Martha Monday--Christmas Workshop

Like her Thanksgiving Workshop, Martha has a Christmas Workshop filled with fun ideas for the holiday.  You can even sign up for weekly emails with craft projects, gift ideas, recipes and more to help you plan the best Christmas celebration yet. 

The workshop segments actually began two weeks ago, but I'm loathe to bust out with Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving. 

Martha also has an entire array of tips and strategies to make it through the season with your sanity intact.

I'll be using some of Martha's tips and sharing some of my own over the course of the season.  This is a wonderful time of year and I intend to enjoy every single minute!  And with all the parties and family gatherings, I'm sure I will. 

But first, I need to get my house ready for Christmas.  Happy holidays!

Table ready

I set the table for Thanksgiving dinner.  Last night. Over four days before my family is due here for turkey dinner.  Can you tell I'm over the moon about hosting Thanksgiving?

The empty spaces on each side will be filled with the kids' seats.  I layered a smaller fall-theme tablecloth over the red tablecloth for visual interest.  How Martha is that?!

And before anyone criticizes my table-setting skills, let me share with you my standards:  each dish and utensil must be clean, and everyone must have a complete set with which to dine.  So, according to my standards, this place setting is an A+.

The china pattern is Noritake's Crestwood Platinum.  I always enjoy any occasion to get the china out.  Best part:  it's dishwasher-safe.  Awesome!

The silver is Lenox Kirkstieff Frosted (I think). 

The paper napkins are Jewel.  10 for $10.00.  Woohoo!

As with all of my Thanksgiving decorations, the centerpieces are courtesy of Diana. 

The gravy boat is at the ready.  I just love that this one specific menu item has its very own dish.  I wonder if the other food stuffs get jealous. 

Finally, the butter will be in a turkey dish.  Because, you know, it's Thanksgiving!

And with that, I think I'm ready. All that's missing is the food and family, and those won't arrive until Friday.

Martha Monday--Thanksgiving Hotline

From today until 6pm CST on Wednesday, Martha's radio show is hosting a Thanksgiving hotline, where you can get your Thanksgiving questions answered by Martha, Emeril, Nigella Lawson, Mario Batali and other celebrity chefs.  Get the details here.

I might call just so I can chat with Martha and invite her to Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  Since it's actually on Friday, she might be free, right?  It's worth a shot!  I'll make extra green bean casserole just in case. 

Finally, for those of us hosting people in our homes for Thanksgiving, Martha has a bunch of tips for making houseguests feel welcome and for making the stay as pleasant as possible for everyone.  Her first tip is to make these so-cute-it's-almost-nauseating pie boxes to package desserts as favors for guests. 

Isn't that too cute?!  And a project for people who obviously have some time on their hands.  I certainly strive to be a domestic goddess like Martha, but in the TMI house, any leftovers are sent home with guests in cleaned out Cool Whip containers. 

Even if Martha herself did come to Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, I would still send her home with green bean casserole in a Cool Whip container.  That's just how I roll. 

An alternative to pumpkin pie...

...is pumpkin cookies, of course! 

Martha has a great recipe for Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing.  I made these a few years ago, and they were a huge hit. 

If you need something pumpkin-y for the Thanksgiving festivities, but pie isn't your thing, look no further.  This recipe is it!

Yummy cookies and baking with kids

I made Martha's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for a recent family gathering.  I got the recipe from her Cookies book, but the same recipe is online here.

Martha's recipe calls for toasted wheat germ, but I used wheat bran.  And I didn't toast it.  Sometimes, I can be a real rebel.

As usual, the Little Guy helped.  His "help" is sometimes difficult to accept, especially when I am doing serious baking, but things go more smoothly when he is given specific tasks to do.  For example: dumping ingredients into the bowl and stirring are things he can handle. 

Additionally, we emphasize taking turns when it comes to stirring.  That way, the heavy mixing actually gets done.  Here, the Little Guy lets the Big Guy step in for a minute.

Now, I'm not sure if it's the recipe with, or in spite of, all the "help," but the cookies turned out so deliciously yummy.  Seriously.  These are hands down the best oatmeal raisin cookies I've ever made.  They spread out quite a bit when baking, so I was worried they would be crisp.  I needn't have worried.  The cookies were soft and chewy, every last one of them.

Make these cookies.  Do it now.  You'll thank me for it later!