Celebrate Thanksgiving with ‘Danksgiving’ Recipes and Green Gratitude

The Leaf El Paseo Celebrates Thanksgiving

with Green Gratitude and ‘Danksgiving’ Recipes

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and that means tasty holiday cooking, quality time with family and friends, and the start to the festive season. And what better way to get into the Thanksgiving spirit than practicing togetherness and gratitude with a touch of marijuana. The Leaf El Paseo, a cannabis dispensary located in Palm Desert, CA., in the heart of the Greater Palm Springs’ world-class retail, art, and dining district, offers shoppers over 700 cannabis products, from vapes to tinctures, edibles to topicals, to various strains of flower or pre-rolled joints to choose from. With a state-of-the-art showroom, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a curated inventory of superior cannabis, customers are invited into a one-of-a-kind elevated cannabis experience this season.

At The Leaf, we are thankful to be part of such an exciting period in cannabis history and an industry that is changing lives. We appreciate the community that’s working hard at legitimizing and regulating cannabis so that our patrons have access to safe and healthy products. This season, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for our customers, employees, partners, and vendors. Thanksgiving reflects a sense of interconnectedness among people and cultures. It’s a holiday that’s perfect for gathering with loved ones and expressing appreciation for our blessings. In celebration, The Leaf has curated a list of favorite ‘Danksgiving’ recipes including cannabis-infused turkey, cannabutter, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie to share with family and friends. Edibles affect everyone differently so please enjoy responsibly.

Canna-Basted Turkey

Infusing your Thanksgiving turkey with cannabis is surprisingly simple. Just use any turkey recipe that calls for butter during the basting process and swap in a bit of cannabutter in place of some of the recipe’s butter to create the ultimate cannabis Thanksgiving main course. When basting your turkey, be sure to work the basting marinade that gathers in your pan (including your cannabutter) under the skin as well as on top of it.

Cannabutter: Your ‘Danksgiving’ Essential

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup of Butter
• 1 Cup (7 to 10 grams) of Coarsely Ground Cannabis, Decarboxylated*
• 1 Cup of Water

Before making your cannabutter, you’ll need to decarboxylate*, or “decarb”, the cannabis flower you’re working with. The process involves applying low heat for an extended period of time to convert cannabis’ non-intoxicating THCA into THC, the cannabinoid known for its psychoactive effects. Without decarboxylation, the effects of DIY edibles may be weak or lackluster, at best.

Decarb the cannabis:

Preheat your oven to 220ºF. Place cannabis buds on a non-stick, oven-safe tray. Cover the tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Insert the tray into the oven and set a timer for 30-40 minutes. Older, drier cannabis may require less time. (Tip: you can also set your oven to 300ºF and heat for 10 to 18 minutes, although low-and-slow is the recommended approach when decarbing to better preserve the cannabinoids.)

Every 10 minutes gently mix the buds with a light shake of the tray to expose the surface area of the buds equally. Then, grind the decarboxylated cannabis coarsely with a hand grinder.

Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of butter into a stockpot or saucepan. Simmer on low and let the butter melt. Adding water helps to regulate the temperature and prevents the butter from scorching. Add the cannabis. As the butter begins to melt, add in your coarsely ground cannabis product. Maintain low heat (ideally above 160ºF but never exceeding 200ºF) and let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture should never come to a full boil. Strain the cannabutter. Set a funnel on top of a jar and line it with cheesecloth. Once the butter has cooled off, pour it over the cheesecloth funnel and allow it to strain freely. Refrigerate the jar of butter. If excess water forms at the bottom of the jar, you can remove the solid butter with a knife and drain the water out. (The butter will need to refrigerate for about an hour before removing the water.) Dose carefully. To test the potency of your finished product, try spreading ¼ or ½ teaspoon on a snack and see how that dose affects you after an hour.

RECIPE PREPARATION

Place 1 cup of water and 1 cup of butter in a saucepan or stockpot. With your burner on low heat, heat your butter and water until the butter is melted and the mixture is well combined.

Add 1 cup of coarsely ground cannabis to your butter and water mixture, keeping your burner heat on low. Stir to combine. Allow your mixture to simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure your butter does not burn. Your mixture should simmer and never come to a full boil.

Remove pot from heat and strain the cannabis buds from your cannabis-infused butter using a fine mesh strainer. Press into the plant matter in the strainer after your initial pour to ensure you squeeze out all the butter.

Allow your cannabutter to come to room temperature, then enjoy! Your cannabutter can be used immediately or can be stored in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it. This delectable cannabutter works well with savory side dishes like casseroles or green beans, and in sweet recipes like apple pie or brownies.

Cannabis- Infused Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

• 12 Cups of Dry Bread Pieces
• 3 ½ Cups of Chicken Broth
• 2/3 Cup of Cannabutter
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 2 Cooking Onions
• 2 Teaspoons of Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon of Poultry Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 Tablespoon of Spice Mix (Thyme, Sage and Rosemary)

RECIPE PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350°F and while you wait, add the cannabutter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the cannabutter has melted, add the seasoning, spices and vegetables and sauté together until they are tender. Pour the bread pieces into a large mixing bowl, and slowly pour the chicken broth over the top of the pile until it is soft, but not mushy. You may not use all of the broth, and that is ok, as long as all of the cubes are able to absorb some of the moisture. Toss the bread pieces and broth together until all pieces have some moisture. Slowly pour the melted butter and veggies into the bowl and gently mix everything together to avoid turning the bread to a mushy pile. Now you can either add the stuffing mixture to a baking pan and cook it in the oven for 35-40 minutes or stuff a turkey full of the light and fluffy goodness shortly before the cooking time is up.

Creamy Cannabis-Infused Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1/2 Cup of Whole Milk
• 1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
• 8 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed
• 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Regular Butter, Cubed, Cold
• 3 Tablespoons Cannabutter, Cubed, Cold (more or less, depending on potency)
• 2 Teaspoons of Salt
• Black pepper, to taste

RECIPE PREPARATION

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes. While your potatoes are simmering, combine milk, heavy cream, and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from heat once it simmers, then strain your cream mixture to remove garlic. Once your potatoes have simmered for 12 minutes, remove from heat and drain. Transfer your drained potatoes back into your pot. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Add your cubed butter, cubed cannabutter, and salt, and stir to combine. Gradually add your cream mixture to your potatoes little by little until fully incorporated. Season with black pepper to taste.

Cannabis-Infused Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8 oz) Package of Cream Cheese, Softened
• 2 Cups of Canned Pumpkin, Mashed
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Egg plus Two Egg Yolks, Slightly Beaten
• 1 Cup of Half-And-Half
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Regular Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Cannabutter (more or less, depending on potency)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Piece Pre-Made Pie Dough
• Whipped Cream, for Topping

RECIPE PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your pre-made pie dough into a 9-inch pie pan and press down along the bottom and sides. Pinch and crimp edges to create a pie crust pattern. Place the pie shell in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and fit a piece of aluminum foil inside the pie crust to completely cover the shell. Fill the shell with pie weights (or use dried beans or uncooked rice if you don’t have pie weights). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove pie weights and aluminum foil. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the pie crust is dried out and beginning to color.

While your pie crust is baking, make your pie filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add pumpkin and beat until combined. Add sugar, salt, and beat until combined. Add eggs and egg yolks, half-and-half, melted butter, and melted cannabutter, and beat until combined. Lastly, add your vanilla and cinnamon, and beat until combined. Pour your pie filling into your prepared pie crust. Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the pie has set. Cool to room temperature. Cut and serve, topping with whipped cream if desired.