Thanksgiving Roundup

November 14, 2013  •  Menus

turkeyIt’s that time of year again – turkey time! It’s just two weeks away, and do you know what you’re cooking yet? As I chat with friends, colleagues, and even strangers, I’m not sure there is any holiday that seems to create such stress around what to serve and how to get organized. So let me share some of my best ideas, recipes, and tips for how to have a scrumptious meal with little to no stress.Turkeys on farm 3 250First up, your bird. I prefer a heritage bird, and preferably one that has been raised humanely. Here in Colorado you can order them from Whole Foods and you can get them at Marczyk’s. A heritage bird has more flavor – think all dark meat – so keep that in mind. You can get my instructions for cooking the bird as well as my Apple Cider Brine recipe (highly recommended that you brine your bird) here.potatoes and celeriac with boursin cheese 1More important to me than the bird are the potatoes. Check out some of these great recipes and options:
Mashed Potatoes with Celeriac and Boursin Cheese
Buttermilk Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes
Turnip Potato Apple Mash
Herbed Hasselback Potatoes
Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Chives
Sweet Potato Casserolepancetta brussel sproutsIn my mind there is only one way to make Brussels Sprouts, and that’s to roast them with bacon or pancetta. You’ll find the recipe here. But if that doesn’t do it for you, consider these other interesting vegetable sides:
Savory Vegetable Crumble
Cumin Spiced Carrots
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
Steakhouse Style Creamy Greens
Caramelized Mushroomschina table settingIf you’d like to follow my menu and have the full rundown of what to do when, refer to the post I wrote in 2011 about how to plan and cook your feast.

I have so much to be thankful for this year – and my loyal blog readers are certainly one of those things. Wishing you all the warmest holiday season with your family and friends!

Add a Comment