I am hosting Thanksgiving this year, and I am so excited for a holiday where the theme is eucharisteo (radical gratitude)!!! Just a few things I am grateful for right now: I get to plan the menu exactly how I want, I get to make all the food from scratch (no cans or jars or other industrial food) or purchase it locally (made by hand) – all real food!, I get to spend the day with family and friends and bless them with my cooking, I get to support our local farmer who is raising the turkey (I just love voting with my feet and my wallet!), I get to decorate the Thanksgiving table (I can’t wait!). It looks like we will have 19 people here (10 adults and 9 kids), so I’ve changed a few things around (like adding the ham). I hope we have enough food!!!
We will have:
root veggie curry bisque(frozen) for a starter with a yogurt garnish- 21-pound pastured turkey (Smockity’s recipe for moist and super-fast cooking turkey,
Pioneer Woman’s brine recipe) - pastured ham (crockpot recipe here)
- gravy (easy-peasy using drippings from the turkey sizzled with flour, then broth to thin or arrowroot powder mixed with milk to thicken as necessary)
stuffing (recipe here)
- mashed potatoes with my CSA potatoes
- sweet potato casserole with my CSA sweet potatoes
- green bean casserole with homemade crispy shoestring onions (recipe here)
5-spice apple chutney (recipe here)- raw Chocolate Mousse Pie (recipe here except sub sucanat for agave syrup)
- pumpkin pie (recipe NT p. 562, or here)(I’ll be using Heavenly Homemaker’s pie crust recipe using palm shortening – it’s good for you!) 35 – 45 min @ 350 degrees
- apple pie (NT p. 564) 45 min @ 375 degrees
This week, I need to buy raisins, 6 cups of apples and 1 cup pecans to make the apple chutney
Next week, I will be in VA for Everett’s therapy on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I’d like to get any prep I can on Monday, then hope for some very productive evenings (pray I don’t get stuck in traffic on the way home) on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Monday – grocery shopping and misc. prep
make ice in the deep freezer to add to the turkey brine- Grocery list:
5 avocadosapple juice or cider5 orangesfresh rosemaryarrowroot powdersucanat15 tart applessmall pumpkinsgreen beansonionscouple sourdough baguettesback-up mango chutneys from Trader Joe’scranberry sauce from Trader Joe’s
Tuesday – Savory Dish Day
turkey will be delivered today, make brine and add turkey to the bucketroast pumpkins & make puree for pieassemble stuffing (one dish for in the turkey, one dish for the side oven)still need to add cubed bread and saute with brothmake fermented cranberry chutney YUM!purchase blueberry and cherry pies from MOM’s
Wednesday – Sweet Dish Day
- roast sweet potatoes, white potatoes
- assemble green bean casserole in oval dish that fits side oven (prep, but don’t bake)
make 3 regular pie crustsand 1 hazelnut pie crust- prep pie fillings (apple, pumpkin) (have to wait on avocados for choc mousse)
- bake assembled pies and remaining crusts
- set the lovely Thanksgiving table
- thaw soup in fridge
Thursday – Thanksgiving (dinner served at 2pm)
first thing in the morning
- put ham in crockpot (add molasses, pineapple juice, maple syrup, and sugar)
- simmer soup
- make chocolate mousse pie
- finish stuffing
11:30
- put turkey with stuffing in the oven and extra stuffing in the side oven
- herbed kefir cheese ball appetizer???
1:30
- turkey out of the oven to rest, then carve
- sweet potato casserole in the oven
- green bean casserole in the oven
- make mashed potatoes on stove
- make gravy
November 12, 2013 at 3:56 pm
I’m getting hungry looking at all of these delicious recipes.