Happy Thanksgiving!

The air cools and the light grows short.
Another year turns towards its end.
Pausing busy lives to gather and share.
Giving thanks for those who fill our lives
With warmth and happiness

Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn Candleholders

Another autumn season decoration I found at better homes and garden.
Celebrate the season by surrounding candles with multicolored popcorn kernels, candy, or mixed nuts.

A whole new way to “float” votives.

What You Need:

* Serving bowl or dish, at least 2 inches deep

* 2 cups (or more, to fill dish) uncooked popcorn kernels, shelled peanuts, dried beans, or small hard candies
* 3 or more votive candles, or dripless low tapers
* Clear glass candleholders to fit candles (optional)

Choose elegant candle colors.

Instructions:

1. Fill dish with dried material. If you’re using food items, have an extra bowl of the goodies nearby for snacking, so little hands won’t be tempted to disturb the lighted display.

2. Press candles (or candleholders) into the dish until stable. Remove excess dried material as needed so that candle wicks are well above the level of the items in the bowl.

3. Light candles. Never leave burning candles unattended.

Brighten up candy corn mix.

Tips:

* The shallower your dish, the more likely it is that you will need to use holders to keep your candles upright.
* Look for multicolored Indian-corn popcorn kernels at gourmet groceries or natural-foods stores.
* Buy unsalted nuts in bulk or on sale for this project.

Light Three-Bean Salad

from better homes and garden

Have you completed your menu plan for the thanksgiving. If not yet, I have found an easy to prepare side dish. Here’s the recipe from the better homes and garden magazine.

6 side-dish servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 4 to 24 hours

Ingredients

* 1 cup loose-pack frozen cut green beans or lima beans
* 1 15- or 16-ounce can cut wax beans, black beans, or chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
* 1/2 of a 15-ounce can low-sodium red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
* 1/3 cup chopped red onion (1 small)
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar or white vinegar
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons salad oil
* 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Cook frozen beans according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine wax beans, red kidney beans, sweet pepper, and onion. Add green beans.

2. For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine the vinegar, sugar, salad oil, celery seeds, dry mustard, and garlic. Cover and shake well. Pour over vegetables; stir lightly. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon. Makes 6 side-dish servings.