Learn the Basics - Chicken Stock

Of course you can use store bought chicken stock - but once you taste the difference you might prefer the home made one! It does not take a lot of effort, just a bit of motivation.

1 large roasting chicken (about 4 5 lbs)
4 stalks of celery
3 large carrots - cut
1 large yellow onion - cut into quarters
1 whole head of garlic - cut crosswise
1 TBS whole pepper corns
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
4-5 springs of fresh rosemary

In a large stock pot add all the ingredients listed above and add 6-7 litres of cold water.
Bring to a rolling boil.  Simmer uncovered for about 4 hours. Strain the liquid after 4 hours and discard all the solids. (Seriously, there is no flavour left in the chicken after being boiled for 4 hours).
Chill the stock in the refrigerator overnight. Skim off the fat that will be on the top. Store the stock in the freezer.

If you notice I have not added salt to the stock. You certainly can if you want to, but I prefer not to. Just because I sometimes forget about the salt already in the stock and add salt to the dish I am cooking without taking into that salt into account.
If you can remember- no problem, go ahead and add 2 TBS salt to the initial ingredient list.


As far as herbs go, if you cannot get fresh herbs, don't panic. You can throw in whatever herbs you have on hand, parsley, dill, rosemary....Dried herbs work too, just add less.

Street Food Mumbai - Vegetable Sandwich

Oh yes the ubiquitous vegetable sandwich. I am sure all Bombayites (aka Mumbaiites) have had this at some time or another in Mumbai. There is no escape :). Everyone had a favourite sandwich - wala... a sandwich vendor. He knew just how you liked your sandwich and that's how he made itfor you...spice level, crusts off/on, fillings...it was all perfect!

Well there are no sandwich carts here - not in California or in Toronto - so I just make my own and yes I set up my stall just like my sandwich vendor outside Ruia college in Matunga ....


Sliced White bread- YES white bread- but please do not get Wonder Bread- it falls apart. Actually sourdough works very well.

Softened butter
salt
'chaat' masala (optional)
pepper

For the chutney
2 cups of coriander leaves cleaned and washed.
3 cups of baby spinach leaves. (yes- this is not a mistake)
10-12 green chillies (depending on your spice tolerance level)
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) powder
salt
1/2 tsp sugar
lemon juice

Blend the chutney very fine- using very little water or no water if you are using a Magic Bullet.
Taste for salt level and add lemon juice.

For the Filling- everything should be cut into thin slices

English cucumber
beefsteak tomatoes
yukon gold or white potatoes - boiled and peeled
red onion
Beets - boiled and peeled

What vegetables you use in the sandwich are totally dependent on your taste- some people even like raw beetroot instead of boiled. Some (like me) do not like raw onion in this sandwich. But - you can customize it as per taste.

To Assemble

Liberally butter 2 slices of bread (Crust on/off if your choice)
Spread the chutney on both sides - more for a higher spice level and less for the weaker palate(!)
layer up your fillings- cucumber slices, tomato slices- potato slices. ....
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veggies- chaat masala if you like.

Some Nescafe or Masala Chai - and you are back in Bombay :)

Dips and Chips - Hummus

Hummus is now available everywhere and in multiple flavours. But I saw it for a first time when we were in Saudi. We all loved it - and it has no cooking required- so of course it's great!
My neighbour was from Syria - she taught me this way to make hummus and I have stuck to the recipe for 20 years now.


One can of Garbanzo beans.
4-5 garlic cloves
salt
1 1/2 TBS tahini (seasame paste)
Juice of 2 lemons
Olive oil
1 TBS curly parsley chopped fine


Wash and drain the beans. Add the beans, garlic cloves and tahini to a blender. Add the juice of one and half of the lemons and blend. If needed add in really little water. Blend to a smooth puree.

Taste it for salt (remember the beans have salt- that's why we wait to add the salt)
Taste it for tang- you should get a bite of the lemon juice- add more if needed.

To serve - put the hummus in a shallow bowl- run your spoon on top to make depressions on the surface and pour some really good olive oil on top. Sprinkle chopped parsley. Serve with warm pita bread.


PS If you do not have tahini - just add white sesame seeds ( tahini is simple sesame paste)

Street Food Mumbai - Batata Vada - Fried Potato dumplings

Deep fried heaven on the streets of Mumbai- This is also a staple of the people of Bombay (Mumbai). Seriously- I doubt there is even one person in Mumbai who has not succumbed to the guilty pleasure of a hot spicy batata wada or the vada pav - which is basically a fresh batata vada served between a split pav (kinda like a sourdough dinner roll) with a spicy garlic chatney.
Every time I go back to India- I head to my favourite batata vada stalls. One is in Chembur- right at the end of the lane where we lived- Nandu's vada pav. The other is Shrikrishna vada pav in Dadar BB opposite Chabilldas school - for some reason we called the place Manju che vade. The third is Joshi vadewale in Pune. I am sure there are plenty more places which make awesome vadas- but these 3 are my personal favourites.
This is a pure Maharashtrian recipe - many others have tried to adapt it- I once had the MISfortune of eating a 'Banaras' style or North Indian style batata vada which had basically some form of aloo-mutter stuffed inside and the batter was so thick that ....well you can imagine. They better not attempt to bastardise this pure Marathi dish.
Now that I have lived in US/Canada for the past 15+ years I have made many attempts to recreate that bit of culinary heaven in my kitchen. But when I go back to India I head straight to my favourite haunts- nothing compares.
But here goes -

For the filling:

250 Gms Potatoes
3 green chillies
2 springs of curry leaves
1 tsp shredded ginger (not paste)
1 tsp finely chopped garlic (again - not paste)
2 TBs chopped coriander leaves - no stalks
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
Salt
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp udad dal
1/2 tsp lime juice
2 TBs oil (for the tempering)

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Add the salt. chopped chillies and coriander leaves. Heat oil in a frying pan, add the mustard seeds, when they splutter, add the hing, udad dal, turmeric, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Fry on a low flame till the ginger and garlic lightly cooked. Do not burn the garlic. Add this tempering to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and shape into balls about and 1.5 inches in diameter.

150 gms besan (chick pea flour)
water
salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chili powder
pinch of baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Make a thick batter - adding water a little at a time. It should be a bit thinner than pancake batter.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or a small wok (kadhai). It should not be smoking hot.

Dip the potato balls one by one in the batter and fry them in the hot oil till a lovely golden colour. Drain on paper towels.

These have to be served hot with garlic chutney and with or without the pav.

Garlic Chutney

There are again so many variations of this chutney. The dry version is a Marathi staple again. It has always been served with Batata vada or bhajias. A great side dish with dal - rice. And awesome when eaten with bhakri (rotis made with jowar or bajra flour). But more on that later. For now the basic lasun (garlic) chutney recipe.

1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup desiccated dry coconut (UNsweetened)
10-12 dry red chillies or 2 tsp red chili powder
salt
pinch of sugar
1 tsp oil

In a non-stick frying pan, roast the garlic cloves with oil till golden brown. Be very careful, you do not want burnt garlic. Then roast the coconut till brown. Let everything cool. Then add all the ingredients from garlic to sugar to a food processor and blend till coarse. You can adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the red chilies or chili powder.

Serve this chutney with the batata vadas and close your eyes and imagine yourself in the bylanes of Mumbai. yummmm.

Indian Staples - Dal Fry

A simple dal fry and rice is a favourite meal in our house. Add some pickles and papads - and you are set!

Amruta specifically asked for this recipe - so here goes...

1 cup dal (any dal will do - masoor, toor or moong)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp hing
1 tsp chopped ginger

Boil till dal is cooked. Don't add too much water. Start with 2 cups and bring to a boil. Then simmer till done. You can always add more water if needed.I usually cook the dal in a pressure cooker. But you can also adapt this recipe for a slow cooker. 

Add the dal, turmeric, hing and chopped ginger  to the slow cooker with 2 cups of water. Cook for 4-5 hours if using toor dal. Cook only for 2-3 hours for moong/masoor dal.

For the tempering:-

3 tbs ghee
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp hing
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger

7-8 curry leaves
2-3 garlic cloves crushed or chopped
Green or red chilies as per taste. If using whole red chillies use 3
Chopped tomato

Fry this till it smells nice. ;) on medium heat
Add the cooked dal and fry till the masala has coated the dal.
Adjust thickness.
Add salt and sugar. 1 tbs sugar.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Lentil Curry (masuryachi Amti) - Masoor - CKP style

This one is posted especially for Amruta - it's her absolute favourite. Requires a little bit of prep - making the masala- but otherwise it's as easy as pie!

CKP talala masala (CKP fried masala) also called kaala masala

This is a must have in CKP kitchens. Its made fresh everytime you need it- so the taste of the dish is also unique. Freshly made masalas always taste much better. But in today's world its not reasonable to expect everyone to fry and grind spices everytime they make a curry. So I have listed the spices used - you can dry roast these and grind them in a coffee grinder and store. Just don't make too much at one time.

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1 TBS cumin seeds
1 TBS black cumin seeds
1 TBS fennel seed
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
10-12 green cardomoms
5-6 black cardomoms
2 inches cinnamon
3-4 star anise
1/4 cup poppy seeds
5-6 bay leaves

Dry roast these spices till nice and dark brown. Let cool. Grind in a coffee / spice grinder. Store in an airtight container.

1 small red onion sliced thinly lengthwise
2 TBS dry coconut
1 tsp oil

 Roast the onions in oil till brown, add the coconut and continue roasting till it is toasty and dark brown. Do this on a medium flame so the onion and coconut do not burn.
Blend with a little bit of water to a fine paste

Now on to the curry.


1 cup brown lentils (soaked overnight)
1 large yellow onion - chopped
1 tsp ginger - garlic paste
curry leaves
4 pieces kokum
1 tsp jaggery
oil, hing, mustard seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, salt

Heat oil and temper with mustard seeds, hing, turmeric. Add chopped onion and curry leaves. Fry till the onion is translucent. Add ginger - garlic paste, 2 TBS of the ground masala (spices), the drained lentils and 1/2 tsp of red chili powder.  Saute for 5-6 minutes. Add water just enough to cover the lentils, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Check on the doneness of the lentils. They should be soft and the skin should open to the touch. Cover and cook till done. Add the jaggery and kokum. Add the ground coconut- onion paste and adjust the consistency. Bring to a rolling boil.

garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Bhendyachi bhaji - Okra

These are called lady fingers back home in India. In the US they are known as okra and are quite popular. There is some difference in the Indian variety and the locally grown ones that you get in US/Canada. For one the Indian variety is smaller, a slightly darker green and has less 'slime' when cooking.
 If cooked properly, the vegetable loses all its 'slimy' feel and it turns out really nice.

1 lb okra (Indian variety if you can find it)
3-4 green chillies
10-15 curry leaves
3 TBS oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dhaniya jeera powder
1 tsp lime/lemon juice or 1/2 tsp amchur powder
2 TBS finely chopped coriander (cilantro)


Wipe the okra with a damp cloth and slice off the heads. You can chop the okra length-wise or cross-wise- doesn't make a difference to the final outcome.
Chop the green chillies into big pieces (they should be noticeable so you don't  eat the chillies by mistake)

Heat oil in a pan- either a wok or a paella pan works great. Add the mustard seeds, when they sputter, add the turmeric and the asafoetida. Add the chillies and curry leaves. Add the chopped okra and saute for 5-6 minutes on high heat. Add the salt and sugar, saute for 2-3 minutes more. At this point the stickiness might increase due to the salt and sugar. Cover and steam for 7-8 minutes on low heat, till the okra is cooked.
Turn up the heat and saute till all the moisture evaporates. The okra will start to crisp up at this point. Lower the heat and add the fennel seeds,dhaniya jeera powder and lemon juice. Saute for 2-3 minutes and garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Street Food Mumbai - Pav Bhaji (Spicy mixed vegetables with bread)

Pav Bhaji (pav meaning bread and Bhaji meaning vegetable) is Bombay (meaning Mumbai) street food. It is basically a wonderful spicy mashup of vegetables served steaming hot with a pair of hot buttered rolls. Some finely chopped red onion, coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime- and you are set to go. Don't skimp on the butter.

It gets its taste from a unique mixture of spices - blended just in the right proportion. But thankfully you can get this spice mix all ready at any Indian store. I use the Everest brand- just a personal preference.

I do add extra chili powder (Indian - which is cayenne ) to the preparation but you can adjust the spice to your liking and tolerance.

2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup peas
1 cup carrots
2 cups potatoes cubed
1 large red pepper
2 cups finely chopped onion (run it through the chopper)
1 cup tomato chopped
1 TBS tomato paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
3 TBS Pav Bhaji masala
salt
1 tsp chili powder (to taste)
butter
oil
coriander leaves (finely chopped)
red onion (finely chopped)
limes

sourdough buns (or you can get 'pav bhaji' buns from the Indian store)

Steam the potatoes, carrots, peas and cauliflower till soft. Run the red pepper through a chopper till finely chopped. Mash the steamed vegetables together. keep aside

In a large pan, heat oil add the chopped onion and saute till light brown in colour. This takes over 10 minutes, so be patient. Once the onion is done add the tomato puree, tomato paste and ginger and garlic paste, Saute for another 5-6 minutes.

Add the chopped peppers and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mashed vegetables and mix very well. Add the salt, the pav bhaji masala and chili powder if desired and mix well.
Add about 2 TBS of butter at this stage. Add about a cup and half of water. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.  This will allow the masala to flavour all the vegetables.

Adjust seasoning if required, garnish with chopped coriander, chopped onions, a wedge of lime and a pat of butter. Serve with hot buttered buns.

Soups and Stews - Pork Stew

This is a favourite at our house...and what's not to like. Pork and lots of veggies- ultimate in comfort food. Serve it with a crusty California sourdough bread to mop up everything.
It's a one dish meal, easy to prepare- takes very little prep time. 
 

4 Bone In Pork Chops (or you could use stewing meat.) - cubed
10-12 pearl onions. (use frozen or fresh.)
8-10 small red potatoes
1 lb button mushrooms
4 stalks of celery
12-15 baby carrots
2 shallots finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
salt
pepper
red chili flakes
olive oil
2 TBS white wine
2-3 cups chicken stock
2 TBS all purpose flour
2 TBS butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock


Heat Olive oil and saute the garlic and shallots till translucent. Add the pork and saute till brown. Add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables except mushrooms and keep cooking for about 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and thyme. Add 1 cup chicken stock. Salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.
In a saucepan, heat the 1 tsp olive oil and add the 2 TBS butter. Roast the flour on a medium flame till it's no longer raw. You will see it change colour- you can go as brown as you like- I usually don't make it too dark as it changes the colour of the stew. While the flour is hot, add one cup stock- slowly- whisking all the time so there are no lumps. Form a smooth gravy and add to the stew.
Cover and cook till the pork is tender. You will need to add more chicken stock as you go. Usually takes about 30 minutes on low heat.

Fish out the bones (if present) and serve with good sourdough bread.

Soups and Stews - Chicken and Dumplings

Yum yum yum...comfort food at it's yummiest.
It's an American favourite and I have always wanted to try it. The dumplings eluded me- but finally I have it.

My own tweaked version of chicken and dumplings. Got a thumbs up from my daughter...hope you like it too.

To prep the chicken

3 Chicken breasts (bone in)
4 stalks of celery
1/2 cup of carrots
1/2 an onion
3-4 garlic cloves
 salt
pepper

olive oil

Rub olive oil, salt and pepper on the chicken. Roast the chicken and vegetables at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (till chicken is done).

When cool, take the meat off the bones and cut into 1 inch pieces. Should be about 3 cups.  Keep aside. Discard the vegetables.

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup onion chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 TBS dry white wine
1 1/2 cup green beans
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp chili flakes

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the butter to it. When it melts add the garlic, celery, carrots and onion. Saute till the onion is translucent. Add 1/4 cup flour and stir for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the white wine and stir till it is absorbed. Slowly add the chicken stock - stirring all the time. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and the green beans to the pot.

For the dumplings

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS finely chopped parsley
2 TBS cold butter
1/2 cup cold milk

Mix  everything from flour to parsley. Cut the cold butter into the flour. Mix the milk. Drop the batter by the spoonful into the saucepan.

Cover and cook for about 12 minutes till the dumplings are cooked.

Sprinkle chopped parsley on top before serving.

Sweeth Tooth - Banana Bread

A little from here, a little from there - finally I have the perfect banana bread recipe. And a perfect way to use up those over-ripe bananas.

4 ripe bananas (the skin should be all black) mashed
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the chopped walnuts to the flour and mix in.

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar till smooth. Add 2 eggs and beat. Add the mashed bananas and mix very well. I use a hand mixer to get it smooth.
Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Mix in the walnuts with the flour. This way they will not sink to the bottom of the bread when you bake it. Add the flour a little at a time and mix the batter well till all the flour is mixed in.

Pour the batter into the loaf tin.

Bake for 60-65 minutes. Check that a knife or toothpick inserted, comes out clean.

Let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Then remove onto a cooling rack and let it get completely cool.

Green Beans- thats the green on my thanksgiving table

Green beans is a must with turkey and no this is no green bean casserole. It's just green beans and almonds and bacon!

1 lb green beans - trimmed
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
4-5 bacon slices- thick cut. Get it from the butcher if possible. Chop the bacon into cubes
salt
sugar
olive oil
pepper
red wine vinegar
whole pepper corns
garlic cloves.

Boil a pot of water, add salt, sugar, whole pepper corns and whole garlic cloves to it. Parboil the trimmed beans in this water. When done- but still crisp immediately transfer them to a bowl filled with ice water. This way they stop cooking and don't get all soggy. They also retain their bright green colour when done. Just before you have to put them in the pan for further cooking, drain the beans and dry them on a kitchen towel. Discard the pepper corns and garlic cloves.

In a pan, start cooking the bacon cubes. render the fat out of them. Drain the bacon fat and reserve the fried bacon. In the same pan, add some olive oil and thinly sliced garlic cloves. Saute for a couple of minutes and add the green beans, salt and pepper. Add the fried bacon and the slivered almonds. Add a pinch of sugar and couple of tablespoons of the vinegar.

Toss for a couple of minutes - and serve.

Gobble Gobble Gobble- yeah it's turkey time

Cooking a turkey can be intimidating. It was so for me at first. But over the years, the turkey has become a friend- if you don't mind cooking a friend that is!

Cooking a turkey is not like cooking a chicken...for starters- it's much bigger than a chicken.

So here goes....

Usually it's about a pound per person- so if you have a 15 pound turkey you can safely feed 12 people and have lot's of leftovers. Always pre-heat the oven, cooking temperature is 325 degrees.
Cooking time is usually 20-25 minutes per pound. But always use a meat thermometer. The best and safest way to tell if your turkey is ready to eat is with a meat thermometer. A perfectly done turkey will reach 185°F in the thigh, 170°F in the breast and 165°F in the stuffing, if you stuff your turkey.

Remember to rest the turkey after you take it out of the oven. That will give you a juicier turkey. Never fails. 

I don't stuff the turkey anymore. It cooks faster that way, and there is never any doubt in your mind about contamination etc. But if you want to stuff it, go right ahead. Just be sure to cook it to the right temperatures. 

I usually buy a frozen bird. Always thaw it in the refrigerator. Always. If you are thawing it late- thaw it in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes. but its a long process for sure. 
Best way is to plan ahead and thaw it in the refrigerator. Takes about 3-4 days to thaw, depending on the size of the bird. 

If you like to, you can brine the bird. Completely optional. But I have always got excellent results when I brine it. Make sure you have a container that's large enough to completely submerge the bird. The container should be kept in the refrigerator. DO not leave the bird outside overnight. You can do a 'quick brine' for a couple of hours, and then you can keep the turkey outside. But if you are brining it overnight remember to keep it in the refrigerator. 

For the brine:
Cold water, salt, sugar, pepper corns, cloves, star anise and bay leaves.

When you are ready to pop the bird in the oven....

Take the turkey out of the brine and pat it dry - with paper towels. Make sure you dry it inside and out. Now you have to season it.
 
 You need butter...lots of it. 

Melted and cooled butter
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning or dried sage

Apply this mixture inside and out, under the skin - liberally. this will help to season the meat and keep it moist. Apply a generous amount on the breast...thats the meat that usually dries out. 

I don't stuff the bird, but this is what I use. This keeps the bird moist and adds flavour.
1 lemon cut into quarters
handful of fresh sage
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh thyme
1 whole head of garlic - simple cut across into 2

Make sure the oven racks are positioned correctly so air can circulate. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put foil over the turkey, not touching the bird, but tent it. 

Make sure you baste the bird with the juices every hour or so - after the first 2 hours. 
I usually take off the foil for the last half hour of cooking, so the skin browns very nicely. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Once the turkey is out of the oven, cover with foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. 

Carve away- Happy Turkey Day. 

 


 

Candied Yams

Candied Yams

Yeah I know, sounds a bit odd. What are yams and why are they candied...

Yams - they are called yams but are basically sweet potatoes...that's the information I have. But hey they taste good so whatever they are called is fine by me. These have orange flesh and red skin and go all soft and gooey when cooked.

So that's all you need. Yams, butter and salt.

Wash and dry the yams. Roast them on a cookie sheet that's lined with foil or parchment paper.

350 degrees for about 90 minutes or till completely soft.

Peel off the skin, scoop the flesh into a oven proof dish. Add butter (as much as you like) and a bit of salt to cut the sweetness.

Back they go into the oven, at 350 for another 30 minutes.

That's it.

Well yeah I left out the marshmallows. You can add the marshmallows to the scooped out flesh before you pop them in the oven again and bake till the marshmallows are all melted and gooey. But I find that the yams are sweet enough without the marshmallows, so I omit them. But go ahead and add them if you have a sweet tooth.

Yummy Yams!

Thanksgiving at our place

Just recovering from the Thanksgiving indulgences. But hey this is a way to relive all the special food. The Thanksgiving menu at our place is set in stone....nothing can change, Anagha makes sure of that...she has her list and no items can be dropped! Multiple trips to the grocery store...and checking items off the master list...

The usual menu reads something like this

The star- the turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Yams (aka sweet potatoes to some)
Green beans
Brussels sprouts
Corn
Gravy
Biscuits (pillsbury- I owe you this one)
Cranberry sauce (out of a can usually)
Pumpkin pie (not store bought)

Some optional menu items are ham, sauteed spinach...so on and so forth.

The liquid menu depends on the mood of the day....but it's a very important part of the meal.

Lets not forget our supporting cast of butter, butter and more butter! This is one of those times when you just have to put your diet on the back burner.

Still interested? I am going to put up the recipes for some of my dishes...mostly those than can be made anytime...not just on Thanksgiving.