A Bountiful Thanksgiving

Place cards made with clove initials in tangerines

Yesterday we spent a lovely Thanksgiving with friends. And after spending two entire days in the kitchen, there was no shortage of food. Again, we tried to make this year's menu as local as possible and most ingredients came from our garden and CSA basket.

The fresh, free-range turkey came from our local co-op, and I prepared it with an herb butter made with rosemary, oregano and thyme that all came from our garden. Surprisingly enough, our herbs have survived the below freezing, nighttime temperatures.

I made squash (from our CSA basket) stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and onions, rice and cheese. We received an abundance of potatoes from the CSA, and also a big bucket of sweet potatoes from our garden so I decided to make gratin potatoes in order to incorporate all the different types of potatoes. I used about five different types, yellow, red, purple, baking and sweet potatoes all went in the gratin casserole.

I also made my usual sides Tuscan-style stuffing made with pine nuts and red peppers, and green beans with caramelized shallots. For the salad, I used local apple-pears and goat cheese, with sugared walnuts and red onions.


One friend brought home-made dinner rolls, a Thanksgiving tradition in her family and a recipe that's been passed down from her grandmother. The rolls were a delicious attribute to the menu and huge hit with the kids. And considering that's about all the kids ate, I'm glad there were plenty.


Another friend brought this beautiful array of cheeses and breads.


Before dinner the men, boys and dogs went for a long hike in Brown County. Shhh.....don't tell anyone, but they got a little lost. They went off the trails and ended up calling us to say they'd be a little late. Thankfully they found their way back out of the woods and to the car, and made it home just in time for the turkey to come out of the oven.

Thanks to my friend, the dogs also ate a special thanksgiving dinner.....yes, that's right, Thanksgiving dinner for the dogs. What did they eat, you ask? Well she prepared a casserole of sweet potatoes, pork and rice.

And lastly, for dessert I made a pumpkin cheesecake with a praline topping of home-made caramel, drizzled chocolate and toasted pecans.