Thanksgiving is only a few days away.  If you're like me and still finalizing the details here's a few more ideas to help...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holiday's and over the year's I've tried bunches of different recipes.  While I haven't nailed down exactly what I'm making this year, the list at the end of this article has some of my favorite Thanksgiving sides and desserts.  As I look over the list I'm pretty sure several of them will make it to the table again this Thanksgiving.  

But before I share my favorite Thanksgiving recipes I'd like to thank the wonderful cookbook authors and Team Project Foodie members who shared their Thanksgiving menu ideas and favorite recipes over the past two weeks:

• -Frugal Foodie - A Very Frugal Thanksgiving by Heather Jones
• -The perfect recipe for a Thanksgiving beach picnic by Rosemary Mark
• -A Potluck Thanksgiving with Friends by Peggy Fallon
• -Thanksgiving Tailgate by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss
• -Liquid Thanks…giving by Kathy Casey
• -Tryptophan and Cheese by Liz Thorpe
• -Don't Mess with the Mess by Virginia Willis
• -A New Thanksgiving Favorite: Quince and Butternut Squash by Marie Simmons
• -Talking Turkey: Why Breeding Matters by Joy Manning
• -Thanksgiving Baking: The Next Generation by Cindy Mushet

Appetizers
While an appetizer isn't needed, this one is a perfect match for the season and one that the blue cheese lovers in your family will thoroughly enjoy.

Crostini with Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onions, and Fig Jam (Cooking Light, September, 2003) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... Healthful Info: A little high in saturated fat My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On September 21, 2007, 12:16 pm pam said: The fall entertaining season is quickly approaching and this recipe is a must try appetizer. This classic combination of salty Gorgonzola cheese, sweet caramelized onions and tasty fig jam is great finger food. I like to use a narrow baguette and slice it so that each piece is approximately bite sized - making it nice and easy for guests to enjoy! On September 21, 2007, 12:16 pm pam said: The fall entertaining season is quickly approaching and this recipe is a must try appetizer. This classic combination of salty Gorgonzola cheese, sweet caramelized onions and tasty fig jam is great finger food. I like to use a narrow baguette and slice it so that each piece is approximately bite sized - making it nice and easy for guests to enjoy!

Sides
Growing up I hated Brussels Sprouts, but these two recipes have changed my view of Brussels Sprouts forever.  If you want to go with something more traditional my stand-by side is the roasted green beans.  Whatever you make, none of these will let you down.

Carrots And Brussels Sprouts (Gourmet, February, 2008) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On February 8, 2008, 3:10 pm pam said: This is a great use for brussels sprouts. Sweet freshly picked local carrots really add a lot of flavor to this dish if you can get them. On February 8, 2008, 3:10 pm pam said: This is a great use for brussels sprouts. Sweet freshly picked local carrots really add a lot of flavor to this dish if you can get them.

Brussels Sprouts With Shallots And Wild Mushrooms (Gourmet, November, 2006) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... Healthful Info: Lots of veggies, but very high fat My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On November 2, 2007, 3:40 pm pam said: Do you like Brussels Sprouts? Maybe it's not the Brussels sprouts you don't like but they way they are prepared. This recipe is sure to convert you. Oven roasted Brussels sprouts are simply amazing - in fact I could sit and eat them hot from the oven just like they are candy. But this recipe goes beyond that by combining the roasted Brussels sprouts with sautéed wild mushrooms and crispy fried shallots. Each addition makes the dish even better. You can use any kind of mushrooms but the more exotic ones really do bump up the flavor. I like a mix of some brown mushrooms, shitake, and chanterelles (just a few go a long way in adding flavor). If you can find them lobster mushrooms are also great for a flavor hit. You can make the fried shallots the day before. If they get soggy, simply broil them for a few minutes to make them crispy again. This is a great dish for a dinner party since it looks really fancy and tastes delicious! On November 2, 2007, 3:40 pm pam said: Do you like Brussels Sprouts? Maybe it's not the Brussels sprouts you don't like but they way they are prepared. This recipe is sure to convert you. Oven roasted Brussels sprouts are simply amazing - in fact I could sit and eat them hot from the oven just like they are candy. But this recipe goes beyond that by combining the roasted Brussels sprouts with sautéed wild mushrooms and crispy fried shallots. Each addition makes the dish even better. You can use any kind of mushrooms but the more exotic ones really do bump up the flavor. I like a mix of some brown mushrooms, shitake, and chanterelles (just a few go a long way in adding flavor). If you can find them lobster mushrooms are also great for a flavor hit. You can make the fried shallots the day before. If they get soggy, simply broil them for a few minutes to make them crispy again. This is a great dish for a dinner party since it looks really fancy and tastes delicious!

Roasted green beans (Project Foodie, 2007) My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 View: finding recipe... More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On December 16, 2007, 10:43 am pam said: I love roasted green beans - they go with practically anything. And they are perfect for a dinner party; you can prepare the beans earlier in the day and then just throw them in the oven when shortly before you want to eat... On December 16, 2007, 10:43 am pam said: I love roasted green beans - they go with practically anything. And they are perfect for a dinner party; you can prepare the beans earlier in the day and then just throw them in the oven when shortly before you want to eat...

Stuffing

If you're looking for something different than your standby stuffing this is it.  Served with the mushroom gravy below you'll have the perfect pairing.

Three-Mushroom Dressing with Prosciutto (Bon Appétit, November, 2007) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On November 26, 2007, 4:06 pm pam said: I'm a big fan of stuffing and really love when it is cooked inside the turkey. As a result, I was a bit skeptical of this dressing but I was pleasantly surprised. It really tasted like a stuffing and it wasn't a whole lot of work. I'd make this again. On November 26, 2007, 4:06 pm pam said: I'm a big fan of stuffing and really love when it is cooked inside the turkey. As a result, I was a bit skeptical of this dressing but I was pleasantly surprised. It really tasted like a stuffing and it wasn't a whole lot of work. I'd make this again.

Gravy

The mushrooms in this gravy make it shine and can turn almost any mashed potatoes into greatness.

Porcini Mushroom Turkey with Mushroom Gravy (Bon Appétit, November, 2007) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On November 26, 2007, 4:04 pm pam said: This turkey has a mushroom butter that is spread between the turkey meat and skin. We've used butters on poultry before and had great results but in this case the butter didn't seem to change the flavor of the turkey much. I wouldn't make the turkey again. The mushroom gravy that went with this turkey was a bit labor intensive with lots of mushrooms and more preparing than I'm used to for a gravy. But the result was amazing. I'd definitely have the gravy again. On November 26, 2007, 4:04 pm pam said: This turkey has a mushroom butter that is spread between the turkey meat and skin. We've used butters on poultry before and had great results but in this case the butter didn't seem to change the flavor of the turkey much. I wouldn't make the turkey again. The mushroom gravy that went with this turkey was a bit labor intensive with lots of mushrooms and more preparing than I'm used to for a gravy. But the result was amazing. I'd definitely have the gravy again.

Desserts

While you'll probably feel compelled to serve Pumpkin pie this crisp is a knockout that your guests will request again and again.  Plus, the flambéed raisins are just plain old fun to make!

Apple and Quince Crisp with Rum Raisins (Bon Appétit, November, 2007) Ingredients: finding recipe... finding ingredients... Healthful Info: Save sweets for a special occasion My Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 More Actions: add comment cancel add comment | view comment (1) close comment | cooking notes close notes | foodie tags close tags | share close share Edit Tags Rename Tag to My Notes: - Private info just for you! Add Comment: Comments: On November 26, 2007, 4:13 pm pam said: I absolutely loved this crisp. The raisins, which were flambéed, were not only fun to make but delicious even on their own. I'd never had quince before but it really complemented the apple. On November 26, 2007, 4:13 pm pam said: I absolutely loved this crisp. The raisins, which were flambéed, were not only fun to make but delicious even on their own. I'd never had quince before but it really complemented the apple.

No matter what you make or where you make it, all of us here at Project Foodie wish you and your families a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

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This may surprise you, but until recently I'd never made a bundt cake.  Growing up my mom had an angel food cake pan which I've used to make angel food cake and streusel cake long ago, but not bundt cakes. 

Of course, to make a bundt cake you need a bundt pan.  They come in all sizes and shapes, some non-stick some not and some that are highly elaborate with wonderful shapes and designs. Based on a friend's advice that I should not get too thin of a pan and based on Dorrie Greenspan's advice in "Baking from my home to yours" to get one that is dark inside (unlike most cake pans this is a good thing for bundt cakes), I got a non-stick, yet hefty, bundt pan.  Shortly thereafter I began the quest to find the perfect recipe for my first bundt cake.

My choice was Banana Bourbon Cake (see recipe below) from Pecans from Soup to Nuts by Keith Courrege and Marcelle Bienvenu.  This may seem an odd choice for my first cake since it isn't chocolatey or overly rich, but for some reason this cake simply sung out to me to try it.  Of course, the Bourbon could have been one reason, or the pecans, but ultimately I think it was because it's an elegant but simple recipe.

The cake was quick to prepare but did take an hour to cook, and since you invert the bundt cake I was impatient the whole hour in anticipation of what it would look like.  The result was not only gorgeous but also moist and flavorful.  It's a definite keeper that I plan on making again when my in-laws visit. 

Since this first bundt cake I've baked more, including the overly rich and chocolatey type, but this one will always be my first.

And if you're a pecan fan then you'll love the variety of recipes in Pecans from Soup to Nuts which range from appetizers to desserts, with some great main course pecan crusted chicken and fish recipes as well.

Banana Bourbon Cake

From Pecans from Soup to Nuts by Keith Courrege and Marcelle Bienvenu, Pelican Publishing 2009.

Make the cake and the crème anglaise ahead of time and bring it out for dessert to serve with coffee after a meal. If you don't care for bourbon, substitute rum or brandy. You can also experiment with rum extract. This is an ideal dessert to serve during the summer following a barbecue or to bring along to a potluck supper.

Makes 12 servings

• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup bourbon
• Crème Anglaise (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the pecans and raisins in 1/2 cup of the flour and set aside.

Sift the remaining flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together and set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the bananas and beat until incorporated.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in the sifted flour mixture and the bourbon alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in the pecan-raisin mixture.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool and remove from the pan.

Cut the cake into slices and serve each slice with a spoonful of the Crème Anglaise if using.

About Pecans

This lovely collection of 45 recipes features the pecan in appetizers, soups, breads, salads, meats, and more. The popular nut grows naturally from Iowa all the way down to the Southeast and to Mexico. This cookbook offers such tempting dishes as Cream of Pecan Soup, Southern Pecan Bread, Asparagus with Pecan Sauce, and Orange Pecan Chicken.

Available at Amazon.com

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Written by Cindy Mushet 

For a food lover, there's no better holiday than Thanksgiving.  An entire day devoted to the preparation and enjoyment of a bountiful meal with family and friends - now there's something to be thankful for!  

Between a tumbling economy and a bumpy recovery, we're all counting our blessings extra carefully this year.  And our pennies.  In my home, the over-the-top Thanksgiving extravaganza will be a little less, well, extravagant.  That doesn't mean there won't be an abundance of good food, just a re-focus on the number of dishes and who prepares them.  This year I'm relaxing a bit, and inviting family to share in the preparation.  Best of all, the kids are helping, too.  My 11-year old daughter Bella and her cousins are making place settings as an arts-and-crafts project, and I can't wait to see what they come up with.  She already has ideas on how the tables should be set.  

She'll be helping me in the kitchen, as well, which she loves to do - just as long as she thinks it was her idea. Last night we sat down to plan out the desserts, and she opened "her" book to get some ideas.  Bella tested all the recipes in my new book (er, our new book), Baking Kids Love, and helped me choose and refine those that were included. There are even tips from her in every recipe, written straight to the kids using the book. So now that she's the "expert," she wanted to plan the baking for Thanksgiving.  I gave her the thumbs up and held my breath while she worked on the list. 

You see, if Bella had her druthers, there'd be no pumpkin pie.  She's unclear on her dislike for it, but there's no way it will pass her lips.  However, I - and many others in my large family - love pumpkin pie dearly, and can't imagine Thanksgiving without it.  As she worked, I prepared myself for a possible skirmish to keep pumpkin pie on the menu.

I was pleasantly surprised that she took her time making the list, and asked me several questions about the likes and dietary restrictions of various family members.  She knows I've long spoiled my parents, 5 brothers and sisters, and all their children with sweets galore on every holiday.  I love that she wants to continue that tradition, and is giving thought to what aunts, uncles and cousins might enjoy. 

In the end, I was impressed with Bella's list from the book.  She focused on fall fruits and recipes that will please all factions of the family.  There's a rustic apple pie, chocolate chunk bread pudding, chewy oatmeal cookies, and vanilla cupcakes she intends to top with chocolate ganache frosting and little candy pumpkins (or caramelized nuts for Grandma).  She even wants to make corn muffins to accompany the turkey dinner, and says she'll "supervise" some of the other kids and show them how to do it. 

At the top of her list is pumpkin gingerbread, a fragrant fall cake she can make all by herself by simply whisking together the liquid ingredients, then blending them into the dry ones.  Baked in a classic bundt pan and showered with powdered sugar, it's a beautiful, stress-free centerpiece for the dessert table.  Even better, it can be made ahead and stays moist for days.  That's my girl!  I've included the recipe for you here.  We're going to serve it with generous spoonfuls of whipped cream and warm caramel sauce. 

And the surprise for mom?  There, at the bottom of the list, is "mom's famous pumpkin pie."  Sigh. My little girl is growing up.  Now if only I could get her to eat it! 

Pumpkin Gingerbread

From Baking with Kids by Sur La Table and Cindy Mushet, Andrews McMeel (2009).

Makes a big 10-inch bundt cake

Note from Bella:  This cake always makes me think of snuggling in front of the fire on a cold night.  It's easy to whip up when you get the craving because you just stir everything together in a bowl.

Tools

• Large bowl
• Sieve
• Whisk
• Medium bowl
• Silicone spatula
• 10-inch bundt pan, well buttered or sprayed and coated with fine, dry breadcrumbs
• Flat 10 to 12-inch serving plate or cake stand
  

Cake

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup canola or corn oil
• 1/2 cup light, unsulphured molasses
• 1/2 cup water
  

To finish

• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting the top
  

1.  Before you begin: Generously butter or spray the bundt pan and dust it with fine, dry breadcrumbs.  Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2.  Make the cake: Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and salt into the large bowl.  Push through any lumps with your fingers.  Whisk to blend the mixture evenly.

Place the egg, sugar and pumpkin in the medium bowl and whisk until well mixed.  Add the oil, molasses and water and whisk until smooth and blended.  

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Whisk gently at first, and then, as the mixture blends, whisk faster, until it is a smooth batter and you don't see any more dry patches.

3.  Bake the cake: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  You need to turn this cake out of the pan while it is warm (but not hot).

4. Unmold and serve the cake: Set the serving plate upside-down on top of the cake pan.  Hold the plate and pan together like a sandwich, then flip them over.  Be sure to ask your adult for help if this is too tricky.  The cake will fall out of the pan onto the plate.  Serve warm, or let the cake cool completely.

Just before serving, place the powdered sugar in the sieve and hold it over the cake.  Tap the side of the sieve gently as you move it slowly over the top, showering it evenly with sugar.

Playing Around

If you LOVE ginger, you can bump up the flavor by stirring 1/3 cup candied ginger pieces into the batter, or adding a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger after you add the eggs.

About Cindy Mushet

Cindy Mushet has been a pastry chef, instructor and author for over 20 years.  Her new book, Baking Kids Love, is a collaboration with Sur La Table, and was released in September.  Her previous book, The Art and Soul of Baking, won the IACP cookbook award for best baking book 2009, and was a cookbook club pick for Gourmet Magazine.  She is currently a patisserie instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in LosAngeles.

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Written by Joy Manning

Every year, the Thanksgiving Day table is set hours ahead, bowls and platters at the ready, marked with notes so nothing is forgotten. Scraps of papers bearing lists, recipes, ingredients, timelines, flutter around the kitchen like so many fall leaves. It's the feast of the year and in most homes a dozen or more dishes are served. But in the mad dash to cook an unforgettable holiday meal, the star of the meal, the turkey, is often an afterthought. Sometimes it's even a freebie. Many grocery chains give away turkeys to customers who have accrued sufficient points by shopping there all year. One nibble of these birds make it clear why it's so easy for the stuffing, dressing, roasted vegetables, cheese plate, canapés, spinach dip, mashed potatoes, marshmallowed yams, and pumpkin pie to steal the show. These birds taste like nothing. They have had the flavor bred out of them.

But the dry-and-flavorless reputation turkey has is the least of its problems. Mass market birds are all one variety: the broad breasted white. A Frankenstein of a turkey bred over generations for grotesquely large breasts. These factory-raised specimens are not even able to breed naturally; roaming the land, pecking at bugs, and enjoying any quality of life is out of the question for them. Like all factory farmed animals, they are gorged on commodity corn so they reach slaughter weight fast. They present the familiar set of environmental health concerns of all factory farmed animals, and they taste bad to boot.

Before the broad breasted white was coaxed into existence, there were other breeds of turkey, such as the magnificent Bourbon Red, that tasted better and functioned as a natural part of the farm ecosystem. These birds, known as heritage breeds, were driven near extinction in recent years, but now food enthusiasts have renewed the demand for their robust flavors. They don't require brining or a coating of bacon to make them appetizing. Finding one takes a few minutes of research and, naturally, heritage breeds costs significantly more, but if you take the time to find and cook one this year, you'll be rewarded with a main dish that finally puts those roasted Brussels sprouts in their place. LocalHarvest.org is a good place to start looking for a heritage turkey source near you. Don't forget to make a batch of turkey stock the next day to maximize your investment; the roasted bones of a heritage turkey make for delicious soups, stews, and sauces all through the holiday season.

About Joy Manning

Joy Manning is the coauthor of Almost Meatless (10 Speed Press, 2009). She is also the restaurant critic for Philadelphia Magazine. Her work has also appeared in Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Relish, and Inked magazines. She blogs at OysterEvangelist.com.
 

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