Cooking Creations: Giving Thanks for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year (after multiple glasses of wine, I’m sure) I promised that no matter where I was or what changed in our lives I would host Thanksgiving dinner for my parents and any other family members and friends who wanted to make the trip.

My grandmother had always been the Thanksgiving matriarch. She prepared dinner for my parents and I along with my aunt and grandfather- a stroke patient bound to a wheel chair for almost 30 years. When she passed away, we attempted several different versions of a Thanksgiving meal from a trip to Shenandoah National Park to a colonial times re-enactment dinner. Ultimately we got sick of the shenanigans. My burgeoning love of cooking afforded a solution. I started helping my mother cook so that we could make our own dinner in our condominium.

Then my parents moved. I decided to undertake the ambitious task of preparing an entire Thanksgiving dinner for us in my humble apartment- turkey and all- as they travelled down.

The attempt wasn’t without debacles… but in the end we had fun and we pledged that I would carry on my grandmother’s legacy. I felt entrusted with a sacred institution. Now I have a menu of my own that we look forward to each year. I’ve helped create new traditions. Today, I actually have something that I can pass on- and share with you. Here are the food staples that appear on my table each year:

The turkey- Last year was the first time I did a turkey by myself. I did everything but the bird- doing most of the sides while my parents tackled the poultry. When it came time to stand on my own, I had no idea what to do. A friend suggested I brine it, so I googled the term and looked for recipes. I found thousands of results- a zillion brining procedures and recipes that all seemed to offer something radically different. Panicked, I sent a tweet out into the internet universe to some of my favorite celeb-chefs… and was shocked to get responses! David Burke suggested orange juice and jalapenos. It sounded DELICIOUS but perhaps too untraditional for something like Thanksgiving. Carla Hall suggested her own recipe. The sugar addition frightened me at first, but she assured me it would not be overly sweet. I selected her brine as the winner.

I followed her instructions and added some herbs that I enjoy. At the last second I deviated even more and added my own touch: a handful of edible lavender that I purchased from Williams Sonoma. This turned out perfectly- imparting an extremely subtle floral note to the turkey that truly complimented the rosemary, thyme, and other flavors.

The final hurdle was how to baste the turkey. Dairy doesn’t sit well in my stomach, and I was hesitant to put a coat of butter on the bird. I also didn’t want to fry it up or cover it in oil either- both options seemed like they might result in heart attacks. I turned once more to twitter and asked if I could combine chicken broth with a bit of oil to cover the bird. People responded yes so long as I put on plenty of liquid and made sure to add more if it seemed dry during the time in the oven. The tactic worked produces the most well-cooked turkeys we’ve ever tasted. It gets crispy and brown on the outside, but stays perfectly moist on the inside.

For side dishes, I have two tried and true recipes that I return to every year. The first is my own concoction: roasted squash. I always use a mix of butternut and KABOCHA (also known as Buttercup) squash. The kabocha squash does not come pre-cubed, but its sweet taste makes it totally worth the work. I add a small amount (1-2 tbspoon) of maple syrup as well as salt, pepper, and garlic. I then put WHOLE twigs of fresh rosemary over the top of the squash (which I cook up in a glass casserole dish). The whole thing cooks at 400 F for about 40 minutes. I pop it in as soon as the turkey comes out. The time the turkey sits and is carved offers the perfect time span for the squash to get slightly brown and very tender.

The second is Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries, something I found on Food & Wine’s website: . I love Gail Simmons and the recipe was included in a slideshow of her favorite recipes. The part that I found most intriguing was the use of wine. The recipe begins with steeping dried cranberries in Riesling to play off the sweet and sour tastes. Brussels Sprouts aren’t known for being a crowd pleaser and my father is certainly not their biggest fan. However, he shocked us by declaring them his favorite side of the evening over last year’s table.

There are other items on the table: cranberry bread, stuffing, potatoes, etc… but the squash and cranberries are my additions to the family’s traditions!

And there’s always pie!! I use the apple pie recipe from the Buttercup Bake Shop. The secret ingredient? Apple butter spread inside for extra apple flavor! I also love the topping. It is a mix of crumb and crust so you get the best of both worlds. I use small leaf cutouts to shape extra crust into decorations for the top as well. The recipe can be found in the Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook.

So here’s to another happy thanksgiving! And I wish you the best for the upcoming holiday season!