Sunday, November 13, 2011

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

 I am getting ready for Thanksgiving! This is my first year going the whole nine yards, we are having 15 people over and boy am I in over my head. I have been making lists and lists and lists. I have a shopping list which I have been comparing to the store ads and coupons. One list for all the dishes I will be making, another list of ingredients I already have, I even have a list to keep my lists in order. Oh it's going to get crazy in this house come November 23. I am not going to be doing test runs of the food since it's about a week away. I will share with all of you what I am planning on. If the recipes are online I will share them too. So bring on the Lists!
List 1: Dishes- This was way longer until I looked at it and freaked out. Way too much food, but I do love some leftovers! This list doesn't include the actual dishes I will have to be doing after dinner.. 
 I am taking a lot of advice from bon appetit and Martha Stewart



     
    Photograph by Marcus Nilsson  
  • 20 pound Turkey- did I really have to list this? Yes! it is the star of the day, GOBBLE GOBBLE! It's all in the way that you prepare it. I have cooked turkey before but not one this large.I have decided the cider-brined-turkey-with-star-anise-and-cinnamon is the way to go!
  •  Garlic Mashed Potatoes-  now when making them you need a ton, it is the co-star to the turkey in my world. I just use a basic recipe but will add 6 cloves of roasted garlic cloves to 10 pounds of potatoes. mashed-potatoes

  • Carrots- Usually it is a ton of starches and turkey, this year I want good veggie sides for everyone to choose from. spiced-glazed-carrots-with-sherry-and-citrus sounds yummy!
  • Green Beans- Lets face it the traditional green bean casserole isn't the cat's meow. I found this updated recipe that includes artichokes, I think I will add the fried onions and some spices since they sound better then chunks of bread. green-bean-and-artichoke-casserole sure does look tasty. 
  • Brussels Sprouts- Ever since I started liking them about a year ago I can't  get enough of them, plus paired with pancetta will be amazing this is a great recipe brussels_sprouts_with_pancetta.
  • Gravy ties everything on the plate together. I am using this as a guide to silky-turkey-gravy but i will be using chicken stock that I have made already. 
  • Rolls- cranberry_nut_rolls  I will omit the nuts, just a preference of mine. 
  • Cranberry Sauce and Stuffing-  I am delegating it for someone to bring, com'on I can't do it all!
  • Sweet Potato Pie- YES we have made it to dessert ! Instead of having sweet potatoes as a side dish, this pie will be replacing pumpkin pie at our feast- I hope I don't get in too much trouble for this.This looks so much better sweet_potato_pie
  • Apple Blackberry Pie- Since I went a little blackberry picking crazy this summer I have a ton of blackberries to use up, this seems fitting and enclosed in a all butter double crust how can anyone resist? apple-blackberry-pie
  • Chocolate Pecan Tart- I made this last year and it was Amazing, it has been requested this year. chocolate-toffee-pecan-tart
  • Salted Caramel Cream Puffs- I am using this recipe but changing it a bit, I am only going to make the cream puffs with salted caramel pastry cream dipped in dark chocolate. Oh YES I went there! this is what I am going to have for dessert! milk-chocolate-and-salted-caramel
I have my work cut out for me, however I do have Wednesday off and I do some of this for a living, so it will be like working from home. But I don't get paid- darn!  It will definitely be a feast. I will report back after and let everyone know if I had a melt down or not.  Well I hope everyone has a great Turkey day. And I am thankful for my 4 followers, lets hope for a few more in the new year!
Cheers!

10 comments:

  1. sounds delish!!!! I'm not sure what we're doing. Having a broken leg wasn't in the plans... so we're still figuring it out.

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  2. Yea being broken is never easy when cooking! I hope your meal is great, even if you end up going out. Now that would be a treat!

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  3. i want to get into brussel sprouts..have some in the fridge for tonite..but how??????

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  4. Carmells- The recipe above is great brussels spouts, but another easy way is to saute them in a little butter with pepper and garlic.

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  5. Yummy! Just went shopping for my own turkey dinner tonight. LOVE Thanksgiving because of all the deliciousness. I love reading about other people's meals because it inspires me with recipe variations to try. xoxo

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  6. Good to hear Hillary! Hope Thanksgiving is great for you and the family!

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  7. i put my brusell sprouts in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt then baked in the oven with my chicken. easy and good. i admit..i cooked a bit too long but nummy!!!!!!!

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  8. Great that sounds DELISH!Keep it up!

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  9. So far I haven't freaked out,Turkey is tucked away in his Brine. The apple pie is ready to bake, tart shell and graham cracker crust is ready for the fillings. I am going to start the cream puffs, then all I have left is the sides. Not too shabby! Yes there is going to be leftovers!

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  10. I made the Brussels sprouts and they turned out great! Making more tonight. Good find on that recipe.

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