Mrs. Delicious

Countdown

Now that Jesse is here, the real Thanksgiving madness can begin! Andy and I went to the Whole Foods all the fucking way up in West Hartford on Sunday (can you hear me, Whole Foods? New Haven DOES NOT HAVE A SINGLE GROCERY STORE DOWNTOWN! Can you say CAPTIVE YALE AUDIENCE?), divided up the list, got out of there for under $160, went to two different Starbucks in search of an eggnog latte, and in so drinking infused ourselves with the Holiday Spirit. That night I went over to Sonya's for mincemeat-making and wine drinking, and the heady smell of citrus, spice and brandy made me almost dizzy with longing for snow and early, dark nights filled with candles and evergreen trees. It is my favorite time of year!

So we're having Stephen, Moa, and Molly over for the Big Meal and I can already tell that we are way overcooking. No matter. We will drink a ton of prosecco and bourbon and we'll need all that starchy, buttery food to help mitigate our headaches the next day.

To wit:

- Dates baked in rosemary-cheddar crust
- Triscuits topped with cream cheese and "Best of Texas" candied jalapenos (it is sad, but this might be what I am most looking forward to for the entire meal)
- Gravlax, homemade by Moa
- Salad, homemade by Molly
- Fennel and Comice pear soup
- Turkey (10 lbs), to be brined on the porch overnight in orange juice and broth by Andy
- Salmon with arugula cream, to be made by Jesse
- Martha Stewart-meets-Zuni Cafe stuffing, made from chunks of Challah and many cups of butter
- Yum Yum Mashed Potatoes (incl. olive paste and scallions)
- Brussels Sprout Slaw, without which it would not be Thanksgiving
- The Easiest Cranberry Relish In the World, involving cranberries, a whole orange with skin, pecans, and sugar all ground up in the food processor (thanks to Jenny Smith for this recipe, which she taught me when we were in grad school)
- Caramelized sugar pumpkin pie (crust made by Kyle at the Mincemeat Pie Night)
- Pomegranate gelato
- Perhaps a Princess Cake made by Moa

Oof. You see? Enough to feed an army. Hopefully Margaret and Sonya will come over after their family feasts to help us consume at least the sugar and wine stages of the dinner. At least this year I think we will avoid the problem of having EIGHT DESSERTS.

I feel that I am missing things like squash and sweet potatoes and other traditional Thanksgiving foods, but I can make them next year instead. One thing I don't like is making the same meal every year. How boring! There is so much good Thanksgiving food out there! But I do think there would be mutiny if I failed to make the Brussels Sprout Slaw. It is perhaps our one Holiday Tradition.

posted by Mrs. Delicious @ 9:34 AM