Our Day Long Thanksgiving Menu

Photo from TasteofHome.com

We don't stand much by tradition at Our Tiny Farm. Matter of fact, we often get bored with it. And making the same thing every holiday is one of those traditions my family decided we could definitely live without.  Last year we made fondue feasts for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We had cheese fondues, broth fondues for cooking meats, and chocolate fondues.  This year when we first began discussing it, my daughter suggested doing Breakfast for Thanksgiving.  At first we all went, "What?"  But then we got to talking and planning and before we knew it we had some great ideas going.  A few days later my daughter brought home the Taste of Home Easy Breakfast and Brunch magazine and we quickly created a menu for the day.  Instead of having one big feast, we decided to have six courses spread throughout the day.  The first course was offered at 8 am and the last at 10 pm.  That way, the cooking never got frenzied, we never overstuffed ourselves, and we had time throughout the day to walk, be with the animals, play on the computer, read, etc.  Whenever we could we used vegetables and herbs raised in our own gardens, and of course, we used our own farm-fresh eggs. 

I mentioned this Thanksgiving plan on my work-oriented Facebook account and several people expressed interest in knowing what we were having.  So throughout the day I Twittered our courses.  For posterity's sake, I thought I would also document our menu here.  Most of these recipes came from the magazine described above and I think all of them can be accessed on tasteofhome.com.

First Course:
Sausage egg casserole (put together the night before)
Home fries (hubby's recipe; using our own potatoes and peppers)
Lots of fresh coffee

Second Course
Pumpkin pancakes (made with our own Seminole pumpkins)
Thick cut, pepper bacon
Fresh fruit salad
Screwdrivers

Third Course
Gingerbread waffles
Maple sausage patties
Screwdrivers

Fourth Course
Flaky biscuits with sausage gravy
Savory herbed scrambled eggs (our own eggs and herbs, of course)
Fresh fruit

Fifth Course
Ham-egg paninis (with our own eggs)
Fresh Davis cranberry relish

Sixth Course
Pecan-pumpkin pie (our pumpkins, of course)
Rich chocolate mousse
Coffee

Now I can't wait to see what we'll come up with for Christmas!

How to Cook with the Bounty You Bring Home from the Tailgate Market

This morning we visited the Mills River Tailgate Market again.  There weren't as many vendors there as last week, but we still had lots of good food to choose from and great people to talk to.  We bought a tomato and caramelized onion focaccia bread, rainbow radishes, and red leaf lettuce.  Then we went to the Hendersonville Tailgate Market on King Street and bought vegetable transplants for our garden and some shiitake mushrooms.

I was talking with a woman at the first tailgate market and she commented that she always bought so much at the market because it looked good, but then she didn't know what to do with it all when she got home.  She talked about pulling out cookbooks and watching cooking shows and all the special ingredients that she thought she needed.  I suggested that she keep it simple and just enjoy the tastes of fresh, wholesome food and gave her some ideas.

Thinking that maybe some other folks might also be struggling a bit with this question, I thought I would share what I made for dinner tonight with the bounty we brought home from the tailgate markets.  This meal took me about 35 minutes to leisurely prepare.

Menu:
Corn on the Cob
Shiitake Quesadillas
Salad
Tomato and Caramelized Onion Focaccio
Grapes

The corn on the cob was frozen from last year's garden. It was a bicolor corn, 'Ambrosia',  That is the best corn!  We froze it four ears to a bag.  Just bring a pot of water to boiling, add the frozen ears, and boil for 20 minutes.

For the quesadillas, I sliced the small container of shiitake mushrooms, a small onion, and two garlic cloves.  Sauteed them in olive oil and then added about 3/4 of a cup of frozen chopped banana peppers (also from last year's garden).  Seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Laid out four flour tortillas, sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, spread the mushroom mix on top, folded in half, and cooked till golden brown on a lightly oiled griddle.  Cut each in half to serve.

The salad was fresh lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, a sprinkle of cheese, and croutons, lightly drizzled with a shiitake-sesame dressing (Maple Grove).