Our family had a long-standing tradition of large over the top thanksgiving dinners. Complete with the very largest turkey we could find (or two turkeys for a larger crowd), stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, and more pies than people. The kitchen would always be full of people trying to help or visit. Over the years as our family has grown and ventured further from each other, the number of our dinner guests have diminished, but the menu has stayed close to the same. This year as the size of our table will shrink even further, we will put a little more focus on what we have and what we can do. Like better ingredients, better food, and more time visiting whether that be in person or virtual. In short, we are going to focus on being grateful for what we have and appreciating the people around us.
We will take advantage of the smaller dishes and try some new things like;
Maple Sweet Potatoes, we always used sugar but changing this to maple syrup ads complexity to this dish and makes it, so it is not just sweet, it is delicious.
Smoked turkey with a Maple Glaze, a bit of a spicy rub on the turkey and finish it with a light coat of maple to add depth to the flavors and cut the spicy rub.
Cranberry Maple Sauce, that blend of sweet and sour that pops in your mouth. Using fresh or frozen cranberries and maple syrup will add so much more flavor than opening a can. It is relatively easy to make and you can make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
Pies, Pies Pies.. I think we are going to try a maple strawberry rhubarb, maple bacon pecan, and maybe a Maple Cream.
The only downside to writing about this is now I am hungry… I think I might have to try a few of these beforehand… just to perfect them.:)