My MIL is visiting and here’s how meal plans are shaping up:
Nibbles:
-Relish tray (Midwestern tradition) - pickled okra, giardinera, giant black olives, home-pickled green beans and cukes
-Boursin shallot and chive cheese spread and multigrain crackers
Gruet bubbly
Meal:
-Spatchcocked turkey (just a regular ol’ grocery-store brined bird I scored for $.29/lb…came out to $4. Spent the balance saved on wine b/c priorities 
)
Might try this boiling water method for crispy skin.
-Peg’s rolls (family recipe milk and butter dinner rolls)
-Aaron’s salad (family recipe by request - jello, cream cheese, cottage cheese 
, canned pineapple b/c tradition.)
-cranberry-apple-clementine sauce
-green bean casserole with TJ’s portabella cream soup
-roasted butternut squash cubes (for the kiddo)
-Velveeta mac n cheese (ditto) - crock pot
-brown butter riced mashed potatoes - crock pot
-turkey gravy - using drippings + chicken stock I made tonight. Not sure if I’ll go roux or cornstarch. The latter is traditional in my family and I think the roux looks grainy and gloppy.
-Alison Roman’s sourdough dressing
-mixed greens with shaved fennel, orange, and dried cranberries with cider vinaigrette
Decoy Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Limited 2021
L’Amandier Cinsault 2021
Desserts:
-Watergate salad
-Penzey’s superb pumpkin pie - in a purchased crust
-cranberry custard pie in a prepared pecan crust
And yeah this is way too much for three adults and a kid, two of whom are light eaters.
