What do you mean, Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK? (2014 T-Day Menu)
I realized after a moment of terror earlier today that there are ten days left before Thanksgiving, and beyond my usual smoked-paprika turkey, I have no idea what to make.
As usual, it’s a small table: four adults and Andrew. I decided last year that I wasn’t going to make a full on T-Day dinner if it’s just a few people, so I started asking what one dish people needed to see on the table lest the holiday not feel like Thanksgiving. Three of the four of us answered: sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
We’re in for a starchy supper, apparently.
The problem being that I see all those starches and I immediately feel the need to overload on veggies. Which means….it’s gonna be another full table. Again. Despite there being four of us. (Plus Andrew.)
The answer, of course, is to just have smaller amounts of things. It’s a nice thought. I try for smaller recipes. I usually fail, because I look at the single sweet potato and think, “BUT THAT WON’T BE ENOUGH, NOT EVEN CLOSE.”
I’ve also got this weird hankering to try making Brussels sprouts. Because I am weird.
Proposed Thanksgiving Menu
Smoked Paprika Turkey
Whiskey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Some kind of stuffing. Could be Stove Top.*
Potato casserole supplied by guest**
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Those Roasted Garlic Carrots I always talk about
String Beans with Shallots
Some kind of roll, because three kinds of starch is not enough
Cranberry sauce***
Dessert:
Spiced Vanilla Custards with Sweet Potato Streusel
…something else, because Bill will probably not eat those. He also hates pumpkin.****
*There is NOTHING WRONG with Stove Top. I like Stove Top. Plus, it doesn't make a mountain of stuffing but a perfectly reasonable amount that will not overwhelm my kitchen, or take up space in the oven. The only downside is that it's...well...Stove Top. Stove Top is cheating. Yummy, yummy cheating.
**According to the guest, it is basically a baked potato with everything in casserole form. This sounds perfectly good to me, plus I do not have to make it.
***I make my own cranberry sauce, but my FIL has demanded the sort from a can. I have informed him that he’ll get both, and he can do a taste-test and let me know what he thinks.
****If I asked him, he would request apple pie. That’s nice. He can have apple pie AFTER Thanksgiving. If all else fails, I could just give him chocolate ice cream and Reddi-Whip, and he’d be happy. It’s a thought. I admit I’m tempted.
As usual, it’s a small table: four adults and Andrew. I decided last year that I wasn’t going to make a full on T-Day dinner if it’s just a few people, so I started asking what one dish people needed to see on the table lest the holiday not feel like Thanksgiving. Three of the four of us answered: sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
We’re in for a starchy supper, apparently.
The problem being that I see all those starches and I immediately feel the need to overload on veggies. Which means….it’s gonna be another full table. Again. Despite there being four of us. (Plus Andrew.)
The answer, of course, is to just have smaller amounts of things. It’s a nice thought. I try for smaller recipes. I usually fail, because I look at the single sweet potato and think, “BUT THAT WON’T BE ENOUGH, NOT EVEN CLOSE.”
I’ve also got this weird hankering to try making Brussels sprouts. Because I am weird.
Proposed Thanksgiving Menu
Smoked Paprika Turkey
Whiskey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Some kind of stuffing. Could be Stove Top.*
Potato casserole supplied by guest**
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Those Roasted Garlic Carrots I always talk about
String Beans with Shallots
Some kind of roll, because three kinds of starch is not enough
Cranberry sauce***
Dessert:
Spiced Vanilla Custards with Sweet Potato Streusel
…something else, because Bill will probably not eat those. He also hates pumpkin.****
*There is NOTHING WRONG with Stove Top. I like Stove Top. Plus, it doesn't make a mountain of stuffing but a perfectly reasonable amount that will not overwhelm my kitchen, or take up space in the oven. The only downside is that it's...well...Stove Top. Stove Top is cheating. Yummy, yummy cheating.
**According to the guest, it is basically a baked potato with everything in casserole form. This sounds perfectly good to me, plus I do not have to make it.
***I make my own cranberry sauce, but my FIL has demanded the sort from a can. I have informed him that he’ll get both, and he can do a taste-test and let me know what he thinks.
****If I asked him, he would request apple pie. That’s nice. He can have apple pie AFTER Thanksgiving. If all else fails, I could just give him chocolate ice cream and Reddi-Whip, and he’d be happy. It’s a thought. I admit I’m tempted.