We celebrated a week late, but it was fun and fairly stress-free. Unfortunately, we didn't have our huge crowd of 16 guests in for the feast, but it was cozy with two other couples and one single guy. Almost everyone has kids, though, and so they brought them, which made for a much rowdier Thanksgiving than we've had in the past, but still fun. Times are a-changin, so we're changin with them! Since there were just two other couples, the girls helped out with bringing the sweet potatoes and salad, but we made everything else.
We made our Thanksgiving celebration a day of Ina. Her cookbooks: Barefoot Contessa have been facetiously labeled "the Bible" in Dave's family because it is the only thing his sister cooks from and everything in it is absolutely delicious. The day before our celebration I was able to make a cranberry conserve, which was pretty good, but a lot of the people still opted for the jar of solid cranberry jelly. As Jesse put it, Ruffles have ridges and so does cranberry sauce. :) I also made the dessert the day before the festivities, which was pretty good... but I am used to apple crisps and pies made without orange or lemon zest, so I still like my mom's apple crisp recipe. However, this apple-pear-cranberry crisp was still delicious and fun to try for a change. (Note: the recipe online doesn't add dried cranberries like the recipe in the book does.) David was a saint and took care of preparing and roasting the turkey and another year went by where we didn't have to order pizza! I usually make a hassle-free crockpot stuffing, but this year, since I was going all Barefoot-Contessa, I made the stuffing out of baguettes and sauteed onion, celery and granny smith apples. Oh, and from my herbs in my little flower pots outside on my patio! I think it would have been much more moist if I had actually stuffed the turkey with it. Oh well, I cooked it on the side in the oven and it still tasted pretty good. Whew, what else? Oh, a green bean casserole, which is a tradition that Kimber usually brings and if she hadn't just have had a premature baby, she probably would have brought it. So I made it in her honor... plus, it's really good! Okay, last but not least, I made the gravy earlier in the day with a touch of Brandy and I made the mashed potatoes, using buttermilk. Simply divine!
By the way, the sweet potato recipe above is worth checking out. It's the only one the Wolfrom family will eat now at every Thanksgiving, thanks to Dave's brother-in-law, Mike, who brought it from his family in PA. However, for the health conscious, it is more like dessert than a vegetable dish. No wonder everyone loves it!
I love fall and the cool crisp air, and the smell of apple cider and spice. I love snuggling up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book, and I absolutely love the autumn colors. I do miss the beautiful colors of fall that Ontario majestically boasts. I am jealous of my Ontario friends who get to bask in the warm "Indian Summer" that they've been enjoying for weeks now. I have been cowering away in my cozy little house while the winds and the rain have been pounding away outside. Okay, okay, it hasn't been THAT bad, but still... it IS the northwest and we DO get lots of rain. And there's supposed to be a wind storm tonight.
What do you love about fall? What are some of your favorite fall recipes?
1 comment:
Seriously, this Ontario fall is like nothing I've ever experienced! The flowers are still in full bloom here! Crazy!
What I love about fall, making huge pots of soup or stew where we eat some and then freeze the rest for a quick meal another day. I like to bake and as soon as it's cooler out I usually get the urge.
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