Happy Thanksgiving!

So we're about to set off to Alden's great aunt Sharon and great uncle Rick's house for Thanksgiving. Alden's cousins once removed, Christina and Kate will be there too, as will Alden's great grandparents Gene and Vi Mackey.

We're lucky to have family so close by - this will be our first Thanksgiving in Washington - and, of course, Alden's first Thanksgiving ever. He'll be having the milk. We're also very grateful that Alden will get to have his first Thanksgiving with his great grandparents.

Ginny is making her famous maple rosemary sweet potatos, and I made some corn bread/wild rice/sausage stuffing. Here's the recipe, in case anyone wants to try it:

A couple pounds of sausage (I prefer some kind of fancy chicken or turkey sausage--this year I found some smoked turkey/chicken with sweet basil pesto)

wild rice (maybe 1/4 a cup)

Quinoa (quarter cup)

pine nuts (maybe quarter a cup)

pistachios (quarter cup)

a pound or so of exotic mushrooms (oyster, chanterelle, shiitake, etc.)

one onion, chopped

a few cloves of garlic, diced

a few cups of corn bread crumbs, either home made or store-bought stuffing

a few stalks of celery (if desired--I don't like it that much, but some people think it's not stuffing without it), chopped

pomegranate seeds (this is the secret ingredient)

A couple cups of chicken broth (from bouillion is fine, unless you want to be fancy)

salt, pepper, sage, thyme to taste

olive oil

Soak the rice overnight in about twice as much water as it needs to cover. Another good thing to do ahead, while watching TV, is to divest the pomegranate from its seeds (persnickety work).

In the morning, cut up the sausage into bite-size chunks, and saute in the olive oil (amount depending on the stickiness of your saute pan). Chop the rest of the ingredients and boil the rice for fifteen minutes or so (if you overdo it, it won't have the crunchiness). Boil the quinoa until just underdone as well. Set the meat aside and saute the onions, celery and garlic in the same pan.

Put all the non-liquid ingredients in a big bowl and stir well. Add in the broth and mix thoroughly. If it seems too dry, feel free to add as much water... or broth... or booze (bourbon is good)... as you want. I just used chicken broth. It should be moist throughout, but not soaked. You can also add melted butter to taste and texture if you like that sort of thing, and your arteries can take it - or Smart Balance Light Omega 3. Another option, to be more heart healthy, is to fatten it up with olive or canola oil.

Use it like any other stuffing--either inside the bird, or under the skin, or just bake it in its own dish, or all of the above. If you bake it, try 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or so.

Eat, and enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

- Chris