Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. Give me a traditional Turkey dinner with all the trimmings any day of the week and I'll be a happy girl. Robin, Win and Tom...not so much. They think the traditional feast is for the birds. So with that said, Molly and I knew we had to kick it up a notch this year...and we were ready!
I am happy to report that this year's meal may have converted them to lovers of the Thanksgiving meal. Everything was just amazing. I call it traditional, but with a twist. Yummy Turkey and Gravy (a la Molly) and yummy sides (a la Me)! And I can't forget Molly's Pecan Sweet Potato Pie (OMG)! I wish I would have documented the meal better. Thankfully, Robin had sense enough to snap this quick shot.

2010 Riley Thanksgiving Feast- Pass Christian, MS

Roasted Turkey stuffed with LA Satsumas, Onions and Celery

Cauliflower Mash with Horseradish and Parmesan

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

Roasted Carrots with Herbs de Provence

Rice and Gravy (Just gotta have it)

Cranberry Sauce (Old school canned variety)

Salad with Blue Cheese, Apples and Walnuts

Pecan Sweet Potato Pie

Lots and lots of Champagne and Wine

I COULD list every recipe in detail, but that would be madness. So, I decided to just post one of the luscious sides. I went back and forth between the Brussels Sprouts and the Cauliflower Mash, but settled on the Brussels Sprouts. If you would like a recipe for the Cauliflower (It's a real winner), just let me know. Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

Brussels Sprouts- Cleaned and cut in half ( think I had about 2 lbs)

1/2 lb Bacon- Fry it up, crumble into pieces and set it off to the side. Save the grease!!!!!!

Maple Syrup- Use the real stuff, no Ms. Butterworth! :)

Salt

Red Chili Flakes

In a large bowl, coat the cleaned veggies in the reserved bacon fat. Mix well. (You don't need to use all of the grease, but be sure the sprouts are glistening.) Then, throw them out onto a large cookie sheet, cut side face down. Drizzle with maple syrup and chili flakes and little sprinkling of course salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes. Half way through, turn the sprouts over. This will make the entire sprout crispy and delicious.

After 30-45 minutes (or whenever they are fork-tender and a little crispy), pull them out and toss with the crumbled bacon pieces and a few more chili flakes. Serve and watch them disappear!

Chris Inglis' Sticky Date Pudding with Pear and Ginger

When I was 6 years old the Riley family moved into the house across from us in Auckland, New Zealand. It was as exciting as a flash of magnesium.

I can’t put it any better than my father who, when thinking about the Riley home, wrote “all I can do is recount stories of a lost civilization straight from H. Rider Haggard. How Margarette fished out a drowned cat from their pool, Robin cooking 3 sheep, a boar and 5 turkeys on a barbecue he brought back from Texas, Molly's sweet potato in orange skins and cassis jelly. The butchering of Bill Gates and his dreadful computer operating system.”

One of my father’s main contributions to all this was his infamous sticky date cake. He started making it in 1990 when Suzy and I were 10 and he has been making it ever since. Still going strong, this blog is its latest incarnation...

Sticky Date Pudding with pear and ginger

Cake
20 pitted dates, diced and fresh are nice
1.25 cups of water
1 teaspoon baking soda
60g of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups of self-raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
2 pears peeled, cored and cut into slices

Place dates, water and baking soda in a pot large enough to take all the mixture
Boil 5 minutes and remove from heat
Stir in chopped up butter until melted
Mix in sugar and eggs

Fold in flour, ginger and pear slices and pour mixture into cake tin lined with baking paper.
Bake at 180 deg C for 60 mins.

Caramel sauce
3 tablsp water
1 cup white sugar
2 tblsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup of cream

Heat water, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla in a pot until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a fast boil for about 2 mins. Add cream and boil for another 2-3 mins
until slightly thickened. Sauce will keep in the fridge for several days.