Food & Party Planning Ideas

Thanksgiving
Liven Up the Children's Table with Great Food and Fun Activities
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Pilgrim's Pie
Cranberry Wiggles
Pudding in Edible Cups

NOTE: Ideas are compliments from Wilton, per email to me 11/06. Products from this manuf. are only availble, usually, for a few months to one year. If you are reading this after 2006, and you find the products no longer listed, there will be others you can substitute on the page links below.

Does the thought of having to sit at the kiddy table leave your little ones in a Turkey Day Depression? Turn those frowns upside down when you serve delicious food and fun activities from Wilton.

"Many children don't like being separated from the rest of the family during mealtime," said Nancy Siler, the consumer affairs director of Wilton Enterprises. "The key to making the kids' table the ‘hippest' seat in the house is to offer fun crafts and delicious, kid-friendly dishes."

Kids' Table Craft Ideas
& Instead of a regular tablecloth, place an extra large sheet of paper on the table. Take a Styrofoam brick or half-ball and stick crayons in it for a fun centerpiece! Drawing will keep them busy before and after the meal is served.

    * Have your little ones "give you a hand" in the kitchen, when you make a turkey hand at the kids' table! Place construction paper, safety scissors, glue, glitter, feathers, pipe cleaners and crayons in a shoe box under each child's chair. This will help keep the creative mess to a minimum and give the parents something to cherish for years to come.
    * Before dinner, have the children divide up into Pilgrims and Indians. Create a character for each child and have them make hats, headbands and accessories with construction paper, markers and feathers. At dinner, have the children get into costume and reenact the first Thanksgiving. Make this a family tradition for years to come!


Pilgrim's Pie
This Thanksgiving make the little ones their own special dinner using all the traditional trimmings of a turkey day feast. Pilgrim's Pie combines all the favorites you're already cooking like turkey, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Mix all these and other yummy ingredients together and bake. The kids will "gobble" it up, plus they'll love that it's shaped like a pumpkin, thanks to our Pumpkin Pie Pan. Don't forget to use Harvest Mini Cutter Set to make cheese cutouts to place on top. Just remember, this one is only for the kids!

Tools:
    * Pumpkin Pie Pan 2105-3970
    * Disposable Decorating Bag
    * Tip: 1M
    * Harvest Mini Metal Cutter Set 2308-1217

Ingredients:

    * 5 cups cooked mashed potatoes or 2 packages (1lb. 4oz.) pre-made mashed potatoes*
    * 2 cups turkey, cooked and cubed
    * 1 cup cooked fresh or frozen mixed vegetables (frozen vegetables should not be cooked)
    * 1 cup turkey gravy
    * 2 slices American or cheddar cheese for garnish
    * Paprika

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray Pumpkin Pie Pan with vegetable pan spray. Spread half of potatoes on bottom of pan, top with turkey, vegetables and gravy. Using Disposable Decorating Bag fitted with 1M tip, fill bag half full with remaining mashed potatoes. Pipe stars around entire pie. Sprinkle with paprika and bake 20 - 25 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned around edges and gravy is bubbly. Top pie with cheese cut out from Harvest Mini Metal Cutter Set. Serve immediately.

* If using pre-made packaged mashed potatoes, add 2 teaspoons butter or margarine, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Heat in microwave safe container until warm.

YIELD: Serves 4 - 6



Cranberry Wiggles
Put a new spin on a Thanksgiving tradition by creating Cranberry Wiggles. Canned jellied cranberry sauce cutouts made with Harvest Mini Cutter Set are simple and refreshing. Let the kids help out in making these berry delicious goodies. Give each child a Mini Cutter and form a Wiggles assembly line!

Tools:

    * Harvest Mini Metal Cutter Set 2308-1217

Ingredients:

    * 1 can (16 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce

Remove entire can of jellied cranberry sauce and place onto cutting board. For easier removal of cranberry, try running a knife around inside of can or remove both ends of the can and push out. Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Using the Harvest Mini Metal Cutter, cut out cranberry wiggles. 



Pudding in Edible Cups
If the kids don't like the traditional Thanksgiving desserts, then surprise them with Pudding in Edible Cups. Using Merckens coating chocolate, simply coat the inside of a Wilton baking cup. After it's been refrigerated and the baking cup has been peeled off, add your child's favorite instant pudding. All the adults will be envious as the kids get to decorate their own cup using Mini Pumpkins and Petite Leaves Icing Decorations. For added flair, shake on some of Wilton's Leaves Mix Sprinkles.

Tools:

    * Lollipop Sticks
    * Decorator Brush Set 2104-9355
    * Baking Cups

Ingredients:

    * Merkens Chocolate coating 3/4 lb
    * Petite Leaves Icing Decorations 710-230
    * Mini Pumpkins Icing Decorations 710-532
    * Leaves Mix Sprinkles

1 package (3.3 ounces) instant pudding: chocolate, vanilla or favorite flavor

Make pudding according to package directions and set aside.

To Make Cups:
Place entire bag of Candy Melts® in microwave oven safe bowl and melt on 40% power or defrost setting for one minute. Stir thoroughly. Continue to microwave and stir every

30 seconds until smooth and completely melted. Holding the baking cup in your hand, use decorator brush to coat inside of cup with melted chocolate. Coat baking cup thick enough so that no paper can be seen. Refrigerate coated cups on cookie sheet until firm. Unmold by carefully peeling off baking cups. Fill cups with pudding. Decorate with Petite Leaves and Mini Pumpkins Icing Decorations. For added flair, top with Leaves Mix Sprinkles.

Variation:
Marbleize colate coating for a fun look. Separately melt two different colors of chocolate coating. Using a Lollipop Stick to draw lines in mixture, swirl colors together. Do not over mix. Continue with above directions.

YIELD: Serves 12 - 18


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