Thanksgiving is a traditional North American Holiday when people give thanks at the finish of the harvest season. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and it’s a four day weekend. Families and friends are gathering together to celebrate the day of thanks with a festive dinner. Thanksgiving meals are traditionally events; therefore, certain kinds of food are served. The most important peace is the turkey, which is arranged in the middle of the table. All around it accompany stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, corn and for dessert pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie. The traditional beverages are apple cider, red wine and cocktails before dinner.
Thanksgiving is the time when people forgive, offer more, try to find love and peace in their hearts, thank God for His kindness and love. Thanksgiving is the time when people find warmth and joy, is the time when they are grateful for their lives the way they are.
Everyone is preparing now for the incoming holiday of the season. It’s that time of the year when family and close friends are gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. The stores are already full with all sorts of decorations, dishware, candles and seasonal flowers. Maybe this year you want to be more simplistic and authentic. If you want to try some of the following ideas, be prepared to surprise your invitees with creativity and originality.Â
Nowadays we all go green, right? Are you ready for organic decorations as well? Good! Pick some of those festive iconic pumpkins in small and medium sizes. Use different colors of them for diversity and the joy of playing with colors. Arrange them on the table;Â they’ll make a great seasonal image.
Another great idea is to spread some autumn leaves on the table or arrange them in a nice fall bouquet. Autumn leaves are the great season’s inspiration, beside pumpkins. So, get inspirational with them.
Use some branches and twigs to decorate the table. You can pick all kinds of them; just choose the ones you like. Among them put some high transparent glass vases with candles inside. You’ll create a splendid rustic scene with beautiful lights and shadows.
All kinds of nuts in shelves can be found in stores this period of year. Buy combined nuts and arrange them in a wattle basket. You can mingle among them red fresh apples. It’s a great combination and an original decoration for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Now that you got inspired, it’s time to get to work and gather all the elements you’ve found interesting. I wish you an inspiring Thanksgiving!Â
Pumpkins are still in fashion this month and give us more inspiration for Thanksgiving delicious recipes. A great and original idea for your Thanksgiving feast is to serve pumpkin strudel for dessert. Here is how you can make it.
Ingredients:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
* all purpose flour
* water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* scraped or canned pure pumpkinÂ
* cinnamon
* brown sugar
* powdered sugar (optional)
In a bowl mix a little amount of flour with a little water and salt. Keep adding flour and water until you obtain the desired amount of dough. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape the pumpkin or open de canned one. Spread some flour on a clean surface and begin to extend the dough with a rolling pin until you obtain a very thin (almost transparent), rectangular pie sheet. On the dough-surface spread the pumpkin, add brown sugar and cinnamon as desired. Roll all together into a pumpkin stuffed roulade. Grease an oven tray and sprinkle some flour. Put the pumpkin stuffed roll on the tray and grease a little for a great final look. Cook it at 350 F untill it turns a little ruddy. When you take the strudel out of the oven, you can sprinkle powdered sugar above it. The strudel is ready!
Cut it into slices, put them on a nice holiday plateau and garnish with ground nuts or pecans. Your Thanksgiving invitees will be impressed! Enjoy it with a glass of red wine or a delicious liqueur. Yummy…Â
 A New England Autumn by Ferenc Mate is my strongest recommendation when it comes to books. It’s a magnificent journey in the fascinating autumn nature. Wonderful photographs of forests, villages, farmsteads from Maine to Conneticut are accompanying the poetry and literature of Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau and Waldo Emerson. Their words complement the magnificent nature. New England autumn colors create meditative and passionate images. It is the perfect capture of the season. The book also contains a fourteen page guide which includes maps, excursions and descriptions of the places.
The emotion caught in this pictorial celebration of season is very strong. All of you, who love the autumn, will enjoy this journey in the season’s book. It’s inspiring and emotional. Enjoy it!