Thanksgiving, like other holidays, rolls around once a year. I always wonder why we only eat these delicious foods only now and not year round. Enough for wondering. At least one of these dishes will be resurrected during the intervening months (if I remember).

I did it again. Spent a day, got the house smelling all delicious, and, with a little help from Daughter, prepared a meal enjoyed by all of us. And here’s another wondering … the kitties love the smell of the turkey, but do not like the meat.

This year’s menu was really same old, same old with a few new dishes thrown in. Of course, the roast turkey. I cook it simply – seasoned with garlic cloves, oregano, basil, rosemary and lots of lemon juice. I also learned from my mother the cook it breast down for the first part of the roasting. The final 20-30 minutes you turn it over the brown the breast. PS, I do not baste a turkey, nor do I cover it. Covering the bird steams it and the consistency is different.

Cranberrry sauce. This is now  Daughter’s annual contribution. Again, she simply follows the recipe on the package. She’s picked up one of my practices and cut the sugar in half. It was nice and tart.

Wild rice with chestnuts. When I was looking at photos, I saw that I had another repeat from last year, wild rice from chestnuts (see 11/29/2023 post for recipe). I made two changes this year. There were no dried cranberries in the pantry or mushrooms in the fridge. The latter were eliminated and I substituted cranberries with currants which I first hydrated. It was agreed that the currants added a sweetness and should be a permanent alteration.

This year, thanks to the recipes that come across my desktopwe had two additions. The first was an adventure and a challenge, the second a change and upgrade to string beans.

Cranberry-Orange Sparkling Wine Gelatin. I have memory of a time long ago when our mother made a delicious green and yellow jello saladwith cottage cheese and pineapple suspended in it. It went the way of so many jello salads, some of which are making comebacks now. I know I enjoyed it, don’t know about my brothers. So, when I saw this Food & Wine recipe I thought I’d challenge myself and give it a try. Also, during the pandemic I tinkered with wine jellies that everyone loved. This dish was relatively easy, just called for patience, time, and a space in the fridge.

Mix ¼ cup of sugar and 2 1/2 cups of the cranberry juice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high, and stir to dissolve sugar. Add 2 cups of frozen (mine were fresh) cranberries; cook until cranberry skins just start to split, about 6 minutes. At the same time, stir together two unflavored gelatin envelopes and 1/2 cup cranberry juice in a small bowl. Let the mixture thicken (bloom), about 3 minutes. Take the cranberry-sugar mixture off the heat and stir in the gelatin-cranberry juice mixture* and ½ cup of gin until gelatin is completely dissolved. Lacking gin, I used vodka.

*I added a handful of pomegranate seeds; they added a nice crunch.

Coat a decorative 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Pour cranberry-gin mixture into the pan; let cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours – time for patience and space.

Strain juice from orange segments from a small can of mandarin orange segments into a small saucepan (it should be about 1/2 cup); set aside the orange segments. Simmer the orange juice over medium heat. While that’s going, stir together 1/2 cup water and remaining three envelopes of unflavored gelatin in a small bowl; leave the mixture to thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove orange juice from heat; stir in gelatin-water mixture until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour mixture into a large heatproof bowl or an 8-cup liquid measuring cup. Gently and slowly pour an entire bottle of sparkling wine into gelatin mixture (yes!). Add 2 tablespoons of elderflower liqueur. I substituted orange blossom water.*

*I’ve come to use my friend google when I need substitutions for ingredients I don’t have or prefer not to use. In this case both orange blossom water and rose water were recommended. I chose the former as rose water can be overpowering.

Take the firmed cranberry gelatin from refrigerator. Arrange reserved orange segments over cranberry gelatin. Gently pour wine mixture into the Bundt pan over orange segments (some segments may float). Chill until mixture is firm and set but still jiggles, at least 4 hours or up to overnight (12 hours).

To remove the firmed gelatin from the mold, quickly dip bottom of Bundt pan into a bowl filled with warm water (hold for about 10 seconds), and invert onto a greased platter or cake stand. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve or up to 3 days.

Of course, we only made a dent into this mold of deliciousness. Constant Companion skillfully upended it and returned it to the bundt pan and the fridge.

When I proposed this addition to our menu, Daughter scoffed and wondered who would eat it. She and Constant Companion both loved it! As did I. It’s a mixture of the tart and not too sweet; a refreshing palate cleanser.

Garlic Ginger Green Beans. This was the second new addition to the usual Thanksgiving menu. The family voted it a keeper for year round enjoyment. It’s not the usual green bean casserole, instead something light and tasty.

Blanching 1 pound of beans (I used fancy haricot verts). When done, a nice bright green, drain in a colander and spray with cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix together 4 minced cloves of garlic, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, ½ Tbsp fresh minced ginger, 1 tsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp sesame oil, a pinch of salt and some sesame seeds. Toss on the drained green beans.

Now, dear readers, as I wrote last year, brace yourselves. I’ve already started the annual Art Week blogathon with a few previews. If you did not read the previous blog, take a look to see the amazing Great Elephant Migration that is on our beach. More previews are on the way before Constant Companion and I dive in head first into the official art fairs that start opening around December 4. Once again, I’ll do my best to bring wonderful observations to you.