Thanksgiving Menu

2013 Menu

The Thanksgiving Menu is always a series of compromises with tradition, individual tastes, and time, energy and money all playing a role.  I've spent a lot of time with the grocery ads, poring over cookbooks and recipes, making lists and trying to take everybody's food idiosyncrasies into consideration.  Here is the menu for for Thanksgiving.

This is good for a group which contains both vegetarians and meat eaers, as only the turkey and gravy have meat.

The pecan pie bars are to die for.  

This morning's Boston Globe announced that nuts are very good for you.  Now the pecan pie bars are health food.  The wild rice salad has nuts, too. Yippee! 

Chez Grapeshot

Finalizing the Thanksgiving dinner en famille, with a new daughter-in-law this year (yay!) and both sons nearby.  What a reason to be thankful.  Granddaughter will be with us, too.  I believe this is the first ever celebration with all together in New England.

There will be a roast turkey, of course, and some stuffing, my mom's old recipe to comply with vegetarian tastes. 
 Earla's Old Time Potato Stuffing
We'll enjoy gravy, like my Dad taught me to make.  Thanks, Dad.  Not too many people know how to make real gravy anymore.  Equal quantities of fat and flour and not more than your turkey broth can accommodate.  Mashed potatoes.  Trying some squash fritters for the vegetarian.  Made with rice, too, they sound yummy.  A wild rice salad with cranberries, also good for the vegetarian and it sounds tasty.  Maybe some green bean casserole made from scratch.  And Ina Garten's cranberry conserve.  Dessert will be pumpkin  tarts and pecan pie bars. A veritable feast, so be sure, and plenty of work, too. 
 Some of the tasks can be done in advance:   the turkey broth, the stuffing bread, cut up the veggies, cook the squash, cook the beans and rice, make the salad, Make the tart shells and the pecan pie bars.  Enough left for turkey day, plus I'll have some help.  The worst is cleaning up the kitchen and trying to find a place for all the leftovers.  Thanks, too, for the fridge in the basement storeroom.  And the cold garage.

The cats will be thankful for lots of extra laps to sit in.  Share the love, they always say.

Back to my writing, which is nearly 80,000 words in the 1928 Southern California book.  Yowza!

Pecan Pie Bars

These will float your boat!   Can be made ahead. Serves more than a pie.  Soooo toothsome.  What are you waiting for?

Pecan Pie Bars, Gourmet, March 1999

 

Shortbread Base

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Cut cutter into ½ inch pieces. In a good processor, process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps.  Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan, and with a metal spatula press mixture evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

Pecan Topping

8 ounces pecans (about two cups)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons heavy cream

hot shortbread base

In a food processor coarsely chop pecans. In a heavy saucepan melt butter and stir in brown sugar, honey, and cream. Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 1 minute and stir in pecans. Pour pecan mixture over hot shortbread base and spread evenly. Bake  in middle of oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes. (WATCH CAREFULLY)

Cool completely in pan  and cut into 24 bars  Bar cookies keep covered,  5 days at room temperature.  

They won't last five days.  Indulge yourself.  January is for dieting. 

Grapeshot