ThanksgivingThanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What could be better than gathering with family and friends to give thanks and eat good food?

Every year, the very first dish I make is the cranberry sauce – usually a couple of days before Thanksgiving. That’s how I know the holiday is here – I’ve made the cranberry sauce. And one of my traditions is to tweak the current recipe, or try a new one. This year is no different – found a new recipe. But even with a new recipe, I’m always experimenting. I add less sugar than the recipe calls for, and substitute some fresh orange juice and some port wine for some of the water. And before I cut the orange to juice it, I wash it and grate some of the peel to add in when the sauce is done cooking – love that extra orange zing.

I tried for years to find a “centerpiece” dish that could take the place of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Some years ago, when I stumbled across a recipe for a nut loaf, I knew I had found it. Since then I’ve come across many recipes for nut loaf, so every year, our traditional nut loaf is slightly different. I started out making it with cottage cheese and some cheddar cheese. Now the dairy is gone: it’s a combination of walnuts, pecans and cashews, with some quinoa and brown rice, some veggies and vegetable broth.

But this year, our traditions are being up-ended. We’re dog-sitting/house-sitting for some friends over the long Thanksgiving weekend. So I’m in the midst of figuring out what and how to cook for our modified feast. What can I make ahead? What can I jettison this year? How can I do things differently and still come up with a Thanksgiving Dinner? Well, I AM a girl who likes a challenge and has a spirit of adventure, so I’m sure I’ll find both in an unfamiliar kitchen.

What about your Thanksgiving traditions? Trying something new this year – or going with the tried and true. However you’re celebrating, enjoy – and thank you for being here.