Looks like winter is coming our way, Maine!  I don’t know about you but I am sitting here in my office... staring at the window... anxiously waiting for it to snow…  I love the holidays and for me, nothing says “holidays” more than a good ol’ fashioned snow storm.  But, just because we’re going to get hit any minute now with a blanket of winter, doesn't mean that you have to skimp out on your Thanksgiving plans this year!  Here are three things you should definitely try this Thanksgiving:

This wintery drink, easily made with red wine and various mulling spices, is a favorite of mine ever since I a winter vacation experiencing the traditional Christmas Markets of England.  This winter I’m lucky enough to be heading to Norway and while I’m there, I’m determined to find some “Glögg," the Nordic's version of mulled wine.  There’s almost nothing better than sitting by a fire  with a warm glass of mulled wine and relaxing with good company.  Also, the best part about this holiday cocktail is that it’s really easy and inexpensive to make!

While you can cook your mulled wine on a stovetop, I suggest using a crockpot if you have one handy.  Letting your mulled wine slowly cook on low for a long period of time allows the spices and flavors to blend and infuse together a little bit more organically than if you were to make it quickly on the stovetop.  Either way, the prep and execution of this cocktail are relatively the same.  Take all of your ingredients (cider, red wine, Cointreau - if you're using, honey, two cinnamon sticks, orange zest, orange juice and mulling spices) and stir them all together in your stovetop pot or crockpot.  Heat on low and stir occasionally.  You only need to cook your mulled wine on the stovetop for about 10-15 minutes but, if you take my suggestion and use a crockpot, I would have this on low heat and let it slowly cook all day.

Serve this cocktail either in a glass or ceramic mug, whichever you have on hand (anything can go as long as it has a handle so that you don't burn your guests hands).  You can garnish this drink with an orange peel, twist or a cinnamon stick for an extra little touch.

Here’s something new for you to try this Thanksgiving that’s sure to please.  The process of brining involves soaking meat in a heavily salted solution of water which the meat then absorbs and holds onto during the cooking process.  So, while your traditional Thanksgiving turkey most likely will come out on the dry side from the standard oven-cooking process, a brined turkey will retain more water as it decreases the total amount of moisture you would normally loose.  These days, brining has become somewhat of an art form and there are a number of ways you can brine your turkey to help it retain its water while also infusing some extra flavors along the way.

First and most importantly, remove the neck, giblets and liver from the cavity inside your turkey.  My first year cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, I got the giblets and the liver out but completely forgot about the neck…  It wasn’t pleasant.  Rinse your turkey off in cold water and then start preparing your bring.

I would suggest getting your hands on either a large plastic bucket or even a plastic garbage bag (this will work but definitely put some kind of tray under it to catch any leaks and I would definitely suggest at least double bagging!).  Regardless of what you choose, make sure you to choose a product that is “non-reactive” or that doesn’t retain heat well.

To make your brine solution, dissolve the salt and brown sugar in about two gallons of cold water.  For the brining process to completely work, you need to ensure that your entire turkey is covered by the solution.  Once the salt and sugar are dissolved in the water, go ahead and add in the rest of the brining ingredients (orange quarters, lemon quarters, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves).  Stir and then carefully plop your turkey in.  Keep your turkey covered and in the brine for 24 hours, if you can.  I wouldn’t go any less than 6 hours of brining time but for optimal flavors and moisture retention, brine for the full 24 hours.  Once your brining process is done you are free to begin cooking your turkey!

I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not a fan of canned, jellied cranberry sauce; it’s delicious.  And who doesn’t love the authentic can design that gets imprinted on your jelly?  It’s almost as traditional as a turkey on Thanksgiving.  This year though, if you’d like to try something new and tasty, try making your own cranberry sauce.  You may just have to kick the can to the curb!

In a saucepan, combine half of the bag of cranberries and orange juice, stir and cook over low heat.  Once the cranberries and orange juice begin heating up, add in the cup of sugar, orange zest and lemon zest and stir occasionally.  In about 10-12 minutes, your cranberries should soften and the sugar should be completely dissolved.  At this point, you’re going to want to increase the heat on your stove to medium-high and continue to stir until the cranberries burst.  Once this happens, go ahead and turn the stove back down to low and add in the remaining half bag of cranberries and stir occasionally.  In about 1-2 minutes, your cranberry should be done cooking.  Let it cool to room temperature and then eat up!