DIY Life

In case you missed the hit movie Julie and Julia this year, you still have time to brush up on your cooking knowledge! Holidash has a Julia Child-inspired Thanksgiving for all of your aspiring chefs! Check it out!:

* Roast Turkey: Most of her technique is pretty classic, but she does add a twist with a slow-simmered giblet gravy.
* Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Regular mashed taters are fine, but Julia knew long ago that a little garlic would make them divine.
* Stuffed Pumpkin: Rather than stuffing your turkey, you could stuff and roast a nice, orange pumpkin.
* Dressing: Julia preferred to keep the dressing out of the turkey, so pull out a casserole dish for this one -- or the pumpkin above.
* Brussels Sprouts Browned with Cheese: A so-called favorite of Julia & Julia star Amy Adams.
* Apple Tart: When the meal is good and done, wrap it up with a classic apple tart.

And don't forget -- no Child feast is complete without some strong libations to wash it all down!

Enjoy!

Yep, it's time to start counting down the days until turkey time! ShelterPop shows us how, step by step:

Your three-week checklist:
• Set a rough budget for everything: food, drinks, and decorations.
• Invite your guests, if you haven't already.
• Plan your menu, including snacks, the main meal, dessert, and drinks. Be aware of various dietary restrictions your guests may have, and try to be accommodating (but also realize that people are grownups and don't have to eat everything in front of them).
• Decide how you will be cooking your turkey, and what kind of turkey you'll buy (fresh, frozen, organic, etc.). Thinking of ordering a fresh turkey? Check out organizations like Local Harvest to find a turkey farm near you.
• Assess the decorations you have and decide if you're going to buy more, or go DIY (all part of your budget breakdown).
• Begin putting up outdoor décor; if you did a Halloween display, repurpose as much as possible (such as pumpkins).

Your two-week checklist:
• Get a firm commitment from guests if they're coming or not.
• If children are coming, think about what kinds of simple kids' activities you could offer (go old school: a table with crayons and coloring books/other crafts, or board games)
• Plan your table settings and centerpiece. Pull out linens and make sure they're clean.
• Polish your silverware.
• Assess your serving pieces: do you have enough plates, cups, bowls, and platters? What can you borrow from friends?
• If you're buying a frozen turkey, you can buy it now (if you haven't already). Not sure how big your turkey needs to be? The USDA offers this guide for buying and preparing turkey.
• Begin to buy drinks (and if you're serving wine, make sure you've got enough wine glasses)
• Assess your coffee situation. Will your coffeepot suffice, or do you need a larger one (which hopefully you can borrow)?

One week before:
Now, your attention really turns to the food. "You're going to need to go to the grocery at least twice," Coelho says-once for dry ingredients/non-perishables and again a day or so before for your fresh things. Plan your time.

Weekend before Thanksgiving:
• Before you shop, take the opportunity to clean out your fridge and freezer so that you have space for groceries.
• Make your shopping list, and buy as many non-perishable items as you can.
• Begin making what you can ahead of time (relishes, for example).
• Do a thorough cleaning-all the places you don't hit up regularly (behind the couch, your crown molding, and that forgotten, filthy space between the dishwasher and the wall).

Monday
• Make your pies: pumpkin pie will easily keep (and maybe even taste better).
• Depending on its size, you may need to start defrosting a frozen turkey. Refer to the USDA guidelines again.
• Make a list of each dish, how far ahead it can be prepared, and set a schedule for the week. Remember that things like broth for stuffing and gravy can be made ahead (even frozen if necessary).

Tuesday
• Buy your perishables, like fresh fruits and fresh veggies, and lettuce for salad, at the market.
• Now is a great time to buy any fresh flowers, or create fresh flower arrangements, or arrangements with pinecones from your yard.
• Finish up any last minute décor projects (such as writing names on place cards).

Wednesday
• Time for spot cleaning: tidy up things like books/magazines, kids' rooms (get them involved in as much as possible), dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning the toilets and sinks.
• Put clean guest towels in the bathroom.
• Chill beverages.
• Give your table linens a good pressing.
• Set the table (so that you can focus on cooking tomorrow).
• Set a cooking schedule for Thanksgiving day: know the timing of when everything is going in and out of the oven.

Morning of Thanksgiving
• Follow the cooking schedule you've laid out for yourself.
• Don't forget to pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy your guests and the delicious meal!

Thanksgiving games are a ritual for some families. My family is immensely sedentary, especially when it comes to the annual tryptophan coma that we so love to indulge in. Yet this year, I'm planning to spice things up with a few exciting games for the whole family, courtesy of our friends at Holidash!:

1. Name That Turkey Tune
Make your guests sing for their supper with this family-friendly game. Each player takes turns singing their favorite songs by replacing the lyrics with the word 'GOBBLE.' The first player to correctly identify the tune is the new 'gobbler' and the fun continues.

2. Thanksgiving Bingo
If you can't pull your family away from the tube, why not make them work while they watch? Family Fun has a few printable bingo cards for Thanksgiving Day's TV watching, so hand out a few sheets and pencils and go to town. Loser has dish duty!

3. Apple Paring Game
In case you didn't quite get enough dessert, bring in the family for a fun, reward-driven game. Each player gets an apple and a peeler or knife (for adults) and has sixty seconds to peel the longest apple strip they can muster. Winner gets to take a fresh-baked apple pie home for Black Friday!

4. Toilet Paper Thanks
Pass around a roll of toilet paper to the entire room and ask them to tear as many sheets off as they'd like (but don't tell them why they're doing so!). After every player has chosen their desired number of sheets, announce that they have to share one thing they're thankful for... per sheet they ripped from the roll. Those greedy folk won't know what hit them!

With a few of these easy-to-implement games, your family will be so energized they won't even need their annual turkey nap!

Felt screams cooler weather to me, so I can't wait to get my hands on a pair of brightly-colored felt threads and work some magic this fall. For now, I'll be keeping this project from The Purl Bee close by -- I can't wait to try it and have a feeling that even I can't screw this one up!

The following materials will make a set of six 11-inch x 17-inch place mats:

• Six 18-inch x 18-inch pieces of Ecru Wool Flannel (color of 91)
• Two Wool Felt Bundles. This tutorial uses the spring shades offered.
• OK-To-Wash-It Fabric Glue
• water soluble fabric marker

From there, you'll need to cut, weave and finish! The craft couldn't be easier and would make an excellent art project for your family. Why not let your children pick out their own felt colors to give everyone a personalized place setting? Better yet, with holidays coming up fast, consider gifting felt placemats to your favorite families.

Get to work!

With fall comes cooler weather, and with cooler weather comes bigger appetites (I'm not alone in this, right?). With the air turning chilly right before our eyes, it's time to start thinking about those dinner parties we can't wait to host. Whether you plan to invite over a few co-workers or are getting a jump-start on holiday plans, saving money is at the forefront of everyone's minds.

Why not create a few simple table settings with items you already own, or better yet -- items you can find at your own local grocery store? Here are a few fun, seasonal centerpiece ideas to send you well on your way to entertaining in style this fall:

1. Crafty Cinnamon:
Fold cream napkins into simple, chic squares, and lay a mini bundle of 3 cinnamon sticks atop each napkin. Tie a scrapbook tag onto the bundle with deep orange rafia, and use the tag as a place card - or embellish it with an autumn-themed scrapbook rub-ons featuring words and phrases such as "give thanks, ""blessings," and "fall."

2. Lovely Leaves:
Why shop for centerpieces when you can gather them from your own backyard? Arrange a few twigs and leaves in a hurricane glass and accent them with white miniature pumpkins. For visual inspiration, Toast and Tables has a few gorgeous tables you can gawk over!

3. Gorgeous Gourds
Take a cue from Williams-Sonoma and carve out a few gourds to create homemade candleholders. Simply place a miniature votive in the center of the gourd and presto -- instant mood lighting. Scatter a few leaves around your gourd candles and include a dark table runner to accent the look.

4. Amazing Apples
Last, but certainly not least? Place a few green apples in a basket from your home for an instant touch of fall. Or, for a more modern and elegant aesthetic, arrange a few green apples in a hurricane vase and pair them with crystal wine glasses and cloth napkins.

Proof that food can be both the entertainment and decor for your evening dinner parties!

We had the most torrential downpour last night, and all I wanted was to cuddle up with a warm bowl of soup (yes, I realize it's August). I'm a big fan of bread bowls, but never had been able to master the recipe myself. Luckily, I've found a foolproof bread bowl recipe right here, and the turkey chili? Well... you're in for a treat.


There are quite a lot of ingredients, so I'll spare you from listing them below, but you can find the entire recipe right here, courtesy of Craftster's forums. I will say this is one of the spicier recipes I've come across, which is why it works so well in a bread bowl. The combination tastes absolutely divine.

The only downfall? The recipe calls for an afternoon of simmering, which means you'll have to muster up all the self control you can handle to not devour it immediately. Happy eating!

"What is a progressive dinner party?", you might be asking. It is a party where each successive course is eaten at a different host's house -- the guests progress from house to house. Hence, the name progressive dinner party.

I'll admit here that the first time I heard of a progressive dinner party I thought of the word in terms of being new, innovative, and hip! Which maybe it was in 1950, when these types of parties first made an appearance. Progressive parties declined in popularity during the 80's and 90's, replaced by catered affairs. Oh, those glorious days of disposable income! In recent years casual entertaining has enjoyed a resurgence and the progressive dinner party is making a comeback.

Essentially it is like a potluck dinner, but instead of the food traveling to one location, the guests travel to the location of the food. Everyone begins at the first house with appetizers, they the guests move en masse to the next house for the next course of the meal.

The pressure is off of any one person to be the sole host of the party, both in the entertaining and cost. And in this current economy, this struck us as a great DIY topic.

So, just how do you have a progressive dinner party of your own?

Everything is expensive nowadays, and let's face it -- a summer vacation just may not be in your budget this year. You don't have to sacrifice family fun just because you can't get away, though; instead, follow my tips for a frugal staycation filled with old favorites and new adventures!

Come on in -- the water's fine!
No staycation would be complete without a day at the beach or pool, and you've got lots of cheap options.

• Got a friend with a pool? Bum a visit, and bring burgers and hot dogs for everyone. You've done your share -- and gotten a free day of swimming.
• Find a state park (here's a list of all U.S. state parks) with a lake and beach. They are usually only about US $5 per car; they often have BBQ pits so you can cook your own meals, and you could even rent a canoe.
• If you live in the mountains, you can probably pull over to the side of the road and frolic in the rocky river for the day, like we do when we visit New Hampshire. That's free, folks!
• Living near the ocean is quite a perk, and can cost anywhere from free to about US $20 per car. If you are coastal, you've got to take advantage!

It never fails: as soon as I get to a critical part in preparing the evening's meal, my three-year-old needs me. It doesn't matter if the quinoa is boiling over or if the roasting veggies are burned to a crisp; if Owen's fire hat is missing, it needs to be found pronto.

So what do we do in my house to minimize these moments? I don't juggle the potatoes or toss shrimp tails into my chef's hat, but if I have enough energy to be mildly creative, here's what works for us:

• Let Owen concoct. I give him a bowl and let him use water, flour, and other ingredients to mix his own concoction. And if his super heroes decide to go swimming in it? So what! It is all in good fun.
• Make pizza. If we are having pizza for dinner, Owen helps roll the dough, put on the sauce and sprinkle on the toppings. You can't have pizza every night, but it is sure to get your kids to want to help in the kitchen.
  

I'm an adoptive mom, so I spend a lot (read: far, far, too much) time checking out other adoption blogs. One of my favorites is Do They Have Salsa in China? To keep her two little girls interested in eating healthfully, the blog's creative author has delved into bento boxes.

We've posted about the art of packing bento boxes before. Common in Japanese cuisine, bento is a single-portion meal that is often beautifully arranged -- food that is not only pleasing to the palate, but also to the eye. You can make bento boxes a toddler favorite with a few simple twists that I'll share after the break.

We are a sushi-loving family. Even our three-year-old will tell you his favorite food is sushi. He is so enthusiastic about it, in fact, that it comes out more like "suuuuuuushi." The dog has even been known to snatch a piece or two.

Making your own sushi can be a little tricky, we have found. It is easy to find sushi-grade fish these days, and aside from the nori sometimes being a bit tough, the real challenge is getting the rice to be just the right consistency and flavor.

Let's imagine it now, shall we? Sticky, but not mushy. A little salty, a tad sweet, and just a mild tang from the rice vinegar.

Looking for a tutorial or some recipes to help achieve sushi rice perfection? Mahalo has a list of the ingredients and ratios you will need. They don't offer cooking instructions for the rice, but they do link to other recipes that do, from famous chefs like Alton Brown, who is known for his precision and attention to detail.

So what are you waiting for? Start that water boiling, assemble your ingredients, and make some perfect sushi rice.

Score points this Valentine's day with something truly romantic, original and best of all, homemade. Handmade gifts aren't always received with the excitement that we imagine. Sometimes they are a total flop. So, what differentiates the gift that she calls all her friends to brag about from the one that gets tucked away in the junk drawer?

I think that all romantic DIY gifts should pass a three-point check:

1. Is the gift personal?
   Even if beautiful, something that could have easily made it into a Secret Santa exchange probably isn't going to blow her away. It should be obvious that this gift was made just for your special someone. Personalizing it with a name or picture is the obvious choice. More subtle: try incorporating an inside joke, or choosing a theme using project elements that have significance for the two of you.
   
   
2. Did the gift take time to make?
   She said she'd like something homemade. You raided the kids craft cupboard and made a card. She's not impressed. Are you surprised? The more time and planning that goes into the gift the more you'll get out of it. People love knowing that they were thought of, and taking the time and energy to plan ahead for a handmade gift shows that you truly wanted it to be something special.
   
   
3. Is it really any good?
   We only make a big deal out of poorly painted, ceramic ashtrays when they come from our children. While some failed projects can still be appreciated for the romantic intention, there really isn't room for the ugly, the tasteless, and the poorly crafted ones. Don't knit him a toque out of leftover yarn in colors you know he'd find hideous and then expect him to wear it proudly because it was made with love. Think seriously about what your significant other would like. If you want it to go on display, consider how it would work with their current decorating scheme.

With these three guidelines, I've put together a list of romantic DIY Valentine's day gifts. Some are old favorites-- tried, tested, and true for generations of lovers. Others are new and inventive, but they are all incredibly romantic and sure to make him or her putty in your hands. Follow me through the break and I'll share them with you.

This idea is so wonderfully simple without giving up an ounce of style. The perfect bound blog brings us these classy placeholders just in time for Christmas dinner. All you need is a plain Christmas ball ornament in whatever color matches your table setting. You can stencil, or even more simple, stick on a fancy initial for each guest. If you want to add a little something, attach a nice ribbon for hanging. Your family and friends will love the creativity and have a memorable ornament to add to their tree at home.

Some of the commenters suggest that these would also make great wedding favors. If you're pulling together a winter wedding, these might just be that perfect placeholder/party favor you've been looking for.

[via: Ready 2 Spark]

Are you looking to add a little flair to your everyday dining? or maybe you want some seasonal place mats. Either way, making your own gives you the most flexibility, and it only costs as much as the fabric you choose (which can be nothing depending on how full your scrap bag is).

The 7 step instructions, accompanying pictures and tips come together to show you how to make fabulous looking cloth place mats. Here's what you'll need to get started.

1. Fabric of choice
2. Scissors
3. Sewing machine
4. Thread

Have fun and get creative with the fabric. You could make a holiday set as a gift, or craft something for your own dining room table.

Your family is coming over for Thanksgiving. Your brother is bringing his girlfriend and the neighbors that first declined your invitation are now going to make it. The more the merrier, right? You're happy to have the extra people, but visions of grandma balancing a plate of turkey on her lap while sitting on the couch, or sending your 15 year -old cousin to the kid's table are not your idea of a relaxed holiday meal.

If you have 1 hour and $40, Tim Carter will show you how to build a big dining room table. If you have no table at all, you'll need two empty cable reels and a large piece of plywood. You'll find the cable reels at an electrical part distribution center. They should have a bunch of them out behind the warehouse.