Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because of the food and friendship. This year there were only two of us, which meant no pressure in the cooking department, except for my reputation for cooking less traditional dishes.

Even though I like turkey, I don't always feature it for our holiday dinners, and if I do, it's in a different form than the whole bird. (Cranberry-turkey raviolis have been a past hit.)


This year, I chose half a bone-in turkey breast and used the herb-encrusted recipe from Ina Garten's newest cookbook. The bird breast emerged moist and flavorful, so that will certainly go on my repeat list. I used fresh herbs from my garden, and I think that made all the difference in flavor.


The three sides were pumpkin gorgonzola flans


and potato gratin from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan,




along with a salad composed of spring mix, sliced fennel, sliced Fuji apples, and toasted walnuts, tossed with a fruity vinaigrette. It's based on a recipe from the November 2010 issue of Sunset magazine.


Leftovers were manageable. For tonight's dinner, there will be turkey sandwiches on homemade bread, and fresh pear and chestnut soup (also from AMFT).

Tomorrow's Daring Baker post will feature the dessert.


Then, it's on to December baking!