Think it's too early to start planning Thanksgiving dinner? Think again! Nov. 26 may seem like a long way off, but for the holiday host, it's right around the corner. That's why each Tuesday until Turkey Day, we'll bring you preparation tips to ensure your Thanksgiving is as smooth as your gravy (should be).
1. Get a head count.
Now's the time to start inviting people to Thanksgiving dinner. If you're thinking about it, chances are good your friends and family are, too. So if your cousin is bringing her new boyfriend, and both sets of grandparents are coming to town, as well as your parents and siblings, you're going to need to figure out how to seat everyone at your small table with three mismatched chairs.
Getting a head count this early ensures you'll have enough time to borrow tables, chairs and whatever other furniture items you need to so that everyone can eat comfortably, and then have a place to lounge when the tryptophan-wine combo sets in. And don't forget to find out who's a vegetarian, who's allergic to nuts, and any other dietary restrictions you'll be dealing with. The last thing you want to hear as you put your orange-scented green beans with toasted almonds on the table is that your cousin's new boyfriend has a severe nut allergy.
Though Thanksgiving is yet over a month away, eager foodies have already started plotting the year's most indulgent feast. And for such mouthwatering inspiration, we thank our friends at norecipes.com for this Cinnamon Harissa Turkey recipe. Omitting gravy, Marc brined the turkey in water, brown sugar, cloves, salt and pepper before applying a rub with cinnamon, sumac, cumin, coriander and harissa to create a gloriously golden, moist and spicy-sweet bird.
Marc created an entire West Asian Thanksgiving meal last year, accompanying the heritage turkey with a Fiery Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce, Tahini Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts Caramelized with Pomegranate Molasses and more. And though we were wowed by his creativity, we wonder how far we'd be willing to stray from old family recipes.
Would you be open to shirking tradition and creating an exotic Thanksgiving meal this year? Tell us how much you're willing to deviate in the comments!
Okay, I realize that Thanksgiving is over, but I just have to give some love to the turducken -- besides, there's always Christmas to aim for! Being an out-of-country American, I always feel a bit of a twinge when it comes to Thanksgiving. On the one hand, I get to celebrate it early (October). On the other, when all my States-side friends are Twittering about their roasts and blogging about their get-togethers, I succumb to the Thanksgiving angst. (It is one of my favorite times of the year, after all.)
Anyway, this year I headed for the local Cajun joint and had turducken. I figured: Why not? It's not something that pops up on the menu everyday. Holy boy -- it may get its share of jabs, but done right -- turducken is darned tasty. When mixed with oyster, corn, and sausage stuffing, topped with liquor-laced gravy, and teamed with gruyère Brussels sprout gratinee that tastes like galumpkis? Heaven.
So don't let the name fool you -- turducken can be quite good. Try it. I dare you!
A few days ago, I documented my first visit to a Pollo Vivero, or live-kill poultry place. Well, having now had the joy of dressing and eating a freshly-killed turkey, I can absolutely state the following points:
Cutting off Heads Isn't That Hard: I thought that removing the bird's feet and head would be really difficult, but it was actually easy. I used a sturdy, German-style chef's knife, located the respective joints, and sliced away. While the legs came off in one piece (each), I had to take the neck off in two pieces. I used a paring knife and reached inside the carcass to cut it closer to the torso.
Live Turkeys Don't Look Quite the Same: My turkey's torso was longer and slightly sleeker than the Butterballs that I was used to. That having been said, it was still quite meaty, and the actual process of cooking it was very much the same (minus the pop-up timer, of course).
Live Turkeys Are Yummy: The turkey tasted more or less the same as a grocery store turkey. It was slightly more succulent, but I also chalk that up to the fact that I brined it.
Live Turkeys Dry Out Easily: Unlike store-bought turkeys, which soak in a broth solution until you unwrap them, live turkeys need to be protected from drying out. I wrapped mine in moist paper towels before brining it.
Turkey Heads Are Fun: Being somewhat perverse, I held on to the turkey head and feet so I could show them to select people. Two of my sisters got in a little bit of a tiff over who got to keep them (I'm not the only weirdo in my family), until my youngest sister claimed the artist card, stating that she wanted to draw the various parts.
I have decided that I'm definitely going to go with live poultry for Christmas. Does anybody have a good recipe for pheasant?
Leftover mashed potatoes? Please allow me to direct your attention to Not Made of Money's article on what to do with your starchy surplus. Their 10 creative ideas include shepherd's pie, Thanksgiving casserole, mashed potato soup (!), mashed potato dumplings, mashed potato patties, mashed potato and egg hash, mashed potato rolls, and mashed potato and salmon croquetes. Or you could just eat them cold with a spoon in front or the fridge at 2 a.m.. Not that I do that or anything.
It's official. Turkey Day has come and gone for another year (although the leftover season has only just begun). My turkey was nearly perfect, the gravy was lump free and the roasted sweet potatoes were incredibly sweet and tender (all I did was roast them, wrapped in foil, in the toaster oven for a couple of hours. Easiest side dish ever). However, my Brussels Sprouts were a little too crunchy and using the ricer to mash the potatoes took forever (and resulted in cold 'taters).
I want to know how your meal turned out. Did your turkey take longer than anticipated? Did your guests rave about your mashed potatoes? We want to hear success stories and disasters alike.
Though I am definitely the raging brewhead of the group, beer is certainly something that can bring my family together. Case in point: For my father's birthday, my sister signed him up for the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club.
Mom and Dad don't drink as fast of the rest of us kids, so when I arrived home for the Thanksgiving holiday, the fridge was pre-stocked with a number of BotM leftovers -- Eight different types to be precise. Coincidence? I think not! So for this week's Slashfood Ate (8) beer edition, let's see what this particular beer of the month club believed was worthy of our family fridge.
For your ever-so-gently-surreal Thanksgiving viewing pleasure, Alinea's Grant Achatz breaks down and sous vides a turkey -- just like Grandma used to. No vacuum sealer or immersion circulator needed. Sadly, there's no nitrogen-blasted green bean casserole or marshmallow and yam alginate spheres on the menu this time, but hey -- there's always Christmas.
Watch Part 2 -- Sous Vide Stuffing and Deep-Fried Bourbon Pumpkin Pie on a Flaming Cinnamon Stick on YouTube and sign up for free recipes at alinea-mosaic.com.
If you love food and the Foo Fighters, you'll love tonight's Top Chef!
The Foo Fighters are this week's judges on Top Chef. Will they be "Food Fighters?" We'll have to wait and see. It is their Thanksgiving meal, after all, so there ought to be some kind of fighting. Foo Family Food Fight? Maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Also, starting tomorrow, Bravo will have an "After the Knife" series where you can watch online what happens when the chef'testants are told to pack up their knives and go. See the preview after the jump!
It's the day before Thanksgiving! We can't wait! Here, in one handy place, is a roundup of our 8 Best Thanksgiving Tips.
Over the years we've covered everything from First Time Thanksgiving (a great recipe and anecdote collection by Bruce Watson) to Bento Box Thanksgivings (an inspired series of leftovers ideas from Emily Matchar). The list here will take you from wine and centerpieces to turkey brining - as well as pleasing the vegetarians and the health-conscious.
Make sure you read these over before the big day tomorrow!
For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.
This post-Thanksgiving bento, from FoxyMartini, turns mashed potatoes into a Gray Chinchilla with a bit of food coloring, raisin eyes, ham nose, and nori whiskers. Belly is white American cheese. He sits atop several slices of Fuji apple and a container of gravy sauce for the adjacent turkey.
For the last couple of days, the thought keeps flitting through my head, "I need to remember to buy decaf coffee!" You see, I'm hosting the Thursday installment of my family's Thanksgiving (we're gathering again on Saturday with a slightly expanded group) and I know that several of my relatives enjoy a cup of coffee to go along with dessert at the end of the meal. However, I tend to only keep regular coffee* around and for some people, caffeine at 6 or 7 pm is a deadly.
I've also got fresh ginger, rosemary and buttermilk on my last minute shopping list and plan to hit Reading Terminal Market this afternoon so that I can pick them up. How about the rest of you. Anyone else making one final run to the store today for tomorrow's meal?
*On the caffeinated side of things, I've got Starbucks Thanksgiving blend, which is wonderfully aromatic, smooth and goes perfectly with pumpkin pie.
While turkey may be the centerpiece of many people's Thanksgiving dinners, the meal would not be the same without its pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, winter squash, parsnips, pears, Brussels sprouts, and much more. In fact, the Thanksgiving turkey seems like the only meat associated with the meal. Falling at the end of the season, this holiday provides a great opportunity to make use of the fresh fall produce.
So, if you're a vegetarian or serving vegetarians this season, there are plenty of dishes that you can make to celebrate the end-of-fall harvest. Below are 8 vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes:
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Leftover mashed potatoes? Please allow me to direct your attention to 
Though I am definitely the raging brewhead of the group, beer is certainly something that can bring my family together. Case in point: For my father's birthday, my sister signed him up for the 
It's the day before Thanksgiving! We can't wait! Here, in one handy place, is a roundup of our 8 Best Thanksgiving Tips. 
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