Thanksgiving 2024

Thanksgiving 2024 - Cabin

To make or do ahead:

• 6 - 7 weeks before Thanksgiving 
• order Turkey from Borderland Specialty Meats, Foods & Smokehouse. NOTE: tell them you want the gizzards to use to make a stock for the gravy.  Note: the neck will be inside the turkey. They will also brine and season the turkey!!!!! Fabulous! Buy 3 pie pumpkins
• Begin looking for fresh chestnuts. Tis year I purchased them from Golden Harvest in Rhinelander.

• 1 week prior. 
• The bread for the stuffing is critical, buy good homemade bread or make your own.  
• Buy 3 different apple varieties from Pleasant View Orchard & Bakery. I use these for apple sauce for meals before Thanksgiving. There are also apples in the dressing and the sweet potato recipe. 
• Roast the pumpkin(s) Use extra pumpkin puree to make pumpkin soup, and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins as well as pumpkin hummus.
• Turkey or chicken stock. You will need this for the dressing and the gravy. I plan to try this recipe. Roasted Turkey Stock. This recipe is fantastic!!!
• The Cranberry Salsa and Cranberry Compote can also be made ahead. While you are at it, make this as well. Cranberry Barbeque Sauce. The link will take you to 2 fun things to do with left over turkey.
• NOTE: the dressing is VERY time consuming.
• 2 days prior, make the pie crusts. You will need 4
• One day before: make the pies. Don't wait. You will not have time on Thanksgiving morning.
• Wednesday evening. Chop the vegetables and preparing the bread for the dressing

The Menu

Aperitif - The Art of the Aperitif  Bienvenue! Bienvenue!

• Kir Royale. These were a big hit.

Appetizers Options. 
This year I only made the pumpkin hummus with vegetables. Pat brought an artichoke dip. I had cheese and beef sticks from Borderland. I also had warm ciabatta bread.

• Three Cheese Walnut Spread. Serve with apple or pear slices and assorted crackers.
• Pumpkin Hummus Serve with pita bread, bell pepper strips, carrots, and celery
• Cranberry Salsa over cream cheese

Dressing

Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing. This year I purchased chestnuts from Golden Harvest in Rhinelander. I followed this recipe for roasting the chestnuts and then ground them. This was by far THE best dressing I have EVER made!!!! My mom always added chestnuts to her dressing, now I know why!

Cranberries (Yes, 3 kinds of cranberries)

• Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce (for Mike)
• Mama Parsley's Cranberry Compote
• Cranberry Salsa I make this but in reality, no body tries it. I like it with leftovers.

Potatoes

• Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
• Mashed potatoes, use Yukon gold. Don't peel before boiling. The peels just about fall off after cooking.

Gravy - 

John usually makes the gravy but just in case. Here is a recipe. I don't plan to make this ahead. I like to use the drippings from the turkey. My Mom also made a stock using the giblets from the turkey.

Make-Ahead Gravy NOTE: John added sliced fresh mushrooms, sliced onion and the can of cream of mushroom soup to the bottom of the roasting pan 1 hour into cooking.  I also added about 2 cups of red wine. We used 4 cups of the turkey stock thickened with cornstarch which was then added to the pan drippings plus. John's gravy was to die for.

Rolls/Biscuits - I discovered that many people like rolls or biscuits with dinner. I thought I would try this recipe. Sweet Potato Biscuits. or this one Quick and Easy Yeast Rolls. John provided the rolls this year.

Vegetable - I struggle with this one. 

• This is delicious. I made it earlier this fall and for Thanksgiving. It was perfect!!!. Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad with Dijon Dressing
• I made this one. It was good and great as a left over. Tangy Green Bean Salad.
• I want to make this next year, Gulliver's Corn. Ann Hughson use to make this when we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Hughson and Moran families
• I am thinking about trying this.  BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD or PEAR POMEGRANATE SALAD. (NOTE: Claire made the pear pomegranate salad for the McGlynn's and it was a big hit).

Dessert

• Pumpkin pie with  whipped cream. I am going to try this recipe. The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie from New York Cooking. I actually used my regular recipe but adjusted the spices and added 1 Tablespoon rum.
• Apple pie
• John provided the ice cream and whipped toppings.

Leftover Ideas

• I make a turkey stock and use that for soup. Roasted Turkey Stock
• I tried this Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe this year. Yum! You need a lot of heavy cream and milk which I happened to have on hand.
• Cranberry Barbeque Turkey Pizza. I make the pizza crust in my bread machine but you can use premade pizza crust.

Breakfast the next morning

• Cranberry Orange Muffins. These were fantastic. I made them on Wednesday and brought some to Tim and Judy. They were not able to join us for Thanksgiving.
• Spinach and Tomato Quiche I made this on Wednesday so was ready to go on Friday morning.

 

Fall Sheet Pan Soup

 Fall Sheet Pan Soup

I found this recipe on Instagram from Crowded Kitchen, 10/2/2024

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups diced butternut squash
• 5 large carrots
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced apple
• 1/2 of a yellow onion cut into wedges
• 1 small head of garlic
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. tumeric
• 1 t. paprika
• 3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) heated
• 3T lemon juice
• 1 T maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F

Slice the top off the head of garlic.

Place the squash, carrots, onion, apple and garlic on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasonings and gently toss.

Roast 40 - 50 minutes until veggies are fork tender and lightly browned.

Remove the veggies from the oven and add to blender (squeeze out the garlic) then add in the heated broth, lemon juice and maple syrup and blend until smooth.

I like to serve this with basil pesto on top. I also think it would also be good with blue cheese crumbles.

The recipe calls for making grilled cheese crouton.  This was very good as well

Grilled Cheese

2 slices sourdough bread

butter

3 slices smoked or regular Cheddar cheese

2T bacon & onion jam (I used fig jam)

Make this like a grilled cheese sandwich and then cut into cubes to top the soup