Raven's Ramble

Thanksgiving 2013

Posted by Melanie Unruh , Thursday, December 5, 2013 11:12 AM

Our Thanksgiving spread. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, the stuffed bird surrounded by roasted root veggies, leftover stuffing, butternut squash soup, broccoli, and ham. The hollandaise sauce and gravy are off screen to the right.

Thanksgiving was at my house this year, and of course, there almost wasn't enough food. We had 4 adults and three kids, and that seems to be the load limit on my apartment. Although not on the kitchen, which nicely handled dinner for 14. And yes, I'm quite good at math, thank you.

There's good reason that I like holiday meals with quantity and variety; not only is there enough to express generosity, but also enough that leftovers don't get boring. We had chef salads on Friday with the cold turkey and ham; Sunday was a "bowl" with turkey, stuffing, and gravy. Monday night was eggs Benedict using the leftover Hollandaise and ham. I have had pie for breakfast, and roasted veggies for mid-afternoon snacks. And the ham hock has become ham stock. Solidly frozen on the back porch at the moment, but ready for the 20-bean mixture. No pot pies or turkey tetrazzini in sight.

Okay, so we ate two hours late. I kinda slowed things down when the guests was later than expected, but didn't factor in the half hour it takes some people to peel and cut potatoes.

In other discoveries, kids at a "kids' table" will not necessarily eat Thanksgiving dinner. Especially when they know where the electronics are.

Did I forget anything?

Menu and recipes under the cut

• Apertif - Honeysmoked Salmon with cream cheese, capers, and diced red onions; whole grain crackers; Mezze olive mix. (Should have added diced red peppers, too!)
• Soup - Roasted Butternut Squash
• In a roasting plan, toss:
• 2 small butternut squash, peeled/seeded and cut into large cubes
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Roast for an hour at 450 degrees or until the squash is tender. Drain the squash from the cooking juices. 
• In a large stock pot saute in 1/2 cup butter until tender:
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled/cored and chopped
• Add 8 cups of chicken stock (I use Better Than Bullion low sodium) and the drained squash. Simmer until it's hot.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. 
• Stir in 2/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk. 
• For the garnish, saute in 1/4 cup olive oil until caramelized:
• 1 cup diced butternut squash
• Reserved cooking juices from roasted squash

My best bird ever

• Turkey and stuffing
• Turkey: 16 pounds, 3.75 hours at 325. 
• Rub with olive oil and then with a 2:2:1 mixture of salt, Savory Spice's Sage and Savory Stuffing Seasoning, and pepper. Tent with foil for the first 2.5 hours. 
• Remove from oven one hour before dinner time. 
• Stuffing: 
• Brown 2 lbs sausage. Drain.
• Saute in one stick of butter:
• 1.5 cups diced carrots
• 1.5 cups celery ribs, cut to match carrot size
• 1 large diced onion (at least 2 cups)
• Combine with a bag of seasoned croutons and 4 cups of chicken stock. Add Sage and Savory Stuffing Seasoning if it's needed.
• Make it the night before, to let the moisture distribute evenly, and then eat stuffing for supper, since it's more than will fit in one turkey. 
• Ham
• Turn the spiral-cut ham on its face to warm in the oven. 
• Glaze with ginger and orange preserves. 
• Cranberry sauce
• In a medium saucepan, stir together over high heat:
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package fresh cranberries
• Chop and add to saucepan:
• 1 1/2 medium oranges, washed and chopped, rind and flesh
• Boil the sauce until the cranberries POP and the sauce gets thick. 
• Make this the night before and pack into glass jars. The sauce doesn't need refrigeration and is best served at room temperature. 
• Hollandaise sauce served with steamed broccoli
• Melt one stick butter in a measuring cup.
• Measure into glass dishes:
• 4 tablespoons water (I set this on the back of the stove so it warms slightly)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• In a double-boiler (water boiling):
• Whisk 3 egg yolks 
• Continue whisking the yolks until they just begin to get thick; add some of the warmish water. Keep whisking and adding water until the 4 tablespoons are used up. Then the lemon juice. Keep whisking (yes, it's a theme), until the juice is all incorporated, the mixture is a light yellow, and it's all thickish. 
• Remove the pan from the heat. Keep whisking (...) and add the melted butter in a thin stream. You're creating an emulsion here, and so the sauce needs to be completely blended; no pool of butter ringing the sauce. 
• Leave the top of the double boiler in place over the hot water until serving time. One more whisk and serve in a warmed small pitcher or gravy boat.  
• Roasted root vegetables
• Toss in a large roasting pan:
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, washed
• 1 roughly chopped red onion
• 1 pound beets, peeled [1] and cut into 2-bite sized pieces
• 1 pound each carrots and parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rosemary (fresh is best)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (optional)
• Roast at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender. 
• Serve on the turkey platter. 
• Green Bean Casserole (provided by Rebecca)
• Mashed potatoes and gravy. If you need recipes...
• Hot Rolls (also provided by Rebecca)
• Apple Pie - I am unashamed to admit to buying frozen.
• Pumpkin pie  - I add 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg to the classic recipe. 
• Smoking Bishop - this is a Victorian warm "adult" beverage, best served with dessert and good conversation.
• The night before, roast (along with the pies):
• 6 oranges, each studded with about 6 whole cloves
• Place the oranges in a crock pot set on low with:
• One bottle red wine (I used a bottle of Charles Shaw - "Three-Buck Chuck" - Cabernet Savignon)
• Warm the wine and oranges and then turn off the crock pot. 
• The next morning, warm the oranges and wine again; turn off the crock pot. Slice one of the oranges and set aside.
• Before serving, juice the remaining 5 oranges into the crock pot, and then strain the orange juice/wine/clove mixture into a sauce pan. Warm the liquid, and add:
• One bottle port
• Warm but do not boil the Bishop. Serve in pretty glass mugs, garnished with a slice of the reserved orange. 
• Mulled Cider - use Savory Spice's mulling spice mix. This is a good one to set up in a crock pot in the morning and forget. 
• Red and white wine

[1] How to peel beets: cut the tops and roots off the beets. You don't have to be neat about this, just cut off enough so that they're not filling the saucepan. Boil the beets for about half an hour in water, until they yield slightly with a fork. Drain off the hot water and then cool under running water. With your hands, slip off the peels.