A Spirited Thanksgiving

Why am I thinking Thanksgiving when it's not even November yet? You may well ask. It's because most of Nathan's family (sans Matthew and Emily, who can't come from England--boo) is meeting at our new house to celebrate and early Thanksgiving this coming weekend.

This is one of the reasons we've been doing renovations in our house like crazy people. That, and the fact that if we don't go ahead and do them, chances are we'll just get used to seeing things the way they are and say to ourselves, "Oh, carpet in the bathrooms? [sigh] Who cares?" This, of course, is unacceptable. So in addition to the benefit of seeing family, hosting Thanksgiving this year has the bonus of giving us a reason to get stuff done.

Anyway, if you've read this blog over the years, you know that I love everything about Thanksgiving: the meal, scouting out new recipes, the tradition of the holiday, the turn in cooking towards fall ingredients, and (of course) having a big gathering of friends and/or family to whom I can serve up a big, heaping plate of warm-hearted wonderfulness.

This year, when I asked if anyone had any special requests to add to the menu, my sister-in-law asked for her family's Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, and my mother-in-law mentioned a Bourbon Apple Pie. And as I was flipping through my Cooking Light magazine, I just ran across Bourbon Cider Gravy and a Maple-Bourbon Pecan Pie, both of which I am considering making. The magazine even suggested a splash of port in the cranberry sauce (genius? perhaps!). Hmm. I'm seeing a trend here.

In the happy event that you are interested in having a spirited Thanksgiving, too, I'm posting Meghan's recipe for Bourbon Sweet Potatoes. Enjoy!

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Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

3 cups peeled sweet potatoes (about 6 whole), cubed
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup cream or whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
bourbon to taste (I'd start with 2 tablespoons and go from there)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Boil the sweet potatoes until fork-tender and soft enough to mash. Mash them with the butter, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Add the sweet potato mixture to a buttered baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, until warm.

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And in case you're thinking about Thanksgiving already, too, I'm reposting a few links to recipes and tips that I've written about in Thanksgivings past. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Turkey Tutorial
Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Hershey Bar Pie
Pecan Pie

Among other things, I'll also be making:
Apples and Pumpkin Dip
Sweet Potato Biscuits