Thanksgiving

Last year we spent Thanksgiving at Disneyland. It was a nice break from our tradition of hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house. But tradition calls and with only one week until Thanksgiving I'm starting to panic. I spent this morning compiling the menu and making my lists and I decided to post it here to help others who may be in a similar state of panic (Betsy, you know who you are) and to have it for easy reference next year. I have made all of these recipes for years and they are easy and my favorites. Everything can be prepared and refridgerated a day or two in advance leaving only the turkey for Thanksgiving day.

Here is my menu:

Sparkling cranberry juice (cranberry juice mixed with sprite)

goat cheese and crackers (costco)

jalepeno artichoke dip (costco)

carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, olives (served with dip)

turkey

mashed potatoes

dressing

gravy

green beans

Raspberry jello (Lynnette)

rolls (Rhodes)

sweet potatoes (Jason's mom)

green salad (Lynnette)

pies (Jason's mom, my mom)

Cranberry Glazed Turkey (Williams & Sonoma recipe)

1 fresh turkey, about 16 lb., neck, heart and gizzard removed (reserved, if desired)
2 cups sweetened cranberry juice
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. turkey herbs
Directions:
Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425°F. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cranberry juice to a boil and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Add 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) of the butter and stir until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Remove the giblets and neck, if included, and reserve for making gravy, if desired. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off and discard excess fat. Season the body cavity with salt and pepper, and place the herbs inside the cavity. If desired, truss the turkey with kitchen twine. Spread the remaining 2 Tbs. butter over the turkey breast, and season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F and roast for about 1 1/2 hours more, then begin basting every 15 minutes with the cranberry juice mixture. Add about 1 cup water to the pan to keep the glaze from burning. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165°F, and inserted into the thigh registers 175°F. Total roasting time should be 3 to 3 1/2 hours. If the breast begins to cook too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.

Sausage-Chestnut Stuffing

1-box stuffing mix (Mrs. Cubbisons is my fave)

Chicken broth

3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 lb. well-seasoned fresh bulk pork sausage
1/4 lb. ground lean beef
1 jar (14.8 oz.) prepared French chestnuts, chopped
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.In the same pan, brown the sausage and beef, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the bowl with the onion mixture.In another large bowl, toss the stuffing with chicken broth (according to directions on the box). Add the onion-meat mixture, the chestnuts, parsley and thyme to the bowl with the bread. Season with salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crispy, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Serves 10 to 12.

Creamy, Mashed Potatoes (Pioneer Woman)

5 lbs potatoes

3/4 cup butter

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup half and half

1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-35 minutes. When they're cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost-but not totally-fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1.5 sticks of butter, 1 package of creamcheese and 1/2 cup of half and half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add lawry's seasoning salt and pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium sized baking dish and to top it off with butter. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350 degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through. (if making in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2-3 hours before serving time).

Gravy (Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:
Pan drippings from roasted turkey
3/4 cup water
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups turkey or chicken stock, lightly salted
2 Tbs. dry sherry (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Skim and discard any fat from the turkey drippings in the roasting pan. Add the water to the pan and set over medium heat. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Transfer to a bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When it bubbles, add the flour and stir rapidly for a few seconds to cook the flour. Rapidly whisk in the reserved pan drippings and the stock. Cook until the gravy is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sherry and season with salt and pepper. Pour the gravy into a warmed sauceboat or wide-mouthed pitcher for serving. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 cups.

Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce

1/2 orange
2 cups water
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, pippin or McIntosh
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Directions:
Squeeze the juice from the orange and set the juice aside. Remove and discard the membrane from inside the orange rind and cut the rind into small dice. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the rind and the water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside. Peel, core and quarter the apple. Cut into 1/2-inch dice and place in a saucepan. Sort the cranberries, discarding any soft ones. Add to the apples along with the orange juice, orange rind, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan partially. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, the apple is tender and the cranberries have burst, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cranberry sauce to a heatproof bowl and let cool for 1 hour before serving. Or cover and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving. Transfer the cranberry sauce to a sauceboat and pass at the table. Makes 3 1/2 to 4 cups.

Brown Butter Wild Mushroom Walnut Green Beans (williams sonoma)

Ingredients:
Kosher salt, to taste, plus 1 tsp.
2 lb. green beans, trimmed
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 shallots, thinly sliced
8 oz. wild mushrooms, brushed clean, stemmed and roughly chopped
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until the milk solids start to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the 1 tsp. salt and season with pepper. Stir in the green beans and walnuts and cook until the beans are warmed through. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately. Serves 10 to 12.