Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

Ingredients 1 Roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies 1/4 Cup all purpose flour 1 Container (1 lb.) Chocolate creamy ready to spread frosting Candy Corn Orange decorating icing Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits Black decorating gel

Directions Preheat oven to 350º F. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in flour until well blended. Reshape into log. (If too soft to cut into slices, refrigerate up to 30 minutes) Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool completely, about 20 minutes. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in 1 corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to look like turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

Monogrammed Towels

A present bearing a hand-painted monogram shows affectionate effort. Use a set of hand towels and a letter stencil. Lay towel over a sheet of paper. Center stencil on towel and, holding it firmly, apply two coats of washable fabric paint with a medium-size brush. Remove stencil, and let dry, about three hours.

Bath Fizzies

Ice-cube trays serve as molds, giving the fizzies their shape. Using a flexible silicone model lets you slide the cubes out smoothly without breaking them.

Show off the colors of the bath fizzies in glass jars with screw tops, the kind used for storing sugar and flour. Pack each type of fizzy in a separate jar so the scents won't meld. Write the name of the scent on a vellum tag (choose a shade that matches the fizzies), and punch a hole in the top. Thread the tag with ribbon, and tie it around the jar.

Citric acid, a common food additive, is available at wine-making-supply stores, some spice shops, and online. When citric acid is combined with baking soda and placed in water, a chemical reaction creates bubbles.

Makes 1 dozen (use 2 per bath)

Tools and Materials
1/2 cup citric acid
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
About 6 drops food coloring
10 to 15 drops essential oil(s)
Special equipment: 2-ounce travel-size spray bottle, plastic pipette, silicone ice-cube tray, storage jars

Directions
1. Stir together citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup.

2. Pass mixture through a fine sieve or a flour sifter into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.

3. Fill spray bottle with water, and add food coloring. Spritz mixture lightly (it should become damp but not fizzy) until you can pack mixture with your hands.

4. Using pipette, add oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Using a metal spoon or your hands, mix ingredients until color is even throughout (mixture will begin to dry out; when this happens, spritz until packable again).

5. Spoon into ice-cube tray, pressing firmly. Let dry at room temperature overnight. Pop out of tray gently. Transfer to jars.

Jingle Bell Wreath

The wonderfully familiar sounds of the holidays often get shut out while we're keeping warm indoors. Hang this wreath where it will be heard (on a door, for instance), and bring the ring of sleigh bells to all the rooms in the house. Form 16-gauge wire into a circle. Make a closed loop at one end with needle-nose pliers. Thread jingle bells onto the open end in any size and color combination. When the wire is full, join its ends by twisting the unlooped end into a hook, and fasten it onto the closed loop. Tie a piece of ribbon into a bow; secure it to the bottom of the wreath with 24-gauge wire.

Cinnamon Candles

Small forests of cinnamon sticks give pillar candles a warm, rustic look and impart a holiday fragrance. Three candles in graduated sizes make a lovely set.

Look for 8-and 16-inch cinnamon sticks at floral-supply stores.

Tools and Materials
Pillar candle, at least 3-inches in diameter
Cinnamon sticks
Floral shears
Hot-glue gun
Dish or coaster

Cinnamon Candle How-To
1. Measure candle height; cut cinnamon sticks to size with floral shears. You'll need about 20 lengths per candle.

2. Run hot glue along cinnamon stick; affix it vertically to side of candle. (Use low-temperature setting to minimize melting.)

3. When first stick is dry, glue next stick snugly against it; repeat to cover candle.

4. Place finished candle on a dish or coaster.

Candy Sticks

Dip these Christmas standbys in white chocolate and nonpareils for something extra-sweet. For 50 peppermint sticks, you'll need 8 ounces of white chocolate and 1 1/2 cups of white nonpareils.

Candy Sticks How-To
1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.

2. Dip peppermint sticks in chocolate; spoon nonpareils over chocolate. Stand candy, coated end up, in a loaf pan filled with dried beans; refrigerate until set.

3. Package candy in cellophane bags. Cut rectangles out of card stock the width of the bags.

4. Fold them over the tops of the bags; staple shut. Affix labels over staples.

Oragami Trees

Step 1

For large Christmas trees, use an adjustable circle cutter to make 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-inch-diameter circles from green card stock (for small trees, omit the 6-inch circle).

Step 2

Fold each circle in half 4 times with a bone folder. While circles are folded, snip off the tip of each piece, forming a very small hole in center.

Step 3

Place smallest circle on the pointed end of a wooden skewer (we used 12-inch skewers), letting the tip poke through the hole in circle. With a hot-glue gun, dab underside of circle, where paper and skewer meet. Hold for 10 seconds to secure.

Step 4

Working 1 at a time from smallest circle to largest, slide remaining circles onto skewer; secure with glue.

Step 5

Insert bottom of skewer into a spool; remove, and cut skewer to desired height (we cut ours to 6, 9, and 10 inches), keeping in mind that only spool should be visible beneath standing tree. Return skewer to spool; secure with glue. Add a dot of glue to top of skewer, and attach a gold bead.