Get Your Game On

While I was in Trevarrow Ace Hardware in Troy the other day, checking out aluminum baking pans for the Jennie-O turkey experiment last weekend (I opted for the pan without handles – less expensive!), I wandered into the candle aisle  and lo and behold, I spotted my first Thanksgiving Day game prize — Yankee Candle votives, at $2 each.

A hardware store is chockfull of affordable surprises at every turn.

Ranging in scents from the new “Cherries on Snow” to “Pumpkin Pie” to “Sparkling Cinnamon,” these votives are as festive as you can get. Who can’t use a few new candles to jumpstart the holiday season?

I’m known as “mistress of games” in my family, as there’s only so much chit-chat, football game viewing and food-coma snoozing a hostess can handle. Since there’s  no caroling yet, as it’s just Thanksgiving, what’s a hostess to do? Get her game on!

For years, I’ve emceed a Thanksgiving trivia contest. Do you know how long the first Thanksgiving lasted? My brother-in-law, Greg, surely does (he almost always wins in trivia). I award first, second and third prizes, with gifts ranging from large candy bars to handmade soaps shaped like turkeys to holiday-themed dish towels to hand lotion. This year, I’m adding  those aforementioned sweet- and spicy-smelling votives to the spoils.

Head's up: Tails, you win

One of my favorite games is “Pin the Tail on the Turkey.” It gets everyone off the sofa, away from the table and out of their chairs. You can draw your own turkey and tape it to a wall, or use the template here. Then blindfold each guest before having them turn around a few times to mix up their orientation. Then give them a different colored tail with tape on the back and watch them try to stick it on the bird’s back area.

All ages, young and old, love to watch people make fools out of themselves. Just be sure someone’s watching the older folks to be sure they don’t get dizzy and fall.

It makes for great video as well. Even teens get into the act (it doesn’t hurt that one of the prizes could be an ITunes, Gamestop or Subway gift card).

I’ve also bought those small, inexpensive over-the-door hoops baskets (Hasbo Nerf, $6.99 at Walgreens) and hung them on a door just off the family room. I give each guest three chances to make a basket (with a small ball) from a certain distance. If there’s a tie, we lengthen the distance for round two. Aunt Donna is queen of the Thanksgiving court at this point.

My husband also runs a living room putting contest. All you need is a putter, a drinking glass (set on its side, to putt the ball into) and a golf ball. It’s fun to see who can get a hole in one (note: the putting area must be carpeted). Whoever gets the most in three tries, wins!

Branching out in a crafty way

A crafty way to enjoy guests’ company is to create a gratitude tree, suggested April McCrumb, owner of Catching Fireflies, the home décor and gift shops located in Berkley and Rochester Hills, and the Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley.

She selects branches out of the backyard at her Beverly Hills home and then adheres  paper with notes on them that describe what she’s thankful for. When her out-of-town family arrives for Thanksgiving, they will add to it. McCrumb is also the founder of a.i. paper design, which features McCrumb’s handmade frames, recipe books, photo albums and more.

“I’m offering a free printable PDF at the site with ideas to get started, for those who want to do it with their family,” she said. We're thankful for that!

Let Others Do the Cooking

One of my friends is a bit freaked about hosting Thanksgiving at her boyfriend’s home. 

“I’m a little crazed,” she told me. “His kids will be there and all of that (he’s divorced and has children who live out East).

While she was sharing this with me, I was simultaneously reading email and had serendipitously received a note from the owners of Canapé Cart in Ferndale.

“Hey,” I told my friend. “You can order all of your sides from this great place. It won’t be like you’re not cooking; you’re just making it easier and you can get to know his family better, etc. by not being a slave in the kitchen. Make the turkey, do the potatoes, stuffing and gravy, and pick up everything else.”

“I might check that out,” she said, sounding relieved.

No one should ever feel bad about ordering a takeout for Thanksgiving. If you think about it, most of us delegate many of the side dishes anyway. At my house, I’m in charge of the turkey, potatoes, rolls, stuffing, gravy and dessert, and many of the guests bring the sides. I could very well pick those up, but don't need to. Everyone's situation is different, and the main thing is to gather around a table and share food, right?

I plan to make a gluten-free coconut cream pie, and will pick up a few pies at the Grand Traverse Pie Company. This year, I’ve got my heart set on a cherry concoction.

If you prefer cherry pie, you’ll be happy to know that the nation's forecasted tart cherry production for 2011 totals 266.1 million pounds, up 40 percent from the 2010 production. Of this 2011 total, the overwhelming majority (210.0 million pounds) will be produced in Michigan, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. (Another way to enjoy a Pure Michigan —  or partly pure — feast on Thanksgiving: Refer back to Day 3 for tips on Michigan wines).

Back to the sides. I can't see how anyone can go wrong with Canapé Cart’s sides.  Owners Kathleen O’Neill and Mary Rembelski, whose company was established in 1987, focus on innovative cuisine, distinctive presentations for celebrations and events, cooking classes and a terrific to-go business that is especially appealing this time of year. They’re also big on using healthy ingredients.

“We started our business because of our love of food, good wines and world travel,” Rembelski said.  

Pick it up 

Here's the lowdown on takeouts for everything from stuffing and sweet potatoes to the entire feast.

• Canapé Cart’s Thanksgiving sides menu includes classic sage scented bread stuffing with sautéed onions, celery and apples; classic mashed potatoes; braised brussels sprouts with almonds and dried cherries; green beans with sun-dried tomatoes; brown sugar-glazed sweet potatoes with pecans; and cranberry orange relish. You must order by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. 

• The Grand Traverse Pie Company (in Brighton and Troy) folks are excited about their Northport pumpkin pie. Other favorites include pecan varieties, including the Blissful Chocolate Pecan. Autumn Harvest Pies also are tempting.

• The Royal Park Hotel  in Rochester has a “Thanksgiving with Wings” that features a herb-roasted organic free-range turkey (16- to 20-pound average); honey and pecan-crusted ham (5 to 6 pounds); grilled asparagus; sugar-glazed carrots and buttered French beans; savory sage and onion stuffing; creamy Yukon mashed potatoes; roasted sweet potato casserole with maple syrup and pecans; housemade cranberry and orange chutney; gravy; artisan breads; and two pies that will feed 12 to 14 (we’re having 14 … should I?). Orders taken until Monday, Nov. 21.

• Honey Baked Ham (11 metro-area locations) offers easy on-line ordering for cooked turkeys and all the trimmings.

• Boston Market offers entire meals or sides (20 Michigan locations) that can be ordered with  an easy pick-and-click process, online.

• Nino Salvaggio markets (St. Clair Shores, Troy and Clinton Township locations) plan to whip up a great bread stuffing with sage, turkey gravy and orange cranberry relish and selling it from Nov. 21-23. The store offers samples as well. You can also purchase a variety of sides and more.

• Papa Joe’s Market (Birmingham and Rochester) features great sides as well as beautiful cheese and fruit trays.     

• The Kroger deli is featuring  convenient holiday meals, with all the favorites, from turkey to pie – plus all the trimmings. Order forms are available at local stores. Just select your dinner options and pick-up time and fill in contact information on the form and give to a deli  associate. When you bring your feast home, all you’ll have to do is heat it.

• Westborn Markets (Dearborn, Berkley and Livonia) feature a veritable cornucopia of prepared foods, from macaroni and cheese to party trays and fruit platters. Customize your trays with everything from Westborn corn chips and salsa to artisan cheeses.