::Uncle Joe You Are Sitting Next To Me::

Looking for place cards for your Thanksgiving table that don't involve tracing your hand to make a turkey or folding a Pilgrim out of a napkin? We found some great alternatives in our November issue of Real Simple Magazine (http://www.realsimple.com).

1.) Kumquat Kabob- Spear several (4 or 5) kumquats on a wooden skewer for a pretty pop of color. Next, decide where to place it and do so. Now take a long strip of paper approximately a 1/2 inch wide and write the guest's name on it. Finally, curl the paper strip by running it over the blade of a pair of scissors (be careful) and place it around the kumquats.

2.) Wrapped Apple- Wrap a luscious apple (green or red) with some thin gold cord a few times and tie a knot. Next, place a small slip of paper with the guest's name under the cord.

3.) Monogrammed Gilded Pear- Take a pear and place a alphabet sticker on it. Next, spray paint the fruit with gold paint (the shinier the better) and let dry. Finally, peel off the sticker. This idea has caused some controversy between Kathleen and me. Kathleen feels as thought this would be very wasteful since you are ruining a perfectly good pear. If you share the same feeling we have found a great (and expensive) alternative. A company called Esslack has created edible metallic spray paint! It can be purchased at The Deli Garage (http://www.the-deli-garage.com/FOOD-FINISH_detail_16.html). If you do decide to go non-biodegradable use a plastic or wooden pear in place of the real one.

4.) Fragrant Herb Bouquet- Tie together your favorite sprigs of herbs. Cut a piece of paper into the shape of a leaf and tuck into the herbs.