A Very Gaga Thanksgiving

While some of you may have turned on your TV to catch "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" this year, we had a very Gaga Thanksgiving in the flesh! As much I would have enjoyed eating our Thanksgiving meal to the melody of "Bad Romance"as we all incubated in large eggs, I'm talking about the first and original Gaga, not Lady Gaga... our grandma! Me being the oldest grandchild and genius baby that I was, came up with the nickname Gaga, and 23 years later, I can safely say I was a fan of Gaga before anyone else.

Usually, my family spends Thanksgiving at Gaga's house in Westchester, NY with our cousins, aunts and uncles, but this year was a much more intimate affair at our house in Westborough, MA with just my direct family and, of course, Gaga. Though we knew it would be small, that was no excuse to skimp on the food. No, no. Not when a Costanzo is in the house! (Costanzo is Gaga's last name). In case you couldn't tell, Costanzo is obviously Italian, so any family get together - especially Thanksgiving - is going to involve a lot of food... obviously.

We all joked about the different food theories between my mom's family (Italian) and my dad's (Irish). In the Costanzo house, there can never be enough food, which is probably why we had six desserts for the six of us on Thanksgiving! For the Colberts, what you have is always more than enough. (To give you an idea of what I mean, my dad's mother used to feed a family of seven children with ONE can of tuna!!!) And even though my dad's family is full of great cooks, I'm gonna have to go with the Costanzos on this one. You really can never have enough good food.

But regardless of how big or small that turkey is, or how many pies you make, the food is just a vehicle for bringing us all together. Making jokes, laughing together, and sharing memories of loved ones. Now that I live on my own, not so close to my family, I've really come to appreciate the time that we do spend together. And the fact that my family lives loves to eat, makes these times even better.

The superstar herself... Gaga! 

Michael and Emma hard at work icing cookies!

Baked brie en croute with walnuts and cinnamon

Haricots verts with roasted shallots and fennel

Dad and his pride and joy

More sides! Sweet potato pie, roasted butternut squash, and stuffing...mmm

A Belieber in Pumpkin

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm having a love affair...

With pumpkin! I've had a pumpkin fetish ever since the pumpkin spice latte was introduced at Starbucks years ago. I do think the pumpkin craze is a bit much now, a little too mainstream. But I'd like to think I was one of the original pumpkin enthusiasts, before it became so in vogue.

But so what if pumpkin is more of a "rom-com" than an edgy, indie flick. I've always preferred my movies cheesy and my music poppy. Maybe pumpkin is the Justin Bieber of food right now, but that's not going to stop my obsession (with pumpkin I mean, although I do have quite the case of Bieber Fever). Knock it all you want, but it's darn good, and you can't deny that you don't love it too (again, I'm talking about pumpkin here, but also applies to the Biebs).

We all love pumpkin for its sweet, nutty flavor; but the reason it's such a beloved ingredient is for what it represents: family traditions, holidays, gathering together with loved ones. Surprisingly pumpkin pie was never a staple at our Thanksgiving table, but the symbol of what it represents makes me nostalgic for holidays past as a kid.

While I love your standard pumpkin dishes - pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread - I'm interested in using it in new and expected ways. So when I came across this recipe from Serious Eats for pumpkin turkey chili, I just had to try it. Pumpkin and chili, how much more autumn and hearty can you get? It seemed like the perfect combination...and trust me, it was! The pumpkin flavor was very subtle, but added a nice warmth and spice to the chili. It was the perfect one-pot meal to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This pumpkin turkey chili gave a more hipster edge to an otherwise Bieber-esque ingredient.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Makes 5-6  servings


Ingredients:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) red kidney beans
1 can (14.5 oz) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tbs chili powder
1/2 tbs cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (about 3-4 shakes)
1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, pepper, green chiles and garlic until tender - about 10 minutes.
3. Make room in the center of the pot. Add the turkey and brown, breaking up with the back of a spoon.
4. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pumpkin. Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese.

The perfect workweek lunch - healthy, hearty and delicious!