Thanksgiving is the ultimate celebration of not only family and gratitude, but food. It's the time of year where you get to pull out all your favorite recipes and make copious amounts of them to eat for days on end. I love cooking for people, I feel like it's a special way to show how much I love and appreciate those I care about - Thanksgiving embodies that feeling, with a day for food and family. Although Thanksgiving is wonderful, the idea of hosting it can be a daunting task, so I've compiled a few of my favorite recipes and easy tablescapes to make your festive feast go off without a hitch!!
First off, let's talk about all those delicious sides! There's stuffing, green bean casserole, winter salads, rolls and of course my favorite...mashed potatoes. For some reason, I don't usually make green bean casserole - I usually replace it with these delicious Brussels Sprouts because I think they're a great easy veggie side, but I won't be offended if you stick with your green beans!
So let me just take a minute to tell you about my favorite mashed potatoes. They aren't over done, they are simple and delicious with a hint of buttermilk, and they never disappoint. You can find the recipe here for Ina Gartens wonderful Buttermilk mashed potatoes.
Next, I feel like the salad at Thanksgiving always gets over looked, but sometimes you want a bit a fresh lettuce in-between the decadence! So there are tons of great salads out there, but this beet salad with ricotta I made the other day is fun and different to add a little color to your Thanksgiving table.
Then, there are the rolls, I have to be honest - I get kind of intimidated to make my own rolls. I want to perfect the art of all yeast dough, but I'm not there quite yet. However, I saw this recipe a little while ago and knew I wanted to try it out. How can Parker House rolls ever be bad, right? So if you want to take a leap of faith with me, try this recipe for salty, buttery rolls from Alex Guarnaschelli.
Next, I really don't want to mess with your stuffing - or dressing, or whatever you prefer to call it! Everyone has their own stuffing recipe that they think is just right. Whether it uses cornbread, or sourdough, or good old white bread, I don't want to ruin your tradition. I will be making my Grandma's stuffing like we do every year. It's a simple recipe with celery, onions and sage sautéed in lots of butter, then adding in dried bread cubes, tossing to coat, and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. The smell alone is enough to get in the holiday spirit!
Ok, now lets talk about the table. You want to make something beautiful for all your guests to enjoy, but not exhaust yourself in the process. Here's a simple tablescape I put together with all things edible, for a beautiful harvest table.
I used a vintage bread bowl to set bunches of crisp granny smith apples in, and walnuts as place card holders. I decided to deviate from the typical harvest color scheme and repeat the green of the apples in the napkins for a fresh look. I used a simple linen throw from ikea as my table cloth because I didn't want anything to detract from the centerpiece. Simple green paper napkins pull the look together and make for easy cleanup.
For the place cards I wrote on small plain tags from the craft store and leaned them against un-shelled walnuts. I attempted to write ON the walnuts shell, but that was not happening, so paper was definitely an easier alternative!
For place settings I pulled out my moms wedding china, because after all, it is Thanksgiving. With that, the table is ready to go - all that's left is to get some turkey on those plates and Thanksgiving is upon us! Speaking of turkey, lets talk about that for a minute! It's the crowning glory of the meal and always a bit intimidating. You never know if it will be dry or moist, flavorful or not. So heres a few tips that hopefully will make your turkey come out right every time.
1. BUTTER! Rub that whole turkey down with lots of butter and a good amount of salt, to get a pretty brown and flavorful skin.
2. BAG IT. I am a believer in turkey bags, it may not be the prettiest way but I think those bags help to keep all the juices in and give you a moist turkey almost every time. The bag decreases cooking time, as well.
3. DON'T OVERCOOK! Take your turkey out of the oven a few minutes before it seems "done",and give it time to rest. Place a piece of foil over the top and let the turkey rest for a good 30 minutes or so. In this time it will continue cooking and be perfect when you're ready to cut into it!
Those are just a couple of my tips, but here is a list from food network that may help with those turkey cooking conundrums.
Ok, last but not least, you always need a special little bubbly to celebrate the season. So I whipped up a quick little "mock"tail just for the occasion. I can't exactly call this a recipe because it's just Ginger Ale and cranberry juice, but it's really pretty and you'll feel fancy drinking it! All it is, is 2 parts ginger ale to 1 part cranberry juice. You could also use white grape juice, which is delicious too.
Pour your mix into fancy glasses or have a whole bunch in a drink dispenser for everyone to help themselves. I like to garnish it with cranberries because they look so pretty bobbing in the effervescences.
I hope these tips can help you to throw a fabulous feast and that you'll get to spend more time with delicious food, and loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving!