Can you believe it’s only a week away? Where has the year gone?
It’s been too quiet in my kitchen (not to mention my blog) of late: I took a rather spectacular tumble while hiking across the street last week and proceeded to limp home 3 miles with a throbbing ankle and a healthy dose of humility. Since then I’ve been thumping around the house with my baseball-bat-turned-cane and spending much quality time with late 90’s TV via Netflix. Ah, technology. How I love you.
At any rate, I’m sort of glad that I will not be cooking for the Big Day this year, as we will be spending the holiday in Maine with family. My battered body is on the mend and once I get back I’m sure I’ll regale you with more tales from my tiny kitchen. Until then, take it easy on yourself and try not to let the stress of the holidays overwhelm the joy. (As I say this, I realize that half of the recipes in the picture above, from last year’s intimate Thanksgiving for two, never made the blog: vanilla-scented sweet potatoes, apple walnut cornbread stuffing, turkey gravy. Guess I was taking my own advice and taking it easy!). For all of the preservers out there, this is the perfect time of year to take stock and use up some of that bounty from the summer: savory jams, butters or marmalade for a fancy cheese plate; canned pie for a quick & easy Thanksgiving dessert; cranberry sauce, chutney and pickles to complement the feast. Enjoy!
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Thanksgiving Ideas 2011
STARTERS
- Cranberry Nut Bread
- Curried Apple Chutney
- Pumpkin Soup with Chocolate & Chipotle
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage
- Salt & Cocoa Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Seed Trifecta
- Swiss Chard Quiche Minis
SIDES
- Goat Cheese & Herb Gougeres
- Kaela’s Garlic-Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Pepper & Rosemary
- Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon
- Roasted Green Beans with Potatoes & Bacon
- Whole Grain Scottish Rolls
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
MAIN EVENT
- Curried Pumpkin & Kale Stew
- Dry-Brined Roasted Turkey
- Pumpkin Gnocchi
- Roasted Turkey Breast with Plum Preserves
- Strawberry Chipotle Turkey Breast
CONDIMENTS
- Cranberry Apple Butter
- Cranberry Habanero Mustard
- Cranberry Sauce with Rosemary & Juniper
- Easy Cranberry Sauce
- Mission Fig & Port Wine Mustard
- Fresh Cranberry Salsa
- Spicy, Gingery Cranberry Chutney
FINALE
localkitchenblog.com 
These ideas are incredible! I’d avoid the turkey… no one really likes turkey – it’s horrible.
Oh, I beg to differ: I LOVE turkey. We eat it all winter long. Typically turkey suffers from two problems: 1) those frozen, mass-produced Butterball turkeys at the grocery store *are* horrible. Spongy texture, watery flat taste; 2) most turkeys cooked at home are over-cooked and hence dry and sawdusty. Buy an heirloom, pasture-raised turkey and roast it using a meat thermometer and your mind just might be blown.
I absolutely agree. A perfectly done turkey can be one of the highlights of the season! Plus, well-prepared turkey tends to get even better with age, so your turkey soups, turkey sandwiches, turkey stews and general turkey straight out of the refrigerator in the days following Thanksgiving are fantastic. Love the blog!
Man, this is an AMAZING treasure trove of recipe goodness. I am doing a Thanksgiving recipe round-up for Sunday, and this will def. be apart of that! Gimme Gimme that Cranberry Apple Pie! Oh and those Scottish Rolls…
And more importantly, feel better soon Kaela! I’m so sorry to hear about your fall. I actually checked your Facebook page last night wondering if I had missed a post or two of yours… now I know what the silence was due to… GET WELL & ENJOY your time in Maine!!!
Agree – turkey can be wonderful. Cooked breast side down with a little stock in the bottom of the pan gives a super moist meat. Not so pretty to take to the table can still look nice with cleverly place garnishes. Thanks for some great new ideas.
Beautiful and inspiring – even for a Thanksgiving Grinch!
as always your round-ups make me realize what an amazing cook you must be. everything looks delicious and inspired. get better soon K and happy thanksgiving to ya. 🙂
Looks wonderful! I like smoked turkey and roasted! Get well and Happy Thanksgiving!
southernjam.blogspot.com
Kaela, I’m sorry you fell down! But I’m glad you posted this gorgeous recipe roundup. That drunken cherry pie is — still — so beautiful that it makes my knees weak.
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