My sisters heard a radio program recently in which the hosts asserted that if someone says they like to try new recipes on Thanksgiving, they’re lying.
What people really like is the same menu, year in and year out. That’s what the folks on the radio said.
I gotta say, I really don’t know any of these people. Call me a liar, but we like to try new recipes every year.
It’s part of our family time, our holiday gathering ritual. After identifying a few intriguing, mouthwatering recipes, we loosely map out the menu, hunt down last-minute ingredients, then study the recipes we’ve written down, printed out or saved on our smartphones.
This year, on Thanksgiving Day, we introduced almost an entirely new pallet of flavors, with some family favorites in the mix for the sake of tradition and, you know, just in case the experiments failed.
Our lone starter:
- Jalapeno Popper Dip – half the recipe was plenty
Main menu:
- Roast Pork with brown sugar, paprika & New Mexico red chili rub
- Baked Apples stuffed with brown sugar and a pat of butter
- Sweet Potatoes with bourbon and maple syrup
- Mashed potatoes a kid favorite
- Brussels Sprouts shredded with bacon, pecorino-Romano, and almonds
- Yeast Rolls an all-around favorite
Dessert:
- Date Pudding, a family favorite
- Squash Pie, thanks to an abundance of squash
- Sugar Cream Pie, a family and Hoosier favorite
The date pudding is a treat I’ve enjoyed since my childhood. My Grandmother would make two types: dry, which was perfect with a scoop of ice cream, and as my aunt says, “runny” which is good on its own, with ice cream and most perfect with a dollop of whipped cream. My aunt took over the tradition, I learned today, so that her favorite, the wetter, more syrupy version would always make it to the dessert table. Very clever. And always a delight when we get together.
More to come Saturday when the big group gets together. That’s when I get to try my sister’s ricotta and grape-stuffed turkey. Ricotta? Grapes? I can’t wait. No lie.
Virtual Farmgirl 