The Thanksgiving Diaries 2017: Wrapped and Ready

 

Wrapped and Ready!

Yes, it took longer (by a couple hours) than I expected, but we’re all cater-wrapped and ready to go over to Fern’s house where we will get the bird in the roaster.

But let’s back up and see the few pictures I took today (I’m tired, alright? šŸ˜‰ ).

So, first up was the turkey rub. This is Thanksgiving incarnate: salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, and garlic all ground together in an utter state of happiness:

Rub-a-dub-dub

Mash Mash Revolution

And I didn’t take any pictures of the procedure of the mashed potatoes because, let’s face it, it looks pretty boring. But I want to highlight this incredible masher I treated myself to this year. A little history: even back when I was married we never had a decent potato masher. Instead we had a potatoĀ ricer. That makes for super silky smooth potatoes, but… Why we never bought a decent masher… no clue. So, this year, I decided, that masher drought would end. Behold, the greatest masher EVER — the stainless steel ZYLISS Potato Masher (and, you know, you can go over to Amazon to get one yourself — did I mention it’s AWESOME?! ‘Cause it is). How badass is that?!

Finally, the beloved green bean casserole. I had some shredded cheese left over from the mix, so I added that on top below the topping fried onions because, dude… cheese???

Roll that beautiful (green) bean footage…

And that’s that! Akilah’s pie is cooling, I’m going to jump into the shower and we’re going to get his party started!! Happy Thanksgiving, all!

The Thanksgiving Diaries 2017: Thanksgiving Eve

Whoever said no plan survives contact with the enemy must have foreseen my day today. I had all the recipes. I had my timetable (though I didnā€™t get the pie baked Tuesday, so I was already behind). I gathered my ingredientsā€¦

And then Fern texts me that the oven at their house went out. Crap. So, everything that they were going to cook is now going to split time with my oven projects which, as I mentioned, are already behind. Itā€™s going to be a long nightā€¦

Note: the beer was for tonight. Call it, “Chef’s Aid”.

And indeed, it did not begin auspiciously. After picking up the sweet potatoes for Fernā€™s pie, I swung by Bottle Barn to grab a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a Champagne for tomorrow. I had Google Girl do the calculations for the drive home, hoping sheā€™d rout me around traffic. She didā€¦ right through Coffey Park. Thereā€™s nothing to remind you how lucky you are, how much you have to be thankful for than passing through utter and complete destruction. We are so very luckyā€¦

That being said, if anyone would like a dog and two cats please let me know because after what they greeted me with when I got home theyā€™re lucky they didnā€™t join the turkey in the brine bag (I know Winston wouldnā€™t have fit. ā€œWeā€™re gonna need a bigger bagā€¦.ā€ šŸ˜‰ ). I was furious. Fern called right during an exceptionally colorful profanity jag and she managed to cool me down. I gathered myself, took care of things, and threw myself into the battle at hand.

The Greatest Pumpkin Pie Ever

The crust went together pretty well, and the spices in the filling seemed on point. I didnā€™t anticipate

Mise en PIE!

either the crust growing as it did, nor a bit of the burn on the top most bits of the crust. Overall, it still turned out okay and I donā€™t think anyone will complain once thereā€™s a slice on a plate with a healthy dollop of bourbon whip cream on top.

Gingersnap crust ready to rest in the fridge for a few.

So spicy! Not everything was whole-spice.

Filling looks good so far…

Crust and filling combine! Form VOLTRON PIE!

Ooh, so let’s just call the edge of the crust “Well Done,” shall we?

Turkey! Turkey! Turkey!

Jayā€™s maple bourbon brine smells incredible, with orange, clove, and of course maple and bourbon scents, that bird is enjoying a lovely dip right now.

Bird In a Bucket: “Good night, Turkey. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely cook and eat you in the morning.”

My Firstā„¢ Thanksgiving Macaroni and Cheese

Blender-eye-view of the spices: some cayenne, some salt and pepper, some nutmeg, some dried mustard…

Went together great, and it looks fantastic. Fern complained that it should have been twice the size it is. I reminded her weā€™re serving four and not twenty-four. Still, she has a point: next time Iā€™d double the recipe, but Iā€™ll have to report back on whether there will be a next time for this recipe.

Cheesy goodness!

That leaves (Mostly) Nanaā€™s Green Bean Casserole and Vampire-Unfriendly Mashed Potatoes for early morning tomorrow. As I type Fern has the stuffing in the oven. Itā€™s a late night and itā€™ll be an early morning, but so be it.

You might be wondering what my plan is for actually, you know, cooking the turkey tomorrow? Fern and her mom have an electric turkey roaster at home. What, might you ask, is an electric turkey roaster? Because that was my first question. Something like this. Seriously, I had no idea such a thing existed but Iā€™m really glad they do!

More tomorrow ā€“ the final stand! And then the all-important tasting!

A Thanksgiving Pedestrian Goes To Work

Let me explain a few things first. For almost my entire life I have been what Iā€™ll term a ā€œThanksgiving Pedestrianā€. What I mean is Iā€™ve rarely had to make anything for Thanksgiving. Even when I was married because we didnā€™t have kids we were the transient couple going to wherever Thanksgiving was being held and ā€“ more importantly ā€“ prepared. Sure, weā€™d bring pies, but my ex worked as a pastry chef for a time, so like I was going to be contributing to that?

One year in grad school we hosted a few friends for a Thanksgiving of roasted chicken, Stove Top, carrots, and (of course) pies. Oh, and one of the other grad studentā€™s truly terrible homemade mead *shudder*.

On my own, Iā€™ve been invited to Thanksgivings with my family, and with my friends, but I havenā€™t had an opportunity to prepare more than a sourdough-bowl spinach dip (though I make a mean spinach dip, let me tell you!).

This year, however, Fern and I are making Thanksgiving with her mom and aunt, and itā€™s on like Turkey Kong (tis the season, after allā€¦). Fernā€™s mom was more than happy to divvy up the cooking responsibilities, and this year Iā€™m more than happy to take on some projects.

This, dear reader, is what Iā€™m bringing:

  • (Mostly) Nanaā€™s Green Bean Casserole
  • Vampire-Unfriendly Mashed Potatoes
  • My Firstā„¢ Thanksgiving Macaroni and Cheese
  • Turkey! Turkey! Turkey!
  • The Greatest Pumpkin Pie Ever

Youā€™d better bet there will be full blog posts and recipes for all these, but Iā€™ll give you a quick rundown ahead of time.

(Mostly) Nanaā€™s Green Bean Casserole: I know this can be polarizing, but for me and my family itā€™s tradition. Iā€™m hopping it up a little, but not straying far from the Frenchā€™s fried onion-topped classic.

Vampire-Unfriendly Mashed Potatoes: Keeping this one simple with Yukon golds and garlic. Simple. And theyā€™ll undoubtedly be delicious. Oh! And I celebrated festivities by getting myself a new potato masher! Hey, this is a big deal!

My Firstā„¢ Thanksgiving Macaroni and Cheese: Iā€™ve never had Macaroni and Cheese at Thanksgiving, but Fern and her family have always had it in the same way my family has always had Nanaā€™s Green Bean Casserole. So, is it wise to give a traditional family holiday staple to the New Guy? Weā€™ll see. The recipe Iā€™ve put together looks like a winner (full disclosure: I havenā€™t tested it yet! Eek!), so here we go ā€“ sink or swimā€¦ in amazing macaroni and cheese!

Turkey! Turkey! Turkey! While weā€™re going to cook the bird at Fernā€™s, Iā€™m responsible for the prep, and for that Iā€™m counting on my brother Jayā€™s tried-and-true maple bourbon brine to do the heavy lifting and a traditional homemade spice rub to take it the rest of the way. The rub, Iā€™ll admit, is untested, but Iā€™ll give a preview of the spices used: equal parts Macyā€™s Thanksgiving Parade, Dallas Cowboys football, and tryptophan-induced naps (stay tuned for the real thing).

Finally, The Greatest Pumpkin Pie Ever: Okay, Iā€™m going to level with you on this one: I have no idea whether this is the greatest pumpkin pie ever, but Fern insists that sweet potato pie (which she is making) is superior to pumpkin pie, and that kind of thing just canā€™t stand. So, Iā€™ve put together what on paper sure looks to be a winner ā€“ a generously-spiced filling with a gingersnap crust and a dollop of homemade bourbon whipped cream. Again, greatest ever? Weā€™ll see. But Iā€™m confident itā€™ll take down even the finest sweet potato pie. Letā€™s get ready to rumble! *ding ding*

Like I said, stay tuned ā€“ posts, pictures, and recipes to follow. And I wish all of you a safe and fantastic Thanksgiving!