Thanksgiving went well, thankfully
After much thought, energy, time and planning, our first Thanksgiving we hosted went beautifully. Fortunately, we had a small crowd to manage so that made things easier. In case you haven’t been following along, here was my plan of action.
Key Learnings
Thanksgiving dinner is better than a lunch or late lunch. If you’re concerned about not having that cold turkey sandwich after feasting, have it before like my parents! There are no rules.
Having an appetizer course was exciting, and contrary to what my Mom and I thought, we had more than enough. The charred scallion dip was insanely flavorful, the baked brie was rich and classic, the stuffed mushrooms a nice change and the cheeseball rounded out the spread.
Similarly, starting with a salad composed of fresh veggies and a citrus dressing was really refreshing! Highly recommend.
It’s worth it to make your own rolls and pie crust and ice cream. From-scratch cooking takes more work and planning, but it makes a difference and is easier than you might think.
I had to change which green bean casserole I made because I needed to make it the day before. Sarah Jampel’s from NYT Cooking was truly incredible and will be making an annual appearance. Frying your own onions is worth it.
We should all be dry brining meat more often. The pork turned out beautifully after I used the brine concoction from BA’s Best Turkey. Following 24 hours in this, I rinsed it and vacuum sealed to cook in the sous vide — there was no need to season with salt after that brine, but we added fresh thyme and garlic.
I’m a bad daughter and did not take close-up pics of my Mom’s dishes, but everything she made was fantastic. Most noteworthy for me were her chocolate pecan pie bars (drooling!). And, I have grown to appreciate and enjoy her cornbread dressing, a family recipe she always loves making for us.
Also, shout-out to my Mom for bringing so many beautiful and helpful platters! I had none and they really made things look elevated.
Top to bottom, left to right: Our appetizer spread, fennel apple salad, dinner rolls, the main spread, apple pie inside and out, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, meat platter, dry brined pork loin, stuffed mushrooms, fried onion topping, no churn ice cream, pie crust, dough for rolls.
