Some years we find ourselves doing Thanksgiving for two. This usually involves a last-minute change of plan, either because of unexpected illness in the family or a snowstorm threatening to snarl long-distance travel.
On our twosome years, I go for a large, organic chicken instead of a turkey. I stuff the cavity with pierced lemon(s), Marcella Hazan style to encourage pan juices. One year we had to change plans on such short notice that a chicken was the most practical option. Now it’s a go-to.
A locally raised (frozen) chicken is a possibility if I don’t have to scurry to buy everything the day before—which has happened more than once!
I definitely plan to limit my Turkey to “parts”, and would have to include a breast, but wwant some dark meat too. I always get some parts to make for gravy a few days before, but maybe this year to serve as well.
How do you serve the thighs? A whole thigh on the bone, or do you slice it?
This year, there will be the two of us and our vegan daughter. I’ll be making a turkey breast along with sides that we all can eat:
vegan gravy and regular gravy from Whole Foods
green bean casserole
mashed potatoes
cranberry sauce
pumpkin pie with regular and non-dairy whipped cream
I was very tempted by the vegan holiday meal from Whole Foods, but my daughter wants to cook together. I may buy some of the sides to try though.
The bonus from a local organic chicken turns out to be the incredible stock. The wings and the carcass produce a gelatin-rich stock, the likes of which I have never gotten from more a commercially raised bird.
Any leftover chicken and stuffing get extra good gravy that way. Could be a round of avgolemono (Greek egg lemon) soup. The remainder of the chicken stock I reserve for winter risottos.
I like the white meat, and look forward to sandwiches too. In years gone by, I’ve bought a Butterball turkey breast & turkey tenderloin, & cooked them in a slow cooker. Here’s an example:
I get it! One of the things I enjoy most about the holiday is the togetherness - of prepping, puttering, nibbling, cooking, and then hours later the two of us left at home (aunt and me) rising from the (exhausted) dead for our “real meal” of an open faced sandwich with everything piled on .
ETA: we used to make baked portobello mushrooms (like a stuffed mushroom, but bigger… either cheese or a panko mixture on top) for a vegetarian or vegan main the years we had guests with those considerations. They’re delicious and go well with the usual sides.
“because caponization allow more fat to build up both below the skin and within muscle, capons come with the promise of a substantial amount of buttery, tender meat.”.… Uh Yum!
I’ve had a number of holiday meals for one, two, three, or four. To make it challenging I’ve usually been working in a boat galley: small oven and two burners. Offshore so a moving platform.
A menu might be Andouille sausage stuffing/dressing as the entree, reheated gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, roast cauliflower, roast Brussel sprouts, steamed corn, and a garden salad. Stuffing in a casserole in the oven, roast veg share a quarter-sheet pan on the lower shelf, steamed corn and gravy on the two burners. Gravy gets made ahead either before we leave the dock or with dinner a few days ahead (in either case a turkey breast fits in the oven but not enough room even for a sheet pan in addition). I try and make the cranberry sauce at the dock but it does need to be refrigerated once made so on a long trip I’ll have to make that underway as well.
I really like roast turkey but I find most people don’t seem to miss it much. I miss the sandwiches.
I was also going to add that it’s one of the great challenges of Thanksgiving meal – to cook a turkey that isn’t dry and overdone. I have a pretty good formula now that has been quite successful, but I like to play with different brine types and flavors.
This year, I found out one of my sisters isn’t coming and my other sister is re-thinking her plans with her fam too. I’ve already ordered the turkey, so I’m roasting it regardless of whether they show up or not. I love roasting turkey! It just means more leftovers for me, and more turkey congee and turkey broth. My mom loves the turkey, so she’ll always come over and eat with me. She’s a traditionalist so I have to stick to the standards for her, but I do like to throw in a new dish if I can.
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Thanksgiving!
I love roasting turkey! It just means more leftovers for me, and more turkey congee and turkey broth. My mom loves the turkey, so she’ll always come over and eat with me. She’s a traditionalist so I have to stick to the standards for her, but I do like to throw in a new dish if I can.