Super Turkey Day

I'm working on my annual Thanksgiving menu right now. I'm hoping to go shopping on Thursday night, to both the local big grocery store and the natural food store too.

We've considered many options for Turkey Day this year--from all-out traditional meal with many dishes the babes couldn't eat, to restaurant meal (either traditional or Thai/Chinese) with more option for the kids, to our current choice of a full allergy-free meal.

Which means mostly new recipes.

Here's what we have so far:

Turkey
Gravy (with cornstarch instead of flour roux)
Rachael Ray's dressing squares (with GF crackers)
Mashed potatoes (sans butter and milk)
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows (one of the only original recipes besides the turkey and cranberry sauce, if we don't just buy canned. Keeping the rings preserved intact, of course.)
Cranberry sauce
Corn niblets
Green beans with onions and bacon
Jello salad (see previous post)
Pumpkin pie with GF crust (or just a regular pie, de-crusted for babes; by Mrs Smith!)

We haven't really figured out appetizers yet. Maybe chips and salsa, maybe even deviled eggs (though it's very Easter-y) plus crudites and a pickle plate. DD loves half-sours. And DS loves olives. Plus tomatoes, celery, carrots, baby corn, hummus.

I think my in-laws are bringing Thai desserts, if they can find ones that meet the allergy criteria (currently no wheat, dairy, nuts or honey and only moderate soy and eggs). Otherwise, I'm hoping Ar-Ma will make her Thai iced coffee and iced tea--with sweetened condensed milk!

The kiddos are very excited about "Turkey Day" as we call it. I think they don't realize that we're going to actually EAT turkey. Or that the turkey we eat comes from the animal itself. No sense ruining the day just yet. But they see the lit, inflatable turkeys in two of the yards on our block (and have seen the family of turkeys that often meanders around the neighborhood) and are eager for the day to arrive. Unfortunately, I only know one Thanksgiving song, "Super Turkey"--"he always gets away, boom boom boom, Super Turkey, you won't eat him on Thanksgiving Day." That might clarify for the kids what happens to the turkeys. Ugh.

But at least they'll love the parade!

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DP's Turkey

DP is in charge of turkey now and for our first Thanksgiving in New York, in 2001, she researched it well. We bought a really nice calphalon roasting pan, with rack, an instant read thermometer, and a whole Butterball turkey, that resisted defrosting, especially because our fridge was so cold. Her technique was derived from Alton Brown on Food Network. What an amazing golden brown beautiful turkey! The very best ever!

Preheat oven to 500°F. Wash turkey. Rub with soft butter. Salt and pepper. Insert onions and other aromatics in cavity. Using tinfoil, make a triangular bonnet for the breast of the turkey, smear with butter, and save.
Sear turkey in oven for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350°F and place foil bonnet on turkey. Roast for 15 minutes per pound (approximately 3 hours total for 15 lb bird), or until breast reaches 161°F and thigh reaches 181°F. If more color is desired on the breast, remove bonnet for last 15-30 minutes. Do not baste; do not add water; do not open oven.
Rest for 30 minutes before carving.


Stuffing Squares from Everyday Food with Rachael Ray

4 ounces (1 sleeve) saltines
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
One 8-ounce package white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 carrots, coarsely shredded (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, coarsely shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water


1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Using your hands, crush the saltines into fine crumbs over a bowl.2. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes; add to the ground saltines.3. Add 3 tablespoons butter, the onion, salt and pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add to the mushroom-saltine mixture. Add the carrots, celery and baking soda; mix well. Stir in the eggs.4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and brush on top of the mixture. Bake until browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cut the stuffing into squares and serve hot.

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

No holiday is complete without these. The browning of the marshmallows was always my job. I only found out when I went to make my own Thanksgiving meal in 1997 that Mom always doubled the recipe so I would have enough for leftovers! This is the pre-doubled version.

29 oz. can yams, drained
4 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
orange juice

Bake at 375°F. Add marshmallows to brown.

Mom


Cranberry Sauce
A la Martha Stewart in 2000. I’m not sure we ever wrote the recipe down but substituted orange juice for water on the Ocean Spray package, with a little less sugar. It’s almost replaced the canned as my favorite.

12 oz. cranberries (one bag)
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup sugar

Bring orange juice and sugar to a boil in a high-sided saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil, stirring regularly. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Make a few days ahead for best flavor.

Tangy Green Beans
A savory way to improve canned green beans, even with just the vinegar.

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-16 oz. cans whole green beans, drained
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Microwave bacon until brown, removed and crumble. Combine other ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.

Mom