thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. it is the first one my family embraced when we moved to america so many years ago, and we have celebrated it every year since by preparing and enjoying a delicious feast together. i'm pretty sure we enjoy the days of planning and cooking more than the eating which always seem to go by in a flash. we each have our favorites, and although we keep the traditional components constant, we change up the menu by trying new recipes for stuffings and sides. my husband likes a more traditional stuffing with an almost overload of sage, and my mom likes a chestnut stuffing i learned from my friend claire years ago (approximate recipe to follow). the kids all like lots of smooth mashed potatoes(see recipe) with little pools of gravy. i haven't changed the way i roast my turkey (free range organic) ever since i discovered martha stewart's recipe (perfect roast turkey 101) about eight years ago, and it turns out perfectly every time. so yes, i highly recommend you look it up, and follow the relatively simple instructions. and buy butter-lots and lots of it....it's thanksgiving!!! i had not started this blog last year at this time, but here you'll find a few random pictures and recipes from years past that might come handy. no matter what we add or subtract from the menu, we always roast (mostly root) vegetables because they are light, delicious, and easy to make {see recipe-or this one.} thanksgiving is the time to be grateful for the many blessings we have in our lives~a happy, healthy, and delicious thanksgiving to you and yours!

roast vegetables:

just out of the oven: parsnips, fennel, & squash with fresh thyme

for foolproof turkey roasting

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martha stewart's perfect turkey 101 recipe is my favorite

ready for the oven: parsnips, leeks, and turnips

creamed onions: boil peeled baby onions in water or good chicken broth until just tender. drain, then add sea salt & pepper to taste with a touch of thyme and cover with cream. simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the cream has thickened.

a new salad for this year: minted persimmon pomegranate salad with feta cheese(recipe here)continued (lots more goodies, click on read more)>>

beautiful root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, and fennel with rosemary and thyme

"ricing" potatoes: for mashed potatoes see recipe

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Claire’s chestnut-sausage-prune stuffing

ingredients:

1 cup roasted, peeled, chopped chestnuts, 1/2 cup prunes, 1 onion, finely minced, 2-3 pork sausages, 1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, 1/4 cup chicken livers, 1/4 cup good whiskey, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, butter.(loose-as in you can play with the quantities)

in a heavy skillet or dutch oven fry the onions, sausage (breaking it up with the spatula) and minced chicken livers in butter with salt & pepper, then add the chestnuts and prunes, fry together for a few minutes and add the whiskey, allow it to evaporate, add parsley. taste and adjust salt. bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes prior to serving.

gravy in the making

simmer the giblets for as long as the turkey is roasting with 1 onion (or 1 small leek), a stalk of celery, and lots of fresh marjoram, sage and thyme in 4-5 cups of home made stock-then keep adding the extra drippings from the roasting turkey. about half an hour prior to serving strain the stock (remove giblets, herbs, etc.)  using a fine mesh strainer and remove the fat (rises to the top). add the resulting stock to a butter and flour roux to make gravy.

home made (by my sister) pumpkin and chocolate pecan pies

my rather unattractive but very delicious baked chocolate pie with cream. okay, now i'm hungry:)   chocolate pie recipe

happy thanksgiving!!