Thanksgiving is Coming: Part 1

There's nothing I love more than a good 3-day weekend and this one came not a moment too soon. My sleep schedule was in shambles after election night and plummeted even further with some late nights at the beginning of the weekend. Thus, you can imagine the joy I felt when on Sunday I still had another day of weekend to catch up on sleep with (gotta love all the federal holidays this time of year). In an effort to not squander the entire day sleeping (or miss out on the gorgeous weather), I spent some time today walking with Bax and enjoying the leaves in the park and looking up some recipes for Thanksgiving dinner.

I will never get over how gorgeous the leaves are in fall

I love Thanksgiving so very much (I actually claim it as my favorite holiday) and it's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to one day (when I live in something bigger than my current studio apartment) host the event. Since my time as a host is still a ways off, I have settled for the next best thing: coordinating the menu. Last year this time I was just starting to focus on developing my culinary skills and undertook the task of creating a slew of desserts. They were all amazingly delicious and if I didn't love Thanksgiving food so much, I would've feasted on them as my meal. This year, I have no choice but to try and top last year's efforts (damn my competitive nature). In the meantime, I'm guessing I'm not the only one who's thinking about recipes for the big day and thus I wanted to share two delectable fall-inspired sides that I made recently that could also serve as a great addition to any Thanksgiving table.

Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Veggies

This is one of those recipes that is great when you need to use up some extra vegetables before they go bad and can easily be tweaked depending on the season or taste preferences. I ate it as a meal, but the recipe could definitely be increased (based on crowd size) and used as a Thanksgiving side as well. 

Ingredients

• 1 package of long grain wild rice 
• 1 acorn squash, roasted
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup portobello mushroom slices
• 1-1 1/2 cups baby spinach
• 4-5 capellini tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Roast acorn squash either in the oven or crockpot. I used my pumpkin roasting crockpot method that I recently discovered and am currently obsessed with
2. Prepare rice according to package (usually takes about 25 minutes). With about five minutes left, I added my carrots to cook with the rice (but they could also be cooked in the skillet/wok as well)
3. Meanwhile, remove acorn squash from skin and discard skin (my only regret on this recipe is letting the squash cook for too long so that it was mushy rather than diceable...this is my punishment for not having a vision for the meal when I started cooking the squash)
4. Heat olive oil in wok or skillet, then add mushroom slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in tomatoes and squash and continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes
5. Add in spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat to allow spinach to wilt
6. Once rice is cooked, mix with veggie mix in skillet, season and serve

Veggies post cooking (I also had to drain the excess water as a result of the squash not being as firm as it should've been...still good though)

Wild rice and carrots ready to eat

Giada's Roasted Veggies

Another great veggie side for the big day comes courtesy of my beloved Food Network. I had dinner with my parents over the weekend and offered to make these to accompany the fish my dad was preparing. They were a huge hit and would be a great easy, low stress addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients

Courtesy of Giadá

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick circles
• 1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts (about 1/2 pound), halved
• 4 cups red bliss potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 medium parsnips (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and cut vegetables as mentioned above
3. Grease an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Place vegetables in baking sheet and add the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry
4. Spread the vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!