If you’re in the U.S. you’re already keenly aware of the Winter Holiday and Commerce Season, which is fully upon us. Christmas decorations started showing up in the stores well before Halloween, as usual. I don’t ever feel like the holidays are really beginning until Thanksgiving, though, which means I’m finally starting to get that celebratory feeling. And of course by “celebratory” I actually mean “gluttonous and sort of boozy.”
Photograph blatantly stolen from the kind people at epicurious.com.
I’ll be heading to the Crooked Letter State to visit Clarabella (and Philly and The Boy) and we are going to cook up a ridiculous amount of food, full of both plant-based and omnivorous-type recipes so everyone will have a chance to truly gorge him/herself on holiday treats. Isn’t that what the spirit of Thanksgiving is all about? Um, neverminding the actual historical background, of course. I’m pretty sure it’s all about pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and that mysterious beast known as the “Tofurkey.” Oh, and wine.
I’m going to attempt to make this fancy-looking but simple-sounding soup recipe I found. Fingers crossed that I make it look this nice, and possibly taste good as well. I am not a soup making expert, but I think I can do as Tim Gunn would advise and make it work!
I’m quite happy that all my favorite Thanksgiving foods can easily be made without meat or dairy — I honestly don’t care that much about the turkey and am getting the Tofurkey business merely as a novelty. I plan to say the word “Tofurkey” repeatedly and giggle as I swill my Pinot Grigio. Anway, my favorite-favorite things are all already veg-friendly: sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce. Easy peasy!
What about you? What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? If you live somewhere without Thanksgiving and its attendant weird foods, what’s your favorite holiday food?
Raveling Out 
My favorite food is that awful greenbean casserole that everyone makes. Turkey is always too dry, cranberry sauce from a can is terrible (too sugary), and pumpkin pie isn’t my favorite pie despite its deliciousness. I am right there with you on the sweet potatoes, though.
Actually, Alton Brown did a show on green bean casserole that I saw today. You could make his recipe vegetarian (although probably not vegan unless they make soy half and half) by subbing vegetable broth for chicken.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/best-ever-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html
My grandmother’s veggie casserole recipe, that we’re winging vegan this year, is my absolute FAVORITE thing about Thanksgiving. Also the turkey. And the gravy. And the dressing. And the sweet potatoes. And the pumpkin pie. Okay, so I pretty much love every single food associated with Thanksgiving. OH! Except cranberries/cranberry sauce. Yuck.
Pork crackling, hands down.
Also high on the holiday foods is the greek offal soup (it’s awesome if you’re into that kind of thing) and the dessert ball thingies that are kind of like doughnuts that are then dunked in hot spiced honey before being plated up, part of the name-day celebrations. Not being a good greek boy I don’t know the names of either of these, unfortunately.
T – That casserole is a classic! We never made it in my family, though, so to me it remains an interesting Thanksgiving oddity.
C – I can’t wait to try the casserole! Found a substitute for cream-of-whatever soup online and it’s just as easy as we thought. No worries.
J – That all sounds tasty (and, to me, satisfyingly odd). Doughnuts dunked in hot spiced honey? I need those ASAP!