Thanksgiving Is My Favorite Holiday! Gloria Kobrin's 2010 Thanksgiving Menu

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I don’t  know if it’s because I was born on Thanksgiving day and so it’s ingrained in my DNA , or because I adore all the various foods I choose to prepare for the feast, or because I love the informality of the day –probably a combination of all the above. We have established our own traditions for Thanksgiving including my husband’s cornucopia overflowing with unusual fruits and bittersweet branches. Every year he does something dramatic that outdoes the year before.
In terms of food, I have a long list of recipes that I have worked on over the years. Each year, I try to add something new thinking that I’ll replace an old standard; but no- I just add on. When I leave something out, my kids say- where is the…So I do it all. For the last 20 years or so, we have had the same family come for “leftovers” the Friday night dinner following Thanksgiving. The adults are close and the children have grown up together. Our friend’s husband died three years ago and we miss him terribly. That Friday night dinner is now not just a wonderful time together but a time to remember.
We are fortunate to have a Thanksgiving guest list that runs the gamut from Great Grand Parents to great grandchildren with siblings, nephews, nieces, and friends in between. There is so much for which to be grateful. We often lose sight of the good stuff while we’re obsessing over  the frustrations and annoyances that definitely impact our daily life but shouldn’t become the focus of it. Thanksgiving gives us a chance to stop for a minute and express gratitude in a casual unscripted way.
The following is a list of hors d’oeuvres, turkey, vegetables, starches and desserts that I prepare. One added note: My Mother is allergic to green, yellow and orange vegetables-thus I have a number of red and white vegetables on the table. My daughter is vegetarian-but as you can see the turkey is almost an afterthought in this meal. I also make a separate vegetarian gravy for her. My grandson is allergic to nuts so I remove the nut toppings I usually put on top of sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts.  And now on to the food...

  

THANKSGIVING MENU 2010

HORS D’OEUVRES
Mushroom Ears
Pigs ‘n Blankets (mustard)
White Bean Dip
Guacamole
Fried Olives
BUFFET DINNER IN PANTRY
Sliced Turkey- Gravy
2 Cranberry Sauces
Cornbread Stuffing
Wild & White Rice with Dried Apricots , Dried Cranberries, & Pearl Onions
Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy for Jessica
Sweet Potato Casserole
Smashed Root Vegetables with Caramelized Onions
Candied Parsnips
Roasted Butternut Squash
Brussel Sprouts with Dill
Pearl Onions, Chestnuts & Celery
DESSERT
Pecan Pie, Spiced Apple Pie, Pear-Currant Turnovers, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie