Tradition

Around this time of year, I look forward to curling up in bed with a pen and a pad of paper where I plan out my Thanksgiving spread.  Yes, the centerpiece of my table is always the UnTurkey, but the other dishes must also compete for attention.  Once was a time when what graced the table of the average American home was pretty set -- in addition to the hapless bird, there were mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes dotted with marshmallows, creamed spinach, pearl onions and so on.  I don't know who wrote the Thanksgiving Menu Book for Most Americans, but that's just how it was for as long as my great-grandfather's memory serves me (and he was Irish American).  But then several years ago, things began to change.  Chefs began coming up with the New and Improved Thanksgiving Menu Book, featuring exotic twists and turns on the old classics, including ethnic versions.  Peruse any of the ever-proliferating food magazines or websites at this time of  year and the options will addle your mind and leave you staring at a menu several pages long, or a blank page, unable to decide what to make at all.


I do most of my food research in my head.  In other words, I curl up in bed, as I mentioned earlier, and I start to think about the flavors I want to savor and how I can turn them into actual dishes.  It's a lot of fun. So I was about to start attacking This Year's Menu when I thought I'd ask my husband's opinions on a few ideas.  He quipped,
"What's wrong with some of the items you always make?  Pumpkin soup in the little pumpkins, the pumpkin rolls, your brussell sprouts, you know."


"But we have those every year.  They're so traditional," I replied.


But of course, he was right.  What's wrong with tradition once in awhile?  After all, it's only once a year I make those pumpkin rolls, and carve out those little pumpkins to fill with soup, and overstuff the UnTurkey with the delectable bread stuffing that I could eat happily all week long, and pour gravy over everything...so why do I need to come up with something new, different and exotic for Thanksgiving? 


And so somehow, the 2009 Thanksgiving Menu Project came to a speedy resolution.


So here are the classics from my home, rounded out with a few items that change from time to time:


The UnTurkey (for recipe, go to www.unturkey.org)
Miyoko's Traditional Bread Stuffing, Gravy and Cranberry relish 
Pumpkin Chestnut Soup in Miniature Pumpkins
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (sometimes with added celery root)
Orange Maple Yams - a light and refreshing version of yams with no marshmallows!
Braised Brussel Sprouts
Pomegranite, Pear and Pine Nut Salad
Braised Cauliflower and Chanterelles
Gourds Stuffed with Almond and Kale Risotto (recipe on earlier blog)
"Scallops" of King Oyster Mushrooms
Pumpkin Rolls


And then dessert...last year I made, in addition to traditional vegan pumpkin pie, a vegan pumpkin tiramisu.  This year, I've decided on pumpkin teasecake and apple-caramel pie, a couple of old standbys that just make you want more.  


Over the next week, I'll be posting recipes for most of these recipes, hopefully with some photos. But now I have to start making the grocery list...