Ingredients

For Poultry - Sumac Cranberry Relish

• I make this every year (we always have a turkey either at Thankgiving or Christmas), and it's an adaptation of a family recipe using orange zest. My wife found the zest too bitter so I switched to apples, adding sumac to replace the brightness and light bitterness of the missing oranges.

• 1 bag of cranberries (12 ounces)

• 1 sweet and crisp apple (Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, etc.), peeled, seeded, and diced (you can include the core), about 1 1/2 cups

• 2 teaspoons sumac

• 1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Sugar, to taste (or sweetener of your choice)

For Beef - Breadcrumb Topped Garlic Bread

• Garlic and bread are great with beef. My version adds dried herbs and a crispy breadcrumb topping.

• 1 loaf soft French or Italian bread (the soft grocery store ones are actually best for this)

• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh garlic

• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp Luberon N4 or Riviera Herbs

• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar (optional, if using omit the salt)

• 1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs (in a skillet melt 1 Tbsp of butter then stir in breadcrumbs and cook until light brown, or you can use olive oil or mayonnaise for a dairy-free version)

For Ham - Miso Braised Greens

• I love greens served with a ham, but for most traditional recipes you need a ham bone to cook the greens. This recipe solves that Catch-22 and happens to not contain any meat at all. It's refreshing and light but deeply flavorful.

• 2 pounds of washed collard greens, trim the stem end, cut the leaves in half along the stem, then cut into strips crosswise

• 2 Tbsp red miso

• 2 cups water

• 1 piece of kombu kelp (about 6" x 2")

• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 Tbsp Ararat

• Cider vinegar, to taste

For Tacos - Lazy Guacamole

• Guacamole for me is all about the avocado, and while California avocados were never in season in November when I was growing up, thanks to Mexico, Thanksgiving now coincides with prime season for the Haas variety. This version is short on ingredients but long on flavor. Use the best avocados you can find.

• 3 ripe Haas avocados*

• 1/2 small sweet or white onion, 1/8" dice

• Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)

• 1-3 teaspoons of Shabazi N38 (depending on how hot you like it)

• Salt, to taste

• Optional: fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeño

• Recommended addition: green hot sauce (my favorite is this one by Primo's Peppers).

• *Avocado tips: buy them green and hard, make sure the skins aren't spotty, and that the stem is firmly attached. Ripen them on the counter until the stem end yields gently to the touch, generally 4-7 days (if you need them to ripen faster put them together with bananas in a paper bag, the ethylene gas from the bananas will speed the process). When they are ripe you can move them to the top shelf in the refrigerator to maintain peak freshness and texture for a few more days