It's the lead up to Thanksgiving and I was at a friend's doing some prep-work with her yesterday. Last year I made the Pumpkin Pie. This year I made the cranberry sauce while she made the stuffing.
Cranberry sauce is a hard one to fathom - I want to eat it as a dessert but it's a side for the turkey. Today we made ours with nearly a whole pineapple and two and a half pounds of fresh cranberries. The stuffing Ashley was working on is is quite different from the simple affair that New Zealanders stuff their roast chickens with. Surprisingly it's rarely stuffed inside the bird but baked like a casserole or cake in the oven. This way you can make enough to go around and it doesn't risk being covered in dangerous uncooked poultry juices. I think Ashley's recipe had some ground meat, mushrooms, onions, celery, and I'm not sure what seasoning. She will add bread and stock before baking it on Thursday.
I have been given the job of baking the broccoli casserole on Thanksgiving morning. I will use Ashley's grandmother's recipe. New Zealanders will never be able to imagine the goodness of a green bean or broccoli casserole. I can't really describe it, but along with the broccoli it needs mushroom and chicken soup (from a can), cheese, butter, crackers, and some time in the oven. It's a relief to have someone give me a recipe and tell me what to do, helping me to fit in with the traditions of that family. Our family doesn't have traditions but I'm collecting recipes. I'm also going to try to bake some gingerbread men because I think Ashley's four sons will like them and they will go well with a cup of coffee if people can't fit pie. Regardless, they should compliment any pie and not overwhelm it.
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