Recipes for Thanksgiving and afterwards

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and most of us are either busy preparing for the big day or you might already be on your way to Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.

I think this holiday probably has more family traditions than all the others combined. I know it does for our family.

I am thankful for my mom, dad, aunts, uncles and cousins for their commitment to making sure we gathered together as an extended family all those many years ago.

It's been said that, "Nothing on earth can make up for the loss of one who has loved you." I still miss my mom to this day but I feel like she is with me cooking up a storm especially on Thanksgiving because I use all her recipes.

I'm thankful she took the time to come over to my house and show me how to cook a turkey and make stuffing. I'm thankful my mom instilled in me a like of cooking that turned into a love.

Even in these hard times in our city and state and country we as Americans still have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful for all the service organizations, churches, businesses and individuals who are always helping out those less fortunate and not just around the holidays but year round.

I'll leave you with this quote, "O thou who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one thing more - a grateful heart." - George Herbert.

Happy turkey day everyone!

This first recipe I'm going to share with you would go great with your leftover turkey sandwiches. It's a very rich and thick soup. We had it at a fundraiser for Growing Great in Las Vegas, and it comes from Wolfgang Puck.

Also in the picture you will see some Pumpkin Pineapple Muffins that turned out to be less than delicious, so I'm going to share my mom's stuffing recipe with you. I've already had two requests for it this year. It is a basic simple stuffing recipe.

Cauliflower Soup

2 heads of cauliflower, broken into florets

1⁄2 white onion, chopped

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups vegetable stock (everything was vegetarian that night) you can also use chicken stock

4 tablespoon butter

Salt to taste and a pinch of sugar

In a medium pot, cook the onions until translucent, add cauliflower and season with salt and sugar.

Cover with stock and cream and bring to a low simmer. Cook until the cauliflower is soft and tender and remove from heat. Let cool and puree the soup in a blender until very smooth.

Adjust seasonings, and at this point if this soup is too thick for your taste add some more stock to thin it out. This soup is so good you won't even know it's a vegetable!

They topped it off with a curry oil (curry mixed in a little peanut or light olive oil, walnut would be good too and a few croutons.

Linda's Stuffing for Turkey

1⁄2 lb. Italian sausage, that would be about 2 (casings removed) or you can use bulk sausage

1 onion, finely chopped, 1 apple finely chopped, about 1⁄2 cup mushrooms finely chopped, 1 cup celery finely chopped

1 loaf of bread, I use half white and half OroWheat Wheatberry bread, cut into cubes and left to dry for one day and over night in a big bowl

1 cube butter, salt and pepper, turkey or chicken stock, rubbed sage or poultry seasoning, 1 egg

Brown your sausage and break up with wooden fork as it cooks. I then take it out and put it in my Cuisinart and zip it up to get it really fine. I also chop all my other veggies in it.

Melt your butter in a pan saute onions and celery until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add your mushrooms and apple. Cook for a few minutes then put the sausage back in the pan and cook for a few minutes longer.

Let cool a bit and add that mixture to your bread, add your egg and sage or poultry seasoning. Mix in enough stock until it all holds together. (Too much and it will be runny, and not enough and it will be dry).

Salt and pepper to taste keeping in mind that the stock will add salt also. I make my own with the turkey neck but you can buy turkey stock this time of year at Trader Joe's and it's pretty good.

I put my stuffing in the turkey but if you are going to do that you need to make your dressing the night before and have it cold so you are putting cold dressing into a cold bird. If you choose not to do that you can put it in a buttered casserole or loaf pan and bake it covered in the oven.

I always put a little butter on top and uncover it for the last 10-15 minutes.

• Linda Marrone has been a Carson City resident since 1973 and together with her husband, Ralph, formerly operated Marrone's Restaurant in Carson City and Somethin's Cookin' Catering.