Thanksgiving . . . I Mean, Food

This post was going to be about Thanksgiving, but I think that I am more interested in food right now. So we will just have a chat about Thanksgiving food instead. Because, really, that is why you love Thanksgiving so much, right? I always loved having like 17 people in the house and having a big dinner together, and that's definitely part of it. To this day, I feel like it wasn't really Thanksgiving or Christmas unless we had a crowd. But so many goodies show up this time of year that I think it's time we talk about the food a little bit.

The first year we were in Boston, my parents came up, and I made a stellar Thanksgiving dinner, with my mom's help. That was my first experience with a turkey, and it turned out great, which made me feel like I had finally cut my teeth. I felt like I had crossed the threshold and had become an actual cook and homemaker once I knew I could do a turkey. This is also the year I discovered brining (more on that later).

For the past three years, Nathan and I have hosted Thanksgiving for our Bible study friends. None of us are actually from New England (all the guys are students), and since we all go home for Christmas, we are usually all still here for Thanksgiving (not wanting to pay for two flights home and all). So for the past few years, Nathan and I have hosted a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. I make the turkey and a few other items, and everyone else brings their favorites. We end up with a ridiculous feast. In fact, last year, nobody signed up to make a dessert, so I made two or three. Turns out everyone thought the same thing, and you should have seen the dessert table. (Yes, we had to clear off an entire piece of furniture for all the desserts.) It was glorious.

This year, I'm making the turkey, roasted veggies, rolls, and a dessert (or two).

Here's the deal on brining: basically, you boil a bunch of water, salt, and spices, let it cool, then soak your turkey in it overnight. Then you rinse the turkey and roast as usual. When you brine it, the salt makes the meat super juicy (not salty), so you end up with a moist, flavorful bird. You can search the internet for turkey brines--there are tons of recipes. Here is a turkey recipe from Williams-Sonoma, and here is a list from the Food Network. It is essential, though, to buy a brining bag (basically a huge ziploc bag that you put the turkey and brine in)--unless you have a small turkey, you can't fit the dang thing in anything else and expect to cover it with liquid.

As for the roasted veggies, I usually buy a bunch of veggies that look good and will all cook at about the same rate, and I cut them all up, toss with a little melted butter, rosemary, and S&P, and put them in the bottom of the roaster for the last 40 minutes or so that the turkey is cooking. The turkey drippings flavor the veggies, and they are AWESOME. This roasted veggie side usually consists of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, cherry tomatoes, and anything else that I feel inspired by in the grocery store.

Rolls--you guys, I do not make homemade bread. I know that those of you who do will say it's not that big of a deal, but I am perfectly happy with storebought rolls. Mmm, yeast rolls and butter.

And on to the best part of the day: dessert! I will, of course, make my quadruple chocolate cake. And I think I am also going to make a cranberry-pear pie with oatmeal streusel. Tell me that thing does not look amazing. It is in Cooking Light magazine this month.

And lastly, if you have never made cranberry sauce from scratch, you are really missing out. There is pretty much nothing easier, and it tastes SO much better than that stuff out of a can. Now, if you are one of those people who would just die if their cranberry sauce is not can-shaped and sliced into little discs, okay, fine, I probably can't convert you. But if you are a little more open-minded, and if you're interested in something that will actually taste like cranberries and that you will like so much that you will never, ever go back to that gelatinous goo from Thanksgivings past, check out this recipe:
Cranberry Sauce
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup orange juice
- 12-oz. package fresh cranberries, rinsed, drained, and picked over
Combine OJ and maple syrup in a saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2-1/4 cups.

So what are you making for Thanksgiving? What are your favorites?