November 2012

What's your go-to Thanksgiving pie?

Giving thanks

For a few years while my daughters were teens, I headed the Thanksgiving meal at our church: a full, sit-down, turkey-and-trimmings dinner for the congregation prepared by the youth. It sounds daunting, but I had a lot of help from both kids and parents, as well as tried-and-true recipes for a crowd.

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Pass the pretty

Read it and eat

Gear up for holiday celebrations and everyday meals alike with this new batch of cookbooks.

Back to basics

These covetable items borrow artisan looks (you'd swear they were made by hand) and understated, elemental materials to warm up modern shapes.

Sheilah MacSporran

"I'm a serial decorator,"" Sheilah says. But she felt antsy shelling out money for things she wasn't sure would look right when she got them home. Hello Olioboard, the Web designer's online app that allows her and 86,000 users to create mood boards so they can visualize how furniture, pillows, and other items look together. ""You can try it before you buy it,"" Sheilah says. Here's a look at what this innovator is trying and buying.

Table of Plenty

As Thanksgiving draws near, here's one more thing to be grateful for: simple ways to bring the abundance of the season to the table.

Outside In

A designer gives her cottage a rustic redo with recycled materials and colors borrowed from nature.

Golden Age

Warm metals are having their moment. Whether you buy or DIY, this fall brings a mother lode of metallic accents that add subtle shimmer to your home.

Chocolate and Caramel

In decorating, as in baking, it's almost impossible to do wrong with this delicious duo.

Package Deal

Every holiday season, friends clamor for your homemade treats. Offer them up with wrappings worthy of the yumminess inside.

Florida's Best Citrus Gift Box

Chic Meets Cheap

Designer Meg Lonergan mixes it up for a fresh, traditional look.

Slip-on style

Ready-made slipcovers deliver on the promise of easy living. They offer instant changeability, wash-and-go care, and fabric and finish protection-- all for a fraction of the cost to reupholster or replace. Today's options for dining chairs, upholstered chairs, and sofas include crisp cottons, soft suedes, and textured damasks in a variety of colors. Try these topper tips.

Backsplash in a snap

A holder with a lid that grips toothpaste and brushes on a nonslip, weighted base adds order and color to your cabinet or countertop...

New math

Outlet Rx

Fill it up

Plates on display

Tried and true, with a twist

Backyard Getaway

Forget packing. This couple created a weekend escape right outside their back door.

Critter control

Keep fall-planted bulbs, including tulips, hyacinth, crocus, and scilla, safe from munching mice, voles, gophers, and squirrels. It's easy to outfox animals with these garden-tested tricks.

Pamper yourself

American gardens

3 tulips that bloom year after year

NATURE'S WAY

Gutter buster

Let 'er chip!

WATCH THIS Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

TASTY READ From the ground up

Help yourself

Soap star

Ask our expert

Welcome Mr. Sandman

Watch your step

25%

Perfect Pie Package

Think thanks

Encourage an attitude of gratitude with these fun family activities.

One for all

One for all And all for fun! If planning a winter holiday seems daunting, try a package deal. All-inclusive trips come in every flavor, minus the guesswork.

I Did It!