3 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
½ cup molasses

Preheat oven to 325°.

Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add egg and molasses and beat on medium until smooth.  Add dry mixture and blend on low just until mixed.

Separate dough into two balls and flatten.  Wrap each section tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate about one hour.

Roll out dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin until it is ¼ inch thick.  Use floured cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men.  Roll leftover scraps into a ball and roll again until no dough remains.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet about ½ inch apart.

Bake 9 - 11 minutes.  Move to cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.

Icing

Decorate with icing made from 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 - 2 teaspoons of milk.  Put it into a cake decorating bag and put a small round tip on the end.

How long does it need to thaw?  It needs about one day per four pounds.  So if you have a 12 pound turkey, allow three days for it to thaw out.  Even if you’re ahead of schedule, go ahead and pull it out now because a thawed turkey can stay in the refrigerator safely for up to four days.

Otherwise, you’re going to be stuck thawing the turkey with cold water which is not as safe.

You’ll need:

2 pounds of potatoes
1 cup of milk (more or less to desired consistency)
1/4 cup of butter or margarine
salt and pepper

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.  I usually cut them lengthwise, turn them and cut them lengthwise again, then finally cut them in half.
2. Put the potatoes into a pot that is large enough to hold them plus water.  I typically use a large stockpot.
3. Put water into the pot to cover the potatoes plus another inch or two more.
4. Put the potatoes on the stove and turn the heat on high.  When the water starts to boil, turn your heat down to low and let the potatoes cook for about 10-15 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, use a fork and stick it into one of the potato pieces.  If it easily slides in, they are done.  If they still feel a little firm, let them cook the additional 5 minutes.
6. Pour the potatoes into a colander and let all the water drain out.
7. Either return the potatoes to the pot or a large bowl.
8. Use a masher to mash the potatoes a few times.
9. Add milk and butter using a hand mixer.  You can continue to use the masher, but a hand mixer will whip the potatoes up.  Here is where you control how smooth or lumpy you want your mashed potatoes to be.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Start with a dash or two and taste and then add accordingly.

Move your mashed potatoes to a serving dish and cover will foil until ready to serve.

Here are some items to start taking care of within the next few days:

• Make your guest list to determine how many people you will be serving.
• Use that number to calculate how large of a turkey you will need to purchase. A rough estimate is about 2 pounds of turkey per adult. That will ensure enough for children and leftovers. You can purchase the turkey now and keep it frozen, or wait until later and buy a fresh turkey.
• Plan the rest of your menu. Some good starting points are mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. The possibilities are limitless, but these are the items that I typically prepare for our family meal. Compile all of your recipes.
• Start making a grocery list, separating the perishable items from the non-perishable items.
• Go ahead and pick up the items on the non-perishable list now. Don’t forget to include things like foil, disposable plastic containers for leftovers, plastic wrap and cooking spray.
• Decide how you are going to decorate your table and make a list of items you need to pick up. Don’t forget a tablecloth, placemats, dinner plates, desert plates, glasses, mugs for coffee, silverware, napkins, napkin rings, a table runner, a centerpiece, candles or flowers. Again, alter this list according to your needs.
• Make sure your roasting pan is up to par. It’s probably been hiding in the back of the cupboard for a year, so dig it out and inspect it. If necessary, purchase a new one now while the selection is good.

Above all, just relax and enjoy the time of year.

• Do not mix any cleaners because you put yourself at risk of creating toxic fumes.
• Ventilate your bathroom by turning on the ventilation fan and/or opening the window if you have one.
• Protect your skin with rubber gloves.

With that in mind, you are ready to get started.

1. Use a toilet bowl cleaner with an angled spout on it to get under the rim. Squeeze the product all the way around and let it run down the inside of the bowl. Close the lid and let it sit for a few minutes.
2. While you’re waiting on the inside of the bowl, wipe down the outside of the bowl with a disinfectant wipe. Pay special attention to the front of the bowl and the handle.
3. Using a toilet brush, start scrubbing the inside of the bowl. Give extra attention to the area just under the rim where mold likes to accumulate. Swish all the way down into the hole.
4. If a ring remains around the water line, it will be necessary to use a pumice stone. Gently rub the stone back and forth along the line and it should come off.
5. Flush the toilet as many times as necessary to wash away the debris left behind by the pumice.

Maintaining the toilet is easy if you’re consistent. Pour a little cleaner into your toilet bowl brush holder (only if you don’t have pets or small children). Each morning when you get up, just run the brush around the toilet and it will look and smell clean.

If the bed is a big mess, you may want to start by removing the comforter/bedspread, flat sheet and all of the pillows. From there, just take it step by step:

1. Pull all the corners of the fitted sheet down so that they fit snugly and the fitted sheet is pulled taut across the bed.
2. Evenly lay the flat sheet over the bed so that the wrong side of it faces up. Fold back the sheet about 6 inches from the top of the bed. At the foot of the bed, tuck the sheet under the top mattress. Take the bottom corners of the sheet and tuck them under the mattress as well. Some people prefer to tuck the flat sheet under all the way around - it’s up to you.
3. Lastly, lay the comforter or bedspread evenly over the top of the bed. You may want to find landmarks that will let you know where to place it in the future. On my comforter, I know the tag goes at the bottom left hand side of the bed. I also know that the second line of stitching lies even with the edge of the mattress.
4. The final touch is to place your pillows at the top of the bed. If you have two pillows, you may want to just lay them flat. If you have four pillows, try laying two of them flat and the other two laying slightly upright on top of the other two.

Making the bed can certainly be a chore, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. It’s a great way to quickly tidy up the room and give it a pulled together look.