Tasty bites on T-Day

It seems like every Thanksgiving now, I spend the whole day cooking, standing on my feet, slaving over the stove or chopping things, and I'm sick of it!!!! This year, I had a new plan... On Wednesday, my mom and I spent a few hours chopping and prepping everything, baking the pies, and even canning a few xmas gifts. All that was left to do on T-day was roast the turkey, make the mashed taters, the braised greens, and throw everything else in the oven. Almost no time spent prepping on the big day!

What was on the menu?

- Willow Hill cheeseplate with Red Hen bread
- Feta and roasted garlic spread & crudites
- Maple and sage roasted turkey
- Potato, celeriac, and roasted garlic puree
- Roasted butternut, delicata, and red kuri squashes
- Apple, cranberry, and mushroom stuffing
- Roasted roots (carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, and celeriac)
- Braised kale and swiss chard
- Turkey gravy
- Nana's biscuits (a family tradition)
- Spoonbread (brought by my great aunt)
- Cranberry and orange relish (also a family tradition, made by my grandma)
- Apple pie, made with Rhode Island Greening apples
- Pecan Squash pie (maybe a new tradition?) -- See recipe here.

More than a year of blogging!

I can't believe it... I just did the math and it's been 444 days since I started blogging. Of course, I haven't been blogging every day, but I've written a total of 214 entries (215 if you count this one) -- 104 on this blog, 74 on Semester in Spain!, and 36 on Cañas, Cócteles y Coca-Colas. All in all, I've exhibited hundreds of my own photos (food and Spanish sights), written dozens of restaurant reviews, and collaborated with my Madrid roomie on dozens of bar and club reviews.

I have to admit that my blogging has been at a much lower frequency since I returned from Europe, but since I've been back at school, my dining out frequency has been drastically reduced. Of course, location is also a factor, as Burlington has much fewer restaurants than Madrid. However, as we are now entering the holiday season, I fully expect my blogging to increase. A few things you can count on before the new year...

- Thanksgiving menu & photos
- Visits to a few restaurants
* Sakura
* Four Corners of the Earth
* Bueno y Sano
- Biscotti day
- Cookie swap
- Pickling photos
- Maybe one post from abroad =)

All in all, I expect the next 5 weeks to be filled with fun, food, and photos.

Also, check out my guest column in the school paper -- a piece I wrote while abroad. Click here to see it (I'm the first on the list).

raw apple cake

My grandma made this cake for my birthday last month, and it' s been on my mind ever since. I absolutely love apple season and am always looking for new ways to use up apples. This is perfect. I made a few *tweaks* to the recipe, but other than that, it's the original.

Raw Apple Cake
1 handful sliced almonds **
2 cups grated apple
1 cup grated coconut
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon **
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Sprinkle half of the sliced almonds in the bottom of the pie dish (put the other half aside)
2. Mix remaining ingredients together until well-blended
3. Pour batter into dish
4. Sprinkle top of batter with other half of sliced almonds
5. Bake at 350 for 45 mins

The result? A deliciously moist cake with the perfect level of sweetness.

"welcome, baby" cake

French vanilla cake with pink raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberries!