Thanks for Thanksgiving

If you haven't heard, I LOVE FALL!!!!!! and along with Fall I love Thanksgiving and all the details--Pilgrims, Indians, feasts, turkey and all (I mean ALL) the trimmings, pumpkin & pecan pies, traditions, etc, etc. . . The other day we found a great book at the library: Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes and illustrated by Doris Barrette. This book is about Fall, thankfulness, and family and is perfect for little ones because the pictures are sharp and vibrant with not too many words on a page. Even older kids will enjoy it because the pictures are so FUN with lots of detail and crazy action happening. My favorite part of the book is the very last page which is "a place to write our thankful thoughts year after year. . ." I can't wait to add this book to our personal library and include it as part of our Thanksgiving traditions!

The Pumpkin Patch Parable

The Pumpkin Patch Parable
by Liz Curtis Higgs
illustrated by Nancy Munger

This is a great book about a farmer who is planting his pumpkin patch. The story also includes verses which show God's working in our lives in comparison to how the farmer is growing his garden. This story got a thumbs up from both Mommy & Eddy!

Recipe for toasted pumpkin seeds
--perfect for little ones who love to help out in the kitchen!

Cut a medium sized circle into the top of your pumpkin and take off the top.

Put your hand inside the pumpkin and feel the slime! Then start scooping out all the pulp and seeds.

Separate the seeds and the pulp. The pulp goes in the trash and the seeds get rinsed well with water. Pat them dry.

Put the seeds into a bowl and pour enough oil over them to just coat them.

Spread the oil covered seeds in a single layer onto a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with salt.

Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes or until nice and crunchy.

Enjoy this special fall pumpkin treat!

--recipe by Sheri Crowder

The Apple Pie Tree

Apple Pie recipe from another great Fall Apple book but which seems too large to load onto Blogger:

Arnold's Apple Pie Recipe

Step 1: Bottom crust: Measure 1 and 3/4 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a mixing bowl. Cut in 1/3 cup butter and mix. Sprinkle 1/3 cup ice water on top of the mixture, and mix until you can make a ball of dough. Cut the ball in half. Take one half and roll it out on a piece of wax paper to form a circle 1/8-inch thick. Smooth it into a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges.

Step 2: Apples: Peel and slice 6 to 8 apples, removing the seeds and centers of the apples. Put the slices into the pie pan. Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples.

Step 3: Top crust: Roll out the other half of the dough as before. Smooth it over the apples. Pinch downa the edge, and trim off the extra dough. Poke a few tiny holes in the top of the dough.

Step 4: Bake for 50 minutes at 425.

from The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons