Thanksgiving Feast

We had a vegetarian thanksgiving this year. Everything turned out well. Some of the recipes were new, some were not. Below are my reviews of the recipes. Note the side sideboard for all the food. BB's parents came out for Thanksgiving. It was fun, and they were nice enough to bring out some of BB's furniture. Now our house finally looks less bare!

Thanksgiving Menu

White Beans with Sage
Mashed Potatoes with Shitake Mushroom Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole with Orange and Brown Sugar
Green Beans with Bread Crumbs
Marinated Cauliflower Salad
Spinach Salad with Warm Walnut Dressing
Curried Creamed Onions
Cranberry Sauce
Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls
Apple-Blackberry Pie

White Beans with Sage
The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas

We made these last year. It is very simple, just cook white beans with sage, garlic, and olive oil. We used navy beans and cooked in the cast iron skillet. They should be cooked just enough to be done, but should still hold their shape. I think that the flavor is very nice, and complements all of the other thanksgiving food. Definitely a good substitute for the turkey, without trying to be something it is not.

Mashed Potatoes with Shitake Mushroom Gravy
The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon

The mashed potatoes had no recipe, just yukon gold mashed with butter and potato cooking water. The mushroom shitake gravy was a hit! BB made it. It is actually a recipe for seitan with a gravy like sauce, but we just did it without the seitan. It started with a stock using garlic, onions, and shitake mushrooms. Then, seasoned with red wine (we used a cotes du rhone) and miso and thickened with a roux. I think this is worth making again, maybe with a bit less miso and the vegetables chopped smaller.

Cornbread Stuffing

We just used the cornbread stuffing from Trader Joe's. I have never made sutffing from scratch before, but next year I want to! This was fine, except that I added too much water so it was a bit mushy. I got my stuffing fix though.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Orange and Brown Sugar The Passioante Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon

I thought this was excellent. I simply roasted the sweet potatoes whole (no peeling) two days before Thanksgiving. The day before I assembled the casserole with butter, brown sugar, orange juice, and Grand Marnier. Then, before baking, added a bit more butter, brown sugar, and Grand Marnier over the top. The Grand Marnier addition as excellent. I would make this again, perhaps with less sugar as sweet potatoes are already somewhat sweet.

Green Beans with Bread Crumbs Martha Stweat Living, November 2009

BB made this also. I thought it was good. He was bit disappointed that the bread crumbs weren't as crispy as they should have been, if he did it again, he would do it is two batches to cook properly. It is simply greens beans sauteed with shallots and bread crumbs. A nice simple side dish, and the different textures make it interesting.

Marinated Cauliflower Salad
Martha Stewart Living, November 2009

This was great because you can make it a day or two before, and then it gets served at room temperature. Cauliflower is blanched and marinated with red onions, capers, and red wine vinaigrette. These kinds of side dishes are a nice break from the richness of the other dishes.

Spinach Salad with Warm Walnut Dressing

We adapted this from a recipe in Martha Stwerat Living, November 2009. Basically, heat walnuts (3/4 cup) in a mixture of 1/2 cup olive and walnut oil. Heat until walnuts are toasted, and stir occasionally (I made the mistake of not paying attention, and they burned. We had to do it again, but it wasn't a disaster). Dress the spinach with red wine vinegar (2 Tbsp.), salt, and pepper. Pour the warm walnuts and oil over the salad, and toss. The spinach gets slightly wilted, but not cooked. I think this might be my new favorite way to eat spinach. Next time, I want to try using hazelnuts.

Curried Cream Onions
Saveur, November 2009

Pearl onions in a curried cream sauce. The sauce is comprised of curry powder, flour, mustard, half and half, and onion cooking water. It turned out too thick. Next time, I would significantly cut down or even omit the flour. BB bought a mix of red, yellow, and white onions. It made for a nice presentation.

Cranberry Sauce
Saveur, November 2009

Cranberry sauce made with brown sugar, orange juice, grand marnier, and spices (cinnamon stick, whole cloves, peppercorns, and allspice berries). This was delicious. BB thought it was very sweet. I will definitely make this again, perhaps using less sugar.

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls
Betty Crocker Cookbook

This is the crescent roll recipe I started making at Thanksgiving when I was about 11! It is a great recipe, and always turns out. This year, I altered by using half whole wheat. The rolls are really good with whole wheat, but I still like the original best. Maybe because that is what I always had ...

Apple-Blackberry Pie
Martha Stewart Living, November 2009

This is what I am most proud of. I thought it turned out fantastic, it is a great recipe. I followed it exactly. The crust was easy, but there were a lot of steps. I love using the food processor to make crust. It turned out flaky and buttery. I forgot to get leaf shaped cookie cutters, so I cut them free form. Cutting leaves that don't look silly is harder than it sounds! I also like the blackberries with the apples, a nice bit of tartness and color. I will use this crust recipe again, for any pie!

Fancy Times!

Back from Chicago, and now Big Button is Dr. Button! To celebrate we spent some time in Chicago, and went to some old favorite places. It was a bit nostalgic. We ate a late breakfast at Earwax; Dr. Button had eggs benedict with salmon and spinach instead of canadian bacon and I had brioche french toast stuffed with pastry cream and topped with strawberries. They have vegetarian food like I wish places around Wilmington did. For dinner, we ate at Papajin. There was some sizzling rice soup (highly recommended), sushi, and then some sesame tofu. Again, a vegetarian friendly restaurant. Then, for dessert, we went a few doors down to I cream. They make ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and pudding on the spot. There are many flavors to choose from. I got rice pudding with raisins and flavored with almonds.

We also went to the Art Institute. Whenever I go there, I always go to see my three favorite paintings

The Old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso

Bordighera, Claude Monet

Fisherman's Cottage, Harald Sohlberg

This visit, it took me awhile to find my favorites since they have opened the new modern art wing and rearranged a lot. The new wing is very nice indeed.