As we all come together virtually for special times with those we love or prepare for our families a magnificent feast in person I hope you will consider trying a few dishes that may not be staples to your regular routine. This holiday starts the busy season for all of us and this year is a special one. It’s a year to be remembered for everything we lost and found. Many of us lost our loved ones, lost our businesses and lost all sense of control. Some of us came close to loosing our minds! Some of us reflected and took stock of what was missing and found that much of what we thought we needed we never really did. It has been a year that has been as Charles Dickens wrote in his epic piece A Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Indeed 2020 reflects all of these and so much more. The season begins and a celebration of gratitude is where I think all of us should try to reflect upon. I am grateful for friends and family and for having the time in the moments of now to tell them so. I am grateful to have been able to share with you over the years my sense of community and give back to you a little hope and sometimes a sprinkle of inspiration. This year I am getting creative from my usual fare of baked turkey and homemade dressing…that green bean casserole recipe has been overplayed over these months in 2020 as my family leans into home isolation with requests of Thanksgiving food in the middle of hot summer in an attempt to feel all warm and cozy during this quarantine. So I have changed things up a bit and plan to surprise them with something fresh..something new and get this season ending of 2020 on it’s albeit crippled leg off to a festive start! Heres’s what’s cooking in the Sweet Life Kitchen!
Thanksgiving 2020 Selections
Smothered & Suffocating Turkey Balls with Garlic Butter
Wildly Jazzed up Pilaf with cranberries and herbs
Delectable Duchess Potatoes
Simply Divine Turkey Gravy
Texas Corn Pudding
“Slap your Mama” Broccoli & Gruyère Casserole
Dizzy Fizzy Pumpkins Spicy Rum Punch
Chocolate Torte and Apple Crisp Pie
“The Dizzy Fizzy”
What you’ll need:
1 cup of pumpkin puree
5 cups of fresh apple cider
( you should be able to find this at the farmer’s market)
2 cups of non pasteurized fresh orange juice
1.5 cups of very good Spiced Rum
(recommended Chairman’s St. Lucia Rum)
2 bottles of chilled champagne
A collection of your choosing of the following:
Star Anise
Crisp sliced apples and oranges
Plums or Cranberries
For the topping…
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon of homemade vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
What You’ll Do:
Combine in a bowl the puree along with cider, rum, juice and dissolve the pumpkin puree
Add into the bowl the champagne and the assortment of fruits and spice
Whisk the cream, vanilla and cinnamon until cream has formed
Pour into glasses, top with cream and ENJOY this SEASON!
If you’d like full recipes and tutorials on all these dishes and more check out the YOUTUBE channel Alisa Murray as I will be making them throughout the season.
