As I type this, I keep hearing “The Final Countdown” by Europe in my head, which thanks to Arrested Development, plays mentally whenever something epic is happening in my life.

Thanksgiving is like the Superbowl of any home cook. We lay it all on the line. We  usually cook for more than we’re used to. A wider array of palates. Kids are involved. Adults are involved. You have to write timelines. Utilize every inch of kitchen space. Work together.  It’s like a marathon of cooking and I go at it headfirst.

This Thanksgiving was the same, yet different. The past few years I’ve been responsible for the turkey and a few sides, collaborating and cooking with my mom. But this time around my sister DeAnna and I (the cooks of the family) took the reins, cooking for our family, plus her in-laws, at her house. We divvied up dishes and responsibilities, and I took on the stuffing because frankly, I could just have that for Thanksgiving and be happy.

I’ve had this recipe saved for over 2 years, just waiting for the chance to make it. I love and adore my mom’s stuffing, but it’s very traditional and I’ve been dying to make something a little different. I knew this could be it – just a slight twist on the classic flavors with a few interesting additions. You’ve got bread and celery and stock, but you’ve also got leeks (my addition), bacon, and cashews. When I saw this on Smitten Kitchen I loved it for it’s onion-receptacle (which I ended up nixing for its fussiness), but really wanted to pursue it for its flavor profiles. And thankfully, I did. The cashews add such an awesome salty, layered flavor and texture, and seriously, leeks and bacon have never been bad before, and they’re definitely not bad here.

I also included the recipe for pink fluff, a Jones family tradition we have both on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s like white trash Bavarian Strawberry Cream with Jell-O and Cool Whip instead of gelatin and cream – a recipe from my mom’s step-dad we all indulge in every year.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all, enjoy the (enormous) amount of photos below and the holiday!

Thanksgiving Stuffing with Leeks and Cashews

Based on the recipe from Gourmet.

Makes about 10 cups stuffing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb sliced bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch-wide pieces
• 2 large leeks, sliced lengthwise into quarters, then cut into ¼-in-thick slices, and rinsed clean of sand (about 3 cups sliced leeks)
• 3 large celery ribs, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz baby spinach, trimmed and chopped
• 1 large round loaf country-style bread, cut or torn into 1/2-inch cubes (10 cups), lightly toasted or stale
• 2 cups salted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 1 stick (8 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
• 1¼ cups chicken or turkey stock

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350°F with rack set in center of the oven. Butter a large, deep baking dish (I used a 9×13 pyrex) and set aside.

2.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook bacon in 2 batches, stirring, until slightly crisp, about 10 minutes.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving about 1/3 cup fat in skillet.

3.) Add the leeks, celery, salt, and pepper to skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cashews to the pan and toss until the spinach has wilted and reduced in size. Pour everything into a large bowl and add the bread cubes, cashews, melted butter, 1 cup of the stock, and bacon, and toss together. Let the bread soak up the broth and sit awhile, about 15 minutes. (I actually put my mix into the dish and covered then refrigerated it overnight at this step. Just let it come to room temp the next day before pouring on the extra stock and heating it up in the oven).

4.) Once ready, put remaining stuffing in prepared dish and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup stock. Bake uncovered, until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Grandpa Raedel’s Pink Fluff

Ingredients

• 1 cup cranberry-raspberry juice
• 1 can jellied cranberries sauce
• 1½ small packages of Jell-O, either cranberry-raspberry or 1 raspberry and ½ cranberry
• 2 cups thawed Cool Whip

Directions

1.) In a small saucepan, heat the cranberry-raspberry juice to boiling.  Remove from heat, and stir in Jell-O until dissolved.

2.) Either in the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat canned cranberries until smooth.  Stir into gelatin mixture.

3.) Pour the contents into a bowl and chill in frige for about 1 hour.  Fold in Cool Whip.

4.) Pour into serving bowl. Refrigerate at least 5 hours and then serve!