There are two ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. One is with gracious decorum in which well-dressed guests arrive at your house to join you and your well-washed and well-behaved family for a grand feast at an elegantly-set table. The food you serve is gourmet and as impressive in appearance as taste. If you seek recipes for squash for such a Thanksgiving meal, I recommend these cookbooks: the Wisconsin Country Gourmet, The Northwoods Table, and the Madison Originals Cookbook: A collection of recipes from Madison Originals Restaurants. You are sure to find a cornucopia of elegant squash recipes in these gourmet cookbooks. If this is how you celebrate Thanksgiving, then the entertainment is the meal itself. You've no need of silly party games. I used to celebrate Thanksgiving like this, but that was BC (before children).
Today, I celebrate Thanksgiving in a more relaxed style. The dress-code is casual, the table child-proofed, and if the kids are well-washed, well, that's good enough. The meal is thoroughly enjoyed, but it is hardly the day's entertainment. Sure, the football game in the background amuses some of the guests, but it won't hold the constructive attention of them all. I need cheap party games for a really good Thanksgiving time. So I've come up with a few. Click on "continue reading..." to see what I've planned and a variety of recipes for Thanksgiving squash.
The warm-up game to entice some of the adults to join in the fun is "Name That Squash". Arrange a variety of squashes in the center of the table.(They'll make a cheap center-piece, and although they take up a lot of space, they're generally non-breakable in the crystal-sort of way.) Pass out paper and pens and ask your guests to write the name of each kind of squash. If they do not know the name of a squash, then instruct them to make up a name. This is an opportunity for humor which can have quite silly results. Enjoy the creativity of your friends and family.
For the visual artists in the group, pass out the colored pencils, markers, crayons, (and paints if you dare) and see who can render the most realistic, squash still-life. This game can be fun as long as no one takes it too seriously. If necessary, remind everyone that they are just drawing squash.
Next, give each willing participant a squash, art supplies such as construction paper, scissors, glue, thumbtacks, googly-eyes, feathers, whatever, and ask everyone to "Dress the Squash". The "dress" could be a disguise or merely enhanced attire. Once completed, have a "Squash Fashion Show". One at a time, each guest adopts a dour expression and strides through the living room carrying his or her dressed squash. The rest of the group appropriately applauds.
Lastly, because at some time you'll want to eat Thanksgiving dinner and in order to do so you'll first need to occupy the kids so you can finish cooking, contain all the children in one room (is she serious?) while adults hide the dressed squash about the house (or outside if you really want some peace and quiet). Then tell the children to "Find The Squash". I know, this game is generally reserved for Easter, but it works well for Thanksgiving too.
Now you have them, my ideas for cheap, silly entertainment with squash. If you came to this blog looking for squash recipes, here are some links to squash dishes I've made in the past. Oh, and the squash we dressed as a turkey? - That's a Hubbard Squash I bought at a farmers' market. My friend said it's the sweetest of squashes and makes great "pumpkin" pie. Haven't tried it yet, but I will.
Baked Acorn Squash With Cranberries
Butternut Squash and Apple Bake
Pilgrim Speed Squash (You can cook it over a campfire)
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