THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS

What dishes do you think of when planing your Thanksgiving dinner? For some of us, the celebratory banquet includes similar dishes year after year, such as roast turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes,  candied yams and pumpkin pie. When the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag Indians in 1621 to the historic feast to celebrate their successful harvest, most of what we as Americans think of traditional Thanksgiving dishes were not on the menu. 

The first "Thanksgiving" was a three day festival of eating, hunting and entertainment and since no record exists of the feasts exact menu, historians can only surmise the details from writings of Edward Winslow, William Bradford and predictions based on the crops that were prolific at that time. Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that the Governor Bradford sent four men on a "fowling" mission in preparation of the event and that the Wampanoag arrived with the gift of five deer, so venison and some type of  poultry were likely consumed in addition to native fruits like plums, melons, grapes, and cranberries, leeks, wild onions, beans, and squash. Other English crops such as turnips, cabbage, parsnips, onions, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme might have also been on hand. It is assumed that since the Pilgrim's sugar supply had dwindled at the time of the feast, that the meal did not feature pies, cakes or desserts so typical in our contemporary Thanksgiving celebration.

When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of comfort food. Turkey accompanied by carb rich side dishes - stuffing, candied yams, mashed potatoes, squash, and green beans swimming in a creamy mushroom sauce with fried onions. Thanksgiving without them is just not Thanksgiving. Typically we Americans eat an overabundance of these starchy comfort foods and by the end of Thanksgiving dinner feel drowsy, weighed down and just stuffed....like the turkey. This year I decided to give guests an alternative; a healthier,lighter side dish, full of flavor but also full of nutrients. It looks festive, has some leafy greens, goat cheese, dried cranberries and roasted carrots.

 Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad. I found this recipe in Ina Garten's new book "Cooking for Jeffrey". I'll let you know how it turns out and if  any of my dinner guests decide to give it a try. And remember...this is an alternative not a replacement. I will try the salad but I'm still looking forward to the traditional stuffing, potatoes and pumpkin pie! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

MAPLE-ROASTED CARROT SALAD

2 Pounds carrots
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice ( 2 oranges )
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves - grated
6 ounces baby arugula
6 ounces goat cheese - medium diced
2/3 cup roasted, salted Marcona almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Trim and scrub the carrots. If the carrots are more than one inch in diameter, cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the carrots in large diagonal slices one inch wide and 2 inches long and place in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Toss well and transfer to two sheet pans. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing once, until the carrots are tender. Transfer all the carrots to one of the sheet pans and the maple syrup, toss, and roast for 10 - 15 minutes, until the edges are caramelized. Watch them carefully! Toss with a metal spatula and set aside for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then set aside for 10 minutes. 

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the arugula in a large bowl and add the carrots, cranberries ( with their liquid ), goat cheese, almonds and the vinaigrette. Toss with large spoons, sprinkle with salt and serve at room temperature. 

CHECK IT OUT!

YOU CAN FIND THIS BOOK IN 641.5 GAR

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

      I have been contemplating quite a lot about what to write for my December blog. Of course Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve? I could have decided to post a recipe from the menu I would be creating for my Christmas dinner. However....this year is a special year for me. I do not have to host Christmas dinner!  Hard to believe since I have been hosting this special dinner for over 20 years. Mind you, at first I liked the idea and enjoyed creating a menu and trying new recipes. However some years it just felt like a chore, something I HAD to do and unfortunately I was lacking the enthusiasm and gumption you need to have when hosting 20 people for dinner.

     When I first took over the job of hosting Christmas, I loved researching and planning and decorating and continuing some of the traditions my mom had started when I was young. Every year that I can remember, my mom would make an assortment of cookies and put them in antique glass cookie jars to look oh so pretty. I know she would keep a close watch on them so we still had the assortment as part of the dessert when SHE hosted Christmas dinner. My brother and I and especially my dad used to sneak into the jars and steal one or two - maybe a Russian tea cake or a double chocolate nut cookie.....until she heard the "clink" sound from the other room as we tried to place the top on the glass cookie jar ever so gently. "Get out of the cookies ...we will not have enough for dessert!" she would yell from the other room knowing full well that she would be lucky if they were still around at Christmas. We would criticize her and tell her that she should not make them too far in advance because it tempted us so much. Either way, they were enjoyed by all.

     Unfortunately things got busier for me with 2 children, 2 dogs,  work, shopping, cooking and decorating so some things had to give. I consider myself lucky if I can make 2 types of cookies when "back in the day" I would probably make 6 or so, some of which were a little time consuming like Linzer tarts or gingerbread men all decorated in white icing. Now its down to chocolate chips and probably the Russian tea cakes. In addition I usually make some pound cakes like almond or coconut pound cake and pair it with home made ice cream. Simple yet tasty desserts.

       But, there is ONE item that I seem to find time for every year no matter how busy I am. There is always time to make a huge batch of candied pecans. A close friend of mine gave me the recipe years ago when I first got married and I think it called for walnuts but I like pecans so I used pecans instead.  It is not that time consuming and you can make a lot at one time and everyone seems to love them. They are perfect for gifts if you put them in decorated tins and easy enough that anyone can make them. They are versatile too. Sometimes I put them in my salad or use them to top a cake.Other times, I just take a handful and devour.Try them....it could be one of your new traditions.

CANDIED NUTS:

3/4   cup packed brown sugar
1/2  teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon grated orange rind
2 1/2  Tablespoon orange juice
1 pound of pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine sugar, salt, orange rind and orange juice in a large bowl. Add nuts and toss to coat. 

Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Coat it with non-stick vegetable spray. Spread nuts evenly on foil. Bake nuts for 20 - 25 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Stir nuts halfway through baking time to coat evenly. 

Place large piece of aluminum foil on the counter and spray with the cooking spray. Remove nuts from oven and pour onto foil, immediately separating nuts with two forks. Cool completely and then store in airtight containers. 

Hope you like them. Happy Holidays!