It’s always nice to have a special something to welcome your guests. And on a day like Thanksgiving, with lots of family and lots of work and lots of noise and lots of food, it helps if that little something special involves wine. The idea of making sangria with dried fruit and sparkling soda came from friend whose family is from Nicaragua. She brought a summer version to … [Read more...] about Autumn Sangria
Thanksgiving
Cranberry Ginger Compote
I would hazard a guess that the cranberries on the Thanksgiving table are one of the more polarizing dishes. You can’t have Thanksgiving without cranberries, but the divide between sweet and savory, jellied or chunky, canned or homemade is probably the source of mnay under-the-breath comments and drive-to-grandma’s complaints. I have never been a fan of the cranberry sauce … [Read more...] about Cranberry Ginger Compote
Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Bars
'Tis the season for all things pumpkin – and it is my favorite time of year. I love pumpkin. Sweet, savory, anyway it comes. I go a little overboard with pumpkin – I buy all the seasonal pumpkin flavored items on the store shelves, and cook with pumpkin like crazy. Check out these cookies, enchiladas, biscuits and tart. You’ll see what I … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Bars
Pumpkin Cream Tart
My First Thanksgiving The first Thanksgiving feast that ever I cooked was during graduate school in England. An American friend and I decided to host a holiday meal at his digs, which had a larger kitchen, for a motley crew of Americans, Canadians, South Africans and an Ecuadorian thrown in for good measure. This plan of course meant that I cooked and he, well, he ate. I … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Cream Tart
Sweet Potato Casserole with Cider, Orange and Maple
For most of my childhood, we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Arkansas. It was always a big, loud, boisterous gathering of family we didn’t see nearly enough. For many of these years, my brother and I were the oldest of the kids, so we got to sit at the grown-up table, which made us feel very special. After the meal, the men would go watch the ball game and the women … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Casserole with Cider, Orange and Maple
