Thanksgiving is coming

For the first time EVER, we are going to be a small crew this Thanksgiving, perhaps just the four of us. I've got 4 or 5 catering orders to take care of, but other than that will be cooking just for us (maybe with a +3 added to the mix). I think it's going to be really lovely actually and allows for a menu that's just about our tastes and loves. So what will we be having? I'm going to roast a huge, beautiful turkey that was well-treated and saw the sky during its life. Amen for that! And we're going to have both Louisiana rice dressing and cornbread dressing, the latter made with ground turkey rather than beef. Nanny's cranberry sauce is a staple at our holiday tables and I've already canned a huge vat in anticipation of both TG and Christmas. None of that awful, canned, gelatinous log stuff over here! I've never been a huge mashed potato fan, but Tom just loves them to death so I'm going to make them veer a bit more towards my direction (although he will love these) and make mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Then, we simply MUST get away from all that starchiness, and so will be loving a gorgeous arugula and pear salad with pomegranate vinaigrette as well as the Brussels sprouts slaw with candied pecans and mustard vinaigrette. For dessert, we'll have a blackberry pie as well as a pecan-oatmeal pie. I think this sounds pretty freaking fantastic. Off to make out my grocery list!

On another note, tonight I'm thinking about making the pumpkin agnolotti I waxed rhapsodically about a month or so ago. Ooh, with crème fraîche and pepitas??? Molto buono.

Recycling denim!

Yay!! Cotton From Blue to Green is accepting jeans and other denim pieces for recycling again.  Have you heard about this program? Do you have old jeans you no longer wear and/or small children who manage to get holes in the knees of every pair you buy? Then read on... Since its inception, Cotton From Blue to Green, "the Cotton. From Blue to Green.® denim drive program has received over half a million pieces of denim. This results in approximately 1.5 million square feet of UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation to assist with building efforts for communities in need.

Since the start of the Cotton. From Blue to Green.® denim drive program in 2006, the insulation has been distributed to Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the country. As another avenue for distribution, at the end of 2010, Cotton launched a Grant Program for architects, contractors, builders and project developers to apply for grants of UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation for community-based green buildings."

I've been saving all the kids' worn pairs (as for a while CFBtG couldn't accept any new denim because they were overwhelmed by amount folks wanted to recycle) and am happy to see that the Mail-In Program is back in action. Click here for more info on recycling your denim- just another great way to help our Earth.

PS- DC-area folks, I'm  happy to be your recycling repository and get your denim mailed in if that would be helpful. Just let me know.