Thanksgiving 2011

Haley made these cute flags to identify our cheese varieties.

Thanksgiving has now come and gone.  We felt much more prepared than last year - less last-minute stress.  Here's our menu (my notes in italics) - very few repeat appearances this year.  Next year I'm hoping to be even more prepared, to have the menu done sooner, and to get a humanely raised local turkey! Photos courtesy of Haley, my personal photographer. (I was too busy cooking to remember to bring my camera.)

Appetizers

Bacon wrapped water chestnuts (yum!!!)

Cheeses and crackers (including Toma, Herdsman, and Garlic Peppercorn Jack from Cherry Grove Farm) (support your local farmers!)

Carrot and celery sticks with hummus

Main Course

Turkey with Gravy
Spiral Ham
Mashed Potato Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Raisins (Cooking Light Nov 2011 p152) (very tasty)

Butternut Squash and Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins (Food and Wine Nov 2011)

Roasted Root Vegetables (turnips, radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes from the CSA, plus onions, roasted in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with parsley and scallions) (excellent)

Pumpkin and Feta Muffins (101 Cookbooks)

Green Beans with Balsamic Dressing (green beans from our CSA, balsamic dressing from The Essential NY Times Cookbook) (defrost green beans overnight before steaming them next time...)

Desserts

Pear and Fig Pie-in-a-Jar (Food and Wine Nov 2011) (YUM! lots of work but a tasty result!)

Black Bottom Banana Crème Pie (Food and Wine Nov 2011) (super easy and a big hit!)

Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie (from Martha Stewart) (unusual but it works! chocolate and pumpkin belong together!)

Apple Pie ("can I bake this parchment paper?" haha! Haley's lattice crust rocks as always!)

Gobble gobble!

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Raisins

Butternut Squash and Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins

Haley's Apple Pie

My Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Triple Double Chocolate Pumpkin Pie :)

Pear and Fig Pie-in-a-Jar