picture from Williams-Sonoma web site

Lately I've received a slew of emails requesting ideas, recipes, and menus for Thanksgiving so I thought it might help if I posted a list of recipes and ideas from some past meals and some of my favorite chefs and resources. This first set is courtesy of Williams-Sonoma who can always be counted on for good, solid recipes and copious amounts of alluring accessories that one simply must have in order to cook that recipe. So if you can resist the lure of that ridiculously overpriced copper pot, I'm sure your stuffing will be just as delicious. Cheers!

Williams-Sonoma 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Menu

Cream of Mushroom Soup



Herbes de Provence Roast Turkey



Sausage, Corn Bread and Chestnut Dressing



Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts



Molded Cranberry Sauce



Classic Pumpkin Pie



Thanksgiving Abondanza

These Thanksgiving recipes are courtesy of one of my favorite Napa Valley chefs, Michael Chiarello. Before I ever dreamed of donning a chef's jacket and clogs, I volunteered to work in the back kitchen of Michael's KQED cooking show Casual Cooking. He immediately made me feel welcome and his ease and confidence in the kitchen was remarkable. His philosophy and approach to food and la dolce vita is nothing short of inspiring. Here are a few of his specialties. One of my favorite pans is his cocorico. This is the coolest thing ever! When I'm in San Francisco, I use it all the time (it's too big to fit in my suitcase) and I've convinced most of my friends to buy one too.  Tutti a tavola e mangia bene!



Roasted Pears with Cinnamon-Spiced Whipped Cream

Whole Roasted Turkey with Fennel Spice Rub



Pumpkin Ravioli with Turkey Scallopini and Cranberry Brown Butter

The Definitive Mashed Potatoes and Variations



Panettone Stuffing (my favorite!)



Cranberry Citrus Relish



Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes



Yams with Toasted Spice Rub



Lasagna of Roasted Butternut Squash

Whole Roasted Turkey on the Cocorico



Pan Roasted Vegetables with Fennel Spice



Thankgiving Deja Vu

2005 was a year of many things to be thanksful for as well as many Thanksgivings - THREE in fact! Needless to say I haven't been able to look at turkey since then but here are a few killer, cholesteral-inducing, absolutely delicious recipes from last year that left everyone swooning. One involved a hammer....



Salt encrusted Turkey stuffed with Foie Gras and Port



Spiced Pumpkin Soup





Bresse Chicken stuffed with Foie Gras and Spice Bread



and the Thanksgiving Tree...my friends Kendall and Bob put this up and we all added leaves written with things we were most thankful for. A lovely tradition and a wonderful, creative way to remind us just what exactly we were celebrating, though it's not hard to forget when you are 6,000 miles from home...




Even the austere, sober Wall Street Journal took a break from wire taping scandals, option-price fixing, boardroom blow-ups and merger mania to get in on the festivites. Clare Ansberry reminisces, "Everyone can have a few dozen cookbooks and a subscription to Gourmet or Southern Living, but it's something else to have a handwritten bourbon-laced pudding recipe from a thrice-married wild great aunt."

Amen and pass the gravy!