Are You Ready for Thanksgiving? Open Thread

 

Preparing for Thanksgiving can be anxiety inducing.  Over the last few weeks I have bee n trying to post recipes to give you inspiration on new ways to think about cooking cauliflower, make squash as a souffle or sweet potato as a spicy soup with peanuts.  

Last night I went out with a new friend, David, who works in a fancy restaurant that is very much about farm fresh produce and meat.  We had an overly salted, yet still tasty meal, at Marlow. Not sure why the entire cheese selection was all cows milk cheese... given the vast selection out there it seemed odd to me.  Of the two deserts the apple pie and cinnamon ice cream sounded great, but in the end we chose to just sip the rest of our lovey Gamay.

David and I had a lively dinner discussion touching on everything from living in Ho Chi Minh City as a student abroad to how if you cook a Turkey with the stuffing in it, it cooks slower (so maybe you might want to think about doing it on the stove top). He also told me how crest fallen he was to discover in adulthood that his childhood favorite Turkey stuffing, made by Grandmother,  was made mostly with Ritz Crackers.

As a Canadian I have never fully  understood the big deal that Thanksgiving is here and often would either go for lunch at the Second Avenue Deli or go for Indian food, but this year I am fully embracing

the traditional Turkey dinner.  

My two favorite things about thanksgiving are pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. Although I don't actually make pumpkin pie... I make a ginger infused squash tart (that can be made with pumpkin, but this year I am making it with butternut squash instead).

What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes or what are your least favorite? Feel free to just vent as well if this big yearly festival just makes you anxious and full of dread.