Thanksgiving aftermath
Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have to say this was one of the more blah ones I have had. Since it was just Mom and Lorie celebrating thanksgiving I decided that I would make thanksgiving dinner. I had decided since there were just three of us I would forgo the huge feast and instead go with a simple four course dinner taking traditional dishes and putting a spin on them. I scoured the web and multiple cooking shows for about a month to come up with my thanksgiving menu and I finally got it all together just hours before thanksgiving dinner. Here is the menu and their outcome critiqued by the toughest person I know. ME ^_^:
Course 1 Soup
Butternut Squash Soup- This came out excellent. It was both flavorful and hearty. I will be keeping this recipe and using it often from now on.
Course 2 Salad
Cranberry Pecan Salad- The dressing for this salad (a vinaigrette) was not to my liking. I found it to be too oily and I could not taste any of the other flavors of the dressing. However after a bit of tweaking I was able to get it to were it was pretty good. Overall I have to say that the salad was light and refreshing especially preceding the soup and was an excellent pallet cleanser. Again this one goes into my recipe box.
Course 3 Main
Cranberry Stuffed Turkey- *sigh* Alas this is were it went all wrong. This Recipe was a roland. A technique where you flatten out the meat and add a filling, then you roll it up, tie it together, brown and bake. This was my first attempt at such a dish. I sadly tore the meat, put in too much filling, and forgot to set the timer so I ended up over coking it. In the end it was dry flavorless and all around bad. I dont know if I want to abandon this recipe just yet though. I think I will work on it a bit more but next time I will subject it on just myself and not anyone else.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes- The brandy glaze that I made for this dish was excellent. Sweet but not too sweet and the brandy went well with it. The sweet potatoes were I bit to big and thick. Next time I will cut them into smaller pieces and also I will bake them instead of steaming them to help bring out their sweet taste. Also I may make tempura sweet potatoes and use the glaze as a dipping sauce. Worth a shot.
Apple glazes Green Beans- Green beans were good but couldnt taste the apple. Next time Ill use a stronger cider for the reduction.
Course 4 Dessert
Pumpkin Cheesecake- Well I at least ended the meal on a high note. This turned out well but I think I will add more pumpkin and spices. While I could taste them in the cheesecake I felt that they were overpowered by the cheesecake and were more of an aftertaste. But still good
Well Im off to bed.
Course 1 Soup
Butternut Squash Soup- This came out excellent. It was both flavorful and hearty. I will be keeping this recipe and using it often from now on.
Course 2 Salad
Cranberry Pecan Salad- The dressing for this salad (a vinaigrette) was not to my liking. I found it to be too oily and I could not taste any of the other flavors of the dressing. However after a bit of tweaking I was able to get it to were it was pretty good. Overall I have to say that the salad was light and refreshing especially preceding the soup and was an excellent pallet cleanser. Again this one goes into my recipe box.
Course 3 Main
Cranberry Stuffed Turkey- *sigh* Alas this is were it went all wrong. This Recipe was a roland. A technique where you flatten out the meat and add a filling, then you roll it up, tie it together, brown and bake. This was my first attempt at such a dish. I sadly tore the meat, put in too much filling, and forgot to set the timer so I ended up over coking it. In the end it was dry flavorless and all around bad. I dont know if I want to abandon this recipe just yet though. I think I will work on it a bit more but next time I will subject it on just myself and not anyone else.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes- The brandy glaze that I made for this dish was excellent. Sweet but not too sweet and the brandy went well with it. The sweet potatoes were I bit to big and thick. Next time I will cut them into smaller pieces and also I will bake them instead of steaming them to help bring out their sweet taste. Also I may make tempura sweet potatoes and use the glaze as a dipping sauce. Worth a shot.
Apple glazes Green Beans- Green beans were good but couldnt taste the apple. Next time Ill use a stronger cider for the reduction.
Course 4 Dessert
Pumpkin Cheesecake- Well I at least ended the meal on a high note. This turned out well but I think I will add more pumpkin and spices. While I could taste them in the cheesecake I felt that they were overpowered by the cheesecake and were more of an aftertaste. But still good
Well Im off to bed.