Monday, November 18, 2013

Thank you Thanksgiving!





Ready, set, here we go again; our nations most celebrated eat-fest is a mere two weeks away. Two weeks?? Shit I'm behind schedule. Holy preparation. Research, plan, shop, prep, cook, eat, eat, and eat some more. Football, friends, family, we gather to gobble till we wobble. All in honor of Bossy's and my favorite holiday......

 THANKSGIVING

Last year I wrote about the different kinds of turkeys and the various methods to prepare and cook the mighty bird. This year it's all about my favorite part of the meal; the side dishes. Everybody fusses over old Tom, he's the center of attention and the show stopper when presented at the table. I'm here to tell you, turkey is fine and dandy but gimme second helpings of those sides loaded with butter, cream, and cheese every time. Diet busters? You betcha. Cardiac coagulators? Absolutely. A Thanksgiving without them? Not a chance. 

Growing up,  I remember cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams with marshmallows, green beans baked with Campbell's mushroom soup with crispy fried onion rings on top, cranberry sauce from a can (gross), Parker House rolls and pumpkin pie for dessert. I may have mentioned previously that my mother (may she rest in peace), was known west of the Mississippi as one of the worst cooks to terrorize a kitchen. However, she tackled Thanksgiving a time or two and although she wouldn't have won any awards she did a pretty decent job and we ate it, even more surprising we liked it. 

Over the years traditional side dishes have been tweaked, remixed, elevated, and greatly improved upon. I'll share with you some of our favorite Thanksgiving sides and maybe you'll be inspired to try something new this year. Recipes are provided at the end of this blog.



Sweet potatoes:
 Bossy and I traded in the candied yams with marshmallows several years ago for Tyler Florence's sweet potatoes with roasted bananas, honey and toasted pecans. It's become a Thanksgiving favorite and one of the most talked about dishes every year.



Cranberries:
Canned cranberries? Come on! An outstanding cranberry relish or chutney is not only delicious but super cinchy to make. There's no excuse to serve that crap from a can unless you're pissed off at your family.


Mashers:
For the mashed potatoes, we keep those pretty basic. Yukon Gold potatoes peeled then boiled in heavily salted water, riced, (makes them super fluffy and smooth) and seasoned with Kosher salt, cream and a high quality butter. Thanksgiving is where you can justify paying up for really good butter and using it in everything.


Stuffing:
This is a fun one. We try something new every year just because there are so many great sounding recipes. We'll use a basic recipe as guide then play around with it, adding favorite ingredients that go well together. Only once was I not happy with the results, but with a little extra gravy it too was delicious!



Veggies:
Your pick. The proverbial green bean casserole is great but there are so many stellar options when it comes to vegetables. We like to serve a variety of roasted vegetables, tossed with olive oil, Kosher salt and fresh herbs. It's a healthy counter balance to all of the other rich dishes. Lessens the guilt just a wee bit.



Bread:
I'm making Parker House rolls a la Bobby Flay this year. The recipe has a slew of 5 star reviews and looks really easy to make. Soft, buttery rolls hot out of the oven, doesn't get any better.



Dessert:
Ok, if you're still with me, this is where we're going to have some fun. Yep, we'll have pumpkin pie of course. If someone doesn't volunteer to bring one, I'll pick it up from Costco. I've said it before, Costco makes a great tasting pie at a price that can't be beat.

 But I'm also going to make a surprise dessert that is sure to create a bit of a buzz. While on vacation in Portland, OR. a few years ago, Bossy and I were fortunate enough to dine at Le Pigeon. A tiny bistro with communal tables and  a 1-2 hour wait being the norm. The appetizers, entree, wine and of course the company were outstanding. But all that paled in comparison to the rich, fluffy, cornbread, bacon, and maple ice cream dessert that ended our meal. At the time the flavor combinations sounded absurd, and it took more than a little coaxing from our server for us to give it a try,  but thank goodness we listened to him. The dessert is one of those rare "I'll never forget this as long as I live" foods. I was not able to find the recipe for a long time, but it's available now and I'm going to serve it this year. Maple ice cream, bacon, and sweet cornbread?  The ultimate in fall flavors! If this doesn't work for your Thanksgiving menu this year please save the recipe and give it a try soon, I promise you will be glad you did.


Bossy and I want to wish all of you a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, peace, loving friends and family and of course great food!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful holiday.

Becky & Bossy 



Real Estate
Becky Goldsmith
Residential Real Estate Specialist
720-979-3184
Becky@beckygoldsmith.com


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