Tuesday, 20 November 2012 | 17 comments

Thanksgiving

Last year I was away for Thanksgiving, but this year, Ben and I are hosting family at our home and I could not be more excited. Remember that time I said I liked potlucks? It was a stretch. I like to be in charge of big dinners, there, I said it. If a potluck is a democracy, I can deal with it, but when it comes to my table it’s possible that I prefer a benevolent monarchy. We can all infer what we will about my control tendencies from this, but I am stoked. Let’s talk about the big day. The wonderful Food52 folks invited me over to launch a new feature, “Halfway to Dinner”. A guest blogger will introduce a base ingredient or recipe (such as a pot of beans, a big batch of rice, a roast chicken) and demonstrate creative ways to use it for meals all week long. Writing about good, everyday cooking has become a bit of an obsession lately, so I jumped at the chance. The debut column is about—you guessed it—turkey, so you’ll have some ideas for other ways to use up your leftovers besides the ordinary (albeit good!) turkey-cranberry sandwich. Head over to Food52 to read it.


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Our own menu includes:

The bird, dry-brined and herb-rubbed
Cornbread and sausage stuffing (a Southern classic I’m trying out for the first time, any tips?)
Mashed potatoes
Green beans with sherry vinaigrette
This corn pudding, which I auditioned a few weeks ago and loved (use one fewer egg and much more thyme)
Ashley’s brussels sprouts with white beans and pecorino (another new favorite)
My sister’s famous cranberry relish (last year we had two, one with jalapeño and one with red wine)
Pecan pie
Maple cream tart

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If you’re looking for some last minute Thanksgiving inspiration, some recipes from The Yellow House that you might enjoy:

Cracked pepper skillet cornbread (the base for my stuffing/dressing, but also good on its own)
Warm wheatberry and red cabbage salad
Focaccia with scallions & sage
Collard cobbler (the base for the biscuits is essentially an amped up version of creamed collards, if you want to leave off the bread)
Mushroom barley soup
Beet & barley salad (with horseradish cream)
Greens & grains gratin

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I’m hoping everyone is safe, and happy with friends this week. There are many things for which I’m lucky enough to be thankful, but this year I’m especially thankful for anyone reading these words right now. I am continually impressed by how smart, thoughtful, and warm the people are who drop by this site. The internet can be a big and sometimes bad place, but you make me believe that there’s signal among all the noise; that there are a decent number of us hungry people seeking nourishment or balance or just a next meal. Thank you.

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