Site found byMary B. BY THIS TIME of year, only some things left in the garden are worth using, so you're going to buy some inexpensive substitutes. Buy flowers, herbs and vegetables. Gather twigs, berries and branches from outside, and you have an abundance of decorations. Some of the items that should be readily available or inexpensive to buy: - Kale (still growing in many gardens, very decorative for tables) - Squash, zucchini (also still growing; has a definite "harvest" feel) - Chrysanthemums (This fall bloomer comes in a variety of colors that will brighten up your holiday.) - Branches and vines (Many people can find these in their backyard; if not, flower markets, Home Depot, etc., have them at minimal cost. These are great for providing the base to a table arrangement.) - Fall leaves (These are everywhere; even if you live in an apartment you can find leaves.) - Potted herbs (you can purchase these at any place that sells plants, and they are $2-4 each.) - Candles - Moss (Moss is very inexpensive, and can be purchased at almost any craft store; a little goes a long way!) Now, let's put these items to good use. NAPKIN DECORATIONS This simple accent can be done Thanksgiving morning. Simply tie each napkin with a small bit of raffia, then slip a few twigs, berry branches or bittersweet into the loop. This will give each placesetting its personal touch of Thanksgiving cheer. GATHERING MOSS There are two ideas that will make moss the highlight of your table. Moss on the buffet table: For this you need a terra cotta saucer (from a pot), and some oasis. Soak the oasis in water then place it on the terra cotta saucer. Then stick twigs, bittersweet and stiff flowers into the oasis. Finally cover the oasis with dampened moss. This will look great on a buffet table. Moss and votives: This one is easy too. Take a small terra cotta dish that is covered in damp moss, then simply sit a votive candle on top. LIGHTEN UP THE ATMOSPHERE WITH CANDLES! Recycle your old candles. Group together all of your used candles (5-6 used ones). Tie them together with wire, and put them in terra cotta pot. Pack the area around the candles with damp moss (be sure it's wet) and twigs and berries. THANKSGIVING HARVEST Kale is a beautiful vegetable (green and purple) that will add lots of color to your table. Place a large head of kale into a shallow bowl for support. This can be the base for a seasonal vegetable and flower arrangement, or you can simply place several kale in the center of the Thanksgiving table to reserve the food spot, and then remove them when it's time to serve dinner. Make a vegetable dispaly with a variety of differently-shaped squash in a wooden bowl. Add some pinecones and bittersweet for a little splash of color. Have you ever heard of decorating with roses - and celery? Buy twice as much celery as you need for your stuffing. Take the extra celery and place it in a tall vase - with the celery tips as filler. Add roses (or any flower you like). NOT SO BUBBLY AFTER ALL Champagne glasses are great for decorating; the simple shape of the glass adds an elegance to the decoration, and the narrow necks means you don 't have to add a lot to have a huge impact. You can add flowers to the glasses or fill them with shelled nuts for a nice "harvest" look. CREATE A THANKSGIVING MANTELPIECE Use branches or vines to create a mantlepiece or table decoration. Decorate it with fall leaves, berries, and bittersweet. This is the kind of decoration that can be as big or small as the area that you need to decorate. You can place a colorful fabric underneath to add to the decoration and give it depth, or it can go right on the table. DON'T CALL ME HERB, UNLESS IT'S ROSEMARY Buy some small herbs, and plant them in tiny terra cotta pots. These can be used as place settings, and you can attach name tags to each one, that will assign everyone to a place at the table. And this is a great and inexpensive favor that everyone can take home. KATIE'S MOM'S PEAR DELIGHT Here's a dish that Katie's mom actually makes. It's a traditional Thanksgiving "fruit salad" delicacy on her family's dinner table. It goes great with the Thanksgiving turkey. Ingredients: 1 can halved bartlett pears hollowed out 1 cup cream cheese 1/4 cup chopped pecans 2 packages lime Jell-O mix 1 tsp vinegar pinch of salt Directions: Drain bartlett pears. Mix cream cheese with chopped pecans. Put mixture in hallowed out pears. Place pears filling side down in glass oblong pan. Mix Jell-O with some vinegar and a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness a bit. Pour lime Jell-O mix over the pears. Let it set in the refrigerator. Cut in squares and serve over lettuce leaves. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- MATT'S FAVORITE "FRESCO ITALIAN STUFFING" Most people use bread crumbs to make stuffing. This is different. This is a traditional European stuffing using rice. It's so delicious that you'd never have enough if you were to stuff some in a turkey. You can put it inside the turkey, but it has to be done that day, since it cooks inside the turkey. The ingredients are also pre-cooked, so putting it inside a turkey is not really recommended. Instead, your best bet is to cook the stuffing in a baking dish. You can cook the Italian sausage in different ways. You can fry it in olive oil, bake it, or broil it. When it's brown on one side, roll it over on the other side for even browning. Slice it into 1/4-inch slices. Sometimes the sausage lets off so much liquid that you don't have to add chicken broth (optional) when you mix it with the other ingredients. You slice and cube the mozzarella so it'll melt easily while baking. When it's done, it'll be a little brown on top and all the cheese will be melted. FRESCO ITALIAN STUFFING Makes 6-8 servings Ingredients: 1 lb. boiled rice al dente (Add salt to the water when cooking the rice. It brings out the flavor.) Fried Italian sausage (or you can boil or bake it until browned and then slice it into 1/4-inch thick slices) 1 lb. to 1 1/2 lbs. mozzarella sliced and cubed Chicken broth Directions: Combine everything in a big bowl and add a quarter cup of chicken broth to the mix. Lay combination in an oblong dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. AL'S MOM'S SWEET POTATO POON This recipe is a traditional side dish found on the Roker family table at Thanksgiving. It comes straight from the kitchen of Al's mom. Along with the tradition of cooking this dish, she also traditionally burns it as she so often gets distracted by something. (The dish easily catches a flame if it's not watched very carefully). Sweet potato poon goes great with turkey and ham. Ingredients: 6 large sweet potatoes 4 tsps. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 stick of unsalted butter 1 cup of flour 1 cup of dark brown sugar 1 can of crushed pineapple drained 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. allspice 1 bag of large Jet Puffed marshmallows Directions: Boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Mash potatoes with 1 stick of butter in a large bowl. Add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and mix together. Fold in crushed pineapple and pour into a buttered 9" x 12" Pyrex dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until brown on top. Remove from oven, layer with marshmallows and place under broiler until marshmallows are toasty brown on top. Be careful! They will catch fire very quickly - a tradition in the Roker household for generations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ANN'S HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE Of course, what is turkey without the traditional cranberry sauce. Ann discovered after years of adding canned sauce to her turkey that this easy-to-make cranberry sauce, taken straight from the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook (with a few personal adjustments), actually tastes a lot better. It's a very simple recipe that's quick to make while the turkey is getting ready to be carved. "The Joy of Cooking Cranberry" 1 pound cranberries, picked over 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons grated orange zest Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until most of the cranberries pop open and the mixture is somewhat thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. If desired, add 1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered. Let cool and serve or refrigerate for up to one day.