Did my Bourbon Red turkey shrivel up and die in the oven? Did my guests boo me out of the kitchen after I substituted new organic dishes instead of serving anything with marshmallows or fried onions from a can? Did I buckle under the pressure of hosting my first Thanksgiving and hide from my family in the basement with a bottle of wine? This holiday, I was thankful NONE of those things happened.
I am still reeling from the amazing and sustainable Thanksgiving feast my husband and I put together last week with the help of my Minnesota rellies (especially since we're still eating leftovers). Considering we had never hosted the beloved holiday before, I was quite nervous about how we would pull it off. You see, my hubby does a majority of the cooking and I am the sous chef. But with almost 10 entrées to make, I had to step up to the plate and fly solo!
I shouldn't have worried. Everything was out DELICIOUS! But you may recall from my last post about Bourbon Red Turkey Adventures, all produce, dairy and the two turkeys were either local farms and/or organic. Typically, this wouldn't be a big deal. But the result could have been catastrophic because of the combination of me cooking and the guests being turned off by my attempts to go pseudo-healthy (I made tofu and soy everything for the lactose intolerant on Thanksgiving 2007 with horrific results, devastating my reputation to make an entire delicious meal for all!).
Contrary to my worst fears, my family loved the meal and actually requested we try these recipes again next year. Plus, everybody wanted to take home leftovers! We even had enough food to serve up our friends in an impromptu Saturday night "Festivus" celebration. I couldn't be happier with the results and everyone's reaction. Here is the final menu and photo of the results. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
I am still reeling from the amazing and sustainable Thanksgiving feast my husband and I put together last week with the help of my Minnesota rellies (especially since we're still eating leftovers). Considering we had never hosted the beloved holiday before, I was quite nervous about how we would pull it off. You see, my hubby does a majority of the cooking and I am the sous chef. But with almost 10 entrées to make, I had to step up to the plate and fly solo!
I shouldn't have worried. Everything was out DELICIOUS! But you may recall from my last post about Bourbon Red Turkey Adventures, all produce, dairy and the two turkeys were either local farms and/or organic. Typically, this wouldn't be a big deal. But the result could have been catastrophic because of the combination of me cooking and the guests being turned off by my attempts to go pseudo-healthy (I made tofu and soy everything for the lactose intolerant on Thanksgiving 2007 with horrific results, devastating my reputation to make an entire delicious meal for all!).
Contrary to my worst fears, my family loved the meal and actually requested we try these recipes again next year. Plus, everybody wanted to take home leftovers! We even had enough food to serve up our friends in an impromptu Saturday night "Festivus" celebration. I couldn't be happier with the results and everyone's reaction. Here is the final menu and photo of the results. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
- 2 - 16 lb Bourbon Red Turkeys with Stuffing
- My mom and aunt each made their own stuffing, wet and dry.
- We cooked turkey #1 whole with stuffing in a giant turkey roaster/Crockpot. We cooked turkey #2 in a roaster, but my husband pre-carved it
- I would definitely purchase a heritage breed again. Best white meat we've ever had, and the dark meat was very flavorful and firm (but a bit difficult to carve).
- Using the carcases to make enough turkey stock to last the next year!
- Sweet Potatoes With Pecans and Parmesan
- Green Beans With Bacon Vinaigrette
- Potato and Celery Root Mash
- Butternut Squash Bread Pudding
- Bourbon-Cranberry Compote
- Brie and Chive Biscuits
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Greens With Apricots and Fennel
- Grandma's famous salad with orange Jell-o, crushed pineapple, banana slices and vanilla ice cream on a bed of lettuce
- 2 pickle varieties - one from my mother-in-law and the other from my soon to be sister-in-law