Treats to share at school or work for Thanksgiving celebrations

Thanksgiving week can mean celebrations in classrooms and workplaces. Treat contributions should be festive, small and easy to distribute. Everyone will appreciate grab and go snacks that allow more time for party activities.

Rice Krispies Treats are probably one of the easiest things to make and loved by many. The cereal box always has the recipe, which includes only three ingredients: butter, marshmallows and Rice Krispies. The easiest way to make them is with mini marshmallows and using parchment paper to flatten the gooey mixture in a pan.

To kick it up a notch for Thanksgiving, add red, orange, yellow and gold sprinkles on top, just after flattening and while still slightly warm. Allow it to cool completely, then cut into as many squares as desired. (I cut 24 squares- 6 across, 4 down.) For easier cuts, cover your knife blade with Crisco.

For easier distribution, prepare each treat with its own piece of parchment paper in a container on on a plate, instead of just bringing the pre-cut slab in a pan. The parchment paper will prevent the squares from sticking to each other.

Pies are a popular Thanksgiving dessert. But, cutting a slice can be time consuming and messy, and sometimes slices are cut so there isn't enough for everyone.

Solve those problems with mini pumpkin pies. Actually, just about any pie can be made into mini form. Simply make the filling as usual, and just cut larger fruits into smaller sizes.

If you don't have one, get a mini muffin pan. Then, after rolling out your crust dough, use a small circle (or scalloped circle) cookie cutter to create crusts the right size for the pan. Press each crust in the pan and finish preparation as usual.

Keep an eye on the pies as they cook- it shouldn't take as long to cook mini pies as it does one regular pie. (I cooked mine for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then another 35 minutes at 350 degrees.)

A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without turkey. To bring turkey to your celebration in its easiest form, just bring meatballs.

If you cannot find frozen turkey meatballs, make your own with ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, Parmesan cheese and whatever spices or other fillings you prefer. Use a cookie scoop to form perfect bite-size balls, then cook in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serve in a little sauce or gravy (or provide both for varying tastes), with either toothpicks or plastic forks available for each ball.

Turkey can also come in the form of pre-made sandwiches. While the local grocery may offer a platter of the sandwiches, it's much less expensive to make the sandwiches at home. For the average classroom, you would only need to make about the same amount of sandwiches you make per week for your child.

Keep them simple, maybe just one extra topping, then cut the sandwiches into fours. So the sandwiches stay together, keep each quarter secure with a visible toothpick.

Cookies are always a simple snack, and sugar cookies can be cut into whatever shape best suits the occasion. Keep it simple with sprinkles spread on top before cooking.

With a little more effort, you can even make your own icing. Add spoonfuls of apple cider to powdered sugar until the mix reaches the preferred consistency for icing. Add a drop of food coloring for the color desired, or add sprinkles.