Ministering to Others on Thanksgiving Day

Feel the desire to serve this Thanksgiving? Here are just a couple of places in our area that are looking for volunteers on Thanksgiving Day:


On Thanksgiving Day, the Northside Community Church (of Knightdale) prepares and cooks meals for over 500 area individuals and families. If you would like to help, the meals are prepared at the Family Circus Restaurant, which is located on Wake Forest Road in downtown Raleigh, from 8:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. (Contact them at 919-261-8929.)


The Durham Rescue Mission, located on Main St. in Durham, also provides opportunities for volunteers. On Thanksgiving Day, the Mission hosts their Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner. In addition to serving a free Thanksgiving meal, the Mission gives away free groceries and clothing, including winter coats. Volunteers are needed for a number of activities, including site set-up, meal preparation and clean-up, and the distribution of clothing and groceries. Staff is also needed to operate game booths for the children that will be in attendance. Donations of food and clothing are also welcomed. (Contact them at 919-688-9641.)

Recipe Swap- Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

The best recipes tend to be "a pinch of this and a dash of that." My personal favorite among the Thanksgiving recipes happens to be on a cherished water-stained yellow Post-it note of chicken scrawls I wrote while on the phone with my mom 13 years ago on my first married Thanksgiving. My mother's sweet potatoes (yams) are all the rage in our family and once my husband tried them, he made sure I called Mom on Thanksgiving to get the recipe. This year I'm in charge of sweet potatoes at the preschool Thanksgiving dinner and will bring them along to Andrew's Aunt Donna's gathering in Virginia Thanksgiving Day. What about you... what's that dish that you love to make and others can't seem to get enough of? Post your favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish so we can all have a tastier Thanksgiving!

Bette Ann's (Brittney's Mom) Famous Sweet Potatoes


*Melt in a saucepan a 1/2 Stick of Margarine
*Add 1/3 C. Orange Juice and 3/4 C. Brown Sugar

(Cook above ingredients until melted together and slight boil)

*In a small bowl combine 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch and water until smooth. Add this mixture to the other ingredients in the saucepan to thicken sauce.

*Drain one large can of sweet potatoes (or yams) and put in casserole dish. Cover the sweet potatoes with sauce and cook at 350 degrees until bubbly (approximately 20 minutes.) Enjoy!!

Triangle Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving

One of the funniest and most heart-breaking scenes in holiday movies has to be in Tim Allen's Santa Clause (the original) when Dad burns the turkey, blasts it with the fire extinguisher, and ends up eating at Denny's... where they are all out of egg nog! Thanksgiving and Christmas meals are an intrinsic part of the celebration, so if you are looking to secure just the right resaurant (that does have egg nog, pumpkin pie, and all the other necessities) here is a blog I found that lists the restaurants in the Triangle that will be open on Thanksgiving Day.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/food/restaurants-open-thanksgiving-day

Enjoy!