Thanksgiving planning....ALREADY?!?

Is Thanksgiving really upon us already? Halloween hasn't even come and gone and here I am planning turkey day. I guess the older you get, the more planning that's required to get people together. This will be my first year actually hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. It's always been at my mom's house where she cooks enough to feed all the neighbors on her block and then some. I finally got my first home and I want to do a simple, elegant Martha...I mean, Myrna Stewart holiday. Well, of course it will have to have my personal twist and flare, but I want it to be memorable.

My Mom is the Queen of Thanksgiving. Queen to all nations because she tries to cater to everyone in our entire family, co-workers, nieces, sisters, brother-in-laws, cousins and probably random people she met at church. There is Filipino fare, Spanish touches, Tex-Mex delights and then the classic "American" dishes. It's enough to make me reach for a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Unless your stomach is as big as my Mom's heart, there is no way is Croatia that anyone could put a dent in her over 20 dishes. And if you did, you can pretty much forget that Thanksgiving nap. You'll be crunched over with a stomach ache from mixing all those different flavor profiles together.

So what to do? I want to host a smaller, intimate Thanksgiving with 7 AMAZING dishes and ones that pair nicely with one another. The only one I need to please is myself. Since I have such a picky pallet anyway, I know it will be delicious. I plan on doing typical American classics with a twist. I can't post my menu just yet because I want it to be surprise, but I will post pics afterwards! I want my Mom to rest and relax and leave this turkey day to the pro. Even though I went to culinary school, work as a chef professionally and teach people how to cook, she still thinks she knows best. In many ways she does, but not when it come to a stress-free, simple but refined menu. I will have to school her! But what am I talking about? Thanksgiving is 2 months away!


p.s. isn't pugs as a pilgrim the CUTEST thing you've seen all day?!

Spiced Pumpkin Granita

Granita is typically a summer dish. However I live in Texas and this place can't decide between summer and fall. I would prefer it to be fall all the time because it's my favorite season. The chestnuts, gourds and best of all, my baking mood is in full swing by early October. I'm making banana bread, chocolate-orange cakes, biscotti and all the fun comfort foods that summer hasn't inspired me to make. No more itsy, bitsy, teeny-weeny bikini to try to fit into!

Because pumpkins are in season, but it's unseasonably warm, I thought Pumpkin granita is a perfect combination for this flippant weather down south. It lays tricks with your mind because you think granita and summer, but it tastes of beautiful fall weather. Try it! Discover the wonders of trying to make things seasonally in a state that refuses to get cold for more than 1 day! Feel my pain and taste the joy of this refreshing fall delight.


Ingredients
15 oz. -100% pureed pumpkin
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon



COMBINE pumpkin, water, concentrate, sugar, salt and cinnamon in large bowl; whisk until smooth.

Pour into 8-inch-square baking pan; cover with plastic wrap.

Freeze, stirring every 30 minutes to break up ice crystals, for 3 hours, or until slushy, more uniform in texture and firm enough to scrape or scoop.

Using metal spoon or ice cream scoop, scrape into chilled serving dishes. Serve immediately. (Freeze any remaining sorbet for up to 7 days.)

Allow to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes prior to serving.

A little bread and cheese with my whine?

I was going to give history of the Camembert being from Normandy, France and so on, but it will only make me hungrier. Before I drag myself to the gym, I will give myself 1 minute to indulge in the faint memory from less than a week ago when I was in Paris. Bread, cheese and wine were literally on every corner of every block. I didn't realize how much I would miss it. But I do. Now I'm here and all that wine, cheese and bread goodness is all over there. WAH! Trying to get back on the proverbial pony is harder than I thought. OOOF!

Quotes that inspire...

“A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that’s when cuisine is truly exciting.”

~ Charlie Trotter

"For the first time I know what it is to eat. I have gained four pounds. I get frantically hungry, and the food I eat gives me a lingering pleasure. I never ate before in this deep carnal way ... I want to bite into life and to be torn by it."

~ Anaïs Nin

Veggies

These are some fresh veggies I just picked in Greece!