(11/2020) For many Americans, November is almost synonymous with Thanksgiving. Even though not everyone approaches this holiday the same way, it is usually viewed as a time of happiness and familial closeness. But for some families it is also a time of dread. Sometimes it is very hard to be thankful when you feel that you have very little to be thankful for. But the beauty of this holiday is that this is what this holiday is all about! The pilgrims had a long period of time that they did without. They left family and homes. They lost money, sometimes all that they had. They dealt with sickness and fear and struggled to find reasons to be thankful. And then, after that long dark tunnel, there was Thanksgiving.

Each year for Thanksgiving I love making a big meal and multiple courses and special drinks. I like to set aside 2 days (minimum) to prep and bake food. The phrase "go big or go home" accurately describes how I approach cooking the Thanksgiving meal. But one of my favorite Thanksgiving meals I have ever made was pizza and hotdogs.

It was a year when car repairs and home repairs and almost every other type of repair was slamming the bank account week after week and month after month. As Thanksgiving was approaching my husband and I both knew that we could not have Thanksgiving dinner like "normal." But I still wanted to make sure that it was special in some way. Looking in our freezer, we had a few frozen pizzas from my daughter’s school fundraiser and a package of frozen hotdogs. That would be our Thanksgiving meal that year.

Memories are made in the best and the worst times and everyone will make memories this Thanksgiving. Some of us will have events happening that are beyond our control. You may be personally affected by sickness or poverty this Thanksgiving season. You may have more vehicle repair bills than you know what to do with. You may have a house fire and be living out of boxes or not even be able to be in your house. You may experience this as the first year you cannot share a Thanksgiving meal with your mother or father or even your child. There is nothing like a holiday to remind you what you have lost and what you must do without.

This Thanksgiving may be your long dark tunnel like that first winter that the pilgrims experienced. It may be your year for pizza and hotdogs as you try to recover from a very chaotic year. Or it may be your year for Bacon Apple Brussel Sprouts and a Turkey with Apple Pecan Dressing as you celebrate your blessings despite everything that was thrown your way. Regardless, you will make memories this year that will stick with you. If you find at least one thing to be thankful for, you will remember it years to come.

Apple Pecan Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1-lb. loaf sweet batard, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 2 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, warmed

Preparation: Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and let dry overnight. Transfer to a large bowl. Preheat oven to 375EF. Butter a deep casserole or baking dish. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the bread. Melt the remaining 4 Tbs. butter in the pan and add the apples. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 3 Tbs. of the apple juice and simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 4 minutes. Transfer the apples to the bowl with the bread. Pour the remaining apple juice into the pan, set over medium heat and simmer until reduced by one-third. Pour the apple juice over the bread mixture. Add the pecans, thyme, sage, the 2 1/2 tsp. salt, the 1 tsp. pepper and 2 cups of the stock to the bowl and stir gently to mix. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the stock is absorbed, about 5 minutes. If the dressing seems dry, add more stock as needed. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crispy, about 50 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.

Goat Cheese Honeycrisp Apple Appetizers

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ounces goat cheese
• 2 honey crisp apples, thinly sliced
• Honey to drizzle
• 1/4 cup glazed walnuts or pecans
• Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 package large crackers

Preparation: Lay crackers on a platter. Evenly distribute goat cheese on top of each cracker. Layer thinly sliced apple on top of the cheese. Drizzle the cheese mixture with honey. Lightly sprinkle the nuts and rosemary on top (they will stick to the honey). Enjoy!

Bacon Apple Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. thick-cut bacon
• 2 tbsp. bacon grease
• 1 large yellow onion sliced
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts rinsed, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 large Honeycrisp apple peeled, diced
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation: In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Reserve 3 tbsp. bacon grease in the pan and discard the remainder. Set aside bacon to drain on paper towels. Crumble into pieces. Add the onion and Brussels sprouts to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, 12-15 minutes. Add the apple, brown sugar, and butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, or until apple is golden and soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Parmesan Butternut Squash Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 1/2 lb) butternut squash, ends trimmed, peeled, halved and seeded then sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 5 Tbsp salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray then arrange squash in pan, slightly overlapping them. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, add garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl toss together breadcrumbs, parmesan, thyme, sage and season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the butter garlic mixture over panko mixture then toss to evenly coat. Brush remaining butter and garlic mixture over squash in baking dish, then season squash with salt and pepper. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over top. Bake in preheated oven 35 - 40 minutes until tender, then if topping is not browned increase heat to 425 and bake 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm.

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