Snacks:

• CORNUCOPIA OF TREATS – Create a centerpiece by filling a horn-of-plenty (cornucopia) basket with healthy snacks such as apples, bananas, little baggies filled with grapes, popcorn, or a variety of mini muffins (cornbread, blueberry, pumpkin). Many specialty and grocery store bakeries are now offering bread in a cornucopia shape. Add little bowls of bread toppings (butter, jam, peanut butter, etc.) to the table, and the children can munch on the centerpiece during the party!

   

• Serve dry snacks in Pilgrim Hats turned upside down. Popcorn, pretzels, or wrapped goodies all look much more appetizing when the presentation is cute!

   

• CRANBERRY CRITTERS – Cut a log of canned jellied cranberry sauce into 10 slices. Use cookie cutters to cut thanksgiving shapes out of the slices. As an alternative, use a pan of set Jell-O® (using the "Jigglers" recipe) to create cutouts.

   

• NOT-QUITE-TURKEY SANDWICHES – Make sandwiches using favorite ingredients (PB&J, balogna, ham and cheese, honey and banana), and cut out full-sized cookie cutter turkeys. For adventurous children, try pumpernickel bread. Sliced green olives, little pieces of carrots, raisins, and chocolate chips make terrific eyes, and no turkey would be complete without a little pimento or red licorice wattle!

   

• BOUNTIFUL COOKIES – This snack doubles as an activity as children decorate their own sugar cookies. Have a small table set up with plenty of sugar cookies cut out in Thanksgiving shapes (turkeys, pumpkins, pilgrim hats, etc.) on individual plates along with different colors of frosting, sprinkles, candy corn, and other goodies. This activity works equally well with 2-year-olds and with 10th graders.

   

• TEENEY TURKEYS – What you'll need for each turkey: One Nutter Butter® cookie, one peanut butter cup, 2 chocolate wafers, chocolate frosting, 8-10 pieces of candy corn, and a few mini M&Ms® or jelly beans. Frost the top of the peanut butter cup and press it onto the chocolate wafer, lining up one edge of each to the other. Use additional frosting to attach candy corn along the other edge to create the appearance of feathers. Frost one side of the Nutter Butter™ cookie and press it onto the other side of the peanut butter cup. Use small candies to create a turkey face and wattle. Using more frosting, attach the "turkey" to the remaining chocolate wafer. Add candy corn to the base of the turkey as feet.

   

• MINI PUMPKIN PIES – Instead of baking one large pie, bake mini pies using ready-made mini pie shells and canned pumpkin pie filling (prepared as directed on the can). The same concept will work with apple pie or an apple crumble pie. Kids love to be involved in baking projects. Recruit parents to help a few days prior to the party, and let each child make their own. Mini Thanksgiving-shaped cookie cutters can be used to create pie-topping garnish. For each mini pie, cut one or two shapes out of ready-made pie pastry, bake on a cookie sheet, and add them to the cooled pies.

   

• CRISPY POP – To make 16 pops, you'll need one 12 oz. bag of Nestlé® TollHouse® chocolate chips, 16 ready made Crispy Treats (or make your own if you have the time—cut into 2 ½" x 4" pieces), 16 pretzel rods (or popsicle sticks), and some glorious fall-colored sprinkles. Cutting little holes with a knife, stick the pretzel rods into the narrow end of the Crispy Treats. Melt the entire bag of chocolate chips for one minute in the microwave and stir. Dip the end of the "pop" into the melted chocolate then sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Set pops on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and refrigerate until the chocolate sets. If you will be using these as take-home favors or sending them to school, cover the crispy treat portion with plastic wrap and tie with satin or curling ribbon.

   

• CRAWLIE POP – Spiders love to move indoors in the fall and are thankful for the warmth our homes provide! For each pop, you'll need two black pipe cleaners, two wiggly eyes, one Tootsie Pop®, and a 4"x4 " piece of black foil or black tissue. Wrap the black foil around the sucker, leaving the existing wrapper in place. Cut the black pipe cleaners in half, then center them at the base of the pop and wrap them around the stick, so that there are four legs on each side. Bend the pipe cleaners to resemble legs, then glue wiggly eyes in place.

   

• BUGS ON A LOG – This extra-easy to make treat is a fun activity for little children, and then can be instantly consumed. Ingredients: pretzel rods, peanut bButter, and chocolate chips. Dip pretzel rod into peanut butter (about half of the pretzel should be covered), and then roll in chocolate chips. If you are allowing the children to participate, it is easiest to give each of them a plate with their own portion of ingredients on it. They'll enjoy the making as much as the tasty eating!

   

• TASTY PLACE CARDS – Bake sugar cookies in the shape of rectangles, and let cool. With colored gel or frosting, write the names of party guests on the cookies, and decorate as desired. A miniature Snickers® bar attached with frosting will make the cookie stand. This is a great table decoration, and a nice personal touch for a small group or classroom of children.

   

• RITZY BITZY SPIDERS – Ritz® crackers, peanut butter, pretzel sticks and raisins…all you'll need to create these little critters. Spread one cracker with peanut butter. Break four pretzels in half for each spider, and add pretzel "legs" to the first cracker. Spread peanut butter on a second cracker, and place the peanut butter side down on the pretzel legs. Attach raisins with peanut butter, and…your spider is ready to join the warm celebration.

   

• BEVERAGES – Apple cider served warm or cool is the perfect beverage for a Thanksgiving gathering. To fill the room with a delicious aroma, fill an electric cooker with apple cider, and add ¼ cup of maple syrup and two cinnamon sticks. Simmer on low.