The Creative Salad

After three back to back craft projects (how did that happen?!), we’re heading into the kitchen…

This year for our Thanksgiving feast (and our nine years together anniversary!) we’re making family favorites. Food that we love and look forward to making and enjoying together.

For the most part, we chose recipes that are more special (i.e. labor intensive!) than our everyday fare. David and I traditionally spend Thanksgiving Day in the kitchen cooking together — something I look forward to year after year. Working together, we plow through the meal preparation and have a great deal of fun in the process.

Here’s what we’re planning on making:

My favorite Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne (adapted to be gluten-free). I venture to say that this dish is probably the most tasty pasta dish of all time and I’m a MAJOR pasta lover so this is high praise indeed. This recipe also takes around two hours to make, so it’s definitely reserved for special occasions. (Perhaps knowing that we’re only going to eat this dish once or twice a year makes it taste even better!)

Cranberry-Apple Corn Bread Stuffing that we made and adored last year. By using corn bread (instead of regular bread) we can make our stuffing gluten-free and no one will be able to taste the difference.

Dover Sole wrapped around Cornbread Stuffing. (Since we’re pescatarians this is our substitute for the turkey main dish.) Each year David does this dish differently depending on the quality of fish available and vegetable sides on the menu. One year he stuffed salmon with dungeness crab, another year he incorporated cream cheese and spinach. Yum, that sounds good. We’ll probably whip up a side of Creamed Spinach too.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, an improvised dish based on the incredible soup we enjoyed last week at Peter Lowell’s Restaurant, one of our favorite local eateries.

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraiche, and Homemade Applesauce. I realize potato pancakes are not your typical Thanksgiving fare but that’s what our daughter specially requested for her dish. The good news is that I know she’ll eat at least one thing on the table! ;) I plan on making these early in the week and freezing them, then we’ll just defrost and reheat them on Thursday shortly before the meal.

Golden Quinoa Pilaf with Dried Cranberries, a fragrant, colorful, and protein-packed autumnal dish. We love the mix of sweet, tart and savory.

Mushroom Gravy made by David and typically containing lots of butter and as many different types of mushrooms as our budget allows.

Cranberry Sauce from a can. That’s the way the husband likes it! (How easy for me!) If I have a few extra minutes, I may throw together this Chunky Cranberry Sauce for the rest of the grown-ups.

And for dessert, Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust. Would you guys be interested in this recipe? Please let me know and I’ll post it. It’s our take on an old Betty Crocker recipe and is super easy and so delicious.

Wow, we’re making a lot of food. The good news is that I won’t have to cook for days afterward… tasty leftovers are the best!