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TURKEY TRIVIA, THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS AND RECIPES!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

First Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock by Bunscombe

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; 

Who pardons all your iniquities; 

Who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit; 

Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion; 

Who satisfies your years with good things, 

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. ---Psalm 103:1-5

LET'S TALK TURKEY!

TURKEY TRIVIA

Benjamin Franklin argued on behalf of the turkey. He wanted it to be the national bird, instead of the eagle. This same  bird saved the Pilgrim's for starvation on the first Thanksgiving. Ben, if I had been there, I would've sided with you! Below is some turkey trivia for you to share with your family on Thanksgiving Day!

• Everyone knows that turkey was the Pilgrim's menu at the first Thanksgiving, but did you know that Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first meal on the moon was what else . . . Turkey!
  
• Sesame Street's Big Bird's costume is made out of 4,000+ white turkey feathers dyed yellow.
  
• American Indians used turkey feathers on their ceremonial clothing and the turkey's spurs on their arrowheads---ouch.
• The dance the Turkey Trot, which was the rage at turn of the 20 century, emulated the bobbing head and the short jerky steps a turkey makes.
• Wild turkey's spend their nights in trees, roosting upon the branches. They head to bed at sundown. 
• Yes, wild turkey's fly! They fly at speeds of 55 miles per hour to elude their hunters. And they can run up to 25 miles per hour.
• The Guinness Book of Records, records the world largest turkey weighing a whopping 86 pounds . . . the size of a large dog. Talk about turkey leftovers!
• A turkey has a great sense of smell, taste, hearing, and eyesight. Their vision is 270 degrees enabling them to see movement up to 100 yards away. This is why turkeys elude their hunters.
• What is the most dangerous sport in America? It's not NASCAR racing or even football. Biking accidents sent more people to the hospital, but turkey hunting has more fatalities! Because of a wild turkeys' great eyesight and sense of hearing, hunters must stay very still, quiet, and also camouflage themselves so they are often shot by other hunts. 
• Do turkey's drown if they look up in the rain? Nope, that's a myth. Turkey's eyes are on opposite sides of greater field of vision . . . they don't look up. 
• Turkey's have heart attacks. When the Air Force was testing the sound barrier they discovered literally fields of turkey's that had dropped dead of heart attacks.
• We're having turkey on Thanksgiving! Are you? 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving! And 50% of Americans eat turkey on Christmas Day too. In fact the turkey industry sells over $4 billion of turkey's each year! 
• Which country consumes the most turkey's per capita!?  Israel.
• A male turkey is a tom, a female is a hen, and a baby turkeys are called poults. 
• Male turkey's gobble, hen's make a clicking or clucking sound. When frightened, a turkey sounds like they are saying, "Turk, turk, turk" . . . so this is where their name came from! 
• In the early 1900's because of over hunting and cutting down trees to make way for farmlands, turkey's became extinct.
• Abraham Lincoln was the president who designated the last Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Which president tried to move Lincoln's holiday to the third Thursday of November in order to extend the holiday shopping season? Franklin D. Roosevelt . . .  but he was unsuccessful. 
• Age is a determining taste factor. Old toms are preferable to younger ones, because their meat is stringier. Sorry ladies, but younger hens are preferable to older ones . . . sound familiar? Old birds are tough!

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPE

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE PUMPKIN DESSERT

PUMPKIN PECAN PIE SQUARES

Great dessert to complete any meal. Makes a great dessert for holiday parties. 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old-fashioned or instant oats 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk 2 large eggs 2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup pecans, chopped 1/4 cup packed brown sugar Whipped cream PREHEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE flour, oats, brown sugar and butter in small mixer bowl. Beat at low speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until crumbly. Press on bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. BAKE for 15 minutes. COMBINE granulated sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crust. BAKE for 20 minutes. Combine pecans and brown sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle pecan topping over filling. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Top with whipped cream. Estimated Times: Preparation - 10 minutes; Cooking - 1 hour. Yields 12 servings. © 2009 and ®/™ Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland, used with permission. Submitted by: LIBBY'S® Pumpkin

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE 

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons almond extract

1/3 cup marshmallow creme

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 to 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation: Combine sweet potatoes, butter, milk, salt, almond extract and 1/3 cup of the marshmallow creme. Beat in egg. Pile sweet potatoes in a lightly buttered baking dish. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Top with miniature marshmallows and brown under broiler for about 3-4 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

  

THANKSGIVING HYMN

WE GATHER TOGETHER

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; 

He chastens and hastens his will to make known; 

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, 

Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own. 

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, 

Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine; 

So from the beginning the fight we were winning; 

Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine! 

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant, 

And pray that thou still our defender wilt be. 

Let thy congregation escape tribulation; 

Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free! 

Amen

--Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn 

(A translation by Theodore Baker)

Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with  light, 

For rest and shelter of the night, 

For health and food, 

For love and friends, 

For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving! Invite the guests at your Thanksgiving table to tell what they are most thankful for in 2009!