My dad has officially claimed that Thanksgiving is for my husband and I to host from here on out. It's a responsibility I take super seriously. I start prepping our menu about two months out. I decide our protein, our guest list, all of it. Below is this year's menu and I couldn't be happier. Some of these recipes are forthcoming (stay tuned) and others you may recognize from Instagram and Youtube.
Starters | All the starters will be prepped the day before so all we have to do is pop it in the oven or place it on the table. The stuffed mushroom recipe is forthcoming, but you may recognize the bacon apple butter dip and the caramelized onion and goat cheese crescent rolls! They are going to be a hit as usual. My sogros (Portuguese for parent-in-laws) are bringing some Portuguese meats and cheeses to include on our autumnal charcuterie board.
Mains | Josh and I placed the order for our turkey from the local butcher the first week of October and we pick it up today. Josh and I decided to spatchcock the turkey and do a 2-day dry brine. Spatchcocking (yes, it's a real word) simply means that you remove the backbone, break the breast bone and the bird lays flat. When this happens, you increase the surface area of your protein so that it cooks faster and more evenly than if kept whole. We are doing a dry brine which means that we are covering the inside and outside of the bird in lots of salt and spices and we'll leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2 days. Here's what will happen during that time: the salt will draw out the moisture from the bird but over time the bird will reabsorb it and lock it in, leaving a juicer result. The salt will also dry out the skin so that the final product is nice and crispy. Yum! This dry brining method is like a "cheat" dry age. You can do this dry brine and spatchcock on any bird, even duck.
We'll be serving roasted potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes. My mom is making my grandmother's dressing recipe with gluten free bread since my mother-in-law is gluten free. I'm excited to make leftover dressing waffles with them the next day for breakfast. Mom is also in charge of the collard greens and macaroni and cheeese. I recently uploaded the recipe for my orange spiced cranberry sauce on the website.
Dessert | There's something you should know about me: Sanders dark chocolate sea salt caramels are my kryptonite. They are so delicious. I like to grab a box of these or an off brand version to serve as another dessert option. They are so deliciously elevated. I like to try to find the thin versions because I like how the chocolate-to-caramel ratio is more equal. I dare not have the milk chocolate ones because I imagine those are "sickly" sweet. They pair well with a dry full bodied red. Mom is making a sweet potato pie and sugar cookies. I premade ooey gooey chocolate brownies earlier this week....we'll see if they can make it to Thursday night. They are just. That. Good. I'll also be making an apple pandowdy, which is like a skillet apple pie for those who are intimidated by making apple pie and hate cleaning up things. I'm excited to share. I'll be prepping the filling tomorrow and I did the pie crust topping yesterday. This will make it so much easier and it can cook in the oven at the end of dinner. By the time we clear the table and set it for dessert, it'll be baked, cooled, and ready to devour!
Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo
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