Previously:
The Fourth Annual Huffington Post "Tell Us What You're Cooking For Thanksgiving This Year That You Didn't Cook Last Year" Contest
And so, Thanksgiving. Its the most amazing holiday. Just think about it -- it's a miracle that once a year so many millions of Americans sit down to exactly the same meal as one another, exactly the same meal they grew up eating, and exactly the same meal they ate a year earlier. The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don't think so.
This Meal, with it's glorious standards, is the thing that reassures us that we're home (even if we're not), that we're a family (even if we don't meet the standard definition), and that we're Americans (even if we're despondent over the mid-terms).
And every year, just to stay fresh, and in the interests of change and counterintuitiveness, HuffPost runs its annual Thanksgiving contest: Tell Us What You're Cooking For Thanksgiving This Year That You Didn't Cook Last Year. Something new. Something old you've never tried for Thanksgiving. Some twist on a traditional thing. Something for vegetarians. So send in those recipes and we'll pick ten winners.
In my case I'm making a sausage stuffing in addition to the one we can't live without. We always make the same old same old stuffing I grew up with, using the Pepperidge Farm packaged stuff and lots of celery and onions and mushrooms and twice as much butter as you're supposed to. But yesterday, visiting Seattle, I made my ritual visit to Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery and bought some of his focaccia stuffing which came with Douglas' recipe. It has sage in it. I hate sage. But yesterday I thought, perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps sage is good after all. This was a cheap and exciting way to feel open-minded.
Here's his recipe, which I have altered only slightly:
12 cups stuffing
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound butter
1/2 pound loose sausage
2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced celery
8 large sage leaves chopped
2 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter and gently cook onions and celery. Put into a bowl. Brown sausage meat in the same pan. Add to bowl and toss with the other ingredients. Put into a shallow baking dish and cook for about 20 or 30 minutes at 400 degrees till crispy.
Send us your recipe for What You're Cooking For Thanksgiving This Year That You Didn't Cook Last Year in the comments below, and we'll post our ten favorites next week.
Stephanie J. Stiavetti: How To Cook A Perfect Turkey: 14 Essential Tips
Thanksgiving Recipes - Allrecipes.com
Thanksgiving and Turkey Recipes: Side Dishes, Desserts, Appetizers ...
|
Post a Comment
I guess this really makes up for the not-so-good apple pie I turned out the other day.
I hope that, someday, the haters and obstructionists who are thwarting the will of the American majority will come to their senses, so that your great country, which led the world in progress for so long, can once again do so.
Canada's Thanksgiving is in October, but, on this day dedicated to unity and togetherness in the U.S., I wish all Americans peace, both foreign and domestic.
Now enjoy your turkey, eh?
;-)
It is an awful thing that here in the US you can only get the health care you can afford to pay for. So sad, all the families on the streets this year and every year.
I have heard good things about Canada and that they do take care of their citizens better than we do. Happy Holidays to you, too.
But don't think me ungrateful. I'm glad as hell I left him!
Best wishes to you as you continue your new life!
Gratitude is the mother of contentment.
Happy Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving!! Share the love, spread the laughter and pass down the food
I sliced the jelly, then trimmed two slices into heart shapes for the first plate! For leftovers, you're on your own...
Good quality spagetti, with tomato basil marinara sauce augmented heavily with black olives, mushroom buttons and NY strip steak chunks. Add some great pinor noir and fresh garlic bread. Takes a half-hour. Easy to nibble casually upon over several days ...
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
6 carrots chopped
6 celery stalks chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled cored, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
6 pieces thick bacon
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp curry
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup apple cider
6 cups chicken broth/stock
olive oil, salt pepper
Preheat oven to 375, coat squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss and place in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until squash is fork tender, turning once.
Brown bacon in a dutch oven until crisp. Remove and drain on plate with paper towel. Put carrots, celery, onion, thyme and curry in dutch oven with bacon drippings and cook over medium high heat 10 minutes until tender. Add squash and apple and cook 5 more minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add cider and cook several more minutes and then add chicken stock and bay leaf. Stir occasionally and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove bay leaf.
Working in batches, puree mixture in a blender or food processor. Be sure to remove the middle of the blender top to avoid steam exploding out, covering the opening with a towel while blending.
Top with crumbled bacon bits and a dollop of sour cream... Enjoy!