Thanksgiving Feast - An All Star LineUp
This Thanksgiving I was inspired by the New York Times. This was the first time I was making a thanksgiving meal, and I wanted to keep it easy yet delicious. Enter NYTime's Food Section.
The recipes I picked were chosen for ease of preparation, time to cook, the prepare ahead factor, and that drooling feeling I got while going through them. Without a doubt they were an incredible success! Of course, it was great to have people who were happy to be experimented on. And if all fails, there is always McDonalds!
As you make these, it's really worth reading the comments others have posted after the body of the recipe. They really helped.
The Menu
Make-Ahead Roast Chicken & Gravy with Onions and Sage by Ina Garten
Oh my! This was an easy one to make and eat! I substituted the turkey in this original recipe for two whole chickens. Couldn't stomach the thought of turkey leftovers...Some variations I made to the recipe included - additional lemons, thyme and onions on top of the chickens while roasting, spritzing olive oil on the chickens in addition to butter, and adding peppers to the roasting tray along with more lemons and onions, thyme. I used Lemon Thyme as well. The chickens were brined a day before, and were cooked on a slow oven (325) while other preparations were going on.
The gravy was excellent as Ms. Garten had instructed. Deeply satisfying.
Chunky Cranberry Sauce by Ina Garten
I has intended to make this, but found some ready to serve fresh cranberry orange relish at Wegmans that did the job really well.
Mushroom & Gruyere Bread Pudding by Ina Garten
Another fabulous dish with a rich cheesy, creamy mushroom flavour. It wasn't fluffy as th erecipe described, but nonetheless it was yummy. Again, this was made a day ahead.
Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan by Pierre Franey
This simple yet absolutely delicious recipe got rave reviews from all guests! I made it a day ahead, and broiled it just before serving. My secret? Wegmans fresh mashed potatoes as a base! Adding the other steps to already smooth mashed potatoes resulted in the most silky smooth, mouth watering dish ever.
This dish was the belle of the ball. Super quick to make, savoured by all and received many unexpected encores! I did substitute the Anchovies in the recipe for an equivalent amount of capers (3 teaspoons for those who may want to know). I made most of it a day ahead and put it together the day of. There were no leftovers. Enough said.
Butternut Squash with Apples
Initially I had planned on a fancier version of this dish, but, given the lovely complex flavours in all the other dishes, I decided to K.I.S.S. (you know. Keep It Simple Stupid). So the pre cut butternut squash was pan roasted with same sized apples cubes and onions (always!), with olive oil, salt and fresh pepper. It worked.
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