THANKSGIVING! It is the most beautiful time of year! I love Thanksgiving, mostly because I love to cook and eat the food associated with it. I go all out, and this was no exception.
We attend two Thanksgiving celebrations and hosted one. On Wednesday night, we had my parents and sister to our house, and I make the entire dinner, soup to nuts. I am a bit of a control freak, and I love to be in charge of every dish, table setting, and ambiance. This year I started off by making homemade Chicken Stock. I usually like to have this on hand because it's truly SO much better than store bought, and it's not that hard to make. For the meal, I served a Boneless Turkey Breast with Gravy, Classic Sage Dressing, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Lardons, Best American Dinner Rolls, and, of course, Pumpkin Pie. I was overall happy with the meal. The Turkey breast was good (as good as turkey can be), and I carved it very successfully, so that felt good. The gravy was meh, it didn't have much flavor. The dressing and mashed potatoes were excellent. The brussels sprouts weren't crispy enough. The dinner rolls were perfection. I wasn't crazy about the pumpkin pie filling, too much ginger. However, I was very pleased with the crust. I am, without a doubt, my worst critic. More often than not, I don't love the food I make. Is every chef like this? It takes me AGES to get a recipe just right. I annoy myself.
On actual Thanksgiving, we went to my wife, Maggie's family, to celebrate. We had a traditional meal. I made the Classic Sage Dressing, and Best American Dinner Rolls, two of my favorites, and they turned out great.
Later in the afternoon, we celebrated with my cousins Kate and Brooke, their families, my Aunt Paula, and friends. We are really really close, and it's so fun to celebrate. The whole event is very chaotic and loud and so much laughing. There isn't a sit-down meal, but everyone brings Thanksgiving classics, and there is enough food for a small army. I made Sweet Potato Casserole and Simple Cranberry Sauce. The sweet potatoes were a hit, and I was quite happy with the recipe. It's a very traditional sweet potato dish, so it is topped with Marshmallows. I'm not the biggest fan of marshmallows, but it was a crowd-pleaser.
A few notes about Thanksgiving: the history of Thanksgiving is somber, dark, and rather ugly. For me, I think it's crucial to acknowledge the holiday's dark past. However, the modern sentiment of the holiday is rather beautiful. A day to spend with people you love and share a meal. For me, cooking is a direct expression of my love for my people. So, let us keep celebrating with our loved ones while not forgetting our ugly past. Let's use our ugly history to create a more open, accecpting, and loving future.