There was a time when I thought I could be a vegetarian every day, except for Thanksgiving. That has changed! I do feel so thankful for all that I've learned about how wonderful vegetarian cuisine can be, and doubly thankful to have this opportunity to share the results in this way.
This is a very important part of our Thanksgiving menu, really the main dish to which all else is somewhat subservient. It doesn't take nearly as long to prepare as turkey, though some pre-Thanksgiving day preparation is helpful. It's quite wonderful. We don't miss the turkey.
This is a very simple dish, and one we very much enjoy as part of our traditional Thanksgiving feast.
This wonderful Mediterranean dish probably has as many recipes as those who prepare it. Please use this recipe as a point of departure for you to add or subtract according to your taste. This dish is a mainstay Thanksgiving appetizer, served with boursin and London Townehouse crackers, really a scrumptious combination. Do try it!
Finding the tart cherries needed for this pie may be the most difficult part of preparing it. I normally use three 14-ounce cans of tart cherries. This pie is a great favorite of many family members.
When I found out how simple it is to make cranberry sauce, there seemed never again to be a reason to purchase it in a can. By preparing the sauce yourself, you can sweeten the sauce to your preference, which, in our home is very lightly.
This is one of our Thanksgiving staples. We tend toward a very traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, just minus the turkey, which we don't miss at all.
This gingerbread has a more bready consistency than most. It may have something to do with one of its ingredients, cooked potato. The recipe came about yesterday, trying to find just the right proportion of ingredients that would result in a gingerbread as tasty as my mother once made, and which had included potato. I remember feeling disappointed that she had not kept the recipe. No need for disappointment; the following is just as delicious as I remember.
Who can do without gravy at Thanksgiving? We couldn't. Thanks to preparing food for our very precious pet, whom we no longer have, I learned a very good way to make gravy. One of the dishes I used to make for our dog was a potato dish. In order to make the dish as nutritious, and delicious, as possible, I would add just the amount of water needed to fully cook the potatoes by the time the water had just about evaporated. This worked very well. However, once in a while, the potatoes would cook just a little longer than needed, and there would be some browned potatoes stuck to the bottom of the pan. This looked a lot like what I used to begin with to make gravy in a roasting pan which had contained meat. So I experimented some, and found a simple way to prepare a very yummy gravy.
Though this is a simple recipe, I include it because there is a slightly different way we prepare it and I think the difference makes for a tastier result.
Though I'll give the basic recipe, please remember there is room for virtually endless variety. Every year I look forward to preparing this recipe with its uniquely delicious aroma. I also encourage you to peek into your cupboards and clear out packages that have just a little dried fruit, or perhaps even some preserves not favored for use on toast. I've found such additions to our mincemeat only seem to add to its flavor.
This is one of our "must" Thanksgiving desserts. It's a wonderful combination of simple good taste with pecans that take on just a hint of roasted flavor. This pie is also quite easy to prepare, especially with the ingredients first brought to room temperature.
There are so many different recipes for a rolled pie crust. So far, though, this is my favorite. This recipe came about as a result of combining some other pie crust recipes used in the past. This recipe is for a two crust pie; however it may be divided or multiplied for however many crusts needed. Also, I use the pyrex deep pie plates, so this crust is pretty generous in its coverage. Notice how often the adverb, "gently," is used in this recipe. Especially in pastry work, gentleness is much needed.
It took me a while, but when this recipe finally happened, that was it. This is a very deep flavored robust pumpkin pie. If you like your pumpkin pie subtly flavored, this is not for you. The hardest part of this recipe is making sure you have all the ingredients.
These rolls have a slight sweetness with a hint of spice. Total preparation time of about three hours (perhaps even a little more) takes into account the yeast's needed development, distributing air throughout the dough and contributing to its good texture. However a lot of this time can be used tending to other "callings." For the pumpkin, we most often use what's left from our Halloween jack-o-lantern. We try to find as large a sugar pumpkin as we can, and then, post-Halloween, cook (either roast or steam) the pumpkin flesh for use in a number of other dishes, such as Baked Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin.
This would make a wonderful Thanksgiving entree for those with a preference for vegan preparations and for anyone else as well. This risotto requires no cheese, although it certainly is an optional addition.
This dish serves as our main vegetable dish on Thanksgiving. It lends a lovely savory, somewhat simple flavor to the fixings.
These robust rolls make a perfect accompaniment to salads. We particularly enjoy these rolls with Chef's Salad. And, they're scrumptious without any accompaniment at all. It must be mentioned that I am indebted, once again, to my husband's Aunt Sally, of "Aunt Sally's Brownies", for this wondrous recipe.
This recipe, adapted from one found in a local newspaper, is one I've used for at least ten years. It is a Thanksgiving staple. I usually bake them a few days ahead, careful to bake them just until they're slightly golden. Then I freeze them. Thanksgiving Day I just distribute as many as needed on baking sheets and bake at about 350 degrees for ten minutes, tops, and they're just as fresh tasting as can be. They're a somewhat old-fashioned, very tasty addition to a traditional feast.
This is perhaps our most traditional Thanksgiving recipe. I cannot remember a Thanksgiving without it. You may decide to add it to your traditional (or non-traditional) feast.