SHE Decorates Last Minute

  

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I absolutely love Thanksgiving (probably because I love to eat!)

For today's post I went to Pinterest (none of these images are my own) and scoped out some of my favorite DIY decorations. Hopefully this will help you out if you're in a last minute bind!

These bottles are great and easy! Simply grab some old wine bottles, or beer bottles if you're looking for something smaller. Spray paint them the color of your choice. Once dry, write on them with a paint pen and tie some twine around the top. Ta-Da!

image via Pinterest

Next up - some simple candles. Grab a pack of fake leaves and use twine or ribbon to tie around candles. You could even use candles you already have. Easy and cheap!

image via Pinterest

This one I love! Use those old mason jar lids (you can buy some if you don't have a stock pile) and spray paint them orange. Tie them together and stick some cinnamon sticks in the middle. Hello adorable pumpkin!



image via Pinterest

This is absolutely adorable and a must (in my opinion) if your family has kids. All you need is a pumpkin and a sharpie. You could use a orange pumpkin if you can't find a white one, or paint it if you're really wanting white!

image via Pinterest

Last but not least - GOLD. My favorite! I drool over all things gold. Pick some pumpkins (real or fake), pinecones, anything really, and a can of gold spray paint.

image via Pinterest

What are some of your favorite fall decorations that are easy?

xo Courtney 

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SHE Makes Sweet Potato Casserole

Hey y'all! I don't know about you but I am ready for Thanksgiving!   One of my favorite dishes is sweet potato casserole. So today we're sharing our tried and true recipe along with a Lisa Bennett Minute sharing some tips!

Sweet Potato Casserole

5 sweet potatoes (cooked)

1/2 or 1/3 stick of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup sweet milk

Mix all ingredients well and put in greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/3 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well and cover the casserole.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until crunchy. 

And here is your Lisa Bennett Minute... 

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

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SHE: Thanksgiving Begins...

Hey Y’all,

We are a little over a week away from Thanksgiving!! I am so excited. I love everything about Thanksgiving. I like the colors, the smells, the cool temps (usually) and the casseroles!!  I love a good casserole. To me, the turkey ~ which most consider the “main dish” of the holiday… is a side note.  Now don’t get me wrong, my hubby will fry us a delicious turkey and it will be devoured. But I love to fill my plate with the yummy goodness of the many casseroles we have.   It’s funny, they are all typically easy to prepare, yet I rarely make them except during the holidays. Maybe I will make that a new idea and make them more throughout the year. Think that will take away some of their specialness? (I am really not sure that is a word.)

What about you? Are you a meat and potatoes girl or a casserole taster?  My favorite is sweet potato casserole. Lisa has a delicious recipe in our cookbook. It’s like a dessert it is so yummy. But then you have hash brown casserole, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, squash casserole, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese casserole and the list goes on… What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Like many of you, we will be making our grocery lists this week.  I plan to be sharing ideas with you about our Thanksgivings and “How we do them”.  We would love to know your family’s favorite Thanksgiving foods and your tips for a successful holiday dinner.

xoxo,

Amy

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SHE: Thankful, Blessed, Grateful (& Stressed)

Hey Y'all,

Happy Thanksgiving week!!  What are your plans?  Our day should be pretty low key ~ we are celebrating with my Hubby's side of the family and are looking forward to spending the day together.

I know the holidays can get a little crazy for families when you are stretched between multiple holiday dinners in a short amount of time.  If this is you, try to make the best of it by being prepared. You may find that as your family grows you establish new traditions. That doesn't have to be a negative!  It may require some planning... SHE loves to plan.  And good communication is the best way to mitigate conflict and confusion.  Don't just assume things have to stay the same. As families grow, the opportunity for new traditions is given. The key is flexibility, communication and a great sense of humor never hurts!

Some quick ideas and suggestions if you have many sides to your family:

• Rotate each year- Thanksgiving Day with one side & Leftover Day with another side
• Suggest one side of the family host the weekend before Thanksgiving
• If you have a smaller extended family, invite everyone and each year a different family hosts
• Lunch with one set of family members, dessert with another
• Sunday Brunch with out of town family members before they head home
• Offer to host everyone at your house if possible, this is good for families with little ones
• Remember your little ones will not be impressed with long dinners, so don't expect them to remain interested ~ make sure there are activities for them other than listening to the adults talk politics and weather....puzzles, coloring, crafts that are quick that need entertainment

I hope these were suggestions you might fine useful.  Good, bad or crazy ~ if you have family and the opportunity to share the day with them, you have so much to celebrate.  So whether your plans are to have one big dinner with all your friends and family or 4 different dinners on Thursday ... I hope it is enjoyable and that your blessings are abundant. 

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours,

Amy

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Thanksgiving Leftovers

Via Pinterest

Hey Ya'll! We're two days away from Thanksgiving and we could not be more excited. Just the thoughts of fried turkey (our family tradition), sweet potato casserole, and pecan pie make my mouth water! I don't know about your Thanksgiving, but we always have leftovers that could last DAYS. Below, I've linked some ideas of what to do with your leftovers in case you want to eat them in a non-traditional way.

1. Turkey Noodle Soup - the perfect use for leftover turkey AND dressing

2. Turkey Popovers - tasty turkey and mashed potatoes in a puff pastry, yum

3. Dressing Waffles - a different take on the traditional dressing

Just for reference, most items keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer. This helpful link provides details on how long to actually keep leftovers and how to properly store them. Make sure to take plenty of storage containers and resealable bags to ensure you're able to take home as many leftovers as possible!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo ~ Brittney

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Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Hey Y’all,

It is crunch time! Thanksgiving is this week! Eek~ are you ready? I have so enjoyed all my fall décor, pretty pumpkins and gourds all over the house and the scent of pumpkin filling the air. 

Last week we shared recipes and tips for making sure your Thanksgiving was yummy.  You have planned your meu and your guest list. Now it’s time to work out the details and little details can make such an impact.  Do you have a casual set up or is your family dinner a little more formal? Either way you want to be sure things look pretty.  So, how will your table look for the dinner? 

Our dinner is pretty casual ~ no china or extra silverware; generally buffet style works best for our crew.  I like to make sure that the bowls and platters look festive and love for the dessert area to look pretty too.  I have my fall colored tablecloths and of course a kiddie table area for the little ones we celebrate with.  They get a cute paper “coloring sheet tablecloth”, this helps keep them occupied and the adults get to enjoy conversations a little bit longer.  

There is an art to a beautifully set table, don’t you think?  I love how pretty these look! 

 

 

image via Pinterest

image via Pinterest

image via Pinterest

 

Earlier this season, my sweet friends had a pre Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate my birthday.  Doesn't Lisa's table look beautiful!  It was so pretty and festive, a great fall kick off.  

Whether you go all out with your “tablescape” or go a more simple route, at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that the day was spent with the ones you love and being thankful for the blessings we are given.   Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

                                                xoxo,    

Amy

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Hey y’all! So with our theme of Thanksgiving meals this week I’m sharing a great (and somewhat healthy) dessert recipe. We’re headed to the beach for Thanksgiving this year (5 days and I can’t wait!), so I want to make sure that when I’m planning our dessert it is road friendly. These are so easy that I might actually just make these in the condo!

These pumpkin spice cupcakes have… wait for it… THREE ingredients. That’s it.  You’ll need a spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin puree and a can of cream cheese icing.

Mix together the cake mix and the pumpkin. That’s all – don’t add the eggs or anything.

When you go to pour these in the muffin tins (you could also use it to make a cake), you need to keep in mind something. This batter is thick so it won’t spread and even out like your typical cupcakes, so be sure to spread them out in the tin.

Place them in the oven according to your mix’s directions. Mine was 350 for 20 mins. The toothpick trick works for these (if it comes out clean they’re done!). When they come out of the oven, let them cool and add the icing. Ta-da! Delicious cupcakes! (It is worth mentioning that the cake part of this is only 2 WW points. Of course the icing adds to it but other than that they aren’t bad!!)

I hope you enjoy these. Next week I'll be talking about how I iced these so make sure you stop back by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Xo Courtney

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Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Last night we put up our Christmas decor, well really I should say early, early this morning. We pulled everything out of the attic, we put together the tree (fake and passed down from my grandma) and then we searched everywhere for the lights. RJ swears we threw them away because we didn't want to fool with them last year.. I think RJ threw them away because I think that's crazy!! We went to Wal Mart (10 pm at this point) and grabbed two '100 lights' boxes.. we got home to see this wrapped twice around the bottom of our tree so back to Wally World we went. We finally were able to decorate our tree and I stayed up late, late to finish everything! I'm super happy it's done though. 

I know, I know you think it's too early for Christmas decor but it's not! I am so busy with the Holidays, each week that gets closer to Christmas I get 5 million times busier. I wanted to put our decorations up early so I wouldn't be rushed to do so later & I wanted them to be up when my family comes in town next week for Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm currently in the middle of planning the first Turkey Day that I'm hosting! It's scary but with the help of my fellow SHEs I feel prepared, sorta. I knew one dish I couldn't forget is the Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole. My aunt makes it every holiday (think Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) and it's my favorite! 

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Serves 4 (Double or Triple if you're making for a crowd!)

1 16oz Bag of Frozen Broccoli

1/2 Pound of Velveeta 

1 Cup of Milk

1 Can Cream of Celery Soup

3 Cups Cooked Rice

1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper

1. Spray a 2-quart Baking Dish with Cooking Spray & Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 

2. Boil water for about 10 minutes or until very tender

3. Drain broccoli very well and mix everything in a baking dish

4. Bake for 25 minutes

This recipe is so yummy & a great side dish any night of the week! You can also add cooked, shredded chicken and you have a full, easy dinner! Hope you guys have a great weekend. 

Xo,

Riley 

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Sweet Potato Casserole

I love Thanksgiving!!!  It is by far my favorite holiday. I love all the wonderful food that makes this day the greatest.   My table would not be complete without this southern staple!  Sweet Potato Casserole is a much needed dish.  Everyone needs to have a tried and true version in their recipie book. 

Sweet potatoes are kind of a pain to peel.  A sweet friend of mine made my life easier when she said, boil the potatoes with the skins on them.  Then the skins just slide off. This has made making this dish a breeze.  

Now this year we are going to take Thanksgiving to the beach.   So personally, I am making the base of the sweet potato mixture and putting it in a container and then the topping in another container.  I will put them in a serving dish at the beach and bake.  I usually make this two to three days before Thanksgiving. Doing the prep work I can each day makes the actual meal day easier.  

Sweet Potato Casserole

5 sweet potatoes (cooked and peeled)

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Place all the above ingredients in mixer and mix well.  Place in a casserole dish. 

Make topping.

Topping

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/3 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Crumble topping on top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  

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Roasted Potatoes

Hey Y’all! Potatoes are one of my “go-tos” for an easy side dish, but I was tired of the standard mashed, smashed, and baked. So I decided to try roasting them – and they were a hit! They were extremely easy and flavorful and would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving meal.

I start by preheating my oven to 450 degrees and rinse two large baking potatoes. Two large potatoes will feed about 3 people, or two really hungry people!

Next, cut your potatoes into bite sized cubes.

Now, cube them up and toss them in a mixing bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, garlic powder, onion flakes, salt, and pepper.

Once combined, pour over your cubed potatoes and toss in a baking dish.

Pop them into your oven for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

Recipe

2 Large Baking Potatoes

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion flakes

They’re easy as that! I hope you enjoy!

xo ~ Brittney

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Southern Pecan Pie

          

Hey friends ~   

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week! Can you believe it?  I feel old, but it really does seem like it was just here.  But you know, every day should be like Thanksgiving, there is so much to be Thankful for. 

This week on the blog, we will be sharing some of our favorite recipes we have for Thanksgiving dinner.  My recipe is for a delish Southern Pecan Pie.  Can you guess where my recipe came from??  One of my favorite cookbooks ~ it is a cookbook with recipes from a local church.  And it has the best dishes.  Of all my cookbooks, recipe collections from churches seem to be some of my favorites.  I have had this one since 1988 and I promise you I use it all year.

   

 The recipe is really quite easy ~ 

1 Pet Ritz pie shell crust- deep dish     

             1 tsp. vanilla   

3 eggs  

1 c. sugar

¼ c. melted butter        

½ c. Karo syrup (white corn syrup)

1 c. pecans

Set oven to 325 degrees.  Beat eggs slightly with a whisk in a 2 qt. bowl.  Stir in sugar, syrup, vanilla and butter until all is mixed together. It looks so yummy!  

 Stir in your cup of pecans. Now pour the batter into an unbaked deep dish pie shell.  Put the pie on a baking sheet and place in the oven.  Just in case in bubbles over, your oven won't be quite so messy.  Bake the pie for 1 hour or until it looks “firm”.  I start checking it at about 40 minutes.  I have found in my oven 1 hour is too long.   The middle will look soft/ jiggly but it will be gel as it cools.           

You can use a toothpick to check also. Do you know that trick?  If you stick a toothpick into the center of a cake or brownies and it comes out “clean” (meaning no batter is stuck on it), then the dessert is baked.   I learned to not overcook it and it seems to be better every year.

  

 

Take the pie out of oven and allow it to cool completely before cutting.  It is a very pretty dessert that is actually pretty easy to make.  What do you think?  Mine bubbled up a little, but that doesn't affect the taste.  Let me know if you try this one for your holiday get togethers.

Amy 

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