Think Thanksgiving dinner has always been about those traditional favorites? Think again! Our pilgrim ancestors cooked up an entirely New World banquet: baked eel came along with the turkey entrée for starters, and folks feasted on dried fruit instead of pie. Try asking your younger guests what they’d think of that menu!

But a new dish can be an adventure. Especially when you start with a dish that you love and then spice it up as never before. So give it a try with these fresh takes on old favorites. You’ll soon feel the inventive spirit of that first Thanksgiving dinner!

Cranberry sauce with a CRUNCH

Making homemade cranberry sauce is easier than you think. So take the can out of cranberry … and then add a crunch!
4 cups of cranberries
1 cup raisins
1 cup sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2–3 strips of orange peel

   1. To start, add a cup of sugar to a cup of boiling water. Once dissolved, add the cranberries and stir for 10 minutes.
   2. At this point, you can chill the sauce so it thickens and be done, or you can add more goodness with the following:

• Try some cinnamon and nutmeg for more sweetness.
• For a crunch, add a cup of raisins and a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans.
• A few strips of orange peel will add some zing as well.

Once you’re finished, just cool the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. And if stains result from this explosive dish, don’t worry: simply scrape the soiled fabric with a dull knife and rinse with cold water. Then pretreat with Tide® and wash in the warmest water the label permits.

Turn your favorite pie inside out

Crust becomes filling and filling becomes crust in this smoke-roasted pears recipe. So take a look at the gooey volcano that’s fun to cook and eat.
6 large ripe pears                                      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter, melted                      ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
5 tablespoons brown sugar                         1 tablespoon rum
5 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs         1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon zest    

   1. To start, slice the tops of each pear and set them aside. Core the pears using a melon baller.
   2. For the filling, beat the butter and brown sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Then beat the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, nutmeg, rum and vanilla extract into the mix.
   3. Arrange the pears on a lightly-greased aluminum pan, and then stuff each pear with the filling. Put the tops on when you’re done.
   4. Set the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. Cover the grill and smoke-roast for 45 minutes or until the pears turn a golden brown color. Serve warm and enjoy!

Serve warm and gooey with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. For any gooeyness that ends up on your shirt, simply scrape with a dull knife, pretreat, and then wash in the warmest water your label permits.

For further Information

Source: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/00164cranberry_sauce.php

Source: Raichlen, Steven. How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques. Workman Publishing, New York, 2001.