Thanksgiving

It felt good to exercise the old cooking muscles today. It's been a few years since we last had Thanksgiving at home and many, many months since we did any elaborate, pull-out-all-the-pots-and-jockey-for-pole-position-on-the-stovetop-style meals. The feast day got off to an auspicious start when I looked out the kitchen window to see our resident red-shouldered hawk perched on the limb of a walnut tree, enjoying his own fresh, local, organic Thanksgiving meal. Maybe not everyone's idea of a good start to the day but somehow it seemed fitting to me.

We took advantage of the 40-degree temperature swings that seem to have become the norm this fall and concentrated the cooking early in the day. Spending half the day cooking hearty autumnal foods seems like a good idea when it's 27 degrees at 7am. Not so much when it's 65 degrees at 3pm. So, in fine farm tradition, we had our dinner mid-day then got out to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The menu:
Kentucky Maple cocktails (bourbon, cider, maple syrup, ginger beer....)
Honey yeast rolls (served with a lovely 2008 vintage tulip poplar honey)

Tofurky with a praline mustard glaze and Tofurky gravy for the veg

Beef bourguignon for the meat

Stir-fried sweet potatoes with brown butter and sage

Celery root puree with toasted hazelnuts (yes, our own home-grown hazelnuts)

Brussels sprouts with maple syrup (my first-ever attempt at cooking Brussels sprouts and I must say they turned out rather well)

Sokol-Blosser Meditrina for the wine

And pears in pomegranate molasses for dessert

All this bounty, beautiful weather, time to play with the buffs, the love of friends and family, and the blessing of good health--we have much indeed for which we are thankful today.