Thanksgiving Favorites

I've posted this recipe before, but maybe I should just post it every year, because every year I get a call from Willow asking for the cashew gravy recipe one more time even though she has it somewhere, she's sure. This is a really nice vegetarian "cream" gravy, but because there's nothing weird about it (ie no textured vegetable protein or quorn or other meat-like oddities), carnivores tend to enjoy it, too. I also promise it has nothing to do with this gelatinous monstrosity.

Cashew Gravy

6 T. raw, unsalted cashews ground to a fine powder/paste
1 ½ C. water
1 T. cornstarch
1-2 T. soy sauce (I prefer a milder organic kind. If you've only got Kikkoman or something, go easy on it)
squirt of lemon juice
seasonings to taste (I use freshly ground pepper and a little garlic salt)

Grind the nuts in a food processor or blender until a paste starts to stick to the sides. While the food processor or blender is on a low speed, slowly add the water. Transfer about a third of this mixture to a saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch. Heat and stir constantly until gravy starts to thicken. Pour the rest of the cashew mixture into the pan and add soy sauce, lemon juice, and seasonings. At this point you can really tailor it to your tastes by adding more of whatever you like. Although adding giblets at this point would be very counterproductive.

I'm also in charge of the pumpkin pie this year. A coworker is in the same position and called home to get her mom's recipe, which is always a hit. Her mom was excited and said "Oh, I have the perfect recipe! It's right on the can!" Which is funny, but really I'm in the camp that pumpkin pie pretty much always tastes like pumpkin pie. You can't screw it up like you can an apple pie or a cream pie. It's very straightforward. One year, I cooked the pumpkin from scratch and scooped and drained the innards and lalala it tasted exactly like a pumpkin pie when I was done. Maybe side-by-side, some recipes will win out over others, but the truth is you're eating a piece at the end of a big meal, and as long as it tastes like pumpkin and the crust doesn't suck, you're pretty much golden.

That said, I had to ask the food guru herself what she thought and she pointed me in the direction of two recipes (Maple Pumpkin Pie and Honey-Pecan Pumpkin Pie) that do sound delicious.

I guess what it really comes down to is whether the praise for going the extra mile will be rewarding enough to justify the energy expended on on creating a real pumpkin pie. And whether the praise would really be any different if I brought a cheap store-bought pie.