{ Edible Thanksgiving Place Cards }

What's the best thing about Thanksgiving?

Yeah, eating.

You know it. 

What? 

Oh, sorry, being Thankful. 

My bad. 

Eating runs a close second! 

So, these place cards? Totally edible. 

That's good stuff, right? 

Right. 

What you will need to make these projects are:  

Pumpkins

Marshmallows 

Green Tic Tacs 

Sunflower Seed (hulled) or Pretzel Sticks 

White Melting Chocolate 

Lollipop Sticks 

Orange Sanding Sugar 

Orange Candy Color (optional)  

Turkeys

Marshmallows 

Melting Chocolate 

Striped Shortbread Cookies 

Candy Corn or Indian Corn 

Icing Writers or Small Sprinkles 

Tootsie Rolls (optional) 

Assorted Sprinkles or Icing Writers

Round Candies (I used Whoppers) 

For the Pumpkins, we start by melting the chocolate, then adding the candy coloring. You must use special candy coloring for chocolate, regular food coloring will not work. You can also leave the chocolate white or use orange candy melts. I never have great luck with the melts, so I tend to stick with Almond Bark.

Dip a lollipop stick (we totally call these 'suckers' instead of lollipops here. Anywhere else have suckers?) in a little chocolate, then into your mallow. Allow to dry.

After completely dry, dip the entire marshmallow in the chocolate. Lightly tap the hand holding the stick with your other hand, this will get the excess chocolate to drip off.

Next, over a bowl, to catch, totally coat your marshmallow with orange sanding sugar. You can leave the bottom without, if you like, I did that with some of mine, but I prefer the fully coated mallows.

Yes, I totally got chocolate down this stick. Try not to be like me.

I use a block of inexpensive foam, that you can purchase at any discount or craft store, to stick pop projects in. Very useful.

I wrap it up after, and save for next time.

Next, we are going to add a stem and a leaf.

The stems I used were Sunflower Kernels, but a pretzel stick would be great as well, possibly better.

For the leaf, I used a green Tic Tac, I feel some of the gummy candies would work great also, or a cut and squished gum drop. Be creative, it's up to you!

Dip your stem in a little chocolate, then poke in the top.

Do the same for your leaf, but you may have to hold it there for a minute. Shouldn't take too long to initially set.

Then.. just let dry!

For Mr. Turkey, we start also, with a dipped mallow. This one stickless, and in chocolate chocolate, not white. Unless Albino Turkeys are your thing. Then... feel free.

Allow the mallows to dry, then use some chocolate to adhere the chocolate side of the shortbread cookie to the back of the mallow. It's easiest to work with our turkeys on their backs. 

They also enjoy the resting time.

Add the whopper for his head, and hold for a minute or so, until it sticks.

Add sprinkles or using icing writers to make his face. Here I used white nonpareils for his eyes (I added his pupil by dipping a toothpick in melted chocolate and dabbing it on), a mini yellow chocolate chip for his beak, and a heart sprinkle for his waddle. You can use a chocolate mini chip for his beak or cut off the white end of a candy corn for it as well.

Add a bit of chocolate to the cookie.

Here is a photo of my progress. If you want, you can totally pull off doing this neatly. I, obviously, cannot.

I won't judge you if you are neat though. 

Be jealous? Maybe. Judge? No.

Attach your candy corn to the chocolate you just applied.

After that, make little name tags, and attach to toothpicks, and.. you can be totally done.

Or.............

You can make him a funny little hat.

Feel how you want, but I think funny little hats are always in season!

All you need for these are toostie rolls, Just shape with your fingers until you've made a little brim & top part of the hat. Use the melted chocolate to attach together, then to his head. You can add a shaped sprinkle or a little icing writer for the final touch.

My guy has a flower, just because he's worth it.

These would be great to make in an assembly line fashion. Unfortunately, rare is the time that I have an assembly line formation. It's usually just me. All alone. In the kitchen. Doing all the work. 

*sigh*

Have you all seen the "Childhood is Calling" commercials? It's for a cereal. A cereal that you can make 'treats' out of- yeah, youknowhatimean... Anyway, those commercials always make me misty. The Bean and I used to bake in the kitchen together all the time. If Childhood is Calling, then Teenagehood is Texting, and it never seems to say "go hlp ur mom n the ktchn".

Darn technology.

Anyway... Turkeys in Hats!

Please ignore the tape fail on the nametag...

And.. some pumpkin goodness:

  hanging out at the edge of your glass

or laying in a bowl

or with the silverware

and hey, turkeys like silverware too!

Pumpkin tastes good. Turkey tastes good. As do these.

Just in a different way.

So you can have your place card, and eat it too!

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving posts!

Tina

This post was featured at Passionately Artist

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Add A Pinch

{Peeps de Résistance}

Hey! Tomorrow is Easter!!!

I’m betting this slipped your minds.

I mean, it’s not like the stores have chocolate coated, pastel aisles or anything.

Remember when there were chocolate bunnies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, Cadbury Eggs, and Jelly Beans?
A small section of one aisle contained the above plus some Easter Baskets and some of that creepy green grass. (You know it’s creepy- and my cat likes to eat it. He’s creepy too).

Holy Consumerism, Easter Bunny! Now there are about 4 aisles chock full of stuff that no kid needs, but every kid wants!

I will admit, I do enjoy trolling the Holiday sections at the store. I’m usually looking for candy and items good for baking.

Shocking, I know right?

Anyway.. it is far, far too wet around here to have a Easter Egg Hunt. We’ve had a deluge of rain in the past weeks. 

And of course, the ones hunting the eggs would also be far to old to do so (17, 15, and 14), with the exception of my 8 year old nephew, that is. But don’t tell them that. They like to hunt eggs.

Who can blame them? It’s good, clean fun. And always entertaining when we find that last egg, smashed, melted, and moldy in our yard in mid-July.

You know you find them too, don’t judge!

In the attempt to pull said teens away from the video gaming console, I’m having them spend 5 minutes making these.

I've seen the same made many times with chow mien noodles, but I choose pretzels.
Cause they taste better with chocolate. You know they do.

Chocolate Bird’s Nests.

Here's what you'll need:

a bag of thin pretzel sticks

melting chocolate (chocolate chips should work too!)

jelly beans

and, of course, Peeps.

Melt chocolate according to package instructions

Break pretzel sticks up

Toss into chocolate, using a fork to coat.

Arrange on parchment paper, non stick foil, or wax paper to resemble a bird’s nest. Add jelly beans. I used these pretty Starburst Crazy Beans.

Top with a cute lil Peep.

Allow to dry and you are done-zo!

Cute, easy, and tasty. What more can you ask for.

Totally adorable with tags for place cards too. You know, have your place card and eat it too?

That’s a common saying right? Right??

Have a blessed Easter.

Tina <3