As some of you may know, before I started this blog, I spent a lot of my time writing about food for Slashfood. Over the two years I was there, I amassed a fairly significant collection of holiday recipes and I thought it would be fun, as we prepare to head into the Thanksgiving frenzy, to point out some of my favorites. Even if most these recipes don’t actually include many (or even any) foods in jars.

• Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts (particularly good for Thanksgiving, because they don’t require any valuable oven real estate)
• Napa Cabbage Gratin (creamy, tender cabbage under a crisp, brown crust)
• Roasted Pumpkin and Creamed Kale Lasagna (makes a really good main dish if you don’t do turkey)
• My cousin Jeremy’s Gingered Squash Puree (next time I make this, I’m going to try the tip Fran left in the comments of the pumpkin post and try draining the squash overnight before cooking with it. I think it will solve this dish’s only problem which is a tendency to be a little bit watery).
• The Potato and Pumpkin Bake (you must make this)
• Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Leeks and Cream (designed to be kid friendly, it’s plain delicious)
• Vanilla Orange Sweet Potato Puree (I also use the juice of the orange when making this dish. It’s now become a family tradition)
• Whole Wheat Cranberry Bread (I’ve been making this recipe since I was seven years old, although, in the beginning, it wasn’t whole wheat)

In addition to those Slashfood recipes, there’s also the classic Fork You Thanksgiving series, in which we made:

• A brined turkey in the Orion cooker
• Mashed potatoes and gingery peas and carrots
• Yumpkins (aka pumpkin cheesecake)!
• And a turkey pot shepard’s pie, as a way to use up all those leftovers

Related Posts:

• Preserves in Action: Pickled Cranberries
• Home “Canned” Cranberry Sauce Made in a Tin Can Mold
• Pear Vanilla Jam