Fun-to-make Turkey Treats!

Last year, not long before Thanksgiving, my kids got together with their good friends and created some delicious treats.  The turkey cupcakes we had made a version of in a previous year, but the turkey cookies were a new idea altogether.  I found the idea for the cookies in a magazine.




























We started with the cupcakes, as I knew those would be the easiest to construct.  The kids all got a previously baked cupcake, their choice of vanilla or chocolate frosting, candy corns and Wilton candy eyes.  We all shared a tube of red gel frosting.

The cupcakes needed little explanation.  I just showed them an example and they easily put the turkeys together.

Each cupcake came out a little different, but I'm sure the kids would tell you they were equally delicious!

Turkey Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix of choice plus ingredients called for on box
1 can chocolate frosting 
candy corn
Wilton candy eyes (found at Walmart or on Amazon)
1 tube red gel icing or homemade frosting colored with red food coloring

Bake cupcakes according to package directions.  Cool completely.  Frost with chocolate frosting.  Decorate according to picture above and enjoy!

If you have a kid who loves to bake, boxed cake mixes are a great place to start them off with following directions.  If you want to make it quick and easy, you can have the cupcakes prepared ahead of time.

After they had made their cupcakes, the cookies took more explanation and help.  Once I showed them how to make one, though, they caught on.  With a little frosting and some perseverance, the cookies turned out great.  Funny thing is, they lasted only a few minutes.  The kids ate up their work right after it was done!  At least I got pictures!


Turkey Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package store-bought chocolate chip cookies
1 can chocolate or vanilla frosting
1 bag Hershey's Kisses
1 bag Reese's peanut butter cup miniatures
1 bag candy corn
1 tube red gel frosting
1 tube orange gel frosting

For each turkey cookie you will need two store-bought chocolate chip cookies.  Cut a small piece off one so that it has a flat edge.  Place the uncut cookie on a plate.  Frost the cut edge of the cookie you just cut and affix it to the uncut cookie so that it looks like a chair.

Next take a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup.  Open it and cut off part of the side as shown in the picture.  Frost the front and cut edge of the peanut butter cup, turn it around and affix it to the cookies.  Then take a Hershey's Kiss and frost the back.  Stick it to the upright cookie.

Now, gather 14 candy corns.  With a knife spread some frosting on the tips of the candy corn and affix 12 in a semi-circle around the upright cookie.  These are your tail feathers.  Then take two and attach them, as shown, to the side of the peanut butter cup.  These are the wings.

Then you will stick on the eyes to the Hershey's Kiss with some frosting.  After you have done that, pipe on the red gobble, orange beak and turkey legs.

Now you have a cute and delicious treat!

*For either of these recipes you can substitute homemade ingredients.  You can use homemade cookies for the turkey cookies.  You can also use homemade cupcakes or frosting.  It's totally up to you!


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What I Love About Fall

Some of the best things of the year happen in fall.  It's my favorite season.  Can you blame me?  I live in beautiful New England where we wait for fall all year.  There's apple picking, pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin-flavored everything, crisp walks, jumping in the leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving and so much more!

Here's a roundup of some of my favorite activities and recipes that are just perfect for fall.

Brookfield Orchards

One of the things we do to kick off the fall season is a family day at the orchard.  Last year we spent time at a couple orchards, but this one is my favorite.  I buy apples here throughout the season and make many recipes with these tasty local fruits.  Click the link above to read about one of my favorite places of all time.

Apple Recipe Roundup

These recipes are time-tested and family approved.  Try any one of them and you surely won't be disappointed.   I'm always looking for new recipes, so if you have a good apple one you think I'd like, share it in the comment section below.  Healthy recipes are a bonus!  I may even do a recipe review and let you know if I like it!

Pumpkin Roundup

Not long after the apples have appeared pumpkins steal the show.  Unlike my recipes made with fresh apples, most of my pumpkin recipes call for canned.  I do cook with fresh pumpkins as well, but they are much more tedious to deal with than fresh apples.  Typically I start making pumpkin recipes long before we head to the pumpkin patch in mid October.  In fact, I made this bread just the other day!

Carving and decorating pumpkins is also one of our family's favorite traditions.  Here are the one's we made last year.  Can you guess who made each one?

Crochet

Autumn is the perfect time to crochet.  With a slight nip in the air, you can cuddle up with your current project on the couch.  Here's a blanket that works up quickly and easily, and could be done by Christmas with time to spare.  Follow this link so you can see how it's made.  If you've never crocheted before, fall is the perfect time to learn!

Try these for your Thanksgiving Feast!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I think it might be beat out by Christmas, but just barely.  We have some fun Thanksgiving traditions in our family.  Some are typical like turkey and pie.  Others are not so typical, like Bingo.  Everyone in our family has a great time on Thanksgiving!

Here in New England winter rolls around just about the time Thanksgiving finishes up.  Christmas gets me through the cold season and hopes of spring once the new year begins.  But fall in New England will always be my favorite.

Do you have any favorite autumn activities?  A favorite fall recipe to share?  Pumpkin spice or anything nice?  Share it in the comment section below!

Also, today is day two in the Ultimate Blog Challenge!  Check it out!  I think there's still time to join!

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Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

Here's a list of great ideas for you Thanksgiving menu.  These are classic recipes that will not lead you astray.  Happy cooking!

How to choose a turkey:

Go here and find out the best size turkey for the amount of people you are serving.  Of course you can always go bigger for more leftovers!


Check this page out on how to roast your turkey.


You will find this page helpful with all your other turkey questions.

It sounds funny to me that there is a turkey hotline, but call this number with your turkey questions or emergencies.
1-800-288-8372





Now that you have all your turkey questions answered here are some recipes that will help complete your Thanksgiving table.

Best Moist Bread Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Best Ever Rolls

New England Pumpkin Pie

Cute Turkey Cupcakes

For our Thanksgiving we also like to include butternut or acorn squash, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, olives and stuffing.

After over-eating our delicious meal, we break out Bingo!  The kids (and adults!) love this tradition.  The winner picks a wrapped gift and sometimes it's a dud and sometimes it's great.  When I was a teenager we played this game at home, I won a game and chose one of the prizes my aunt brought.  I opened it up and to my horror it was a pregnancy test!  Boy was my face red!  After that it was lots of laughs and great fun.  Dollar Tree carries some interesting stuff, I'd say.


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Cute Turkey Cupcakes

Try these cute turkey cupcakes at your Thanksgiving Feast this year!  I used the recipe on the back of the Hershey can for both the frosting and the cake.  We sampled the cake and frosting recipe for my husband's birthday earlier in the month, and it's tough to find a better one.  It was so good, I wanted to make this recipe for my son's birthday this summer, but he's more of a vanilla fan.

These cupcakes are from last Thanksgiving, and while we had far too many sweets to even put a dent in this tray of goodies, they were great fun to make and the kids had a blast putting them together with me.  Far from perfect, the frosting is drippy in places, but I try not to focus on that when the kids are having a good time!

In addition to the ingredients needed in the linked recipe, you will also need mini marshmallows and candy corn.  You can find these pretty cheap after Halloween.

Enjoy!  And Happy Thanksgiving!


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Best Moist Bread Stuffing
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