Menus for next week
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, not because I revel in over-indulgence, but because I love the excuse to cook up a storm for family and friends. I love lighting candles on the table and a fire in the fireplace; I love sitting around chatting while nibbling on favorite comfort foods; I love laughing over wine and telling stories and enjoying good company. This is the stuff of life, people, and it is a good life.
This year, Patrick's family is coming over on Friday for Thanksgiving dinner, so I've planned two menus: one for Patrick's and my small, private celebration on Thursday, and one for the family extravaganza on Friday. Everything will be made from scratch, including the cranberry sauce (because I can't stand the commercial versions). I'm even making my own pie crust!* Call me crazy, but this is the plan:
Thursday
goat cheese souffles
endive salad
baked honey ham
herb and cheese biscuits
roasted potatoes
wine
mini pumpkin pies with whipped cream
Friday
appetizers (because we're expecting early arrivals)
spiced nuts and sugared nuts (presented in martini glasses - fun!)
cheese plate
martha's artichoke dip with crostini
main meal
salad with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, pears, feta, olive oil and vinegar dressing
brined roasted turkey
gravy
my mom's amazingly tasty stuffing
roasted sweet potatoes
mashed white potatoes
green beans with almonds
homemade cranberry sauce
coleslaw
fresh rolls
my mom's amazingly tasty apple-cranberry crisp
dessert
mom's pumpkin pie with whipped cream
deb's apple tart
patrick's brother's chocolate pie
In addition, Patrick's mother asked what she could contribute, and I know I mentioned something specific, but for the life of me, I can't remember what I told her to bring, so there will be some additional foodstuffs on the table that will be as much a surprise to me as to you. :)
And for the record, yes, I already have the cooking schedule all mapped out, starting on Wednesday night. My OCD demands nothing less. Yay, Thanksgiving!
* For those of you who do not know this about me, I SUCK at pie crust. I consider myself to be a pretty darned good cook and a talented baker, but I have never in my whole life made a decent pie crust. (Except that one time, but my success was entirely due to the fact that the laws of physics prohibit the failure of a lard-based pie crust. But who wants to use lard these days, I mean, eww!) Anyway, my dismal failure with lard-less pastry appears to be the result of that lovely OCD that makes me type up cooking schedules two weeks in advance and wash the dishes *as I'm getting them dirty* - I over-handle the dough in the hopes of getting it perfect, and end up over-working it into a nasty, grainy, pithy, distinctly non-flakey mess. Not this year, people! I will conquer the OCD! I will stop mixing when there are still lumps in the dough! I will triumph! ...maybe.
This year, Patrick's family is coming over on Friday for Thanksgiving dinner, so I've planned two menus: one for Patrick's and my small, private celebration on Thursday, and one for the family extravaganza on Friday. Everything will be made from scratch, including the cranberry sauce (because I can't stand the commercial versions). I'm even making my own pie crust!* Call me crazy, but this is the plan:
Thursday
goat cheese souffles
endive salad
baked honey ham
herb and cheese biscuits
roasted potatoes
wine
mini pumpkin pies with whipped cream
Friday
appetizers (because we're expecting early arrivals)
spiced nuts and sugared nuts (presented in martini glasses - fun!)
cheese plate
martha's artichoke dip with crostini
main meal
salad with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, pears, feta, olive oil and vinegar dressing
brined roasted turkey
gravy
my mom's amazingly tasty stuffing
roasted sweet potatoes
mashed white potatoes
green beans with almonds
homemade cranberry sauce
coleslaw
fresh rolls
my mom's amazingly tasty apple-cranberry crisp
dessert
mom's pumpkin pie with whipped cream
deb's apple tart
patrick's brother's chocolate pie
In addition, Patrick's mother asked what she could contribute, and I know I mentioned something specific, but for the life of me, I can't remember what I told her to bring, so there will be some additional foodstuffs on the table that will be as much a surprise to me as to you. :)
And for the record, yes, I already have the cooking schedule all mapped out, starting on Wednesday night. My OCD demands nothing less. Yay, Thanksgiving!
* For those of you who do not know this about me, I SUCK at pie crust. I consider myself to be a pretty darned good cook and a talented baker, but I have never in my whole life made a decent pie crust. (Except that one time, but my success was entirely due to the fact that the laws of physics prohibit the failure of a lard-based pie crust. But who wants to use lard these days, I mean, eww!) Anyway, my dismal failure with lard-less pastry appears to be the result of that lovely OCD that makes me type up cooking schedules two weeks in advance and wash the dishes *as I'm getting them dirty* - I over-handle the dough in the hopes of getting it perfect, and end up over-working it into a nasty, grainy, pithy, distinctly non-flakey mess. Not this year, people! I will conquer the OCD! I will stop mixing when there are still lumps in the dough! I will triumph! ...maybe.