It is here! The week of Thanksgiving, where you stock your fridge and pantry and start making food. I just made this Brandied Cranberry Sauce, brimming with notes of orange (recipe follows). It keeps for days in the fridge. If you haven't figured out your whole menu, or are looking for last minute inspiration or simply some table-top adjustments, perhaps browsing my list of recipes will prove useful (click on dish to find recipe, or in some cases recipes follow).

It does seem Thanksgiving always sneaks up on me. I am busy, busy, then BOOM my son's birthday which, as you may have guessed, eclipses any holiday that may follow. But in the midst of full and busy lives, there is something nice about having everyone bring their usual, comforting and 'it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it' food. This year, I am bringing the usual:

Orange Rolls Brussel SproutsGreen Bean Casserole

And the new:

Pear Fennel Soup Brandied Cranberry Sauce (recipe follows) Red Pepper Jelly & Goat Cheese AppetizerVelvet Pear Cocktail Orange Ginger Rum Cocktail (recipe follows)

And thank goodness my sister is bringing:

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potatoes

Recipes:

Brandied Cranberry Sauce 1 bag of fresh cranberries (12 oz) 1/3 cup brandy 2 full T orange marmalade 1 1/4 cup sugar Optional add-ins: 1 T orange zest, 1 T Grand Marnier

Mix to combine, place in 8 inch square pan. Bake in 350 oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Can make up to week in advance, and store in fridge (truth be told, I made a batch and froze it in advance).

Orange Ginger Rum 1 small glugg ginger simple syrup (recipe follows) 1 medium glugg fresh orange juice (squeezed or otherwise) 1 small glugg triple sec 1 large glugg light rum 1 medium glugg soda

(I tried to measure, really. But try the gluggs and see what you come up with; perhaps you will measure and send me the recipe?). I use CRUZAN light rum. Pour all ingredients into one glass. Fill second glass with ice, pour contents of first glass into ice-filled second glass. Voila!

Ginger Simple Syrup 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled and sliced thin

Place water and sugar over medium heat, stir a few times. In about 5 minutes the sugar should be melted. You never want a boil, but hints of a simmer are fine. As soon as the sugar is melted, plop in all the ginger. Let simmer (or just under a simmer, you don’t want to overcook the sugar, it shouldn’t be amber in color). Off heat and let ginger steep for another 10-15 minutes. Strain out ginger and use syrup!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May it be brimming with food, friends, family, and reasons to toast over and again.