Thanksgiving notes, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I hope you all had as lovely a day as I did.  There were fourteen of us gathered around our table this year, including my mum; my brother and his girlfriend; my uncle and aunt; my dad's cousin; my cousin, her husband, and their four-year-old son (our godson); my husband's parents; and my husband's uncle.  My husband's sister, husband, and our two nieces also joined us for dessert.

I posted my post-Thanksgiving notes last year, and whether or not anyone else found it useful or interesting, I found it to be invaluable in my planning this year, so I'm going to do it again.  

Cheese & crackers
Shrimp cocktail

Vegetable rice soup
Salad
Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Gravy
Green beans, steamed
Butternut squash puree with shallots
Cat's cranberry sauce
Jellied cranberry sauce
Rolls
Olives, pickles

Appetizers: easy, and enough. I made dill dip with veggies, but never even brought them out.

Veggie soup and salad: brought by my brother's girlfriend, D, who is vegan. They were a lovely addition. The salad had some vegan "chik'n strips" - had I not known they weren't really chicken, I honestly don't think I'd have guessed. Very tasty!

Turkey: 25 pounder was plenty, with leftovers. (Woo!) Bought from Raymond's Turkey Farm. Cooked really quickly; I checked it at 4 hours, expecting it to have another 45 minutes or so to go, based on past years' calculations. Nope. Done. Better early than late, I guess.

Mashed potatoes: I think they needed to cook a little longer than they did - they were a little textural, after going through the ricer. Tasty, though.

Stuffing: for the first time in seven years, the stuffing was perfect. Baked it at 350F, covered, for about 45 minutes, in my deep stoneware covered baker. Uncovered it and baked for about ten minutes more, to crisp up the top a bit. Also, removed a bit before adding broth to it, to keep it vegan-friendly; substituted water for broth. Didn't try it, but D said it was good.

Gravy: perfect! Doubled the recipe and had PLENTY (for once). Didn't overthicken, as I have some years. Made sure to include the pan drippings, but NOT the fat, which I think was probably the reason last year's gravy was greasy.

Green beans: almost forgot to cook them; I washed and trimmed them early in the day, then put them out on the porch to stay cool. OOPS! Luckily, even 2.25 pounds of green beans steam quickly. 2.25 pounds for 14 people = plenty, with leftovers.

Squash: eliminated the textural problem from last year; it wasn't that I didn't puree long enough, but that I didn't roast the squash long enough. Made sure to roast it until it was nice and soft this year, and it was perfect and velvety. Cooked it early, then reheated, covered, in the oven. Worked like a charm. Also, made some of it butter-free for D, and she loved it.

Cranberry sauce: Added a pinch of cloves and a pinch of ginger to Cat's recipe. Just enough - any more and it would've been overpowering, and I would've had to make a plain batch to mix with it (like I did last year). GO EASY on the cloves!