Cranberry Sauce

Ella, my little chef, helped me make the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving tomorrow. The recipe is from the book we have been reading this week called A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841 Written by Barbara Greenwood and Illustrated by Heather Collins. It was a really simple recipe to make and Ella loved hearing the cranberries pop as they cooked.






Here's the recipe:

PIONEER CRANBERRY SAUCE

2 c. of fresh cranberries
1 Tbsp butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Combine the cranberries, butter, sugar, and water in a pot. Ask an adult to turn on the burner to medium. Heat the mixture to the boiling point, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

2. Boil rapidly until the berries pop, about 5 minutes.

3. Ask an adult to take the pot off the burner. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the cinnamon.

4. Cover the sauce and put it in the refrigerator until firm. Store leftover sauce in fridge or freezer.

Giving Thanks

This week we made a Tree of Thanks. :) I got the idea from FamilyFun online.



It was really easy and fun to make and a great way for everyone to express their gratitude for the many blessing in their lives. All you need is a tree branch, some paper to cut leaf shapes from, a hole puncher, some yarn or string, scissors, a pen, pencil or marker, and a base to hold your Thankful Tree (we used a milk glass vase, but you could also use a flower pot or jar).

Cut out leaf shapes from your paper and then have each family member write on their leaf (or leaves) what they are thankful for, then punch a hole in the top each leaf and hang from the tree using your yarn or string. We displayed our Tree of Thanks in our living room but it would also make a great table centerpiece for Thanksgiving.

I loved reading what my kids came up with to be thankful for in their lives for their leaves. Everytime I look at it it makes my heart happy and reminds me of how much we have to be thankful for. :)

Here is what they wrote (or in the case of Ella what she told me and I wrote for her):

Ella said she is thankful for her family, rainbows, flowers, and dogs
Gwen said she is thankful for her family, food, and her pets
Raven said she is thankful for family and banana splits
<3 :)