Thanksgiving is a tradition of breaking bread--and diets--with friends and family near and far.
The first feast in 1621 included Pilgrims, who traveled from England, and the Wampanoag people, a Native American tribe. Get a little history on this nation of "eastern people" at www.tolatsga.org/wampa.html.
At www.bham.wednet.edu/thanks.htm, you'll also find a starting point to travel through various representations of history. Visit www.msstate.edu/Archives /History/USA/colonial/first-thanksgiving- proclamation to read the first Thanksgiving proclamation.
Yes, the holiday is about history, family and being grateful and all that. But what about the food? The Food Network dishes up advice and recipes at www.foodtv.com/holidays/thanksgivingindex. A turkey calculator assesses how long to cook the bird. (Don't forget to thaw it and take out the innards first.) The pie section offers recipes and demonstrations that aim to teach how to handle dough like a pro.
The FoodTV site also has tips to keep cooks from boiling over during the holiday. And, of course, it includes the TV network's schedule for its Thanksgiving-themed shows on Saturday, Sunday and Nov 22.
Check foodgeeks.com/seasonal for mouthwatering recipes for everything from the bird to the berries. There's also a printable checklist for the holiday feast.
One of the best (and worst) things about a huge Thanksgiving meal is leftovers. Diabetic-Lifestyle, at www.diabetic-life style.com/articles/nov98_dinne_1.htm, offers some pretty decent recipes for reconstituting turkey.
Keep the kids out of the kitchen with activities at www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/ thanks.html. They can tackle questions such as why potatoes weren't served at the first Thanksgiving feast or do word searches and decipher the referee's body language. The site also has links to Thanksgiving history and lets kids send a holiday e-mail.
Check out www.holidays.net/thanksgiving, where visitors can adopt a turkey and find holiday pictures to print and color, recipes and e-greeting cards.
At wilstar.net/holidays/thanksgv.htm and www.benjerry.com/thanksgiving (yes, Ben & Jerry's), find activities from games to coloring to making place tags or a New England village.
And who said Thanksgiving has to be only one day?
Check out rats2u.com/thanksgiving /thanksgiving_events.htm#events for related events, from parades and pow wows to football.
