Thanksgiving is the BEST.
Easily in my top 3 of the “Best Holidays” category.
With that in mind, and after much time and consideration, our Thanksgiving menu is at last complete!
This year we’ll be having…
- Roasted turkey with giblet gravy and caramelized onions
- Glazed ham with maple-dijon cream sauce
- Roasted leg of lamb with fresh mint jus
- Grilled salmon with a traditional herb crust
- Sweet potato gnocchi tossed in a wheel of parmigiano
- Butternut squash ravioli with sweet fennel cream sauce
- Rigatoni and homemade turkey & arugula meatballs
- Baked acorn squash with brown sugar, cinnamon, and oranges
- Candied yams
- Italian green bean and mushroom casserole
- Rustic mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
- Sweet sausage and fennel stuffing
- Baked brie with almonds
- Stuffed sausage mushrooms
- Clams
- Crab cakes
- Fried oysters
- Corn fritters
- Mixed vegetable frittura
- Sicilian style fried calamari
- Shrimp and crab claws
- Aged and imported cheeses with smoked salmon, marinated artichokes, mussels, clams, and roasted peppers
- Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella caprese
- Deviled eggs and relish tray
- Romaine salad with fennel and orange
- Croissants with herb-infused butter
- Chocolate fountain with assorted dippers including fresh fruit
- Flambé with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries
- Pie: Pumpkin, pecan, apple, berry, cherry, and lemon meringue
- Canollis
- Champagne
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…clearly, we’re dining out this year.
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I love planning fantastic dishes – traditional with a twist. A few family recipes passed down through the years and a few of my own adventurous creation. I love a good home-cooked meal made from scratch and with love. I love having my home filled to the brim with family, friends, food, wine, music, games, gratitude, and laughter. I love the sweet and spicy scent of a busy kitchen. I love decorating the table beautifully for the ultimate feast of thanksgiving. And I love celebrating Thanksgiving at home – where ever that may be.
But this year it’s just me and Ted. And though when we are together, we are always home, we don’t have a permanent place to call our “home” just yet. We may feel like squatters, but at least we’re together!
And so we’ll sleep in, cozily huddled beneath the blankets while the crisp winter wind nips at the windowpanes, instead of waking up at 5 a.m. to prep a turkey. And we’ll go to church, and share our blessings, and give thanks for all that we have and hold dear, and then we’ll go out to eat. Clearly, Ted found a stellar place; that delicious menu isn’t a sacrifice in the least! And we’ll eat and drink to our hearts delight. Champagne for everyone!
And when we’re finished, we’ll go back to the apartment and change into our pajamas, and roost, and relax, and nap, and watch football, and hang out with my wonderful roommate and her husband, if they’re around. We’ll turn on the music, and sip wine, and dig into a slice of freshly baked pie (that I will be making this year), and play a board game, and cuddle up in blankets, and maybe even build a fort in the living room, and laugh, and simply be together – thankful.
And we have so, so much to be thankful for.
What are your Thanksgiving plans?
