Thanksgiving Favorites and My Tips

Last year was the first time I hosted Thanksgiving. I'd been doing the cooking for years, but always in someone else's home. And what a pleasure it was to have both sides of my family under one roof. To have so many people I love at one table and to serve them a delicious meal was truly my greatest pleasure.

As you no doubt have seen on endless hours of food TV programming and magazine cover after cover... cooking for Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal. Don't let the hype scare you. Sure, a delicious meal is where it's at, but it's most important to make the most of the precious time with your friends and family. Here are my tips to get the best of both worlds.

Make Your Favorites, But Make Them Well
This day only comes once a year and special foods have a way of making their way into our hearts. Don't fight it for the sake of culinary trend. Enjoy making timeless family favorites, but be sure to take a moment to savor the memory and prepare them well.

My old school favorites? Try my Healthier Green Bean Casserole and a Morgan-family favorite steeped in tradition, Spiced Peaches.

Try One New Thing
You never know when you're going to find a new family favorite and that's why I try one new thing each year. Be it a side dish or dessert, there is always something new to discover. My "new" brussels sprouts from a few years back are now being requested by my sister-in-law and 1st grade nephew. Growing up I had the canned cranberry stuff, but then discovered the amazingness that is Cranberry Salsa when I spent the holiday with my in-laws.

All proof that just a touch of new is a good thing.

Let People Help You
Easier said, than done... I know. We get all this crazy Pinterest shit in our minds and think we need to do it all (and perfectly). The truth is, your guests want to help, so welcome it! My best tip is to be specific with your guests. Rather than say "bring a side" ask them to bring "those delicious sweet potatoes with the pecans you make." This helps you as a hostess better plan and prepare.

But helping doesn't just go for guests. Get your family involved. My husband rocks and fries our turkey every year. I only cede control because fried turkey is the best damn thing in the world. But in all honesty, it's a HUGE weight off of my cooking shoulders. Also in our family that means wearing ridiculous headlamps. #MorePeanutOil

Get Organized Now
Plan your list and get ahead now. My handy timeline is helpful, but take the time to think through your own. The day before is the best time to get your prep work out of the way and get those pies made. Best part? AMC marathons Gone with the Wind. Watch all seventeen hours and taste your masterpiece as you go. As God as my witness, you'll never go hungry or lose your Thanksgiving mind again.

Weeknight Idea: Cranberry Quinoa Acorn Squash

Hope you guys are ready to keep the fall flavors flowing, because it's squash season. I love the stuff in nearly every form. Be still my butternut beating heart. Pitter patter for pumpkin. Adoration for acorn. 

All squash alliteration aside, squash for best known for it's robust flavors and filling bulk. Acorns are particularly well-suited for weeknights because the cook relatively quickly and the stuffing options are damn near endless. This version is full of wholesome quinoa, sweet onions and tart dried cranberries. I also like that each person gets their own squash serving dish. Makes me feel fancy.  

These guys will be in season for months, so what will you be stuffing yours with this fall and winter? I'm thinking I need to put together a wild rice and sausage version later this winter. 

Cranberry Quinoa Acorn Squash

2 acorn squashes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

2 small yellow onions, chopped

1 cup beef or vegetable stock

2 handfuls dried cranberries

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place acorn squash in a baking dish, skin side down. Brush squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, until just fork tender. 

While squash bakes, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until quinoa absorbs the liquid, about 15 minutes. 

In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add stock and cranberries, simmering until liquid reduces by half; about 5 minutes. Add cooked quinoa, stirring to combine with liquid. 

In the last 5 minutes of baking the squash, brush with maple syrup. Once it looks sticky and thick, remove from oven and spoon in quinoa mixture. Enjoy!

Cranberry Salsa

It's a little awkward when someone to asks you to bring an appetizer to Thanksgiving. You don't want to bring anything remotely heavy, but a veggie plate somehow feels inappropriate. Not to mention it needs to complement the dinner.

Whether your hosting or a guest, this cranberry salsa is a perfect fit. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla or pita chips. And it is KILLER on leftover turkey, so be sure to save some for yourself.

Fresh, gorgeous cranberries are the star. Added bonus, you're actually hitting your fruit groups for the day (as opposed to the soft cheese and pie groups you'll hit up the rest of the day).

And let your food processor do all the work here. Seriously a five minute appetizer, does it get any easier?

Cranberry Salsa
10 oz fresh cranberries
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
1 bunch cilantro, removed from stems and roughly chopped
8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 jalapenos, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 a green pepper, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixed. Can be prepared a day in advance. Serve with tortilla and pita chips.

Orange Cranberry Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Some days you just can't seem to get a win. Whatever the gaffes or self-perceived utter failures, I have to remind myself of what I AM good at. We're all good at something. I'm good at holiday meals and vegetables with bacon. I needed a double dose of self-assurance, so my two great talents have come together for the sake of my sanity and your Thanksgiving menu.

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. People, this is a day that is completely dedicated to cooking and eating. There is no religious occasion that takes priority or gifts to distract -- this is solely a food day. Oh yeah, and thankfulness and the spirit of friendship and compromise or whatever.

And stretchy pants.

Consider adding Brussels sprouts to your side dish rotation. They're seasonal and simple to prepare. The fresh orange zest, cranberry and bacon in these will make any of your party guests love Brussels sprouts.

Did you know this is how Brussels sprouts grow? Little nodules on a heavy stem. It's nifty to see them on the stalk, isn't it?

Crisping the bacon renders beautiful fat, which you'll use to brown your sprouts.

A little color to start and then in go the cranberry and orange juice. Those cranberries will plump up before you know it with bacon-y orange goodness.

Orange Cranberry Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

1-11/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, halved

1 teaspoon olive oil

4-6 slices bacons, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Juice of 2 oranges

Zest of 1 orange

Salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat and add chopped bacon. Cook until crisp and remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towel to drain. 

Add sprouts to pan with bacon fat. Cook until edges begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add orange juice to pan, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add cranberries and cover; reduce heat to medium and cook until sprouts are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Toss with orange zest before serving. 

Butternut Sweet Potato Barley

In the slow, colorful slide into winter -- or Autumn as some of you may call it -- you can only fight the cozy cravings for so long. I wore boots today. They were adorable and remarkably depressing all at the same time. Soon there will be no choice and there will also be days I can feel my contacts freezing to my eyeballs. I'm hard core Chicagoan and therefore know how to cover every inch of my body in multiple layers of wool, fleece and down. Boo.

Okay, end weather rant. But now that things are cooling off, I am firing up the oven and enjoying fall vegetables. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes happen to be two of my favorite things. This salad pairs them with hearty barley, dried cranberries and rosemary.

Even the colors are Autumnal.

A lot of people don't quite know what to do with a butternut, but its simple when you have a sharp vegetable peeler and knife. Start by peeling down long strips on the neck and go in a circular pattern on the base.

Wasn't that easier than you thought?

Then simply chop off the ends and slice in half. Use a spoon to scrape out the insides.

Barley will add a nutty, toothsome quality.

Roasted and ready.

Toss and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Really yummy for lunch.

Butternut Sweet Potato Barley
2 cups barley, rinsed
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
S&P

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add barley. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes and butternut squash in 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with S&P. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

While barley is still warm, toss with cranberries, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. In a separate bowl, combine remaining olive oil, vinegar and honey. Toss barley with dressing and rosemary and season with salt to taste.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Works well for leftovers.