How to host the (almost) perfect Thanksgiving: For procrastinators

PSA:  Thanksgiving is 5 days away.  That's right.  FIVE days.  If you are a regular 9-5, Monday through Friday working person, that means you have today and tomorrow to get it together.  OK, don't freak out, it'll be fine.  Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?  If you are new to hosting, go checkout my comprehensive beginners guide to hosting Thanksgiving before you jump into this one.  Then come back here.

Alright, first of all, we need to talk about turkey.  Do you have turkey?  What kind of turkey do you want?  If you would like a free range/heritage/organic/fresh turkey or some combination thereof, you might still have time to order one if you haven't yet.  Here in Portland, you can order your turkey from New Seasons online (which is brilliant, why doesn't everyone do that?).  I ordered mine last weekend, but you can probably still get in on that action.  If you don't want to do that, Market of Choice and Whole Foods are good bets for quality turkeys.  A few years ago I was able to run into Market of Choice 2 days before Thanksgiving and nab a turkey, so procrastinators rejoice!  But seriously, don't wait until 2 days before because you will not be guaranteed a turkey.  Also, if you end up getting a frozen turkey, keep in mind it can take FIVE days to thaw.  Yes.  Five days.  As in, the amount of days from now until the day you need to cook the turkey.  See why you need to get your turkey, like, now?

OK, now that we have a turkey, how are you going to cook it?  If you read my original Thanksgiving post you will find several simple and delicious turkey recipes.  If you want more selection, hop on over to my Thanksgiving Pinterest board.  I highly suggest that you make a thanksgiving pinterest board to organize all of your thanksgiving recipes.  You need them all in one place.

Time to make a list of all the dishes you want to have at your table.  Delegate the ones that you don't want to deal with/don't have time for/don't have oven space for. And as you know from reading my other post, you will also need some snacks and drinks. Now make a list.  Like this:

Herb Rubbed Turkey
Cider Gravy
Simple Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Parsnip Mashed potatoes
Bread
Pumpkin Pie
Charcuterie Board
Grapes
Wine
Beer
Soda
Apple Cider

Great!  Now make a grocery list to make sure you have all of the ingredients for your recipes.  Check it twice.  Now go to the grocery store.  Like right now - trust me when I tell you that you don't want to go to the store on Wednesday afternoon. (PS, you might want to clean out your fridge before heading to the grocery store to make sure you have room for everything).

OK, what can you make ahead of time?  If you are making your own pie crust, you might want to go ahead and do that today (Saturday), then pop it in the freezer.  On Tuesday you can make your cranberry sauce, Also if you are brining your turkey you will probably want to start that. And on Wednesday you can make your pies.  You can probably do some prep work on Wednesday if you have time - chopping your veggies and things like that.  Obviously, you need to make yourself a timeline:

Saturday:
Order Turkey if you haven't yet
Make a list of dishes you want to serve
Ask guests what they can bring
Make grocery list
Go shopping
Write timeline for rest of week
(This includes figuring out how long your turkey will take so you know when you have to start it)

Sunday:
Make pie crusts
Take an inventory of your serving pieces and kitchen tools.  If you don't have something that you need, get it today.
Put the leaf in your table if you have one and are using it.
Wash your table cloth but don't put it on your table yet.  The cat is an asshole.

Check that you have movies/games on hand for entertaining the masses while you slave away in the kitchen.  Make sure you have that covered.

Monday:
Probably clean your house like a crazy person.
Double check your ingredients to make sure you have everything.  It's better to go to the store today than Wednesday.

Tuesday:
Make cranberry sauce.
Brine turkey if doing so.

Wednesday:
Make pies
Make herb butter for turkey
All other possible prep that can be done ahead of time.
Make sure you have wine.
Drink wine (not too much.  You have to get up early tomorrow)

Thursday:
Make sure you get up 2-3 hours before you need to put the turkey in the oven.  It needs to sit out for 2 hours to come to room temperature.  Also, pad your timeline a little.  Add an extra half hour here and there to make sure you have enough time for everything.  For example:  I will have a 12 pound turkey, which will take 3-3.5 hours to cook.  I'm rounding that up to 4.   Also it will need to rest for half an hour after coming out of the oven. Since I need to have my turkey sit out for two hours before I cook it, I need to be up and getting my turkey ready 6 1/2 hours before I want to serve dinner.  Since I want to serve dinner at 4pm, I need to make sure I am in the kitchen by 9:30 am.  But since I want to give myself a little extra time, I should really plan on being up and in the kitchen by 9am.  It is best to write a detailed timeline of your day so that you can stay on top of things without getting stressed out.  Make sure you schedule enough time to take a shower and get ready before dinner.  I can't tell you how many pictures there are of me on Thanksgiving with bedhead still in my pjs because I woke up, started cooking and NEVER STOPPED.  Give yourself as much extra time as you can so you don't have a meltdown.

Now eat and allow yourself to slip into a blissful food coma while someone else does the dishes.

Wine Wednesday: King Estate Luminous Pinot Gris

When K and I were on our trip to the Northwest a few weeks ago, we did a little bit of wine tasting.  Of course I couldn't miss my favorite winery in the world, King Estate.  We decided to pick up a bottle of this limited edition Luminous Pinot Gris.  Don't be fooled by the pink color, this is not a rosé!  I am not a fan of the rosé, so I was surprised that I actually liked this wine.  That's because unlike a rosé , which is traditionally made from red grapes that are separated from their skins,  this is made from Pinot Gris grapes and is allowed to soak with the skins for 72 hours.  Traditionally Pinot Gris is separated from its skins before fermentation, because the Pinot Gris grape is actually purplish grey.

Anyway, this is a really nice crisp, dry wine.  It isn't at all sweet, but it isn't too tart.  It's nicely balanced.  The skins added tannins, which give it a tiny bit of astringency.  I realize that doesn't sound like something you would want to find in your wine, but it worked here and was not at all unpleasant.  This wine was great with spicy foods, but also it cuts sweetness nicely.  I served it with some easy happy hour foods, a  few kinds of bruschetta and also some figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.

Because this is such a great summer wine, and figs are such a great summer fruit, I decided these two had to be on the same table.  I made my favorite fig and goat cheese bruschetta, along with pesto and sopressata bruschetta, and a new one with brie, figs and prosciutto.  

I had some figs left over, so I quartered them lengthwise, almost but not quite to the bottom.  Then I stuffed them with goat cheese, wrapped them in prosciutto and topped them with freshly cracked pepper and a little drizzle of honey.  Then I baked them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Wine:  King Estate Luminous Pinot Gris
Year: 2011
Region: Oregon
Purchased From: King Estate Winery
 Price: $18
Verdict: 5/5

Bruschetta

The bruschetta inspiration: Postinos

 OK, FINALLY we have made and purchased alllll of the necessary pieces in order to put together a pretty amazing bruschetta board (or plate, in my case).  As I mentioned in my previous post, K and I had date night at a local wine bar called Postino that is known for it's bruschetta.  We decided to recreate this at home, and admittedly 4 kinds of bruschetta requires lots of different ingredients.  It would be all well and good to just make one or two of these.  But if you are serving it as a meal instead of a little snack, or if you are having a party, it is nice to have the variety.  Although prepping the ingredients can take a little while, once you have everything prepped these come together pretty quickly, which is what makes them a great food for entertaining.  The four kinds of bruschetta we attempted were:

Brie and Apples with Fig Jam
Prosciutto with Figs and Mascarpone
Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese
Salami with Pesto

What I bought (prosciutto not pictured)

Start out with a couple of loaves of good French or Italian bread (I make my own, but you can also buy it)
Slice into about one inch thick slices, brush both sides lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Lay out on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes.  Flip them all over, and then put them back in for another 3-4 minutes.  You want them a little toasty.  After this, you can start assembling the different bruschetta.

Toasty

Brie and Apples with Fig Spread

Ingredients:
Brie (I used double cream)
Granny Smith Apple, very thinly sliced (we used a mandolin slicer)
Fig Spread (Make your own, or you can usually find it in the fancy cheese section of the grocery store)
Honey

After taking the toast out of the oven, spread with a thin layer of fig spread, and then top with a slice of brie. Put it back in the oven for a few more minutes, until the brie is a little melty.  Remove from oven and top with  thin slices of apple.  Drizzle with honey.  DONE!

Prosciutto with Figs and Mascarpone

Ingredients:
Mascarpone Cheese
Dried black mission figs, sliced
Prosciutto
Fresh ground pepper

After toasts come out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes.  They can still be warm, you just don't want them too hot when you spread on the cheese.  After they have cooled down, spread with mascarpone, top with slices of figs and then a slice of prosciutto.  Sprinkle with just a tiny bit of fresh ground pepper.

Mascarpone and figs, just top with Prosciutto 

(This was the easiest one because this is the only one that I didn't have to make any of the ingredients for.  I also thought it was the most bland.  It might be that the mascarpone was not the best brand, I have not worked with that type of cheese before.  but in the future I might even replace the mascarpone with goat cheese)

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
Soft Goat Cheese
Roasted Red Peppers, diced (Make your own, or buy)

After toasts come out of the oven, spread with goat cheese and then top with the diced roasted red peppers.  Done!  So quick and easy.

I failed to take a close up of the Goat Cheese and Red Pepper - So this is the best I can do!

Salami with Pesto

Ingredients:
Pesto (Make your own, or buy in refrigerated section)
Salami, thin slices

After the toasts come out of the oven, spread with pesto.  Top with 2-3 slices of salami.  Done!

Finished Prosciutto and Fig on the left, just need to top the Pesto with Salami

Transfer all the bruschetta onto a large serving platter or two and serve to your dazzled guests.  Best served with wine.

 I personally think that making many of the ingredients from scratch improved these bruschetta.  Because they are very simple, the ingredients are all major stars.  If they are only mediocre, your bruschetta will probably also be mediocre.  Make sure that the ingredients you do buy are the highest quality!

Casual Happy Hour

It all started with an instagram

DIY: How make your own Roasted Red Peppers

One of the last things I decided to make for the bruschetta was the roasted red peppers for the Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta.  We normally will roast these on the grill when we are barbecuing, but since we weren't using the grill right then I decided to make these in the oven.  You can of course buy a jar of these, but roasting your own is so easy and usually cheaper (right now I have been buying bell peppers for .88 cents each here in AZ, unbelievably cheap!).

Weirdly shaped peppers!

I roasted two of them, which made enough for 5-6 bruschetta.  I was surprised that it made less of a final product than I thought, so I was glad that I had roasted two and not one.

Nice and blackened.

Cut the peppers in half, removing the stem and seeds.  Place skin side up on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Move your oven rack to the highest position and turn on the broiler.  Put the cookie sheet of peppers under the broiler and roast until the skin is blackened.  This took mine 10-15 minutes, but watch them very carefully!   Don't go walking away and getting distracted.  The skin should be black in most places.  Then take them out and immediately put in an airtight container.

Pepper Sauna

If you don't have something with a tight fitting lid, just put them in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap.  You want them in a pepper sauna.  Leave them alone and don't open the container for 15-20 minutes.  Then you can take them out and peel off the blackened skin.  There you are, left with a beautiful roasted pepper.

Pepper fillet

 I chopped mine up and tossed them in a little olive oil, then stored them in a jar until I wanted to use them.

DIY: Pesto (Nut free)

Ok, so we are on our way to making the bruschetta, but I still have a few more things to make.  The next item is pesto, for the Pesto and Salami Bruschetta.  I absolutely love making pesto, it is a quick and easy favorite for summer, and can be whipped up and thrown on some pasta for an easy meal.  In this case it is the base of a very simple bruschetta.

Gather olive oil, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, and lemon 

I like my pesto super garlicky, so if you only like garlic a normal amount you might want to tone it down.  If you are the kind of person that looks at a recipe that calls for one clove of garlic  scoffs, and then uses 5 cloves, this is the recipe for you  (remember that since this is not cooked, the garlic flavor is very strong).  Also, most pestos use nuts, such as pine nuts or walnuts.  I don't include those because I don't really like them and I don't find them necessary.  I add a tablespoon of lemon juice both for flavor and to preserve the bright green color.  I notice that if I don't use lemon, the pesto starts oxidizing very quickly, and turns a less pleasant color.

Basic Pesto

2-3 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1-3 cloves of garlic (one for garlic normals, 3 for garlic lovers)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

I like to grind my parm right in the food processor, so cut it into chunks and then pulse in food processor until it is a crumbly consistency   Add garlic cloves and pulse until combined.  Add fresh basil, then while food processor is running, stream the olive oil through the top feed until you reach your desired consistency (for me that was about half a cup, but you may need to add more or less depending on your preferences and how much basil you have).   Add lemon juice and pulse to combine.  Then add salt to taste.

The lemon juice is really great at maintaining that bright green color.  I also stored it in a mason jar, so the airtight environment might have helped preserve that as well.  I have had this in my fridge for a few days now and it is still a beautiful green color.

DIY: Fig Spread

The other night, K and I went on a date at a local wine bar called Postino.  They are one of Phoenix's favorites, and now have three locations in the metro area.  One thing they are most known for is their bruschetta.  I wasn't aware that bruschetta was such a thing until coming to Arizona - they really, really love their bruschetta here!  Most wine bars offer "bruschetta boards" where you have a menu with many choices of different kinds of bruschetta, and you can get a combination of several of them to try.  Most Phoenicians will claim that Postino has the best bruschetta in town, and I have to agree it is pretty damn delicious.

Bruschetta Inspiration at Postino

We have an out of town friend coming to visit, and K asked if I thought I could recreate our bruschetta at home.  I have already written about how I love to make bruschetta as a quick easy appetizer, and I was up to the challenge of trying out some new recipes   And because I am extra ambitious (Read: unemployed and bored), I decided to make several of the ingredients from scratch.  I was totally going to buy everything, but I realized that A.) with four different kinds of bruschetta, that grocery bill was going to add up fast and B.)  Homemade is almost always better than store bought.

Get 10 ounces of dried Calimyrna figs

Stem and quarter

Grab a fresh lemon

The first item that I decided to make at home was a fig spread for the Brie and Apples with Fig Spread Bruschetta.  I stumbled upon a recipe from none other than my hero, Ms. Martha Stewart herself.  After reviewing to make sure I wasn't getting in over my head (you have to watch that with Martha), I decided to give it a try.  This turned out to be ridiculously easy and delicious   Even if I wasn't making bruschetta, I would like to have this on hand for throwing together easy appetizers.  Putting this out with some cheese and crackers would instantly elevate it to a cheese platter.  Or just spread it on toast.

Squeeze that lemon

Simmer the figs with sugar

Throw the cooked figs in a food processor

Fig Spread
(From Martha Stewart)

10oz Dried Calimyrna Figs, stems removed and quartered
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 cups water

Combine figs, sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, let simmer until most water has evaporated and figs are easily pierced with a sharp knife ( Martha says 20 minutes, mine took closer to 35 - so just keep checking them after 20 minutes)

Transfer to food processor, add lemon juice and puree until you reach your desired consistency.  Add up to 1/4 cup of additional water if needed (I didn't as there was still quite a bit of water left in the pot of figs).

Blend figs with lemon juice

For some reason I was afraid this was going to turn out bland and horrible, so I was very surprised when it was delicious.  I immediately put it on a cracker with cheese. 

Amazing

Heaven

Stay tuned, I will post the recipe for the bruschetta soon!

How to host the (almost) perfect Thanksgiving: A Beginner's Guide

I love Thanksgiving.  I have been hosting Thanksgiving since I was in college, and it is one of my favorite holidays because A)  I love food. B) I love entertaining C)  I love having my friends and family together.  This year will be a small shindig with just me, K and my parents, so this will be a simpler, low key holiday.  I've been thinking about what it takes to host a successful Thanksgiving dinner.  The main thing is to keep your stress levels low so that you can enjoy the holiday with the important people who are there.  If you do a little planning and think about ways to make it easy on yourself you will have it in the bag.

The first step is planning your menu.  If you are new to hosting big holiday meals, the best plan is to keep it simple.  Choose easy recipes, and try to make sure at least a few of them can be made ahead of time.  Here I will post links to some of my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving.  Unless otherwise noted, none of the photos are mine, and if you click on the photo it should take you to the original recipe   I will start with my favorite turkey recipes:

This Roasted Turkey from Martha Stewart was the first turkey I ever made.  It is simple and easy but delicious.

Roasted Turkey from Everyday Food

This Roast Turkey with Sage was the next turkey I made, and I continued to make it for several years.  It is almost as easy as the first turkey, but it is more impressive due to the herbs under the skin. (NOTE:  I realized that this recipe is incomplete on the Martha Stewart website, so I replaced the link with a very similar recipe   I am researching the original recipe to see if I can find it and repost it, because it is a really good one)

Roast Turkey with Sage from Everyday Food

This last Turkey was one that I attempted after I had a few Thanksgivings under my belt.  If you have never made a turkey before, I would go with one of the above recipes   But if you feel confident in your turkey roasting abilities, this is a really amazing turkey.  I think it is the best turkey I ever made.

Maple-Syrup Glazed Roast Turkey with Riesling Gravy from Martha Stewart Living

This is my own turkey when I used the above recipe   The setting might not be quite as gorgeous as Martha's, but I was really proud of this one.

I've never been a big fan of gravy, but it is nice to have, and most people will want it on their thanksgiving plate.  I would really recommend the riesling gravy that goes with the maple syrup roasted turkey above (even if you don't make that turkey).  HERE is also a really easy recipe.

While we are talking turkey, there are a few tools that you will need to make roasting a turkey easier.
1.  Roasting Pan with a rack - My first few years I used a tin foil, disposable roasting pan.  That will work, but your life will be WAY easier if you invest in a roasting pan.  I use mine all the time, not just for turkeys.
2.  Digital Thermometer - I love mine, and again, I use it often, not just at Thanksgiving.  You can set an alarm to go off when the meat reaches a certain temperature   That way, you don't really have to worry about it being under or over done.
3.  Kitchen Twine - for trussing your turkey, to help it cook evenly and keep its shape.
4.  A platter large enough to serve your turkey.  Nothing like scrambling at the last minute to find something to serve it on.  You worked hard on that turkey, and you are going to want everyone to admire its beauty.
5.  A knife sharp enough to carve your turkey.  Most people have this, just make sure that you do.

My turkey, ready to be roasted, using 3 of the 5 essentials - roasting pan, thermometer and kitchen twine (notice how my kitchen is a mess?  Yeah, that's going to happen)

If you don't know how to truss a turkey, check out this video.  It is really easy.


OK, now that you know what you are doing for the turkey, it is time to decide what else you want to make.  The secret to a stress free Thanksgiving?  Delegate.   Do NOT try to make everything yourself.  You will freak out.  I usually make the turkey, gravy and stuffing the day of and make the pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce the day before.  The rest I assign to other people.   This is especially true if you are hosting a crowd and everyone wants their own special tradition represented.  Someone just needs to have the green bean casserole?  Tell them you would love it if they would bring it.  Same with mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, bread or rolls, and anything else that a guest might ask you about.  If someone asks what they can bring, give them one of the above items.  Decide what you want at your thanksgiving table, and then make sure that everything is accounted for, by either you or a guest.

 Here are some of my other favorite recipes:

Be sure you buy (or make, but I buy) a few extra containers of chicken stock for this stuffing.  I always run out.

Simple Stuffing from Everyday Food

The easiest cranberry sauce.  Make this a day or two ahead and refrigerate.  One less thing for you to do on T-day.

Basic Cranberry Sauce from Everyday Food

These Parsnip Smashed Potatoes are a new favorite, and they are really just incredible.  They also happen to be vegan (but if you aren't vegan, don't let that scare you.  They are delicious) .

Smashed Parsnips and Potatoes with Thyme from Martha Stewart

Another thing that can be made ahead is the pumpkin pie.  Again, this is a really easy recipe and doesn't take long at all.  You can cheat and buy premade pie crusts (I do that often if I am busy or overwhelmed), but the dough recipe included is also super easy and can be made ahead and frozen.

Pumpkin Pie from Everyday Food

Of course, don't forget that people will be thirsty.  Many people have traditional thanksgiving drinks, for example I always feel like I need to have ginger ale on hand. Depending on the type of crowd you are serving you can decide what is best, but I think it is always a good idea to have a few non alcoholic choices and a few with alcohol.  An example list (you wouldn't necessarily want to have everything on the list, unless you are going to have a large crowd, but choose at least 1-2 of each) :

Ginger ale

Soda (diet coke in my house)

Cranberry juice

Apple cider

Wine

Beer

A specialty cocktail (Like This one or this one)

This year I have been seeing crock pot apple ciders all over pinterest, and so I think I am going to mix up a batch Thanksgiving morning to have available all day.  I have never made it before, but my cousin made this one for a party and says it was delicious.  She kept a bottle of spiced rum next to the pot so that people could make themselves a grown up version if they wanted.

A few more (again, I can't speak to how good these are since I have never made them):

Copycat Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

Hot Spiced Cider - She also has a ton of cute, shabby chic fall decorating ideas, so you have to scroll down quite a ways before you get to the cider recipe.  

It is also a good idea to have a few appetizers out for people to nibble on throughout the day.  Nothing too heavy - people should be hungry for the big dinner.  But I learned that if you starve people all day, they do not have much patience if dinner is running late - and it will almost always be running late.  Things never go exactly according to plan.  Some easy choices are

Cheese and crackers

Nuts

Fruit/raw veggies

And maybe ONE easy hot appetizer - go easy on yourself, and remember your oven is busy!

A quick and easy one is Bacon Wrapped Dates.  Another is Pear Brie Tarts

Pear Brie Tarts made by me

Pear Brie Tarts

I learned this from my friend Nancy (the one who taught me about Martini Friday)

They are easy, delicious and impressive.  My favorite combination for appetizers!

You can buy the premade phyllo dough tart shells in the freezer section.  Fill each tart with a mixture of diced pear and brie, bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.  Tada!

Appetizer table after being picked over

The photo above is to show you that you don't have to go crazy with fancy appetizers, but they will still be appreciated.  I also had bagels in the morning with Skinnnytaste pumpkin spice cream cheese (made the day before, of course).  

I do best with lists, so here is a simple list to follow that will make your Thanksgiving more manageable.

1.  Make a Meal Plan

2.  Plan your guest list and assign dishes out as needed

2.  Collect all of your recipes in one place  (include appetizers and drinks)

3.  Make a shopping list from your recipes, also non food items such as cooking utensils and table settings.

4.  Go shopping a few days before to avoid the crowds.

5.  Make a list of what order to cook things (what can be made ahead?  How long will the turkey take?  If your turkey takes 4 hours, how long do your other dishes take?  When should you start them?)

7.  Tuesday and Wednesday, make everything that you can make ahead of time.

6. Thursday:  Keep calm and follow your list.  Assign other people to tasks as needed.  Remember that things probably will not go perfectly, and that is OK.  The point of this holiday is to spend time with people you love and create memories.

You may also want to have some games or movies on hand for the post dinner food coma.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Thanksgiving dinner, 2010