I hope I’m not alone in being completely taken by surprise at how quickly Thanksgiving arrived this year! Just over a week ago, the boyfriend and I were in Puerto Rico, and since it was my first real vacation in over five years (and certainly the first since starting grad school), I’d forgotten/not realized how many things there are to take care of both before and after a trip…and now all of a ...
Thanksgiving
Curried Broccoli Cheese Chicken Casserole
Later this month, many college freshmen will make their first trips back home for Thanksgiving, and I’m sure that they’ll be eager for some of their favorite home-cooked meals. While I never traveled home for Thanksgiving in college, I was lucky enough to swing by for a single night in the middle of my first term, since I was in the marching band and we were traveling to an away game near where my ...
Cranberry Apple Crisp
My mom has been making apple crisp for as long as I can remember. We didn’t have it very often, but enough for it to make an impression on my brother and me as small kids. Once when my mom was baking an apple crisp, my brother (probably no more than four or five) declared, “I love Uncle Chris!” My mom was touched to hear him express his affection for her brother but a little confused about ...
National Cake Day: Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cheesecake
In my opinion, the hardest part of making this cheesecake is waiting three or more hours for it to chill properly in the refrigerator before serving. It’s worth the wait, though, and believe me, I have been waiting quite a while for this cheesecake. Several weeks, in fact. ...
Stuffing “Salad” with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Tart Apples
If I had to pick one Thanksgiving food as my favorite, it would be stuffing. I like mashed potatoes well enough, pumpkin pie can be quite tasty, and I’ve made my peace with green beans (as a child, I would only eat them if they came from a can). I could live without cranberry sauce, and I’m still pretty lukewarm about the turkey itself – if ever I’m somehow left in charge of obtaining and ...
Milkless Monday: Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole! While this recipe evokes associations with Thanksgiving for many people, my immediate family has never relegated it to a holiday side dish. We’ve never included it on our Thanksgiving dinner menu, nor have we actually eaten it as a side dish. Maybe we’re just weird? Green bean casserole was always one of my favorites as a child. In fact, it was a birthday tradition in our ...