To be thankful

Despite having all of my Christmas decorations up, it is the last day of November. So, before we start singing carols, I just have a bit more Thanksgiving to share.

But first, I wanted to mention that I will be posting several Christmas recipes in the next couple of weeks. I always love to hear about other family cooking and eating traditions, so please don't be shy. I'd love to hear yours. I will be traveling in the later part of the month, so I'll try to get several good posts in before that.

Now, back to Thanksgiving. Our dinner was lovely. Good food, good wine and good company. The kiddos were mostly interested in my homemade maple ice cream and my friend Susan's delicious apple pie, but who could blame them? We were blessed to share our meal with friends and a little family, a new tradition since my cousin's arrival in the Northwest. He's the man behind Converging Creeks Farm.

The reason I want to write about Thanksgiving now is a form of encouragement -- both for me and you. I am making a point of taking all of the recipes, magazine photos and newspaper clippings that inspired me for our meal and putting them in one place. I'm also making a few notes on recipe cards, especially those that are pulled out only on holidays. My hope is that I can return to this file next November and have a great place to start planning the next Thanksgiving.

So, I'll get myself started. Here is our menu. Several of the recipes were posted earlier this month, and still a few will come soon. I can't wait to share the Pear and Currant Chutney recipe, which I'm hoping to get to later today.

As soon as I finish this post, I'm going to turn on Bing Crosby's White Christmas. It just doesn't feel like the holiday season without it!

Thanksgiving 2009

Pear and Currant Chutney over Brie with Homemade Crackers

Cheddar Cubes, Swiss Slices and Red Grapes for the Kiddos

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Converging Creeks Baby Lettuces with Golden Sauteed Mushrooms, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Cheddar and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Converging Creeks Butternut Squash Curry Mash

Grandma Pat's Cornbread Stuffing

Rosemary Potato Rolls

Turkey Stock Gravy

Zenger Farms Bourbon Red Turkey, Brined and Grilled

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Susan's Apple Pie

Homemade Maple Ice Cream

To drink: Several wines, including Converging Creeks Pinot Noir