We decided to do something completely different, unconventional, and downright revolutionary this past Thanksgiving and it turned out so well, I think we might make it a tradition. The crazy thing that we did was to celebrate Thanksgiving by taking the day “off” on Thursday and eating our feast on Friday. Rather than slaving away in the kitchen all night long and waking early on Thursday morning we prepped food for our feast and baked pies for the Union Station shelter on Wednesday evening at a relaxed pace. We slept until the kids woke up on Thursday morning and then I even let Jeff sleep in another two hours. After dropping off the pies my sister joined us for a morning hike to the waterfall at Eaton Canyon. Apparently we are not the only unconventional folks and found families, couples, runners, and many dogs on the hike as well. I particularly enjoyed watching the dogs cavort in and out of the cold stream – they were clearly having the time of their life and I couldn’t help but smile at them. It was a perfect hike. The sky was gloriously clean and clear, the stream and the waterfall were running swiftly, and the kids were as comfortable as the dogs in the great outdoors. Thomas especially impressed me; he navigated most of the dozen stream crossings himself; deftly maneuvering from stone to stone and when he fell a time or two he merely scowled, dusted off his hands, and forged onward insisting on being “the leader”. Theo, strapped safely against me, murmured happy noises for the hike in and curled up like a puppy into Jeff’s jacket and fell asleep for the hike out. We spent the remainder of the day raking leaves, reading by a roaring fire, prepping more food for Friday, and then making s’mores over said fire; thankful for the respite that the day gave us from our busy lives.
On Friday we had the traditional, albeit turkey-less, feast. And with plenty of time to prepare the feast was a relaxed affair; I didn’t even fully set the menu beforehand, instead waiting to see what produce was ready in our garden. In the end, we had butternut squash to use and so I created a vegetarian main dish that pleased nearly everyone at the table. These little triangles of goodness will make you forget that the turkey is missing.
Thankful Squash Triangles
Ingredients:
- 1 package (2 sheets total) frozen puff pastry (I use the Pepperidge Farm brand)
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds, removed, and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 3 cups once all is said and done)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large leek, diced (white and pale green parts only)
- 1/4 cup diced shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled into chunks
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- If frozen, de-thaw the puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator the night before using.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the squash in a microwave safe container with lid and microwave, covered, for approximately 10 minutes until squash is fork tender.
- Meanwhile, saute the leeks, shallots, and garlic in the olive oil until translucent and softened. Remove from heat.
- Coarsely mash the butternut squash with a potato masher or a fork.
- Stir the mashed squash, the leek mixture, the cheeses, the parsley, the salt, and the pepper together.
- Unroll one puff pastry sheet and cut it into four equally sized squares.
- Place approximately 1/4 cup of the squash mixture in the center of each pastry square.
- Fold each pastry square over to make a triangle.
- Firmly press the edges of each triangle together to seal the pastry.
- Repeat with the second sheet of pastry and the remaining squash mixture (Note: if you have any leftover squash mixture you can use it to toss with pasta.)
- Place the finished triangles (you should have eight total) on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Note: at this step you can cover (With plastic wrap or aluminum foil) the triangles and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes – until pastry has “puffed” and is golden brown.