What’s for … er, uh…Thanksgiving Dinner?

Not to dwell on these extraordinary times but, my usual entertaining schedule isn’t looking anything like it has before. If your life looks a little like mine, it’s possible you haven’t seen extended family in almost a year and travel has been out of the question.  So, the trip to Grandma’s house is looking less likely for a lot of us. If you are set on taking that trip whether by road or taking a flight a little further afield, talk it over with whomever you will be seeing in person this holiday and plan it carefully to keep your loved ones safe.

I’m feeling like this Thanksgiving is going to be a fairly low-key affair. My husband, Milt, and I are feeling fortunate that we’re in California where weather permits us to have a mid-day dinner outside with our adult children but not everyone has that luxury. One thing that might be a way of letting your extended family know you’re still thinking of them is by sending a gift for their table. I have been fortunate enough to partner with Spoonful of Comfort and I’ll be sending family and friends a gift box with the added Margot’s Morsels as toppers to their soup entrée. Other friends and family are getting a bottle of wine with their Margot’s Morsels. With all the turmoil in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, I’m sure some of your favorite wineries would be thankful for the business.

And, now on to planning my dinner.  I thought I might suggest some small healthy dishes that might help you plan your Thanksgiving meal since that’s the mode I’m in. A lovely customer at one of my Marin County farmer’s markets gave me a recipe that she had adapted to include my morsels and I tried it…crunchy, yummy and easy! I’ve placed this Parmesan-crusted Butternut Squash recipe on my website and it fulfills that flavorful sourdough crunch I always crave.

Another repeat customer turned morsels into individual savory bread pudding that I think I’m going to make instead of stuffing this year.  It’s so easy and you can customize it to your taste. I added a combination of cheeses (parmesan and feta) and a mix of spices to my new Rockin’ Rosemary morsels but I’m going to try adding other “stuffing-like” ingredients …maybe mushrooms and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary. I’ll put the recipe up on my recipe web page when I’ve settled on what works and what doesn’t but here’s the note she gave me along with her recipe for Chicken Parmesan using our morsels as the crumbs.

I tried both recipes and loved them — thank you, Michela!  I experimented with spices and if you’d like to do the same, I can recommend two local places: Penzeys in Menlo Park, Nutmeg Kitchens in Redwood City and La Boite in New York.  All of these companies do a great mail-order business.  And, if you get a change to splurge on a special gift, LaBoite makes the most beautiful “biscuit” tin twice a year.