Thanksgiving - Eat, Sleep, Repeat

And so it begins - the season of eating. Not that EVERY season isn't appropriate to feast on deliciousness, but there is something extra special about the holiday season with the savory and sweet sensations that materialize from the kitchen. Grand traditions have emerged by preparing and serving dishes that your grandparents, parents and other culinary adept relatives (or not) have created over the years. You may prepare them the exact same way holding on to tradition or you may have taken Aunt Edna's "famous" green bean casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup to another level by making your own version with haricot vert, shiitake mushrooms, fresh thyme, shallots and dare I say it -  actual cream! Here's the thing kids - you can take the basis of what you learned from your relatives and make time-honored foodie delights of your own - start your own traditions while carrying on the legacy of those who began them.

I have done this with almost all the recipes I watched my Grandfather and Father prepare. Oh, there are some recipes that are NOT to be messed with (my Dad's chili or Christmas chicken and my Grandfather's breaded veal for example) but the rest are up for debate.  Let's face it friends - not everyone's dishes at the holiday table are tasty. Oh, stop rolling your eyes at me - it's true and you know it. Think about it for a second. Is a particular casserole dish filled with something brown or gray with floating lumps of green or orange coming to mind? Maybe a green JELLO mold with shredded carrots and chopped pears wiggling at the end of the buffet line? Uh huh - I thought so.

Let's take Thanksgiving - a holiday where you are surrounded by friends and family with more food that any table should have and where everyone is trying to get their plates filled for round one while attempting to avoid breaking out the stretchy pants until round two. This is where it all begins - the dinner table food conversation: "Did you get some of this or that" or "Did you see what so-and-so brought" or the ever popular "Sorry, there was no room on my plate for that, I'll get it in round two". This is followed much later by the car food conversation on the ride home: "Turkey was a bit dry didn't you think" or "Your stuffing is SO much better honey". Folks, nothing is perfect but if you like it - roll with it. 

Now, one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods is stuffing (dressing if you don't stuff the turkey which I do not - salmonella freaks me out). When I was growing up, my Dad made all of our holiday meals and his stuffing recipe of choice called for giblets (ummmm, let me think . . . no) and boxed bread cubes with no seasoning (bleh).  It took me years - years - of tasting other family favorites and melding them together to create my own stuffing recipe which is now (wait for it) . . . perfect. Now I know stuffing (dressing) is a big debate for a lot of people. Store bought or home-made bread cubes, to stuff or not to stuff, sausage or no sausage, fruit or no fruit - the options are endless. In our household we are anti-store purchased bread cubes and anti-fruit but everything else was up for discussion - until I found our favorite combination. That is really what food is all about - making and eating what your palate likes. I would never - ever - say my stuffing is the best (well, I would but not to someone's face, that's just rude) as everyone has their own preferences. But I will say this - it is quite good (no, really - it's tasty). 

The best part about stuffing is that when you have leftovers (which you always do) you can do fantastic things with it (culinarily speaking). I made for the first time last year a version of chicken and dumplings but with leftover turkey and stuffing. I used the same basic recipe but substituted chicken stock with left-over turkey stock and gravy, already cooked shredded turkey for the chicken and instead of making traditional dumplings, I took stuffing and mixed in some flour, egg, salt and pepper and voila!  

Know what else? Cranberries are sad. They are. They are sad little tart berries that everyone asks for but hardly anyone eats.  My parents used the canned jelly when I was a kid - which I never ate. Now I use that version to make BBQ sauce when fresh ones aren't in season (that's a discussion for another time). I started making fresh cranberry sauce years ago with orange, brown sugar and cinnamon - still nobody eats it damn it. It isn't that it's not good, it is of course don't be ridiculous, but there's never any room on the plate once it is filled with falling off the bone roasted turkey, stuffing, cheesy corn with bacon, spinach and cheese soufflé and mashed potatoes piled high like Devils Tower. There simply just isn't room. And so, I have found a way to combat the cranberry sadness that has befallen me every year by taking those tangy little bog berries and turning them into the tastiest turkey sandwich accompaniment ever!  Cranberry chipotle mustard. Yep, that's right kids - your leftover turkey sandwiches will thank me.

As we roll through the holidays and nap on the couch in food coma's together, let us remember that traditions are wonderful and heartwarming but creating your own traditions can be equally as satisfying, knowing that you have created recipes tried and true, made with love that friends and family will enjoy. They will prepare them with the same love year after year and smile when they think of you and how you brought a new sense of tradition into their lives - that is how it all begins.  

Pull out the stretchy pants kids - it's time for round three!

Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients

1 loaf of white or sourdough bread (I used Rosemary and/or Roasted Garlic bread rounds from LaBrea Bakery but you can use whatever you prefer) cut into 1/2 inch cubes (including crusts)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 diced yellow onion
4 stalks diced celery

2 packages of mushrooms (I use a combination of Portobello and Button but you can use whatever you like)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons of poultry seasoning
1 package sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed (you could use pork sausage or spicy sausage but I like the turkey sausage since I'm making it to go with turkey)
1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

2 eggs (beaten)

Directions

The day before you want to serve the stuffing, cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes and place in a single layer on a sheet pan.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and bake for 20 minutes watching them carefully so they dry out but don't brown or burn. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl and let sit out overnight to continue to harden.

The next day - in a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, mushrooms, parsley, salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes. Note: you can also do this step the night before to save time on Thanksgiving day.

In the same sauté pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables. Note: you can also prepare the sausage the night before to save time on Thanksgiving day.

Add the chicken stock, poultry seasoning, eggs and wine to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish (or whatever size will fit your stuffing mixture - I use a large Pyrex covered dish). Bake for 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm (serves 10 - 12).

Note: I sometimes add a bit more stock or wine if it looks too dry - it is all a matter of preference here. I also dot the top with butter just before going into the oven - because I can and it tastes good.