Gobble Gobble 2012

Now that we're in year 5 of Thanksgiving at Mark and Allison's, we've started settling into our own traditions.  When we combined the Sand and Konter families we kept some favorites from each side (two turkeys, corn and carrot souffles, cranberry sauce, etc.) and then incorporated some new dishes that have since become depended upon to fill out the spread (two types of dressing).  Each person in the family has their own dish and role in the meal, including me.

My dish, however, is the only one that changes every year.  I am always in charge of appetizers, but I always make something different.  I feel like Jeff Daniels' character in "Pleasantville," the soda shop owner who gets to paint the windows at the diner for Christmas.  It's the one time a year he gets to express himself and do whatever he wants.  My appetizers may not be as artistic as all that, but it is fun to play around, especially during a holiday that's all about tradition and doing things the same way each year.  I guess for my dish, the thing that stays the same is the fact that it always changes.  Did I just confuse you?  Good.

Like always, I made one dish that I've tried before in case the new recipe didn't work.  This year's fallback was bacon wrapped potatoes with hot sauce sour cream.  They went over just as well as they did at book club a couple weeks ago.  The new dish was a hot ricotta dip.  I absolutely loved this.  I used this recipe and it turned out perfectly.

You could actually pick out the individual flavors of the lemon zest and red pepper flakes as well as the herbs - oh, the herbs!  Rosemary and thyme are so perfect for Fall/Winter and the flavor of the fresh stuff makes a real impression.  I know you won't believe that a dish made entirely of cheese won't weigh you down, but this is not a heavy appetizer.  Ricotta is a lighter cheese by nature and once the egg is added it poufs up like a souffle.  In case you didn't know, souffle is French for "classy" so make this and you'll be one fancy bitch.