the menu
* arugula hazelnut salad with fig balsamic* cranberry sauce
* lemony green beans with almond breadcrumbs
* roasted brussels sprouts
* butter sautéed corn
* ultra fluffy mashed potatoes
* mom's sticky rice
* spatchcocked turkey with gravy
* snack: goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto
* drinks: southern tier pumking, martinelli's sparkling apple cider
* dessert: pumpkin milk chocolate pie with gingersnap crust
* take-home: mini pumpkin loaf & pumpkin caramel thumbprint cookies
with the menu in place, here's what the week looked like:
monday
- cranberry sauce
(it's so easy i don't understand why anyone needs to buy the canned stuff. seriously, people)
- almond breadcrumbs
- toast hazelnuts
- fig balsamic dressing
- pumpkin caramel
(needed to chill at least 4 hours before filling cookies)
- milk chocolate pumpkin pie
tuesday
- thumbprint cookies
- trim green beans and brussels sprouts
- pack up kitchen
(forgot to take a picture of the suitcase, duffle bag, and granny cart used to move everything)
- drive to connecticut before the impending snow/rainstorm
wednesday
- mashed potatoes
(left the milk out until thursday to heat up)
- air dry turkey
- chop aromatics for gravy and turkey
- giblet gravy
- defrost pumpkin loaves and corn
thursday
- COOK EVERYTHING!
- EAT EVERYTHING!
thoughts and takeaways:
- i tried spatchcocking the turkey (instead of my usual upside-down roasting), and i have to admit i was a little underwhelmed. first, it was difficult to cut the backbone out and squish down the bird (even with kavin's help). then, it was hard to judge the doneness; i'm used to jiggling the leg and checking the juices, but with a flattened bird i was wary to jostle it. and finally, even though this technique is supposed to provide even cooking etc, i found that the white meat was a little dry while some of the meat closer to the bone was slightly undercooked :T i think i'll stick with my tried-and-true roasting method going forward.
- green beans are boring.
- more corn. always.
- i really liked the arugula salad. the fig balsamic was the perfect balance of sweet and acidity. the parmesan added a nice saltiness, and the hazelnuts were toasty and provided crunch. i thought this was a beautifully composed (and simple) salad. bonus: i got to use my homemade fig jam from the end of summer!
- cranberry sauce: make your own. for reals.
- a gingersnap crust smells a lot like a graham cracker crust.
- lists are your friend: excel spreadsheets, wunderlist, paper and pen. use any and all.
holiday meals are always a lot of work but also not. i'll take any excuse to make massive amounts of food ;) it's fun--and at times stressful--to get everything ready and see it all come together, but in the end it's really about spending time with people you love.
