After a far-too-long hiatus, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pans met for what I’m calling PansGiving, or, in other words, The Traveling Pans Does Thanksgiving.
It was a remarkable spread of quite phenomenal food from horseradish-cranberry sauce to squash spaetzle, and as always, the company trumped the food.
We gathered first in Liz’s kitchen and admired Emily’s handiwork with the perfectly roasted and browned turkey… even more impressive? She carried it up three flights of stairs!
We munched on some cheese and crackers (another note, go buy the Dubliner cheddar with stout in the green wrapper, it’s worth every penny) and then as our dishes heated up, we moved to the dining room which was perfectly set for a Thanksgiving feast.
A photo shoot ensued since there were four bloggers present, and of course goofy pictures followed. HI AMY!
HI JENN!
When we finally got all the food the table, there was hardly any room for anything else! We’d all outdone ourselves yet again.
I’d found these amazingly beautiful buttercup squash, and decided to make cranberry-orange-pecan stuffed squash with them
Liz made a delicious apple-sausage stuffing:
Amy brought two beautiful and delicious bright pink dishes, both of which will be on her blog soon: braised red cabbage and cranberry-onion-horseradish relish.
Eo opted for a sweet/savory dish (that she deemed “too eggy”) of a squash, thyme, and leek gratin. I loved every bite!
Jenn brought a green bean casserole. I was a little nervous because, honestly, I don’t like green bean casserole. But really, what I don’t like is BAD green bean casserole! Hers was amazing with caramelized onions, fresh mushrooms, fresh beans… kudos Jenn!
Tina made a squash spaetzle which was like the best macaroni and cheese with a hint of sweetness, and the crunch of nuts on top.
After completely filling up, we remembered that Beth had brought pie! She made everything from scratch, and the pie crust was among the best I’ve ever had. Oh, and there was apple and pumpkin pie with homemade cinnamon ice cream.
We left satisfied, sleepy, and ready to hit the hay. As usual, the Traveling Pans created a phenomenal feast!
On another note, I’ve been selected to host the resurrection of the Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI) challenge! This fun challenge is a bit like the show Chopped, in which we all have one ingredient, create a dish using that ingredient, and then a winner is chosen from the submissions.
You’ll have one week to create a recipe and send it to me at mara@imadedinner.net or post a link in the comments here.
The BSI for this week is….
PEARS!
Create a unique recipe using pears, and send it my way. The winner will be announced next Sunday, November 20! Also, let me know if you’re interested in hosting next week!



























{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Your pictures turned out wonderful! With your permission, I may snag a few that turned out extremely blurry on mine.
I’m so glad to hear you liked the casserole. It was great to see you and catch up on your trip and life in general!
Jenn (eating bender)´s last [type] ..V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Oh of course you can
What a fun group! Maybe the Traveling Pans came road trip to Cleveland?! The feast looks amazing – it makes me excited for Thanksgiving just looking at the pics.
Way to bring back the BSI! Love it!
The Healthy Hostess´s last [type] ..Greek Whole Wheat Couscous and Tilapia
I grew up on the basic green bean casserole (ya know, with cream of mushroom soup?!). I didn’t realize what I was missing until I tried a more gourmet version!
I made a delicious g.b. casserole for Easter last year -with no processed canned food – and it was amazing! Such a difference!
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles´s last [type] ..Choconut Cookies
I am in!!! Love all the pics:)
Everything looks amazing!! Love the nutty topping on mac n cheese!
Here is my BSI entry – an oldie but a goodie!
http://mybizzykitchen.com/2008/11/01/i-only-had/
Biz´s last [type] ..Taking My Own Advice
Wow, what a great dinner you guys had!
I am posting this recipe for PEARS
http://www.slim-shoppin.com/pear-apple-sauce/
Thanks Mara!
Jenn@slim-shoppin´s last [type] ..Birthday Dinner/belated BSI post by ROZ!
Looks like an awesome spread!! I love the stuffed squash. Thanksgiving with friends is just awesome
I heard about BSI pears – I havent participated in a BSI in quite some time now…
http://alittlebitofchristo.blogspot.com/2011/11/recipe-purple-poached-pears-plated.html
christo´s last [type] ..Recipe: purple poached pears plated pleasantly perfect
Quick question. When is the last day to submit a recipe? May submit an oldie if I don’t have enough time…
The last day is Saturday, November 19!
Thanks! This will be my submission:
http://pink-apron.com/2009/03/spinach-salad-with-poached-pears/
Digging back in the archives, but linked to you and Biz.
Oh my goodness, what a meal!!! Every single thing sounds absolutely delectable!
Christin@purplebirdblog´s last [type] ..I Made A Pillow!
OK – that copper roaster so needs to be in my kitchen!! Love this idea and the recipes
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos´s last [type] ..Nigella Lawson Visits The Today Show And A Regis and Kelly Flashback
Pears are a wonderful choice for BSI! sending you my submission via email. Glad to find your blog…cant wait to browse your posts!
Oh man, I am so jealous you and Jenn went to this! Your dish and her green bean casserole looked amazing!
Melissa @TryingtoHeal´s last [type] ..Comment on Foodbuzz’d Eats Galore by Melissa