Countdown to Thanksgiving - Easy Turkey Votive and Air Fryer Potato Skins

 

This sweet guy is quick and easy to make, and looks cute just about anywhere you sit him. 

*this post contains affiliate links   

To make him you will need the following items which can all be found at the Dollar Tree .

round glass bowl 

ping pong ball 

feathers 

google eyes 

felt scraps 

I used orange paint when painting the bowl and ping pong ball  instead of brown, so the light could show through the glass votive easier. 

Once the paint was dry, I hot glued the ping pong ball to the front of the glass bowl, and feathers in the shape of a turkey tale to the back.  Then then added the eyes and felt to the ping pong ball to make the turkey's face.  

In the bowl I used a battery tea light. I am not sure how an actual candle would do with the acrylic paint.  

My turkey greeted our guests on the bathroom counter near a fall flower bouquet. 

To make this easy appetizer or side dish,  you will need some potatoes, cheese, bacon, and any other fixings you like to add. 

While this is not the exact air fryer I have, this Kalorik 3.5 qt it is  the same brand and size. It has good ratings and as they time of this post is on sale.  

To make my potato skins I started with six potatoes that will make 12 potato skins.  I bake mine in the microwave, but you can bake them anyway you prefer. 

I sliced the potatoes the long way and scoop out some of the potato filling and place it in a large bowl. 

I split the potatoes into two batches, since they wouldn't all fit in my air fryer. I baked them for 3-4 minutes at 390 degrees.  This was to crisp the outer skin just a bit before filling them.  

While the skins were crisping, I mixed up the filling.  We keep our potatoes pretty simple. In the bowl on top of the potato is six pieces of bacon broken in a pieces, shredded cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper. 

I then filled the skins and placed them back in the air fryer for five more minutes.  After they baked those five minutes, to  make them extra cheesy, I added sprinkled more cheese on top and let that melt for one  more minute.  

The finished potatoes are so good, and don't last long!  

BONUS TIP  If you have any potato filling left over, just mix it with scrambled eggs the next morning for a filling breakfast. 

Today's Shopping Tip is a fun one. If you plan on going out for Black Friday shopping on Friday morning, you might want to make Kohls one of your first stops.  The first 200 people who enter the stores will be part of their TGIBF Sweepstakes.  Everyone of 18 years old will be given a game piece with the possibility to win over a million dollars in prizes.  The big prize is a trip to Legoland, but they are also giving away gift cards, appliances and Kohls cash. Every card will win something. 

I have another easy last minute Thanksgiving recipe planned for tomorrow.  See you then.  

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It's Party Time - Let's Dare to Share

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Is it snowing where you live?  It sort of is where I am. While we only got a little bit of snow in Ohio, this is a Michigan weekend.  The west side of Michigan got hit by a lot of snow.  Thankfully, I am visiting my friend and my son near Michigan State where they did get some snow, but missed the big storm. Later in the weekend we will be visiting east side Michigan where they did not get snow. All of Michigan is bitter cold right now though, so there is that.. 

Well we are in the last few days before Thanksgiving.  Are you ready? We mostly are.  I think we might need just a couple of ingredients, and then we have everything.  I am making a big meal, but not on Thanksgiving day. We are having two Thanksgiving meals this year. On Thanksgiving Day with some relatives, and then another one at our house with just a few people.  I am looking forward to those leftovers, so I can make my Leftover Turkey Pizza. 

I did share three new Thanksgiving countdown posts this week.  

The first one was cute Thanksgiving Turkey Candy Dish that is easy to make using Dollar Tree items.  

 

If you are having guests over for Thanksgiving or any other time, Make Ahead French Toast is one of my favorite dishes to serve. It is quick and easy to put together the night before, and then just pop in the oven  when you are ready to have breakfast or brunch. 

The third post was one of our favorite appetizers to serve. These Easy Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms  are perfect for guests or any time really.  I am getting hungry just thinking about them.  

I do have some new listings up in my Etsy Shop I made a fun Christmas Trivia Bundle  with trivia about  your favorite Christmas music, movies, TV shows and more.  

Well it is getting late, so it is time to get this party started.  

Link up and HAVE FUN!

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Countdown to Thanksgiving - Easy Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms

During the shutdown in the spring of 2020, I finally had some time on my hands to try out some new recipes. One our favorite recipes that we tried were these air fryer mushrooms.  They were so good, and I still make them often.  

If you are having company in the next few weeks, you might want to give them a try. I used an air fryer to make these, but they most likely could be cooked in the oven.

**this post contains affiliate links 

If you are in the market for an air fryer though, there are a few on Amazon that are similar to the one I use.  I bought mine a few years ago so I can not find the exact one. 

 

I have a Kalorik 3.5 qt air fryer  that is a bit more rounded, but this square Kalorik is pretty similar and a decent price with good ratings.  

I also think this one looks interesting is a  Instant Vortex 4 in 1 air fryer/oven combo.  It is 2 qts and by the makers of Instant Pot. It is also currently on sale! 

You will need a half brick of cream cheese, a handful of shredded cheese, and half bag bacon bits. ) I used Aldi bacon bits which is a small bag) 

When mixing the ingredients together I decided to add some of the dice mushroom stems as well.  It is optional if you add any or not.  

I generously stuff the mushroom with the mixture which stuff about a dozen mushrooms.

I cooked them at 360 degrees for 10 minutes in my air fryer.  The time may vary depending on what you are using to bake them so check after 5-6 minutes or so.  

The finished mushrooms are so delicious and take only a few minutes to throw together.  They are perfect for almost any kind of get together.  

While looking through my old blog posts to share the craft that I planned on sharing today, the post seems to be missing.  It may be that it was something we made, but I did not actually post about. When I was looking, I went down a rabbit hole. (I tend to go down rabbit holes often)  For the last hour I scrolled  through several years of blog posts.  Even though I d did not find what I was looking for, I am excited about what I did find.  I now have many more posts to share for next few weeks.  See you in the next post. 

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Countdown to Thanksgiving - Make Ahead French Toast

 

If you are expecting gifts this Thanksgiving, Christmas, or really any time, then the recipe I am sharing today will be a game changer. 

I started making Make Ahead French Toast the night before a holiday years ago, and still make it several times a year.  It doesn't take long to prepare, and but then next morning all you need to do is put it in the oven.  Since I made it several times over the years, some of these pictures are of slight variations and versions I have made. 

For this recipe you will need

bread (any kind, white, wheat, raisin, specialty) 

4 -6 eggs

1/2 cup of milk 

vanilla 

cinnamon sugar mix (if desired) 

cream cheese (any kind) 

If you are making for more than 6 people you may need to double the recipe. 

You will need two pieces of bread per person.  You may want to make a few extras though.  Lay your bread pieces in the bottom of a casserole pan.  (or pans based on how many you make) 

Spread cream cheese on each of the bottom pieces.  I have used regular cream cheese and strawberry cream cheese on different types of bread.   My favorite bread to use is cinnamon raisin bread. 

Once the cream cheese is spread place another piece of bread on top.  If you only have plain bread but want to add cinnamon sugar, this is when yo would sprinkle it over the bread pieces. 

In the photo in the bottom, I cut the bread in half to so more would fit in my pan. 

In a bowl mix your eggs and milk mixture and then pour it over the bread.  

Cover the casserole dish with foil and place in the fridge over night.  

The next morning allow the dish sit for a few minutes so it does not go in the over cold.   Preheat the over to 350 degrees.     Bake for 30 minutes with foil on and for 10-15 more with foil off.  

I love to add some sliced strawberries on top of the French Toast and add some syrup.  What is really nice about this recipe it is extremely easy to adapt it.  It is also nice, because you can serve a delicious filling breakfast with ease, and it doesn't take time away from your guests. 

If you need something to do with your guests, I have several Thanksgiving Activities and Games currently in my Etsy Shop

I have printable games for both kids and adults in my shop The Thanksgiving Trivia Game was a lot of fun to make. I learned so much new info making it.   I plan on using the Thanksgiving Parade Scavenger Hunt while watching the parade this year.  If you have younger kids who need to keep busy, they might like to play the Thanksgiving Matching Game, Thankgiving Riddle Me This, or Thanksgiving Would Your Rather

Tomorrow I have an easy craft for kids, and an original Christmas gift idea to share with you.  See you then! 

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Countdown to Thanksgiving- Turkey Candy Dish

In today's Countdown to Thanksgiving post, I am going to share another useful turkey craft.  I made this sweet guy using basic crafting supplies, and serving dish I bought at the Dollar Tree.

He is simple to make, and could be turned into a project that you do with your kids. I made the turkey's head by folding over three brown pipe cleaners and wrapping them about halfway down with a half of pipe cleaner.   I then hot glued on two small google eyes. 

** this post contains affiliate links 

I then added tear drop shaped orange craft foam beak, and a tiny piece of red felt for the wattle. 

I finished up the bowl by attaching the head to the front of the bowl, and several feathers to the back.  That's all there is to it.  The dish is so simple, but looks so cute sitting out for your guests filled with candy.  

I am not sure this particular bowl is still available as I bought it awhile back, but there are a few other Dollar Tree alternatives that would work.  

The 4 ct crystal cut plastic salad bowls look to be the perfect size, just a little bit deeper than my original dish.  They are also available online at Dollartree.com as one of their smaller quantities items.  

The plastic cut edge oval bowl also looks very similar to my original dish, but I think it is a little bit bigger.  On the website, they are 1.25 each, but you can buy them in a minimum of four.  

Remember if you order items from the website, including the Dollar Tree Plus items they now sell online, in many cases  you can have them shipped for free to your local store so you will not have to pay shipping costs. 

Savings tips of the day  

I found about a few new shopping deals this morning.  

If you buy online and use Rakuten, they are currently offering triple cash back for many of their online retailers.  They are also now offering cash back on many IN STORE purchases at several retailers.   It is so easy to get money back on what you are already buying so it's definitely worth checking out.  If you do not have Rakuten yet, you can sign up here.

If you are hungry you will like this second deal. Subway restaurants currently have a deal where they have 2 footlongs for $12.99 if you order online or through the app through Nov 21st.   Depending on which subs you order, you should be able to save a few dollars off of lunch. 

I think I posted this deal last week, but Oriental  Trading currently has FREE Shipping on any order.   I love buying my party supplies for my parties.   Here are a few of my a favorites which were an   Elf Themed Cookie Party, Woodland Buffalo Plaid Christmas and Gingerbread House Party

Tomorrow I will be sharing one of my favorite holiday recipes that you can use when family is visiting any time of the year..  Hope to see you then! 

 

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It's Time For The Dare to Share Party

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Happy Veterans Day Everyone! Thank you for your service if you served.  I have several veterans in my family.  My dad, my step dad, both my grandfathers and my boyfriend.  

** this post contains affiliate links 

Today was a great day to get some special discounts if you are a Veteran.  I heard about one tonight that is probably too late to use, but I am sure they will have more special discounts leading up to Christmas.   For the next few hours, Rakuten has 11% back on over 300 stores.  I was excited to see that even though Dollar Tree was not included in the 11% back promotion, you can earn a percentage back on your online purchases at Dollar Tree.. YEA!  If you do not have Rakuten and want to see more, you can see their website here.  Rakuten is a great way to save a lot of money while doing your holiday shopping.  

This week I continued with the Countdown to Thanksgiving blog posts with crafts, recipes and more.   Here is what I shared this week. 

I shared how to make this cute napkin rings from a paper towel roll here on my post Turkey Napkin Rings.  It is one of my favorite Thanksgiving Crafts.  

I also shared how to make these turkey place cards and turkey treat boxes on this post here. 

I also shared an easy centerpiece and place card craft with my

Pilgrim hats and a bonus turkey sandwich snack on my post Pilgrim Hats and Turkey Sandwiches.  My kids loved helping me make these adorable turkeys when they were younger.  

Today I shared one of my very favorite Thanksgiving recipes, Leftover Turkey Pizza. It is so good, and I look forward to eating it every year.  

I also had a really good week over on Etsy Shop. I hit 100 sales.  I also got several new Thanksgiving listings up.  One of my favorites is my Thanksgiving Trivia Bundle.  It was a lot of fun to make, and I learned a bunch of new facts about Thanksgiving. 

What have you done this week?  I would love to hear about it.  It is time to link up to this week's party,  so link up and HAVE FUN! 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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