Looking for a few ways to make this Thanksgiving a little extra special? With the way 2020 is going, we all know prepping for this Thanksgiving will be more hectic than usual. We’ve found a few easy ideas to make your celebration a little sweeter.

Pumpkin Vase

Materials Required:

• 1 pumpkin

• 1 vase or container small enough to fit inside the pumpkin, but wide enough to hold the flowers

• Carving knife and spoon

• Fall flowers:

• Fall mums

• Delphinium

• Carnations

• Sunflowers

• Orange Roses

• Red Berries

• Yellow Solidago

How To:

Carve and clean out a pumpkin.

Place a water-filled vase inside the pumpkin.

Cut the flower stems down far enough to cover the opening of the pumpkin.

And arrange your flowers!

You can make this up to 3 days beforehand!

Bonus!

Paint your pumpkins the day before to give them a new look!

Harvest Punch

Looking to spice things up a little this year, why not try this spicy Thanksgiving drink?

What you’ll need:

• Apple Cider

• Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Sliced Apples

• Sliced Orange

• Cranberries(fresh or frozen, keeping your cranberries in the freezer will help cool your drink without watering it down)

• Ginger Ale(for non-alcoholic drinks or to add a shot of your favorite liquor for a stronger punch)

• Champagne

How to:

• Add Pumpkin Spice, to taste, whisking for a proper blend.

• Add ginger ale, liquor, or champagne, gently mixing.

• Garnish with sliced apples, oranges, and cranberries.

Brie Cranberry Bites

Looking for a last-minute app that’s sure to please? This is one of the easiest and tastiest appetizers ever and you only need 3 ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 1 package puff pastry - thawed

• 1 cup cranberry sauce

• Brie cheese - chilled

What you’ll need:

• Mini muffin tin

How to:

• Make sure your puff pastry dough is fully thawed before you start. It could take 2 hours to completely defrost at room temperature.

• Spray two mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425F.

• Unroll your puff pastry dough onto a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to cut it into squares that are about 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches.

• Press one dough square into each of the mini muffin cups and bend the dough up the sides so it forms a small bowl.

• Cut the brie into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch chunks. Then place a chunk of brie into each of the muffin cups.

• Add some cranberry sauce on top of each piece of brie - just enough so that the brie is mostly covered.

• Bake at 425F for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. (I baked mine for 9 minutes).

• Serve warm and enjoy!

Fall Simmer Pot Potpourri

We LOVE these simmer pots! Have you ran out of candles or want your whole house to smell like fall, well simmer pots are the thing for you! This super simple, spicy concoction is so aromatic that you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried it before!

What you’ll need:

• 4-6 Cinnamon Sticks

• 1tsp Vanilla

• Orange Rind

• 2tbsp Whole Cloves

• A pot filled with water

How to:

• Combine ingredients in a pot (the smaller the pot the more water you’ll have to add periodically) and bring to a gentle boil.

• Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer.

• Check on your pot from time to time to make sure the water isn’t getting too low.

No matter what you’re doing for Thanksgiving this year, make it a happy and healthy one!