As many of you know, I enjoy cooking. For me it is both creative and therapeutic. There are few things more relaxing or satisfying than chopping, and few things more gratifying than watching your homemade veggie pot pie come out of the oven like a hot, fluffy ambassador of seratonin.
(For all the moms out there I’d like to offer a pause and a word of thanks. I recognize it’s easy for me to enjoy cooking this way as I don’t have kids yelling at me that they wish they had fish sticks or Captain Crunch. If you want my opinion, well, when they can cook, they can decide what they eat. So, make your mother’s recipe for tripe if that’s what you like. Or, if you want peace, hell, give them the Captain Crunch. It won’t kill them, at least not immediately, and frankly, it was all my brother would eat and he’s now a fully grown human. Sidebar.)
And speaking of cooking for others: There are few things I love more than a small dinner party at my house with good food, good company and good wine.
I like looking through cooking magazines, and I have a notebook filled with the recipes I tear out and want to try. There’s an added sense of accomplishment when I find things that are healthy AND interesting AND low-carb. (While I am a carboholic, my job and its visibility — causing a fear of seeing myself as “wide” on all the now-wide-screen TVs — has me aware that the second helping of mac n’ cheese doesn’t have to be in that video… but my ass does.)
For those of you who might be interested, I thought I’d offer my recipe plans for my Thanksgiving contribution. My offerings this year to my mother’s beautiful Thanksgiving table will be:
Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce
-Roasted Brussel Sprouts (I was going to make the cauliflower in lieu of the sprouts this year, but when I told my mother she was upset and made an actual request for the sprouts. To have a request from my mother for a dish thrilled me to no end.)
-Caprese Salad (Again, another family request. I’m beginning to think my culinary skills might actually be weaving their way into my family’s table tapestry.)
-Sweet Potato Pie (This one I haven’t made before, so I’ll have to give you an update as to how it goes.)
Mind you, these offerings will be joining some other traditional fare which my mother and other guests will bring to the table:
-Turkey
-Ham
-Dressing (which my mother freezes and schleps all the way from Holt’s Bakery in my hometown of Douglas, Georgia. That’s how good it is. As a side note, it was brought to my attention this year by a loved one from north of the Mason-Dixon line that not everyone knows what “dressing” is. A Southern Food primer: “Dressing” is the Southern version of what others might call “stuffing.” The difference between dressing and stuffing is that dressing is not actually stuffed in the turkey and typically is much wetter and, in my opinion, more delicious than its fancy filler counterpart called stuffing.)
-Baked Chicken Salad (which will also be made in a baked tuna salad version for me.)
-Cornbread
-Coconut Delight
-Who knows what everyone else is bringing
The recipes for these dishes can be found at SugarlandMusic.com. If you decide try any of them and enjoy them let us know in the comments.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
– Jennifer
PS: For those of you braving the shopping crowds of Black Friday, I will be not joining you in the trenches. My plan is to sit on my couch, in my PJs, with a cup of tea, and surf the internet for much of my holiday shopping. I recommend it. Some places even wrap the pieces for you. Quite efficient for the Virgo. Cheers!
