Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving Preparation

Once again, we’re having Thanksgiving dinner for the wayward souls – friends who might otherwise not have family and friends to share the day with or those who just want to eat with us. We’re having a pretty traditional meal, however, several of the recipes are new to us and our guests understand that when they eat here, they are likely to be Guinea Pigs.  Here's the basic plan:

3 pm - Social hour
  • Cocktails
  • V. Sattui Gamay Rouge as an aperitif – no Hors d’Oeuvres as we’ll have plenty to eat.
  • Non alcoholic cocktail
 4pm - Salad
  • Tossed salad provide by a guest
  • 1000 Island, Blue Cheese, Ranch, Raspberry Vinaigrette
 4:30 ish - Dinner served buffet style
  • Roasted turkey, using the Pioneer Woman’s brine and a basting recipe from the newspaper
  • Pork chops baked with dressing
  • Dressing using the recipe with the turkey from the newspaper
  • Mashed potatoes, Pioneer Woman recipe
  • Gravy
  • Baked sweet potatoes - a must for the true Southeners
  • Cranberry salad using another newspaper recipe
  • Broccoli cheese casserole using the recipe in Bev’s head
  • Brussel sprouts using our normal cooking method
  • Homemade rolls
  • Sauvignon Blanc, dry riesling, and pinot grigio
6:00 ish - Dessert

  •  Desserts brought by guests
  • Coffee
  • Muscat dessert wine
The turkey, sweet potatoes, and rolls will be cooked in the oven and the dressing, casserole, and pork chops will be wrapped in foil (to keep the pans clean) and cooked in the Stumps smoker - my big, charcoal fired, outdoor oven. We'll pre-make and do as much prep as possible on Wednesday, to help reduce the stress level on Thursday and as you might expect, I have a detailed gameplan for both days (the engineer in me never goes away). We'll have a table set up in the living room with drinks and salad to get it away from the kitchen while we're still cooking, and we'll eat in the dining room and the sunroom..  Then we'll get the buffet laid out around the kitchen while the guests finish their salads and visit with one another.
I sure hope it turns out great but if it doesn't we'll try again at Christmas. :-)

I hope ypur planning is going well and that you have a happy holiday.  Thanks for stopping by.

Larry



12 comments:

  1. Your menu sounds fabulous Larry. Hope you and Bev have a great Thanksgiving with your family.

    Be sure to save some turkey for me. Sandwiches the next day are my favorite part of Thanksgiving.
    Sam & Meakin

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  2. Sounds like a great menu! My mom and I have a menu plan and it starts tonight and ends Thursday morning. I like to stretch it out so we don't kill ourselves with all that work. ;)
    Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  3. Sounds like it's going to be one awesome extravaganza! I love your "wayward souls" idea. That's kind of how our family thanksgivings are as well.

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  4. It sounds like your Thanksgiving will be fun and everybody will be full - great of you to host!

    I'm going to one of those gatherings of many couples that don't have nearby families to share the day. I'm taking a couple of veggie dishes, an hors d'oeuvre, and my cranberry chutney.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  5. I really wish I were a wayward soul. This is a feast! I'm brining my turkey for the first time EVER this year. Looking forward to the new experience. I'm thinking about that brocoli cheese casserole also. Do you marshmallow and sweeten up those sweet potatoes? We used to have them every year. Been to V Sattui, fun winery. I've just started my planning, we're not having the big meal until Sunday.

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  6. Your menu/plan sounds absolutely wonderful! I love that you are a planner like me...and I'm an accountant, not an engineer!! I'm smoking the turkey this year (just couldn't help myself)!
    Hope you all have a fantastic day!!

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  7. What an awesome feast. As I read through the list of what you're serving I was struck by the fact you'll not have to cook for the next week:-). I always knew you were one smart cookie. Have a fabulous day, Larry. Blessings...Mary

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  8. Sounds like quite the feast! Looking forward to hearing how everything turned out.

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  9. Wow... I like to think that I'd be invited for this if I lived near you. Sounds like a wonderful day.

    Wishing you and yours a very gracious and happy Holiday. It warms my heart to have you in my mix of cyber friends. I am thankful for your acquaintence. Have a BLAST! Keri

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  10. Larry, After getting a look at the menu...the enormous spread...the feast, and given that we represent 2 of those 'wayward souls', all we can say is WOW! YUM! Yippeee! Now that's something to look forward to!! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave & Laurie

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  11. Looks like a great meal. We have a friend who is an "orphan" who always comes with his sons, now adult, and they are only bringing one extra "orphan" this year, a Chinese girl.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Larry.

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  12. Damn, I feel tired and stuffed all over again, just from reading all of your menu! Nice job, Larry and Bev.

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