This might have been the first year we’ve ever stayed home and simply eaten as a family for Thanksgiving. Our usual holiday agenda involved extended family or a meal with close friends where the actual meal preparation is divided up.
This year we did the meal in-house and from scratch with a few key local ingredients such as a turkey from Gary and So of Rocky Ridge Ranch and wild rice from St Maries, Idaho. Here is the run-down and rating for the meal.
Herb Roasted Turkey. We scored with a November 09 Saveur recipe and a Rocky Ridge Ranch 15 ¼ pound turkey that we brined overnight in an orange juice brown sugar brine and then roasted. Brining consultant: John Sowers. Turkey Rating: 5 stars
Butternut Squash, Kale, and Cheddar Bread Pudding. This was designed as the vegetarian main dish for Megan’s benefit and came from the Molly Wizenberg’s recipe in November 09 Bon Appetit. Karen loved it. Megan didn’t. I might have used a bit less kale, but like the flavor profile. Rating: three stars
Wild Rice Stuffing with Wild Mushrooms and Dried Pears. Megan also suggested we try a wild rice stuffing this year and the caramelized onions and mushrooms in this smelled wonderful in the pan. The dried pears were an interesting addition, but the finally result wasn’t as stunning as I expected. Puzzling. The recipe came from Epicurious.com and I’ll have to chew on what might bump up the flavor while I eat leftovers. Rating: three stars
Mashed Potatoes. We used some monster potatoes we received as part of our CSA deliveries from Rocky Ridge Ranch. Overcooked slightly but workable with butter, cream, and salt. Rating: three stars
Pan Gravy. Brilliant. Crafted on the fly from email notes from mom using flour to thicken the seriously wonderful pan drippings. Rating: 5 stars
Fresh Green Beans. Organic beans ala Huckleberry’s since Costco was cleaned out. Blanched and than sauteed with a bit of butter and salt. Rating: 4 stars
Cy’s Cranberries. The brandy gives these baby’s a great kick. The recipe is Cynthia Brown’s and was passed along by her sister, Renee Dickenson. Rating: 5 stars
Raw Cranberry Orange Relish. Unable to do just one cranberry side, this simple and stunning relish from Mary Beth Baker was a great use of the 2nd pound of berries. Rating: 5 stars
Grandma Gould’s Butter Rolls. This was the second recipe from the Gould family along with Cy’s Cranberry’s and was possibly the biggest hit of the holiday. Thanks Renee. Rating: 5 stars
Homemade Lemonade. Mark Bittman’s How-T0-Cook-Everything recipe. Rating: three stars (due to whimpy lemons)
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream. The crust is Donna Brigg’s shortening crust that she taught me to make in high school and the filling came off the Libby can. It has been a while since I’ve made a crust but it was a respectable effort, but I need your suggestions on a better filling recipe or else an entirely different direction to go for dessert. Came within seconds of turning the whipped cream into butter. Rating: 2.5 stars
How best to describe Winona? LaDuke in a Native American leader and, as such, it it hard not to collect the title “activist” as well but rather than refine a rant and hit the speaking circuit, she seems to have instead put her passion into doing a great deal to help her tribe and quite a few other along the way. I had the chance to hear her describe some of what she has done through 
Two of the top growth industries in our country right now are waste management and prison system. Both suggest we are currently living in a throw away culture where both things and people are tossed aside when broken. It is so common now to hear the phrase: “Just throw it away.” LaDuke asks the question: “Where is ‘away’?”