Favors

For your Thanksgiving party favors include such items as candy, calendars, posters, crayons, plush turkeys and other inexpensive toys.

Thanksgiving Party Games

*Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt: Before the Thanksgiving party, hide the treats and toys all around the room. (It's best to play this game before any others because children might accidentally discover some of the treasure while playing other games.)

Hide the items in plain sight by matching the colors or shapes of the objects with the objects in the party room. For example, if you're hiding a red jelly bean, put it next to a red book on the shelf so it's camouflaged but still easy to find. Hide the items behind furniture or other objects instead of inside drawers or between seat cushions.

At game time, gather children together, hand them lunch bags to hold the treasure, and tell them to find the hidden goodies. Give them three minutes (or more or less time, depending on the group) to find the items. Every time they find a toy or treat, they should put it in their sack and quickly move on. When the time is up, count the items in each child's bag and see who found the most - that person wins.

*Can You Catch This?: To play the following Thanksgiving party game of toss and catch, tie a 24-inch-long string 2 inches from the top of 12-inch dowel. On the free end of the string, tie a loop about 3 inches in diameter. Hold the dowel in your hand with the stringed end pointing upward. Gently swing the string around and try to hook the loop onto the top of the dowel.

*Thread the Needle: Best suited for younger children (of the "London Bridge is Falling Down" age), this Thanksgiving party game takes its inspiration from the common 17th-century pastime of sewing.

To play, several people stand in two rows, and each person holds hands with the player opposite her. The last pair forms an arch with their hands. Then the other players pass under the arch and reform the two rows. The game continues at least until everyone has had a chance to form the arch - but can continue endlessly.

*Bobbing for Apples: Fill a large container with room-temperature water. Drop in some apples and get the kids to bob for apples without using their hands. (They have to put their face in the water and bite on apples.)

*Hot Pumpkin: During this Thanksgiving party version of a classic "Hot Potato" game, kids sit in a circle and pass the mini pumpkin while the music is playing. When the music stops, the person holding a pumpkin goes out of the game and receives a small prize.

*Snatch!: While the guests are in another room, place various objects on the Thanksgiving party table (arrange them in any way you want). Make sure the kids don't get to see what's on the table until you're ready to start the game.

The kids sit down at the table. Next, they take a good look at the small items, and remember what they are. A chosen player then turns his back and closes his eyes.

While his eyes are closed, point to another player and have that player quietly take one of the toys or treats off the table, and hide them from view. The first player can then face the group again - he must determine which item is missing from the table, and who snatched it. Allow him or her a few guesses and then have the culprit confess and show the stolen item.

Return the item to the table before beginning the next round. The player who snatched the item leads the next round, closing his or her eyes and facing away from the group. Select another player to snatch an item. Play continues until everyone has had a chance to snatch and guess.

*Simon Says: Play this traditional game, which is well known and liked by many children.

*Ha Ha Ha: The kids sit or stand in a circle. One player begins by saying "Ha," as solemnly as possible. The next player in the circle says, "Ha Ha," and the player after that, "Ha Ha Ha." Play continues with each player adding a "Ha" during his or her turn. The players must all keep a straight face throughout the game.

Any player who smiles or giggles must leave the circle; however, he or she can now move around the circle trying to make the other kids laugh. That child can make funny faces or noises, but cannot touch the other players. The game ends when only one player remains in the circle by having kept a straight face throughout all the laughter.

*Beanbag Toss: Before your Thanksgiving party, cut the top off a large pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Get enough beanbags (or socks filled with dried beans) for all your party guests. At game time, have the kids toss the beanbags inside the pumpkin for points.

Food and Drink

Thanksgiving Cake:

*Turkey Cake: For this Thanksgiving party cake recipe, you'll need 1 cake mix, 1 can milk chocolate frosting, 4 oz coconut, food coloring, 1 tube white decorating icing, 1 licorice twist, 12 red hots, 2 pieces candy corn, one 9-inch round cake pan and cupcake pans.

Mix the cake following package directions. Bake the cake in one 9-inch round cake pan and make 14 cupcakes. While the cake is cooling, color the coconut. Divide the coconut into thirds and tint one-third yellow, one-third orange, and one-third red.

To make the turkey's head, cut the rounded top and 1/4 inch of the most rounded cupcake. From the bottom of the cupcake cut a triangle or the beak. From another cupcake cut 2 rectangles for the neck.

Place the round cake in the center of a tray and frost the top and sides. Frost the tops of 8 cupcakes and place them around the top of the cake. Frost the sides of the cupcakes. Cut 4 cupcakes in half. Put 7 half-cupcakes around the original 8, placing them where 2 whole cupcakes meet. Frost the tops and outer rounded sides of these half-cupcakes.

Frost the cupcake for the turkey's head and place it in the center of the cake, about two-thirds of the way down from the top. Frost the beak and neck pieces and place them on the cake. Dip a butter knife into water and smooth the frosting on the head, beak, and neck.

Place 6 red hots in 2 groups of 3 on top of the head for the crown and place 5 red hots under the beak for the wattle. Place 2 pieces of candy corn on the beak. Put a dot of white decorating icing on the head for the eye and place a very small red hot in the center of the white icing.

Sprinkle the red coconut on the half-cupcakes, the orange coconut on the whole cupcakes, and the yellow coconut on the upper edge of the cake. Use all of the coconut to give fullness to the feathers and do not leave any spaces between the coconut colors. Cut two 2-inch pieces of licorice twist for the feet. To make the 3 toes, on the bottom of each piece make 2 cuts 3/4 inch long and separate the 3 pieces of licorice slightly. With a knife make 2 slits in the bottom of the cake and insert the licorice feet into the cake.

Thanksgiving Party Food Ideas:

*Roasted Fowl: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Lightly salt and pepper the cavities. Loosely fill the neck and body cavities with stuffing. Using a thin metal skewer or needle and thread, skewer or sew the openings shut. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and fold the wings back and under the body of the turkey.

Place the turkey breast side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Next, soak cheesecloth in water and squeeze it dry. Saturate in the melted butter and drape it over the turkey. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan and bake the turkey for about 15 to 20 minutes per pound. The cheesecloth will help keep the meat moist, but you also should baste the bird once every hour or so.

Forty-five minutes before the turnkey is done, remove the cheesecloth and let the turkey brown. If the legs and breast are browning too quickly, cover them with foil. The turkey is cooked when an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers between 180° and 185°. Remove the turkey to a serving platter. Cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

*Country Herb Stuffing: For this Thanksgiving party recipe, you'll need 2 tbsp butter; 1 diced onion; 4 diced celery ribs; 2 tart apples (peeled, cored, and finely diced); 1 loaf Italian bread (cubed, and dried in a 350° oven); 1/2 loaf whole wheat or oatmeal bread (cubed and dried in a 350° oven); 2-3 tbsp poultry seasoning; 3-5 cups turkey or chicken stock.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions and celery until soft. Add the apples and sauté for about 5 minutes. Lightly toss the bread cubes with the apple-onion mixture, seasonings, and salt. Bring the stock to a simmer and pour it over the seasoned bread cubes. Stuffing moistness is a personal preference, so adjust to your family's taste and then refrigerate until ready to stuff the bird.

*Turkey Bread: Cut the top off a round loaf, hollow out the center, and fill with store-bought clam dip. Slice the loaf top in half for the bird's wings and attach them with toothpicks.

To make the head, cut an X in a roll and insert a carrot tip for the nose with a red pepper wattle. Use toothpicks to attach the head and raisin eyes.

For "feathers," slice a zucchini, summer squash, and carrot lengthwise into 1/4-inch slabs and push into bamboo skewers. For a feathery look, jag the edges, then stick into the bread.

*Pumpkin Ice-Cream Pie: For this Thanksgiving party favorite, you'll need 1 quart vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, 1 cup plain canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, and a pie crust.

Throw everything (except the crust, of course) into a large bowl and stir. When the filling is mixed, pour it into the prepared crust and set it in a level place in the freezer to harden overnight.

*Dugout Canoes: Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides to make "vessels." Blanch the "canoes" in boiling water. Then fill with frozen corn that's been cooked with a little cream and seasoned with salt and pepper. Finally, add "seats" cut out of carrots and "oars" made from peppers.

*Miniature Cornucopias: For table party favors, fill sugar cones with fruit-shaped candies, marzipan fruits, candy corn, or fruit-shaped cereal, and tie with a ribbon.

*Corn on the Cob
*Grilled Meat
*Mashed Potatoes
*Garden Salad
*Turkey Potpies
*Applesauce
*Ice Cream

Thanksgiving Party Drink Ideas:

*Hot Apple Cider
*Cranberry Punch
*Hot Cocoa
*Milk

*Source for Content & Photos: Courtesy of Family Fun Magazine