I have a confession to make. I take Thanksgiving seriously. A couple of years ago, we flew to my sister-in-law's house in Phoenix. I volunteered to cook. Not only did I bring various kitchen utensils, I flew out the free range, hormone and antibiotic free turkey I bought at the farmer's market in DC. The TSA people looked at me as though I was crazy, but we both made it through security and the flight intact. My husband's suitcase wasn't so fortunate... In case you are wondering, they do have turkeys in Phoenix, but, I still think bringing my special bird was worth it.
Lucky for me, we're not traveling this year. As a self-proclaimed Thanksgiving expert, here are some tips.
1) Plan Ahead: I've been planning the Thanksgiving dinner menu for a few weeks now. For appetizers, we're having homemade onion dip; spiced nuts; guacamole; sweet onion, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese crosatinis; and prosciutto palmiers. First course is chestnut soup followed by Turkey (of course), stuffing (technically dressing because it's roasted outside of the bird), garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Oh and of course Pumpkin and Apple pie for dessert. I'm gaining wait just thinking about the menu.
2) Do as much ahead of time as possible. The good thing about this menu is that I can make a lot of the food ahead of time. I'm taking Wednesday off to cook, but I already started preparing! My house smells sweet from the combination of roasted chestnuts and chicken broth. I usually buy pre-made broth, but I decided to make my own since it's a key ingredient to the soup. Broth is incredibly easy to make; it's just time consuming (it takes about 4 hours to make). I plan on making everything except the gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, guacamole, and of course the turkey before Thursday.
3)Brine the Turkey. I use a huge stockpot, but turkey brining bags are available in the grocery store or at Williams-Sonoma. You can also use a garbage bag. For good tips on preparing turkey, see the Alton Brown Episode "Romancing the Bird."
4) Smaller is Better. A big turkey might look dramatic, but it will probably make all of those stereotypes of a dried out bird come true. If you have a lot of people coming for dinner, make two smaller (no larger than 13 pound) turkeys. Smaller birds also cook faster so you don't have to spend the entire day in the kitchen.