Trying my best to procrastinate on this beautiful day in Greater Boston. This year, it may just be the 3 of us - me, B, and our 7-year old Spring Onion, who says he’ll try turkey this year. We’ll be hanging out with family in Greenwich/Westchester county NY the week leading up to Thanksgiving so there might be early Thanksgiving meals with them (?)
I loathe dealing with a turkey. As a mostly pescatarian who doesn’t normally cook meat, I am clueless with turkey. In years past, I have had well-documented SNAFUs. But B is a traditionalist when it comes to holidays, so we compromised. I ordered breast and leg and green bean casserole from a reputable local place, Season to Taste:
Herb Rubbed Breast and Confit Leg with Sherry Gastrique • Free-Range Organic Turkey
Their description: Say goodbye to dry over cooked turkey! We marinate the breast in fresh herbs and then sous vide to the perfect temperature. For the leg, we cook it slowly in duck fat until the meat is nice and tender. On Thanksgiving, roast at a high temperature to reheat & crisp up the skin in under 30 minutes. Slice the breast, drizzle with the Sherry gastrique and serve!
I’ll be bringing my former MIL’s heart attack mashed potatoes and green bean casserole made from scratch to my parents’ house. Same as usual. I miss when I used to host the holiday for the family.
It’s just the three of us, no traveling and no visitors (unless my brother decides to hit the road, which I’d give <10% chance of…). I haven’t figured out a menu yet, but unfortunately we tend to (a) have the same dishes every year, and (b) not all want the same sides or desserts. So every year it’s a bit of a struggle to accommodate everyone and yet streamline.
I’m posting now, though, to share a discovery we made a few years ago. Everyone loves appetizers, right? But tons of yummy apps right before a big dinner (with many desserts) is just plain foolish. We now have appetizers for LUNCH. Bring on the pigs in blankets, cheese spreads, etc. early in the day, and then recover in the afternoon (while cooking dinner). It’s been life-changing.
I ordered my turkey a few weeks ago, but I’m finally upgrading the bird. Ironically, with a family member battling illness, I don’t know what folks will be up for this year but I am likely landing a bird in the 15-18lb range, and I usually go for a 13-14 lb bird. In the last few years, I have just enough leftovers for the folks who want it. I figure this year, every one can take more home, or I get more turkey soup or congee out of the deal.
I’ve also always spatchcocked, but with a bigger bird, I think I’m just going to have to go further and break those parts up. The 14lb just fit in the large pan I had, so this will not work with a bigger bird. The good news is spreading this out amongst roasted veggies and faster cooking time I hope. I need to drastically clean out room in both my fridges to fit this bird for it’s dry brine. stress!
We are staying local this year, not traveling to see family this time, as they are quite far and we just saw them a few weeks ago and are hosting them again in a few weeks for Christmas. I feel some guilt about not going to the Midwest to join the crew (parents and my sister’s family) celebrating there, but i’m feeling particularly worn out this season.
Our plan for just our family of 4 is very traditional and one we’ve been quite pleased with before:
Herb roasted bone in turkey breast (Ina’s recipe)
gravy
sausage/apple stuffing
mashed potatoes
whipped cayenne sweet potatoes
green beans with shallots
[possible another vegetable – corn or roasted brussel sprouts?]
fresh cranberry orange relish
rolls (we may make these from scratch this year)
pumpkin pie
There’s very little room for variation here, as there’s so much tradition tied to most of the menu. I make the breast when it’s just our small family and not need for a big bird as when we are with the rest of the family. The sausage apple stuffing is m mom’s recipe and it’s a must for me and my hubby, though the kids aren’t quite as attached to it.
The spicy sweet potatoes are my 13 yo daughter’s signature dish. no one is messing with those. the cranberry relish is one i’ve been making since high school. My 9 yo son has now decided that it’s “his” dish to execute without interference from me.
I raised the idea of a different dessert and was frowned at – apple pie at thanksgiving is ok if it’s a second alternative to the pumpkin, but can’t be the only. with only 4 of us and unlikely to finish the leftovers, i can’t justify making 2 pies just for variety. but i HAVE considered making something like a pear frangipane tart as a nice second option. i probably won’t as i’m the only one that will think it’s appealing, but i’m toying with some mini version just to amuse myself and throw in a bit of variety.
Can you make two small pies instead? I bought small quiche pans that work well for mini pies and tarts.
I’m a thanksgiving dessert dud - I like none of the (many) options we have on offer, and occasionally insert something else (brownies, mini olive oil or bundt cake) but then have no room to eat it, so there’s that.
Would you consider an apple strudel with puff pastry? Trader Joe has their new batch frozen puff pastry in now. One recipe I saw has you put apple mixture down the middle, then you cut one inch strips on both sides then fold them over the top. Looks fancy but not difficult.
5 pounds of cooked peeled potatoes
1 stick butter
2 blocks of cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
kosher salt and pepper to taste
I “mash” them with the paddle in my KitchenAid and then whip the hell out of them with the wire wisk. Like for 5-8 minutes. They can be made a day or two in advance and just heated up day-of. They actually are very light thanks to the whipping. My former mother-in-law gave me the recipe (which came from her mother). My friends and family go nuts for them but there is a reason I make them only once or twice a year. haha
Revising my thoughts after some discussions, and also as a result of feeling like crap this week.
Baked brie (en croute, puff pastry) will most likely make a comeback to our appetizer/day-grazing table as I have a wheel in the freezer I’d like to use up (and my aunt has puff pastry and hot pepper jelly in stock).
Stuffed mushrooms elicited some excitement, but they may be a last-minute addition based on how much energy I have.
Nixing the fish mousses/rillettes (as they did not elicit similar excitement).
I’m toying with the idea of curing salmon again as smoked salmon is a permanent fixture and home-cured is considered an upgrade (by others: I’m happy enough with store-bought, but glad to make it for them).
Sorry you are feeling crappy. Re: stuffed mushrooms, I still make and everyone always likes the old Silver Palate spinach-stuffed mushrooms recipe. One thing I particularly like about it is that the mushrooms are WAY easier to stuff if the stuffing is cold (in other words, ideal make-ahead step). Also the stuffing freezes well - sometimes I make a double batch and freeze half and then I can have stuffed mushrooms whenever I want. Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks @GretchenS - that looks tasty! I’ve eaten spinach-stuffed mushrooms but not made them myself yet. Will have to try soon, though I’ll probably sub out the feta.
I also like a version with a bit of sausage in the mix, but we usually have some other sausage-y thing on the table so I don’t do that.
I’ve usual taken the “lazy” route and used the mushroom stems mixed with some sautéed aromatics, extra fresh breadcrumbs (from other things), and a bit of cheese. Started as a way to salvage mushrooms that I found half-dead in my aunt’s fridge one year
I just remembered this magic quiche idea, though, so I’m testing it out today with a single egg. (Not really equivalent other than bite-sized, I know )
Any stuffed mushroom is a good stuffed mushroom in my book. People tend to hoover them down. I think they are like deviled eggs that way - nearly everyone likes them but almost no one can be bothered to make them, just a bit too fiddly, so always super popular at gatherings. No leftovers, ever.
Totally agree with @GretchenS on the popularity of stuffed mushrooms!
I’ve been doing them with a stuffing of spinach, toasted chopped nuts, and Boursin cheese (melts marvelously and has that lovely garlic). Long-past versions have included crab meat and bay shrimp, too.
I’m in major dithering headspace over our Thanksgiving menu: aspirational vs realistic.
Vegetarian meal for three adults. One wants “the traditional stuff,” one is ambivalent about what we eat and says they don’t want me to overdo things, and then there’s me - who wants “traditional” (in terms of our family traditions) but is also dealing with neurological issues that impact energy, attention/focus, and physical coordination. (For complex and okay reasons I’m going to be doing all the prep work and cooking.)
Working with those constraints, I’m trying to put together a menu where things can be prepped on Tuesday and Wednesday and then finished /reheated on Thursday.
Field Roast Celebration Roasts (roasted on Th)
Mashed potatoes (made T/W and reheated)
Mushroom gravy (made T and reheated)
Stuffing/dressing (maybe make this weekend and freeze, then bake on Th?)
Roasted sprouts with bountiful garlic (prepped W and roasted Th)
Green beans with toasted almonds (almonds on T, sauté beans on Th)
Dinner rolls of some sort?
Dessert? Probably an apple cake and … ? Possibly purchase a pumpkin pie or pecan pie? Am craving plain cheesecake with fruit topping, but … . Dunno.
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