As most of you know, yesterday was Thanksgiving in the U.S. It’s our national day of feasting, and some friends and I did just that. The menu included:
- roasted turkey breast for the non-vegetarians
- penne for the vegetarians and as a side
- mashed potatoes
- stuffing (boxed)
- gravy (from a jar because there weren’t enough drippings)
- cranberry sauce (from a can)
- cinnamon citrus carrots
- roasted asparagus
- crescent rolls (refrigerated dough)
The penne dish was made in the slow cooker and was based on this recipe, except I parboiled the pasta first and mixed some ricotta into the red sauce.
The asparagus was excellent, and I think roasting asparagus is the best way to cook it. Just chop asparagus into pieces; toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper; spread the pieces in a roasting pan, and roast at 325º F for 10-15 minutes.
The carrots were described by one of my guests as “the carrots from heaven,” so I thought I’d share what I did. I modified a slow cooker recipe and used the following ingredients:
a 1 lb bag of baby-cut carrots
3/4 cup of orange juice
1 or 2 T lemon curd
1 T butter
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t salt
freshly ground pepper
Put everything in the slow cooker and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally.
Unfortunately, there are no pictures. You’ll just have to take my word for it that everything looked and tasted great.