Sweet Little Turkeys

Sweet T.O.M. Turkeys

via Family Fun 

almost too cute to eat

Just couldn't resist these adorable Thanksgiving Cupcakes from Family Fun Magazine!

Their candy corn plumage and shortbread wings guarantee that these irresistible Treat of the Month Turkeys (T.O.M.s for short) will be gobbled up as soon as they land on the dessert table.

                Ingredients:

• Cupcake
• Chocolate frosting
• 3 oval shortbread cookies (we used Keebler Sandies Right Bites Shortbread)
• 6 to 10 candy corn pieces

• White icing
• Black decorators' gel
• Red fruit leather (we used strawberry Fruit by the Foot)
  
  
  
  

  

                  Instructions:

  1. Frost the cupcake, then press in a cookie head and 2 cookie wings.
     
  2. Press in a row or two of candy corn tail feathers.
     
  3. To make an eye, add a small dot of white icing to the head, then add a dot of black decorators' gel for a pupil.
     
  4. For a beak, cut the white tip from a piece of candy corn and press it in place.
     
  5. To make the wattle, cut a 1-inch square of fruit leather. Roll it into a tube and stick it in place over the beak.
     

Tuesday Tip- Be ready for Thanksgiving

 Be ready for Thanksgiving 

How to:  Quick-Clean Your Oven

via Good Housekeeping

Remove the racks and drip pans, and clean them with a damp paper towel. Wipe down all surfaces inside your oven. If you see a small bit of burned-on gunk, remove with a nonabrasive scrubber. Use a scrub brush to clean the racks, dry, and put back in.

Heloise Hint: If something spills over while baking, pour table salt on it, and when the oven is cool, you will have a much quicker cleanup. Give the oven window a good rubdown with vinegar and water.

I still love you pumpkin...

some pumpkin inspiration

photos via Martha Stewart,Coutnry Living and Better Homes & Gardens

Veteran's One Day Sale

Please take time today to say 

Thank You!

 Free Veterans Day Greeting Card - HERE

To learn more about honoring our Veterans

Visit These Links:

Mack - Mark Miner Military Blog

American Legion National Headquarters

AMVETS National Headquarters

Department of Veterans Affairs

Disabled American Veterans

The Official Moving Wall Website

Military.com

www.silverandgoldandthee.com:80/Holiday2/Rem.html

www.sherylfranklin.com/holidays/veterans_day.html

www.fathershands.com/finalinspection/

Pineapple Hill is offering 20% off today in honor of our Veterans.

Use Coupon Code: THANK YOU

(offer valid today only)

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

via Real Simple

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• 8 large peanut butter cups, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a pan over low heat.
3. Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Lower speed and pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix in the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold in the peanut butter cups.
4. Scrape into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until the tip of a knife comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Tuesday Tip

How to Untangle Delicate Necklaces

Use a straight pin to gently pull out all of the knots. If that doesn't work, place the necklace on a hard, nonporous surface such as glass. Apply several drops of baby oil or mineral oil to the chain, then use the pin to untangle the links. Proper storage should help prevent tangling.

Depending on the size of the necklace, you can drop it through a straw, wrap it around an empty spool of thread, or hang it on a nail attached to a bulletin board or other surface.

 
Thanks Heloise!

Pineapple Hill featured at the Wahm Registry

Mom of the Month for November 2009

I joined the Wahm Registry a few years ago.  It's great to meet other "work at home home" moms via the interent.  I'm so excited to be nominated the November " Mom of the Month "!

You can read my intereview

HERE.

Enjoy 20% off for the month of November

Use code: WAHM 11-09

Happy Halloween Cupcakes

So Cute!

Candy, cookies and icing can make a wide variety of Halloween cupcake toppers. From back left, clockwise:
-- Owl Oval chocolate cookie, cashew nut, fruit-flavor candy circles, shaved coconut, pretzel rods
-- Witch Mini candy-coated chocolates, dyed coconut, chocolate cookie, sugar cone, green icing
-- Goblin Sour gummy candy rings and straws, white and green jelly beans, mini chocolate chips
-- Mummy Candy-coated chocolate pieces, green icing
-- Skeleton Large candy mint, licorice pastels, small mints, white sprinkles
-- Bat Halved chocolate wafer cookie, candy-coated chocolate piece, sprinkles, green icing

More fun cupcakes

HERE

and

HERE!

Tuesday Tip

Make no-mess pancakes with the help of a ketchup bottle.

Pour in batter, then squeeze out precise portions.

photo via Mark Lund Real Simple

Pumpkin Possibilities Part 1

Sharing some of my favorite pumpkin pictures.

I found this fun collection from the following magazines:

(Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, All You, Southern Living, Good Housekeeping and Country Home)

More to Come!

Tuesday Tip -Dear List Maker

You will love these

Go HERE to download

Ever so Cute

HalLowEen ParTy PIcks

via The Martha Stewart Show

Tools and Materials

• 1-inch Styrofoam ball
• Craft glue
• Colored construction paper
• Scissors
• Toothpicks
• Liquitex matte medium (we found some at Michaels) 
• Extra fine point paint pen, such as those made by Sharpie
• White pipe cleaners (for skull)
• Green pipe cleaners (for pumpkin)

Halloween Party Picks How-To

1. Use a 1-inch Styrofoam ball. If you're making a witch or skull, mold ball into an upside-down pear shape; otherwise, leave as is.



2. Brush craft glue onto one side of a 3-by-1 1/2-inch strip of colored construction paper.



3. Wrap the paper around the ball, and crimp the edges so that the fold lays flat along the top and bottom. Trim away the excess paper.



4. Dip the tip of a double-pointed toothpick into glue and insert it into the bottom of the ball.



5. Brush a light coat of the matte medium around the ball to seal the paper layer.



6. Let dry for about 20 minutes before you begin to draw different faces on the ball.



Cat

Draw on cat face and whiskers with a white extra fine point paint pen. Cut out 2 small triangles of black construction paper, and glue them to the top of the ball for ears.



Skull

Draw on a skull face with a black extra fine point paint pen. Twist two 2-inch pieces of white pipe cleaner around the toothpick to make crossbones.



Jack-o'-Lantern

Draw on jack-o'-lantern face with a black extra fine point paint pen. Twist a tiny curlicue of green pipe cleaner, and glue it on top to make a stem.



Bat

Draw on bat fangs and eyes using red and white extra fine point paint pens. Cut out 2 small bat wings from black tissue paper, and glue them to the back of the ball.



Witch

Draw on witch face with a black extra fine point permanent marker. Insert the tip of a toothpick into the center of the face to make the nose; paint the nose black with a paint pen. To make the bottom of the witch's hat, cut out a small doughnut shape from construction paper. For the conical body of the hat, cut out a half circle, and overlap the two pointed ends; affix them with craft glue. Attach the two hat pieces with glue.