then add them and mix well. Add vanilla and pecans and mix. Pour 1/2 mixture into each pie crust. Cover sides of crusts with foil. Put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, remove ... Read More »]]>

This Pecan Pie recipe is my Grandmother’s and very special to me!

PECAN PIE

INGREDIENTS

2 regular pie crusts (homemade is best, recipe follows)
3 eggs
1 C clear Karo syrup
1 C sugar
2 t vanilla
1/2 stick butter/oleo/margarine (real butter is best)
1 C chopped pecans, chopped fine

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter. Add sugar and mix. Add Karo and mix. Scramble eggs, then add them and mix well. Add vanilla and pecans and mix. Pour 1/2 mixture into each pie crust. Cover sides of crusts with foil. Put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Take out of oven and let them “settle” until they are cool. Enjoy!

PIE CRUST

2 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C veg. oil
6 T milk

Measure oil. Add milk directly to oil and do not stir. Add this all at once to flour. Blend with a fork until it’s all worked in, and then “squish” with hands, until a soft ball is made…… one that is fairly-dry and you can roll out without being too sticky or crumbling. Divide this dough into two pieces before rolling out for pies.

NOTE: I take a plastic grocery bag…. cut the handles in two, cut down both sides and open it up. Lay 1/2 of the dough, rolled into a ball, in the center of this plastic. Cover with plastic (that is still joined at the bottom of bag) and “mash” dough into a flat ball with your palms. Roll out to desired diameter with a rolling pin. Do not remove from plastic. Place pie plate upside down on top of rolled pie crust and THEN turn it over. Use plastic to help “spread” pie crust out in pan. Remove plastic, reserve for next dough-ball. Trim or flute edges. Voila! Perfect Pie Crust.

Poke holes in bottom and sides with a fork for ventilation. Bake for 14 minutes at 400 degrees, if you are making a custard pie. Let cool before filling. For pecan pie, fill first, then bake.

Kimberly Thompson spends her days climbing underneath bridges as a certified bridge inspector and her evenings as a wife, mother, homemaker and gardener. Her passions for gardening and cooking have led to many experimental dishes in the Thompson household with considerably more smiling faces than failures. Kimberly has been cooking full time since the age of ten, for a family of five, and is also a published author (Tate Publishing).