Twitter: How to Use Twitter to Plan Thanksgiving, Top 10 Ways Twitter Can Help

Here are 10 reasons Twitter, despite its 140-character limit,  is my go-to Site for planning Thanksgiving.

If you want to search Twitter, and need to sign up, it's as easy as filling in your name, email, password and username.

Thanksgiving Recipes

@LATimesfood posts #weekendeats every Monday. Followers send photos of mouthwatering dishes, often along with recipes. It's a veritable foodfest! Recently I sent a photo and recipe for a favorite arugula pear salad.

@cookbook and @Maureen post twecipes—140-character recipes—like these: 

• Quick Tomato-Bulgur Soup: simmr 3c stock&cand tom(or sauce)/6T bulgur~12m; +2t balsamc/t soya/s+p to taste.
• Persimmon Pudd: Mix 2c flr/1½c sug/t salt&cinn&bkgpdr; +2c veryripe persimmon flesh/2t soda/c milk350F.
• Veg Chili: Brwn onion/T oil; +T garlc&grndcoffee&chilipdr&worces&soya/2c shroom&bell&carrot&celery&cookdbean; +4c crushdtom. Simmr h; +lim

@summertomato tweeted her recipe for roasted cauliflower that "tastes better than French fries," and is one of my favorite side dishes. I included the recipe in my slideshow, along with 8 other easy recipes for a cancer diet.

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Recipes

Vegans and vegetarians abound on Twitter, so you can find some wonderful recipes.

I follow @avocados, who publishes tantalizing recipes in The Daily Avocado, though not all the recipes are vegan. For example, my slideshow Avocados! make headlines there one day.

I follow The New York Times on Twitter for news as it happens. Just before writing this, I saw this @nytimes tweet: What's a Good Entree for a Vegan/Vegetarian Thanksgiving? I clicked on the link and found tempting recipes, such as "Harvest Tart With Pumpkin, Roasted Red Peppers and Olives." Mm.

And here's a recent tweet from popular vegan @aliciasilv, better known as Alicia Silverstone: my #vegan #thanksgiving menu http://bit.ly/vw03Q9

Thanksgiving Cooking Tips

From @FoodNetwork I learned in a post Top Ten Turkey Tips that you will have crisper turkey skin if you unwrap the turkey the day before roasting and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.

Thanksgiving Turkey Myths

Twitter also led me to these turkey myths:

• It's dangerous to roast the stuffing inside the bird.
• Always wash the turkey thoroughly inside and out.
• Basting frequently keeps the meat moist.
• Never roast a frozen turkey.
• The bigger the bird, the better the flavor.

Three Worst Ways to Roast a Turkey

One thing leads to another and the above link led me to learn how not to cook a turkey:

• In a dishwasher
• In a garbage can
• in a grocery bag

Thanksgiving Entertaining

Cheryl Najafi, otherwise known as @CherylStyle, has the most awesome entertaining ideas. Learn tons of entertaining tips by reading how Cheryl entertained Martha Stewart with ease, style and fun.

Thanksgiving Green Tips

These tips are from environmentalist and author @DianeMacEachern, or whose popular Big Green Purse Website offers green tips for every occasion. 

• Simplify the day.
• Decorate with Boughs and berries.
• Serve locally grown food.
• Offer organic beverages (and filtered water)
• Send guests home with leftovers in glass jars.
• Freeze leftovers in individual portions.
• Serve your meal on cloth tablecloths and napkins, accompanied by "real" silverware and plates. Worried about cleaning up after a large crowd? Let everyone pitch in - that's half the fun!
• And afterwards, try composting.

Thanksgiving Conversation Starters

@JoinTheDoGooder tweets links to dinner conversation starters. Topics include some simple ideas, but ones about which everyone will have something to say:

• Social media
• Motivation
• Favorite snacks
• Participation in charity work
• How you spend free time
• Family relationships (maybe not ideal for a family Thanksgiving dinner)

Thanksgiving Diet tips

@FoodNetwork tweeted these 5 Ways to Cut 100 Calories at Thanksgiving Dinner.

• Avoid turkey skin.
• Avoid meaty stuffing.
• Use creamy potatoes like Yukon gold or russet for natural creaminess in lieu of butter and cream.
• Use only a light sprinkle of crispy onion rings on top of green beans or top with lemon and garlic instead.
• Split dessert and/or pass up the whipped cream.

Black Friday Sales

@DianeMacEachern tweeted the link to these suggestions on Big Green Purse for Black Friday shopping:

• Food
• Electronics
• Personal Care Products
• Towels and linens
• Yogurt and bread makers
• Holiday cards and wrapping paper
• Diane reminds you to take your own shopping bags.

For More on Thanksgiving and Entertaining:

• DIY Thanksgiving: Recipes, Table Settings, De-stressors, Dealing with Relatives
• 10 Easy Breakfast Ideas
• Vegan Turkey Alternative: Prize-Winning Vegan Chili Recipe

I wish all of our readers a safe, happy Thanksgiving!

When my daughter and I saw a mouse skitter past us, she tweeted for help and got some great tweets in response for how to deal with it. How have you used Twitter to find answers?