Happy Holidays everyone! I am so excited that we have finally reached my favorite time of the year. There is very little that I love more than when the weather cools down, holiday music is on the radio and the house smells delicious from whatever winter treat is cooking in the oven.  

Normally, we spend Thanksgiving week in Boston with my dad’s side of the family, but this year we will be staying at home and spending it with some of our closest family friends. So, I am excited to be more involved in the Thanksgiving cooking process! Here are some of the Thanksgiving favorites that we will be making this year...

Eat

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with Dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾- inch chunks
• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, stems trimmed and sliced lengthwise in half
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil + 1 Tsp.
• ½ Tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup dried cranberries

Dijon Vinaigrette:

• 2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pinches of kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash chunks and halved Brussels sprouts on a large baking sheet. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and toss them with your hands to distribute the oil evenly.
2. Sprinkle the vegetables evenly with kosher salt and pepper, and toss them again with your hands. Spread the vegetables out evenly onto the baking sheet.
3. Roast the vegetables at 450 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing them gently 1 to 2 times during the roasting time to ensure that they caramelize evenly on all sides. Scatter the dried cranberries onto baking sheet in the last five minutes of roasting time.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard and rice wine vinegar. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking continuously with your other hand. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Gently place the roasted vegetables in a large serving bowl. Pour on the Dijon vinaigrette and toss the vegetables gently until they are lightly dressed.

Drink

Holiday Mule

Ingredients: Makes 1 Cocktail

• ½ oz. simple syrup
• ½ oz unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1 ½ oz. gin or vodka
• 2 oz. chilled ginger beer
• 1 rosemary sprig
• orange slice for garnish
• sugared cranberries for garnish

Instructions:

1.     Combine simple syrup, cranberry juice and gin.

2.     Pour over ice and top with ginger beer.

3.     Serve garnished with rosemary, orange wedge and sugared cranberries.

Holiday Rum Sparkler

Ingredients: Makes 1 Cocktail

• ¼ cup honey
• 2 ounces dark rum
• 1 ounce apple juice
• 2 ounces Champagne
• Apple slice and mint sprig

Instructions:

1.     For Honey Syrup- Combine honey and ½ cup warm water in a small bowl; stir until honey is dissolved.

2.     For Cocktail- Combine rum, apple juice and ¼ oz. honey syrup in a cocktail shaker; fill with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty. Strain into a glass filled with ice and top with champagne. Garnish with apple and mint.

Something Sweet

Pecan Pie

This is the recipe for Pecan Pie that my Aunt Christine uses every Thanksgiving, and since we won't be in Boston to celebrate with her, she passed it along so we could still have a touch of Boston Thanksgiving with us here in San Francisco!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Karo Dark Corn Syrup
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups peacans
• 1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie crust

Instructions:

1.     Stir the first 5 ingredients together using a spoon. Mix in pecans.

2.     Pour into pie crust.

3.     Bake on center rack of oven for 60-70 minutes.

4.     Cool for 2 hours and then store in regrigerator.

Decorate

As I was looking at different ideas for decorating a Thanksgiving table, I noticed that the extremely popular choice this year is to incorporate a lot of greenery! I also love the idea of sticking with neutral colors with gold accents. So beautiful and festive!

What to Wear

This year for Thanksgiving, I am planning on being comfortable yet festive! A fall sweater dress and over the knee boots will do the trick! Depending on how formal or casual your Thanksgiving celebration is, dark jeans and a great fall colored sweater is always a great option as well.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

XOXO,

Rachael Claire