My Someday
Thanksgiving
Terry and I have been putting the full court press on my mom
to give up Thanksgiving and let it become our holiday. Mom has all of us (25) for Thanksgiving
and the same crew for Christmas Eve.
Then she has the immediate family over Christmas morning for brunch and
gifts. You would think the woman
would want the break!!! Nope, she
is not budging.
After several conversations of trying to convince her to
give up the holiday, she finally agreed to let me bring “the appetizer.” We only have one appetizer at
Thanksgiving. It’s a big
beautiful, delicious antipasto.
Great! I love making
antipasto.
For those of you who know my relationship with my mother,
this story is pretty funny. If you
are just getting to know me, it may fall short . . .
A few nights ago I am driving home and get a phone call from
my mom, “I picked up some stuff for the antipasto for you and left it on your
kitchen counter.” “Great” I
replied. “Oh and I will get the
meats for you next week and drop them off on Wednesday.” “Great” I replied with a smile and in
disbelief thinking, “didn’t you delegate this to me!” “Oh and I have the platter that I use for you too.” “Great Mom, thanks.” So what am I really contributing to
Thanksgiving this year . . . I think I was more involved when I was four!
When I told this story to my husband he was hysterical! Then I said, “I think I am going to go
crazy and use different olives to throw her offJ” With a serious face, my husband looked
at me and said, “Don’t *#@% with antipasto.” Really!
I am bursting at the seams with ideas for hosting this
beautiful holiday. A day where
there are no gifts involved, just good times with the family enjoying good
food. Here are a few of my
thoughts and some recipes for my someday Thanksgiving.
1.)
Pumpkin
Soup – I have been making this soup all fall.
It is really easy and really yummy!
2.)
Mashed potatoes – I would take a traditional mashed potatoes
recipe and half the amount of potatoes and substitute with two heads of
cauliflower. I would also mince up
some kale and add it in for some color and good measure!
3.)
String beans – I would cook them very simply. A quick boil in low sodium chicken
broth with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper.
4.)
Sweet potatoes – Bake whole and cut in quarters the long way
for serving. Sprinkle cinnamon and
drizzle a touch of maple syrup.
5.)
Stuffing – I would use my mom’s recipe but of course like a
typical Italian cook it is not written down anywhere. When I do finally learn how to make it I promise to share!
6.)
A cream of something – probably broccoli.
7.)
Cranberry Sauce
Kim’s Almost
Sugarless Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 12 ounce bag of cranberries, 1 large beet, 1 Clementine, 1
Macintosh apple, 1 cup of orange juice, 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 cup of
water.
Directions:
1.)
Peel and slice the large beet into small pieces
2.)
Place beets in a medium size baking dish, drizzle ¼ cup of
water over beets and place dish in oven set at 350 degrees and bake for 30
minutes
3.)
Take beets out of the oven and pour 1 cup of orange juice over
them
4.)
Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, zest of a Clementine
5.)
Peel the Clementine and add slivers into the beet dish double
checking there are no pits
6.)
Stir gently and let sit for about an hour
7.)
In a medium pot boil 1 cup of water and 1 table spoon of maple
syrup
8.)
When the water and maple syrup come to a boil add bag of
cranberries and bring to another boil.
9.)
When the cranberry’s come to a boil put heat on low and let
simmer for 12 minutes stirring occasionally.
10.) When the
cranberry’s have softened shut the stove off and add all the ingredients from
the beet dish into the pot
11.) Add two table
spoons of maple syrup and stir for a minute
12.) Peel and slice apple
into small pieces and put in pot
13.) Pure all
ingredients together
The consistency is of a thick soup and the recipe yields
about 4 cups.
I have a feeling we are not going to use all four cups on
Thanksgiving so I made ice-pops for the girls with the extra!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love deeply, taste your food and enjoy it,
Kim Gilroy – kimgilroyinsideout
