Candied sweet potato for Thanksgiving, recipe

This is a new recipe I've tried over last Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I used the fresh sweet potato to make this and it tastes so much better than the canned yams !

So here it is, a new favorite, easy to make candied sweet red potato:

Ingredients:

3 large red sweet potato

2 cups miniature marshmallows + about 1 cup for topping

1 1/4 brown sugar

1 1/4 cup margarine (I used I can't believe it's not butter)

ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Wash the sweet potato and cook it (boil, let it cook on medium heat until almost done). Let them cool, peel and roughly mash them. 

Combine the sugar, 2 cups of marshmallows, margarine, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.

Mix mashed potatoes with the syrup and transfer it to a prepared baking dish. Add some marshmallows on top and bake in the preheated to 400'F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Wishing all a wonderful Thanksgiving ~

Happy Thanksgiving and holiday offer

Have a wonderful day with your family and loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Also, I'd like to propose a small Holiday deal to our US customers.

Between now and November 30th, 2015 spend $100 on purchases at our socksandmittens shop and get free shipping on your order!

Use coupon code BlackFriday15 at checkout.

Thanksgiving charades

Every year we invite some friends over for a pre-Thanksgiving get-together to share food with us and give thanks. It is a very nice and welcoming day and it is always nice to see everyone.

Every hostess knows how important is to keep your guests occupied. Last year we tried to play just one game, charades and it turned out great! We had so much fun.

So if you are looking for some ideas for this Thanksgiving, try charades. The idea of the game is traditional but the tasks are Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving dinner related and this is what makes it fun. You can think of team prizes if you want, it will make it even better!

Here is how to play:

There are 2 teams of players. There are 4 cards for each team.

The game master shows a card to one team of one team.

This person will give clues to his/ her team to try to get them to guess what the answer is. The person explaining can only use the signs and body language.

Each team will have 3 minutes to guess.

Here is the ideas of the flash cards/ mini tasks for charades. Add your own if you want and have fun!:

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY

PILGRIMS

TURKEY

CORN

MASHED POTATO

SOMEONE IS LATE FOR THE PARTY

FIGHT OVER POLITICS

PET STEALS FOOD

OUT OF WINE

Napkin rings with wine cork stoppers, wire and beads, DIY project

This project is absolutely great. It includes a recycling idea since we are using the used wine bottle corks.

 

This is a great practical idea (you can make them for any holiday dinner party and they are inexpensive) and they are a lovely piece of home decor. Albina (albinasjewelry) and I made this project together during our last get-together gathering and I am going to use my napkin rings for the coming Thanksgiving party. 

 If you like this idea here is how we made this.

Materials and Tools:

Pre-drilled wine corks

Wire 26ga and 20 ga

Beads of your choice

Mandrel, 1” diameter

Round nose pliers

1. Cut piece of 20 a wire, 2 ft long. Slide the wire through the cork’s hole, center the cork. Place a cork against a mandrel and start wrapping the wire ends around the mandrel, feeding the wire ends through the cork’s hole. 

2. Wrap the wire until you have 2” of wire ends coming out the cork. Using round nose pliers and chain nose (or flat nose) pliers, make spirals. Place the spiral so it is covering the hole.

3. Attach 26ga wire; wrap the ring, adding beads.

 

We made several sets of these using different materials and I've already given 2 sets as gifts to my friends.

 

They liked them a lot!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is here and it is time to gather around the table with the family.

 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Gift wrapping idea, a wine bottle cover

This knitted bottle cover is available now at our socksandmittens shop. We think it will be a nice way to present your bottle of wine during holiday season. There will be parties and celebrations so the bottle of wine is always a nice gift for the hostess.

We knit these cozies out of acrylic yarn so cleaning them  is easier. They can be machine or hand washed, then lay your cozy flat to dry. These will fit standard wine bottles or any similar size round bottles.

 

We made several of them in different colors and I will be adding them to our shop shortly. They can be made in custom colors or yarn also, just let us know what you have in mind.

Cranberry sauce/ relish

If you did not purchase a cranberry sauce yet for your Thanksgiving dinner this easy recipe will help.

You will need:

6 cups of fresh cranberries

3 medium size apples

2 cups sugar

2 table spoons water

1 table spoon of lemon juice

2 table spoons brandy

Prepare the fruits: wash cranberries and discard all berries that have the signs of spoiling. Peel your apples, core it and chop into small cubes, about 1/2".

Place cranberries, apples, sugar and water into a wide stainless still pot, cook on a medium heat stirring often to avoid burning on a bottom.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook about 10 minutes longer. Add some lemon juice, fold it into the sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Carefully add brandy, stir and bring to a boil. It is ready to be served, hot or chilled - perfect for  your turkey!

I like to smash the berries during cooking to get a thicker jam like consistency, but it is up to you. I also like to use gin instead of brandy, either will work.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Wine charms DIY

These wine glass charms/ tags might be your last minute touch for your Thanksgiving dinner. All you need to do is print it, cut it out and leave them within reach of your thirsty guests :) They sure will thank you for this!

They were created by Irina from graphicland shop on Etsy for my pre-Thanksgiving party last Saturday and they were very useful since we had around 40 guests here!

 Irina kindly gave me permission to share them with my blog readers so here it is! To print, simply click on the image below:

 Please enjoy this last minute craft and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Felted acorns

When we opened our shop on Etsy in the summer of 2009 I came across a lot of wonderful people, got many creative ideas and learned about new techniques. I loved many of them but one of craft areas attracted my attention most was felting.

I don't have any plans to make this my full time hobby but I'd like to make something small for myself from time to time.

So of course I have been looking at easy-to-follow tutorials since this is a new craft for me. I was thinking of cute felted acorns I saw on Etsy and I was hoping to make something like this. I searched some blogs and found this great tutorial from Tonya.

I immediately purchased some roving wool and made some of these yellow mustard colored acorns.

Aren't they cute?

The process of making beads is not very simple. The beads don't want to be perfectly shaped and some of them still have a little crack in the middle. But it was my first attempt so hopefully it will become better with practice. With the additional I am going to make I may have enough to decorate our Thanksgiving table next fall.

Thank you, Tonya, for the great tutorial, I really enjoyed making these!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we pause on Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on the rich blessings we have in the relationships with our family, friends and business associates.

May all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving with friends, family and those who are important to you for this holiday and a Holiday season. Keep in your hearts the soldiers and those who can not be with their families this Holiday season.

Thank you for being a part of our lives.