TELL US! Holiday Recipe Inspiration

MV Patch is looking for inspiration on what to serve for holiday dinners. Tired of pearl onions, stuffed celery, deviled eggs and turkey?

Here are a few of our favorite holiday go-to recipes:

Appetizers:

• Bite-sized Winter-Spiced Root Vegetables and Winter Squash - Gather your favorite root vegetables and squash, butternut squash, sweet potatos, turnips, parsnips, beets, and carrots.  Put together a blend of winter spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, and citrus zest. With a bit of olive oil mix together the spices and the vegetables to lightly coat with spices. Roast at 400 degrees till tender.  Serve on a shiny dish with toothpicks!

• Wild Mushroom Turnovers - Saute with butter a melange of fresh or re-hyrdrated wild mushrooms, Oyster, Shitake, Portobello, Maitake, Wood ear, Morels and Trumpet. Flavor with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano. Cut 4" by 4" squares of puff pastry and fill with 2 tablespoons of cooled mushroom mixture. Coat with a dash of milk to give a shiny golden brown crust when cooked. Cook according to directions on puff pastry package.  Serve warm. 

Salads: 

• Thanksgiving Salad - Mixed greens tossed together with dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onions, orange slices, slivered almonds, goat cheese and a light berry vinaigrette.

• Healthy Waldorf - A classic Waldorf with honeyed Greek yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream. Add a dash of mint and be sure to let your guests know that your Waldorf does not include mayonnaise!

Main Course:

• Turducken - It's never too late to take a stab at a old world classic holiday entree.  A Turkducken is a chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed in to a turkey and roasted with fresh herbs and citrus. If nothing else you'll have a great conversation starter at the table.  Check a website like epicurious.com for recipes. 

• Seven Fishes Dinner - A traditional Italian Christmas meal where seven different fish dishes are served, originating for the Roman Catholic observance of abstaining from meat and milk on certain holy days. The meal typically includes a combination of salted cod, fried smelt, calamari, lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams and many more. An appropriate version of a holiday meal for an island community like Martha's Vineyard. 

Dessert: 

• Roasted Pear & Grand Marnier Trifle - A methodical layering of chantilly cream, sugary roasted pears, and green tea and Grand Marnier soaked lady fingers.  A favorite among all generations.

• Pomegranate Chocolate Cake - Make a chocolate cake and soak the chocolate cake layers in a homemade pomegranate syrup, made by reducing pomegranate juice with agave syrup and lemon zest. Ice the layers of cake with chocolate frosting and then sprinkle the cake liberally with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Tell us what you're making!  We'd love to hear about creative dishes happening around the island!