Author Margaret Daley Shares Her Thanksgiving Joys

My guest today is another Love Inspired Author and a friend is Margaret Daley. She is sharing a tip for the holidays. The theme this month is Wise November, a month where we can all share tips for helping us celebrate the holiday season without losing our good humor! Here's Margaret:

"Thanksgiving-the beginning of the holidays

By Margaret Daley

I love having my family over for Thanksgiving because after we have stuffed ourselves with too much food (love leftovers), I get our Christmas tree out (artificial because my husband is allergic to pine) and the ornaments and have my family help decorate the tree. Now that I have granddaughters it is extra special. They even have their own smaller tree we put up. Having others help decorate makes it funnier and it goes faster. That’s also when I start playing Christmas music.

My biggest tip for shopping this holiday is to avoid the day after Thanksgiving. I know that some people love crowds, but I like to get in and out. I have found some good sales going on right now. I think retailers are worried about this holiday season, so they are having good sales earlier. I think the funniest time I have is when I shop for a child on our church’s angel tree. That’s what Christmas is about--giving.

Does anyone have a good recipe for leftover turkey? I make a big turkey/vegetable soup with my leftovers. It feeds us for a week. In the soup I put whatever I have on hand—can or frozen vegetables—potatoes or rice. I’ll vary the seasonings, too. When it gets cold, my husband and I really like soups."

Thanks, Margaret. I do the turkey soup too, but I also found a great recipe for Turkey Tretazini. I'll try to post it before Thanksgiving--Lyn

Together for the Holidays-Love Inspired, November 2009
Second Chance Family-Love Inspired, July 2009-see trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHiL5CLehA
A Family for Tory/A Mother for Cindy, Love Inspired Classic June 2009
http://www.margaretdaley.com
http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com

Second half of Coffee Cake Recipe & My Mom

Second half of Coffee Cake Recipe & My Mom

Hey! This is the day I launch my first story of a strong woman and half a recipe.

Now for the recipe first. I posted the ingredients on a brand new blog today, called Craftie Ladies of Romance by Love Inspired Authors. So if you want the ingredients, go to http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/

And here's the how to:

Spray bundt pan with non-stick oil. Open tubes of biscuits, pat each biscuit larger, then put about a teaspoon of cream cheese on each, fold over and seal with fingertips. Dip in butter and then in nuts. Arrange in a row around the bottom of the bundt pan and sprinkle each layer with cinnamon sugar. This recipe should make around 3 layers in the pan. Then bake at 400 F. for 20 minutes. Take out and upend on holiday dish.
Optional glaze: Take 1/2 cup of orange juice and mix with 1-2 cups of powdered sugar. Should be pourable. Pour over cake.
Done!

Now this recipe can be tailored to your family's tastes. I used honey-nut cream cheese this time and I had some apple and cinnamon and sugar juice I had poured off a few pies that were overflowing their pie shells (oops I didn't say that, did I?--My pies never run over!)
so I used it with the powdered sugar. You could also substitute lemon juice or a buttery mix of cinnamon, sugar and water warmed and stirred till sugar is dissolved. Be creative! What would make this a favorite with your family? And if you have younger children or grandchildren, this is a perfect recipe for them to help with.

Now to finish this post.

I have known many strong women in my life. However, I think it only right that my first post of a strong woman be my mother. She passed away over a year ago. Unfortunately, her last years were clouded with dementia and its paranoia. I'm sure many of you have had similar experiences. After her funeral, I began remembering all the remarkable things about her. And especially what a fun mom she was when my brother and I were kids. I grew up in Waukegan, IL, which is on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Waukegan had the most wonderful beaches! These were the days before pollution took its toll on water quality. Waukegan's North Beach had beautiful white sand, a WPA built bathouse, a lovely shady picnic area and miles and miles of shoreline.

The highlight of summer were the days when the usual westerly wind would shift to an east wind. An east wind drove the warmer waters back to the shore in HUGE waves that gave us hours of fun. My mother was running the family business (May's Floors), kept a spotless house, cooked fantastic meals and still took time for afternoons at the beach. And she didn't even like to wade! So it was just me and Bobby. Whenever I hear the call of a seagull, it takes me back to those wonderful times, dancing in the waves, shouting and laughing and splashing and making friends with every other child lucky enough to be at the beach. Did you have a fun mom too? What is your best childhood memory that your mom made possible?