« Crepuscular, discriminating, lactose-intolerant. | Main | Sheepish in wolf's clothing. »
November 18, 2007
Thanksgiving Dinner 2007
I love to cook, particularly for family and friends. This Thanksgiving, we're visiting my parents, where I'll share the kitchen duties with Ella, who is an amazing cook.
She cooks up a storm for holidays, but I like to take the load off her shoulders when I can. She'd never agree, but I wish I could talk her into just sitting down with a glass of Zinfandel while I handled everything.
This year, she's agreed to split it 50/50, but we'll see how that shakes out. Here's the menu on which we're collaborating. I've called dibs on the macaroni and cheese, the turkey, and the stuffing, she's already got the greens in the freezer:
- roasted turkey
- cranberry relish
- garlic mashed potatoes
- stuffing (inside the turkey)
- dressing (baked in a casserole dish)
- gravy (traditional and gluten-free)
- green bean casserole
- macaroni & cheese (traditional and gluten-free)
- collard greens
- grilled salmon
- cornbread (traditional and gluten-free)
- roasted sweet potatoes
- whole wheat raisin walnut bread
- winter root cobbler
I'm making everything from scratch, including the dressing, stuffing and cranberry relish. My dad will be disappointed if we don't have the gelatinous stuff that retains the shape of the can, so I made sure that was on the shopping list.
I'll bake an extra loaf of whole wheat raisin walnut bread for the stuffing. I made the winter root cobbler last year -- parsnips, onion, carrots and fennel under a buttery crust. Tomorrow, I'll scout around for a bag in which to brine our 14-pound turkey. I could use a trash bag, but they're treated with chemicals to retard food spoilage and deter scavenging animals, or so the Intertubes would have me believe.
I'll have to make sure we have some nice wines to go with the meal. After spending hours to create a wine list for our wedding dinner, pairings for this meal will be a piece of cake. Speaking of which, my dad's made it clear that I shouldn't even bother to make the trip if I don't show up with a coconut-pineapple layer cake from It's All Good Bakery.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I don't make a lot of forward-looking personal statements in this space, but next year, I would very much like to prepare a meal for family and friends in our home. We have a lot of renovations and work to do before that can happen, but it's something to work toward.
Posted by Your Protagonist at November 18, 2007 11:03 PM