Thanksgiving According to Me

To my calculation, I have, as of this year, cooked and hosted Thanksgiving dinner in my home 20 times. Which is a hell of a lot of Thanksgivings.

Therefore, I feel that I have learned a thing or two about how to make it work, and perhaps I should share some of my accumulated knowledge with all of you, dear readers. Feel free to disagree with my opinions. But I am right.

1. Preparation = Freedom. I believe this truism applies to most things in life. I plan the whole day down to the tiniest detail. I prep chronological lists of things to do. "Prep appetizer. Make dressing. Brine turkey." I like to think of an elaborate dinner party as a play, with me as the playwright, director and star. If everything is planned out, it's like having a script, and all I have to do is follow it, and it will all fall into place. And I must say, that about the time the guests arrive, I like to pour myself a big, fat 7 & 7 and enjoy myself while the aforementioned falling into place occurs.

2. It's easier just to do it yourself. Years back, I used to ask friends to bring a dish. Everybody had some favorite traditional food that they just HAD to have, so I'd let them bring it. This means that at the crucial hour when your guests are arriving, and you're spinning around your kitchen making gravy and rolls, a bunch of folks show up with stuff that they expect you to heat up, and usually they have some last minute thing they have to do to their dish, which usually entails taking up counter space, refrigerator space, and your personal space. It's EASIER to just do it yourself, and have your guests arrive and stay OUT OF THE KITCHEN. Also, the planning (See 1.) is totally screwed if folks show up and rock your world.

3. Don't let anybody bring a dish unless you really, really, really, truly trust that they'll do it right. I do, on occassion, allow someone to bring a dish - usually a dessert. Okay, I may, perhaps, be a teensy bit of a control freak. And I want everything served at my Thanksgiving dinner to be of high quality. And I hate to say it, but most people don't do high quality. So when most people say to you "Can I bring something?" You must say "Liquor." Which most people don't screw up.

4. Tradition/Schmadition. I realize that this may be considered radical, but I truly think that most "traditional" Thanksgiving dishes are extremely mediocre. And most people only want them because they've come to expect them, and their grandmother used to make them. But honestly? It's not that hard to make some simple improvements. You know what I mean? Sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows? I don't do it. Green bean casserole? Nope. And the truth is that, as long as you prepare delicious, seasonal foods, nobody misses the stuff that involves Cream of Mushroom soup. Now I'm not saying to go all freaky and make a...Tofurkey meatloaf or...quinoa dressing, I just mean that it's possible to make your own traditions. For years and years, I would dutifully make a pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and a chocolate cream pie. The chocolate cream, though not traditional Thanksgiving fare, is Jimmy's absolute favorite (and my great-grandmother's recipe). Guess what everybody ate. That's right, the chocolate cream. Nobody ate the pumpkin or the pecan, but the chocolate cream was wiped out. So now, chocolate cream pie is our Thanksgiving tradition.

5. Nobody gives a damn about green vegetables. For years, I would insist on making a nice green vegetable. One year, I even made a salad. NOBODY EATS IT. They want bird, carbs and gravy. I will be making one green vegetable this year, but it involves bacon, so it might not count. If you insist on going the Green Bean Casserole route, PLEASE try Jan's Green Bean Casserole, which takes it to a whole new level of fabulousness (she makes homemade french-fried onions to go on top).

6. Lots of stuff can be made ahead of time. Mashed Potatoes? The day before. Sweet Potato Soup (oooo, that intrigued you, didn't it?) Two days before. Dressing? The day before. I used to think that I should make it all at the last moment so it was...fresh. Nah. Day before. And speaking of dressing. It's probably a good idea to explain the difference between stuffing and dressing. The aforementioned Jan did it very well here. Stuffing is what Northerners make. It's generally made from stale bread and/or biscuits, sometimes involves peculiar things like oysters, and is stuffed into the bird and cooked. Dressing is what Southerners make. It's generally made from stale cornbread, and is cooked outside the bird, in a separate dish. It's also far superior to that Northern version - oops, did I say that? My poor Mama always had to make TWO dressings, because she stubbornly insisted on making a white bread stuffing (what Daddy called “Yankee dressing” – Mama never could convince him that being from SOUTH DAKOTA didn’t make her a Yankee) and stuffing it into the bird, and Daddy stubbornly insisted she also make his mama’s cornbread dressing and cook it outside the bird. And I should note that we were a tiny family of 3. So the leftovers were plentiful. Amen.

7. Schedule it for dinner time. I know, I know, most people eat Thanksgiving at about 1:00 or 2:00, stuff themselves, then watch football for the rest of the day. But several years ago, I decided to turn the whole meal into a more civilized affair, and moved it to dinnertime. Guests show up about 4:00 - 4:30, enjoy their cocktails and appetizers, then move to the table. It's night time, so you can light candles at the table, and have a glass of wine with the meal without it feeling sad. And the big bonus? You don't have to get up at the stinking crack of stinking dawn to put the bird in the oven. You can get up...have your coffee...enjoy a little Macy's parade...then put the bird in.

8. Add a course. This too is a bit radical, I know. But, being married to an Italian, I have come to understand the value of the course. Of serving the food in stages, with brief intermezzos between each course. Now, of course, traditionally, Thanksgiving is served all at once as The Big Feed. It all comes out to the table, everybody gorges themselves silly, then retires to the den to sleep it off. It all takes about 45 minutes. Sad. But how to add a course to this traditional meal? I could add a salad course, but...See 5. So I have started making a Sweet Potato Soup, and serving it as a first course. It's really damned good. And it satisfies the need for the sweet potato. Here's the recipe:

  Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

4 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up

3 carrots, peeled and cut up

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 stick butter

10 cups chicken broth

6 tsp. brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground mace

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Creme fraiche (or plain yogurt) for garnish

Caramelized pecans for garnish (you can either make them yourself or buy them at the Trader Joe's - which is acceptable)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes, carrots and onion in a shallow roasting pan. Cut up the stick of butter, and arrange the bits all around the vegetables. Roast until vegies are soft, and slightly browned, about 30 minutes, stirring once during cooking time. Remove from the oven, and cool. Place the roasted vegetables in a large stock pot, along with the butter they cooked in. Add the broth, brown sugar and spices. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth.

At this point, you can refrigerate it for up to two days. Reheat just before serving, and garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche and a couple of caramelized pecans.

9. Make a buttload of gravy. Because, who doesn't love gravy? And you're going to need it for your leftovers. I always start Thanksgiving morning by making a big stock pot of giblet broth. Chicken broth, giblets, onion, celery, bay leaf. Then I let it simmer for hours until it's really rich. Mmmm...that's the makings of some good gravy. I'm telling you.

10. Rubber gloves.  One of the great Thanksgiving dilemmas is how the hell to get the bird out of the roasting pan and onto the carving board without tearing half the skin off the bird, giving yourself a second degree burn or juggling three spatulas and two forks. That turkey is heavy, and it's always a cumbersome issue. I have two words for you. Rubber. Gloves.

Stick your hands in a pair of clean, new rubber gloves, and just pick the turkey up with your hands. Brilliant. It works. You're welcome.

11. Give thanks. I find that it's a good idea to actually give thanks on Thanksgiving. I know it may seem a little hokey, but I like going around the table and making everybody name something they're thankful for. Kind of makes all the hullabaloo meaningful.

Okay, do you have any helpful hints for me? I'll listen to opinions, even if you are wrong.

 

 

Comments

[Elizabeth]

No tips from me -- it sure sounds like you've got it under control. It sounds divine, actually -- Thanksgiving at your house.

[VandyJ]

Since it's just family that comes to our thanksgiving, I have doles out the dishes--the mashed potatoes and the veggies. I get the bird, gravy and dressing. I am taking your advice and making extra broth for gravy because there really can never be enough gravy.

[Jan]

Oh, aren't you a doll! Thank you for the linky love! I am, indeed, making the green bean casserole again this year, and doing it without flour or dairy (I'll post about it later). And the differences between stuffing and dressing are important!!

Now, down to business - that soup? Oh. My. GAWD. I do believe I will try this VERY, VERY soon! And since it can be made ahead - *squee* - I'd be thrilled if you'd add it to Make Ahead Monday today. I have readers who would probably kill for this recipe.

[Sprite's Keeper]

Brilliantly awesome and I think I need to try that soup. Luckily, I don't cook Thanksgiving dinner. If I did, we would be thankful for take out.

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

Ours is in the evening as well - so nice that way. I couldn't lose the pumpkin pie, myself. Not because it's tradition, but because I have a mad love affair with all things pumpkin. I'm perfectly happy to eat pumpkin pie in June. I don't care.
Happy Thanksgiving!

[MamaBadger]

We switched our dinner to "after nap time" this year, and it's freaking people out. They have no idea what to do all day. Ha, ha, ha.

I don't do the bird on Thursday. That honor goes to my SIL. I make my bird (and my sides, my way) on Friday, so I can turn down all the left overs she stuffs in tupperware for us...

[the redc]

I like where you're going with the gravy. Please elaborate in the next Thankgiving edition! I agree about the utter mediocrity of the "traditional" sides. The fact that the same damn recipe is printed in the coupon pages, sides of cans and elsewhere does not make them delicious!

[Jenni]

Holy shit I'm making that soup!!

[CaJoh]

You should talk to my wife about #5. She insists on making a vegetable platter every year. She also avoids chips and dip because she knows it will fill everybody up. And, every year the vegetable platter is hardly eaten.

[mommylisa]

We must be WEIRD northerners because we always had dressing - I never had stuffing at any of my families homes.

[Laura]

Amen. I love your entire list. If only I could get B onboard with your program.
Happy Thanksgiving!

[Aimee]

We always had dressing, too, and we were definitely not from the South...but ours wasn't made with cornbread. Mom makes the most AMAZING sausage and apple dressing. OMG, I wish I could add it to this year's menu...

I don't understand the sweet potato dish everyone makes. Why add sugar to sweet potatoes? It completely covers up the flavor! I'm posting my favorite sweet potato recipe (baked, not mashed and sweetened and nutted) on Wednesday. I am printing out your soup recipe tonight for later use. Thanks!

[kate]

dang, I read this instructive post too late. We had dinner with friends and they insisted on making all the sides, because of those ever loving TRADITIONS of theirs. I love all your prep advice. next year I'll do it my way. and have a 7&7 too!