Thanksgiving Menu 2010

I am excited about this year's Thanksgiving dinner, as it combines a few of my family traditions, some green bean casserole for Chicago Man, and lots of new, and hopefully exciting, and flavorful dishes that will become a tradition. It's also my first gluten-free Thanksgiving.

So here is my menu:

Herb Roasted Turkey (no basting, no brining)

Bread and Fruit Stuffing from www.simplebites.com, made over into gluten free

Traditional relish tray: olives, pickled peaches, celery, bread and butter pickles, 

and this year, candied apple rings as a nod to my grandmother who always served them at family meals

Raspberry/Cranberry Jello Salad (old-fashioned, not healthy, but refreshing and traditional)

Tyler Florence's Mama's Candied Sweet Potatoes 

(because they are the closest I've found to my grandmother's lost recipe)

Green Bean Casserole (purchased from Trader Joe's)

Slow-roasted Balsamic Root Veggies from www.southernliving.com

Cranberry Relish w/ orange zest and blackberries

(snagged the blackberry idea from Bobby Flay on the Thanksgiving Throwdown w/www.thepioneerwoman.com)

Sister Schubert rolls for my mama

Poppyseed rolls for Chicago Man

No rolls for me!

Gluten-free Apple Cheesecake from www.foodformyfamily.com 

w/ Fleur de Sel caramel sauce from Trader Joe's

Pumpkin Mousse

The recipe I decided to share here this morning is the Balsamic Root Vegetables from www.southernliving.com. I love the new, updated Southern Living magazine and have tried several recipes over the past year since I re-subscribed.

This sounds wonderful; I will let you know later how it turns out. I made a few of my own substitutions which I will share in parentheses. Here are a few of my root veg before I cut them up. I purchased organic at www.wholefoods.com

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes

1 lb parsnips (I used baby turnips)

1 lb carrots

2 large red onions, coarsely chopped (I omitted these because I am allergic to onions; hoping it will not affect caramelization)

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 TB light brown sugar

3 TB olive oil

2 TB balsamic vinegar (I used fig-infused)

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Peel first 3 ingredients and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Combine parsnips, carrots, onions, and cranberries in a lightly greased 6-quart slow cooker; layer sweet potatoes on top.
Whisk together sugar and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl; pour over vegetable mixture. Do not stir.
Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Toss with parsley just before serving.