Posted on November 24, 2009 - by sarahsamudre

Thanksgiving (updated with pictures!)

So it’s almost here! One of my favorite holidays of the year! The preamble to the Christmas season! The holiday that kicks in the teeth of any diet you’re on and says “Sorry sucker! That stuffing smells too good to pass up!”

This year I am in a rush to finish up my novel (91,000 + words, currently) and Vasant is in a rush to get us into our new place by the beginning of December (carpet and fireplace go in this next week, and hopefully we’ll get a housing inspection by the first weekend of December). In fact, while I tend to the turkey on Thanksgiving, Vasant and my Dad will be in the apartment working. Between school, catching the swine flu in October, and being behind on our ever-pressing deadlines to finish this book and construction by December, we’re spread unbelievably thin.But despite the craziness of this fall, there is so much to give thanks for. When I turn 28 this December, I’ll be able to say I’ve completed a novel. We’ll be in our own place, that Vasant BUILT. We’ll be closer than ever to graduation, and with so many projects off the table, we’ll be able to start working on screenplays for Vasant & I’s grad school portfolio. Ever onward and upward.

For more Thanksgiving update and the elaborately thought out Thanksgiving menu, click ‘more’…

Part of me wishes that Thanksgiving this year was a calm one. That I didn’t have to write in the morning and that Vasant didn’t have to work in the afternoon. But as soon as we finish these projects, we can settle down move onto new ones. Oy, that’s a sobering thought. I guess “settling down” won’t really happen until our mid-thirties.

But at least we have fun where we are, moment to moment, day to day. No matter how little we sleep, or how much we have to get done, life with Vasant is beyond fun/exciting/hilarious. Every second, even the crappy ones, is worthwhile.

In other news, do you still think you’ll buy my book when it comes out because I say words like crappy/don’t obsess over my grammar in posts like these? I hope so. I hope you’ll like me because I’m grounded enough to write like I talk (but no, I don’t use the word crappy in my book unless a character says it, just fyi). Don’t get me wrong…. I am snarky and elitist sometimes. But not pretentious. Let’s get nitpicky and draw that line. ;)

UPDATE:

Here are the pictures of Thursday’s feast!

First off… my pies turned out great. Two pumpkin pies, one Amaretto Cherry and an Apple pie.

Beets debuted on the Thanksgiving table this year. My family was hesitant, but I’m going to keep pushing the roasted beet agenda until they all love them as much as I do! Muwahaha.

Besides, roasting beets is just such a pretty thing to undertake. Look at them glistening- those rustic rubies. Down side however, I didn’t wear gloves and dyed my fingers red for a day.

My husband Vasant loves to chop things. If anything in the kitchen needs cutting, chopping, mincing or dicing, Vasant rushes to do it before I can. I don’t mind that at all. I cook in half the time now, because he loves prepping and cleaning up the dishes. We actually make a pretty dynamic cooking team (except for breakfasts, when we reverse roles and he takes over, while I prep and manage the coffee).

The bird! 21.5 lbs. Filled with apples, carrots, onions, celery, crushed garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme. On top, honey, cracked black pepper and rosemary.

In the pot next to the turkey is the turkey neck, getting ready to simmer for hours to make unbelievable gravy, which when combined with several cups of drippings and seasoned, will become the world’s most magical gravy.

Vasant, being the best husband ever, ran out to the store to get more garlic. When there, he saw a Thanksgiving bouquet and decided to surprise me.

Our friend Will joined us (as well as my grandparents) for the day. He insisted on helping me mince garlic for the mashed potatoes, and did a stellar job. Garlic cloves are sticky, messy things to work with.

The bird, in all its basted, golden splendor.

My mother set the table.

My sisters, Emily and Claire (who live in London and New York, respectively) joined us in spirit for dinner.

So back to Thanksgiving! Here’s what I’m cooking: (I’ll update Friday with pictures)

Thanksgiving Menu

Appetizers:
* Vegetable Dip & Vegetable Platter (My Grandma’s bringing it over)
* Vasant’s Peroncini, Kalamata & Cerignola Olive tapenade
* Crackers & Pretzels
* Grapes & Orange Slices

Vegetable Courses:
* Roasted Brussels Sprouts, with Bacon and Pecans (based off this recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts | Williams-Sonoma)
* Roasted Acorn Squash, with brown sugar and cranberries (based off my aunt’s recipe)
* Roasted Beet Salad, with feta, red onion, spinach and candied pecans (my own recipe)
* Broccoli Raisin Salad (Mom’s fixing this one)
* Corn (no recipe needed. Shuck corn, de-cob the corn. Warm the corn. Salt it. Bam. You got corn for dinner!)

Starch Courses:
* Stuffing (my Mom’s classic casserole-dish stuffing. Mom tried a sweeter apple-cornbread variation one year. We all revolted. When it comes to some dishes for the holidays, originality is NOT encouraged)
* Yams (loosely based off of my mother-in-laws’s recipe)
* Mashed Potatoes (I’m deviating SLIGHTLY from the norm this year by adding roasted garlic and parmesan to it. I may be killed for it. But I’m gonna risk it.)
* Crescent Roles (Pillsbury. Only thing not being made from scratch. Why? Tradition/years of marketing beg for it to be upheld. Plus… have you seen how much I’m already doing?)

Main Course:
* Pepper & Honey Marinated Turkey, roasted with fresh rosemary, thyme, onions, celery & apples (my own recipe. Let the turkey be wrapped in ribbons of honey and butter, covered in pepper and salt, and filled with wine, aromatics and herbs. THIS is my favorite thing to cook and I do a fabulous job at it.)
* Gravy (my gravy is a main course. No fake browning agent needed here, my friends. My turkey practically takes care of the gravy itself, and when wine and cornstarch are added in, you get some crazy magical concoction that gets fought over at the table.)

Dessert:
* Apple Pie (Cinnamon, allspice and brandy make my apple pie better than your local grocery store’s apple pie. That and my pie crust is made to be a thing of wonder in itself. Many people who hate pie love mine because they go right for the crust.)
* Pumpkin Pie (You gotta stay relatively traditional on this pie, but mine is sweeter and filled with more spices than your traditional pumpkin pie)
* Amaretto Cherry Pie (This recipe is won’t even be hinted at. It’s my favorite, most beloved recipe. Until I make up one better than this, it’s my only secret recipe, and that says something, cause I can’t keep secrets worth crap).