thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. It is the official start of the holiday season, and my favorite time of year. As with the recent years past, I've been passed the torch to all holiday meals. My menu this year included the usuals as requested by my brother, brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and risotto. I originally planned a roasted butternut squash risotto, but it was changed back to my popular mushroom risotto of the past few years. I added chipotle sweet potatoes as a side, since my mom bought them earlier in the week. And of course, we had the showstopper turkey with gravy.



I've had great success with Alton Brown's Good Eats Turkey last year, so it was back by popular demand. It completely merits the rave reviews and thus I must thank Audgbodge again for referring me to the recipe. I added a layer of mirepoix with a can of low sodium chicken stock below the turkey when roasting. Although not part of the original recipe, my family always liked the extra vegetables, so I figured why not. Plus, it added moisture while roasting, which was nice.

I watched the Food Network Thanksgiving specials this year and noticed that Alton Brown dry-brined his turkey, which was interesting, but call me old fashioned when I say that I love the way a whole turkey looks on the carving board with everyone hovering over it. So, I stuck to his old recipe but decided to try his new gravy, which just became a new yearly request. The only thing was that I disgarded the giblets after the stock was made. I must say it was the best gravy ever, rich with turkey flavor, slightly spiced with herbs, and utterly delicious.

My brother loved the gravy so much that he refused to give it up when we were packing leftovers. Since he's the only one that likes cranberry sauce, I asked if that meant I didn't need to make it especially for him anymore. He insisted that he still likes the cranberry sauce but also thinks the gravy is really something special.

They loved the mushroom risotto, noting that it was better this year. I undercooked it a bit on purpose, knowing that it will continue cooking in the hot pot waiting to be plated. Our plates were full of food and we had to rest over an hour before we had dessert. I made my own spin on Williams Sonoma's pumpkin mousse, turning it into a trifle, but more on that and other things pumpkin later.

And here is our king of the house, asleep from his Thanksgiving dinner of chicken breast, broccoli, and kibble, equipped with his gobble gobble bandana.