it is almost time... turkey time!
went grocery shopping today feeling giddy about what i was filling my cart with. i love thanksgiving. i love the meaning. i love the gathering. i love the simple. i love the meal.
my menu never changes. you can count on it. death, taxes and my thanksgiving menu... like that. for reals. cooking it is a 2 day event for me. i remember when it became my responsibility to make our thanksgiving meal, the timing of it scared me the most. over the years i have learned what works for me is splitting it into 2 days. wed i will do most of the prep and cooking. all the sides, the pie, the bread.. they will all be cooked and portioned and placed in the fridge overnight. when i wake thanksgiving day 2 things always happen. #1 i turn on the macy's thanksgiving day parade. (just remember we no longer have cable tv... can't cue up the parade this year... ok now i am a little sad.... moving on.) #2 the turkey is bathed, greased, stuffed and in the oven... the menu looks like this.
- turkey stuffed with my homemade stuffing...
- homemade stuffing and i make it like the song, "parsley sage rosemary and thyme..." (yes i am all sorts of cheesy like that.)
- mashed potatoes. (mostly for the next step, but also for my bland food preferring teenager she only likes the plain mashed. silly silly girl. who raised her? oh yeah never mind...)
- potato filling this is the BOMB people. i grew up pennsylvania dutch and let me tell you they know how to make a good potato filling. some people i meet have never heard of it (so sad) so here it is... take half of your mashed potatoes you already made, take half your stuffing that is not being stuffed into your bird, and blend the 2 together along with a stick of butter (yes i said stick) and bake that together in the oven til golden brown on top. o.m.g. seriously, THE BOMB. crowd pleaser.
- we like the french's friend onion & green bean casserole here.
- the kids all ask for corn. (my mom used to make corn pudding when i was a kid.. i have not carried that on for some reason. maybe next year i will try that.)
- if i had anyone who liked this but me, i would make roasted brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon.... but alas that would only be me eating it and well our table and my oven is already stuffed to the gills. so i don't, but i know a lot of you do and i will drool over the evidence on flickr in a few days, no doubt.
- applesauce. i love to make my own.
- cranberry sauce (kellen can eat a whole can all by himself. he LOVES that stuff) i know, i need to make it fresh one year... not this year, but one year....
- homemade/from the drippings/GRAVY!!!! pour it on my whole plate. i love gravy.
- fresh baked bread. my hubby is the baker man. (i have my nanny's potato roll recipe. need to try that one)
- and of course pie.... i love pecan, kellen loves coconut cream... both are my mom's specialty and she will not be with us this year (sadly) so apple it will be. i know pumpkin is the tradition, but none of us LOVE pumpkin so why bother? apple will do just fine.
what is your go to, must have, the bomb, o.m.g. recipe?
i'd love to hear what is on your table...
i am getting hungry already!
someone watch the parade for me ok??? please!
10 comments:
we're going to scott's aunts house just like we do every year. but! i did make my auntie peggy's cranberry chutney yesterday and plan to bring a jar. it's so kristin and super easy... it only takes about a half hour. let me know if you want the recipe.
Parade will be on with the dog show following. I won't be cooking as I'm stuck on the couch in recovery but I am still trying to influence the menu. There was talk of not having stuffing, I put a stop to that nonsense. Stuffing with apples and cranberries is the best!
that pie looks divine! and did you know you could watch the parade live online!!
i think on NBC.com (or whatever channel it's on).
hope that helps! :)
I haven't shopped yet which is unusual and freaking me out a little. We're doing dinner at my Dad's I'm bring (just put gluten free in front of everything) cornbread stuffing, amazing shredded brussles sprouts with a touch of cream and bacon, gravy, and pumpkin pie. I usually make a bourbon pecan pie but my sis is doing it this year.
Must have my mom's simple homemade stuffing (it used to be my job to shred the bread, but this year I bought crutons for the first time). We love broccoli and carrot casserole (cheese and bread crumbs, yum). And a good turkey is all we need.
Only my husband likes pumpkin, so I'd be all for apple. Which would be just fine with him too, so we might go that way.
Excited to have this new thing we tried -- butternut squash with red onion and spinach. DElish! But it's a cheat -- prepared dish from a local grocery, but so good!
Hoping your day is fab (with or without the parade). xo
lucky for us, mom always hosts thanksgiving....and the only thing i make year after year is my killer broccoli bake with french fried onions on top.....i know, i have it easy. oh wait, we are taking the wine this year :)
i am SO making that potato thing! we have leftover mashed potatoes from my son's school feast so i will be repurposing that into your recipe. i can't wait! i was actually going to do a lamb roast this yr bc it's just us and i don't care too much for turkey but the little ones insisted. so it's turkey & all the fixins for us. went homemade for cranberry sauce and am making cornbread sausage dressing and the same brussel sprouts as you. sadly went store-bought on the pies this yr. we've got very divergent opinions on pie so it's a buffet of small pies & ice cream for us! // can't wait to see your photos. i'm sure they'll get me drooling even after eating my weight in thanksgiving food!
Oh man, everything sounds SO perfect! This year was really different for us since we didn't get together with either parents or extended fam, just E's brother, SIL & kiddos. I missed being around all the cooking, but our Thanksgiving morning was pretty great still.
A favorite in my family is "cheesy onions." I made it for the first time this year for my mom and it turns out all it is is boiled onions, or use the jars of little pearl onions, heated and drained, and than melt a box of Kraft American cheese and mix. Excellent!!!
P.S. Oh and lets not forget the Packers!!
Post a Comment