I won’t take up too much of your time because at this point your turkey is probably defrosting and menu plans are well underway. But I didn’t want to let the holiday pass us by without sharing this recipe for a simple, bright and fresh slaw. While I am one to honor the traditional flavors and dishes that Thanksgiving brings I am always eager for a bit of health and heft on the table.

This slaw is just ever-so-slightly creamy with the addition of a bit of mayonnaise in the dressing. The cranberries pop and cause a bit of a pleasant pucker from their bath in a sweet and spiced brine. Green apple carries another hit of sweet tang while heaps of fresh dill and scallion nudge the salad back toward the savory. All of this to say it’s a delicious salad that will sit beautifully on our holiday table next to our smoked turkey with a bourbon and bacon gravy and fresh corn and cornbread stuffing.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving brimming with gratitude and grace.

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Brussels Sprout and Green Apple Slaw with Pickled Cranberries

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Ingredients

Pickled Cranberries

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

4 cloves

Pinch salt

8 ounces cranberries ( about 2 cups)

Dressing

1/3 cup pickling liquid

3 tablespoons mayo

Salt

Salad

8 cups shredded Brussels (about 1 pound)

2 small green apples, diced or julienned

1 cup chopped dill

3 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Instructions

Pickle the cranberries:

In a medium saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, water, salt and spices and bring to a simmer. Add the cranberries then turn off the heat. Let cool. These can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate.

Make the dressing:

In a small bowl whisk together the pickling brine with the mayonnaise. Add a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust to your liking. It should have a bit of bite to it.

Assemble the salad:

In a large bowl combine the brussels sprouts, green apple, dill, scallions, and dressing. Mix well to combine. Drain the remaining bring off the cranberries then add to the salad.

Serve straightaway.

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”
― Anne Lamott

I think I need this year to feel different. Because it is different.

For the first time Grandma won’t be the one bringing the pumpkin pie to the Thanksgiving table. She won’t walk through the door with a bag of Lay’s potato chips and her 9×13 glass Pyrex dish that houses a perfect pie. I won’t hear her insist the crust didn’t bake right or listen to her tell me how I could have done so much better. She’s wrong. Try as I might my pumpkin pie is never as good as Grandma’s even though I use her crust recipe; the one with no butter but lots of oil and a splash of milk. I even buy the can of Libby’s pumpkin pureé and follow the recipe off of the can because that is what Grandma does.

Did. I can’t seem to get used to that damn past tense.

This year is different. We knew someday it would be but what surprises me is that I’m finding myself wanting to lean into the difference. That was Grandma’s pumpkin pie and when I recreate it something is missing. Some recipes, perhaps, are best to live in memory. Maybe next year I’ll be ready to make her pie again but this year it still feels like it belongs to her.

The last time I saw her I held her hand and fingered her silver hair as she gasped her few final breaths. She was never very good at receiving praise so I took the opportunity I could to tell her how much I love her and how proud I am to be her granddaughter. She still felt like she was fighting. Her breathing, peaceful at times and then she’d dig deep for a breath. Wanting to release her I leaned in and whispered, “It’s okay Grandma, I’ll bake the pie now.”

It’s nearly Thanksgiving and while I want to honor that promise, making her pie feels like too great a task. I can’t bear for it to not be the same as it has been my entire life.

Last month, while in New Orleans, Joy and I spent a good bit of time flipping through the pages of the Sister Pie cookbook. Together she and I baked the Apple Pie with the Gruyere Crust but I took a quick photo on my phone of the Buttermilk Pumpkin Pie with the buckwheat streusel. The same day I made that beloved Collard Greens Melt I baked up this pie to see if it could be a possible contender for the holiday table.

It’s familiar, which for this holiday I do believe is essential, and yet different enough that I didn’t find myself comparing it to the one I’ve had for the last 36 years. There’s a subtle tang that intrigues and a warming crunch as you bite into the buttery spiced crumble. It’s a soft nod to tradition while gentling reminding us that life evolves. In our purest moments we are present because we know it won’t always be that way. We’re continuing to build new memories while still honoring those of the past.

Even if my pumpkin pie is not her’s I know she is still so very proud.

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Sister Pie’s Buttermilk Pumpkin Streusel Pie

Author Sister Pie

Yield 8 Servings

This recipe comes directly from the book. It’s a beauty. Loaded with inventive recipes and unique twists on the classes. Also, pie dough cookies! 

Ingredients

1 recipe single crust pie dough (I’m partial to my latest recipe in Let’s Stay In or you could use this one)

Buckwheat Pepita Streusel Topping

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄4 cup buckwheat flour

1⁄4 cup pepitas, toasted in a dry skillet

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, straight from the fridge

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

3⁄4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup

2 tablespoons (1⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal

3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 large egg, beaten

Instructions

Blind Bake:

Roll out your chilled pie dough into a large rough circle. Roll the dough around your rolling pin, then lay over your pie dough. Cut any excess dough off then fold in the edges and crimp the dough between your fingers. Place in the freezer and chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450°F with the rack on the lowest level. Remove the pie crust from the freezer, tear off a square of parchment that is slightly larger than the pie shell, and gently fit it into the frozen crust. Fill the crust with sugar (yes, sugar, this is a genius tip I learned from Stella Parks from Bravetart. Read more about it here.) and place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 27 minutes. Check for doneness by peeling up a piece of parchment—the crimps should be light golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. After 6 minutes, carefully remove the foil and beans. You did it! You are now ready to fill the pie.

PUMPKIN PIE

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the streusel topping: In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose and buckwheat flours, pepitas, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt. Place the butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Take a bench scraper and cut the butter into 1⁄2-inch cubes directly into the flour mixture in the bowl. Work to break up the cubes with your hands until they are lightly coated with the flour mixture. Continue to use the bench scraper to cut the cubes into smaller pieces—the idea is that you are cutting each cube in half.

Switch to a pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It’s important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each movement, but to actually slice through butter every time. You’ll need to clean out the pastry blender every few turns of the bowl. Once most of the butter is incorporated, use your fingers to fully break down the butter until it is no longer visible. Be careful not to overwork the mixture at this point. Scatter the streusel over one of the parchment-lined baking sheets, distributing it evenly, and transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, gently tossing the mixture with a spatula about halfway through. When the streusel is evenly browned and does not appear wet anymore, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, syrup, melted butter, cornmeal, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger and whisk until well blended.

Place the blind-baked shell on the other parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the crimped edge with the beaten egg. Pour the buttermilk-pumpkin filling into the pie shell until it reaches the bottom of the crimps. Transfer the baking sheet with the pie on it to the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the edges are puffed and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the pie to a wire rack. Let cool for 15 minutes, then cover the pie with the streusel topping. Allow the pie to fully cool and set for another 4 to 6 hours. When the pie is at room temperature, slice it into 6 to 8 pieces and serve.

Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When I set out to create my holiday menus I always start with the basics. It’s not Thanksgiving without turkey, potatoes, cranberries, rolls, stuffing, sweet potatoes or squash and pies. But within those classic parameters there are endless possibilities. Each year is an opportunity to learn from the last and to think outside the box while still capturing those flavors that to me embody the holidays.

This recipe from Julia Turshen’s new book, Small Victories, fits into my holiday menu beautifully. It’s a simple classic with a twist. For years I held firm to my belief that if they didn’t come from a can shellacked in a sweet sticky syrup and then covered with toasted marshmallows then they weren’t sweet potatoes. Some may say I’ve matured.

Julia and I both agree that so many recipes do us all a disservice by saying that an onion can be caramelized in as little as ten minutes. To truly take an onion from its raw pungent state to the point where it melts into a puddle of deep sweetness you must invest at least forty-five minutes to the process. Don’t let this keep you from moving forward with this recipe but rather embrace the slow of it, casually stirring the sticky onions with one hand and a nip of red wine in the other.

Beyond the caramelizing there’s very little to be done. A tip of balsamic here, a stir of cooked bacon or pancetta there, and tuck in of sweet potatoes roasted until tender on the inside with edges trimmed in umber.

There’s a dual purpose in sharing this recipe now. I’m fairly certain it’s the final dish to complete your holiday menu and also, Julia and her publisher, Chronicle books are giving us all the opportunity to extend our holiday table by helping others fill their own. If you feel like helping others ensure that they too have the opportunity to share a meal please consider donating here.

This time at the table is special, perhaps this year more so than any other as our country feels deeply divided. I won’t make light of the pain so many are feeling and the fear that covers many but I hope and pray that the time at the table is covered in love and grace. There is something deeply intimate about sharing a meal together and I hope for all of you the time is fruitful and filled with radiating thanks giving.

Grace's Sweet Potatoes

from Small Victories

Serves 4

2 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 ounces pancetta, finely diced (I used bacon)

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and the red pepper flakes (if using), and toss everything together. Roast the sweet potatoes, stirring a couple of times, until tender and browned, about 45 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the pancetta, stirring, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl and set aside.

Add the sliced onion to the skillet (add a little olive oil if there's not enough fat in the pan - it will depend on how much fat is in the pancetta, so trust your instincts here). Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the onion, stirring now and then, until the onion has collapsed and is very soft and browned in spots, about 45 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Add the reserved pancetta and sweet potatoes to the skillet and stir everything together.

Serve warm.

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

My facebook feed is scattered with friends and family who have dedicated an update of thankfulness for everyday in November. The political rants are becoming less and less while the thanks for family, friends, health are increasing. I appreciate their thankfulness but then quickly return to my own state of longing leaving me feeling dissatisfied.

Instead of feeling thankful for my home I lament it’s size. The sun shines and yet I focus on the cold. My body is eager, warm and alive and I concentrate on the slight tinge of a sore throat that is forming. The pantry is stocked and the fridge is filled with fresh food but I moan over having to cook another meal.

Thankfulness is as much a habit as brushing your teeth or making a cup of coffee in the morning. It’s about shifting your focus to the things that you do have rather than longing for what is not yet yours. In the midst of thankfulness we see all we are unnecessarily given and joy overwhelms the dissatisfaction.

A small home becomes a warm home filled with joyful, healthy children. The cold weather turns to thoughts of brightly colored fall leaves and anticipation of snow and warming drinks. When the time comes for me to cook my family dinner I should be overwhelmed by the fact that I have a family to feed and there is food to cook with and a stove to prepare it on with electricity to heat the pan and clean water to wash my fresh vegetables – I could go on and on.

I’m writing this post while thinking this through and am peeling back the blinding scales as I write. These last few days I’ve successfully felt sorry for myself – overwhelmed with work, exhausted by the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother and blinded by dissatisfaction. I didn’t come to this space to write about thankfulness but I’m so glad I did as I can see now how selfish I’ve been and am so thankful to be aware.

Joy returns and reroutes me outward. With a focus on thankfulness rather than lamenting over what I want differently in my life the resulting joy presses me to love and serve which ultimately leads to satisfaction greater than any “want” could ever give.

I did indeed come here to tell you about our turkey and I’m so thankful for this space to share it with you all because you need to know about this turkey.

This year will mark the second in which we’ve made a boneless turkey. A quick call to the local market and a boneless turkey is ready for pickup the next day. The bones are then saved for stock and used to make a rich gravy or saved to make the traditional leftover turkey soup.
The advantage to a boneless turkey is that carving is simple and clean, the dark meat and white meat mingle in the roll creating a harmonious flavorful meat and the options for stuffing are endless and provide even more flavor which can sometimes be lacking in turkey.

The turkey that ceremoniously lands on our Thanksgiving table this year will be stuffed with an herby, sausage-laden stuffing dotted with dried cherries and toasted hazelnuts. I’m already feeling thankful for that day and for the opportunity to enjoy this turkey again.
What a great time of year to be reminded to exercise the habit of thankfulness.

Turkey Roulade with Sausage Stuffing

inspired by Ina Garten

Serves 8

The most difficult part about this recipe is tying the stuffed turkey just prior to roasting. It makes the job much easier if you have an extra set of hands help you get the turkey to submit. It’s going to be messy and you’ll feel a bit clumsy. Be brave and confident as it will come together and your reward for such bravery will be a flavorful and moist turkey that will sure evoke elation and cheers as it’s brought to the table for (easy) carving.

3/4 cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
1/2 cup brandy
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups diced onions (2 onions)
1 cup (1/2-inch-diced) celery (3 stalks)
3/4 pound pork sausage, casings removed
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted
3 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (homemade recipe below)
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons good mustard
1 whole turkey boned (save bones, wings and giblets for gravy and stock)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Place the dried cherries in a small saucepan and pour in the brandy and 1/4 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits with a fork, and saute, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Stir in 1 teaspoon paprika and a pinch of salt. Add the cherries with the liquid, the chopped rosemary, and hazelnuts and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, chicken stock, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir well. (The stuffing may be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan.

Lay the butterflied turkey skin side down on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and spread the mustard over the turkey.

Spread the stuffing in a 1/2-inch-thick layer over the meat, leaving a half-inch border on all sides. Don't mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. (Place any leftover stuffing in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.)

Starting at 1 end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

Place the stuffed turkey seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon paprika, and roast for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F in the center.

Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve warm with the extra stuffing.

Homemade Stuffing Mix

3 cups ½” diced rustic bread
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, sage, rosemary, thyme etc.)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350*F until bread is golden and dried out, about 20 minutes. Stir the mixture halfway through the baking process. Taste and add more salt if desired.